Mi(sericordi)a: Systyr Ryghtwysnes, ze are to vengeabyl; [60 b]

Endles synne God endles may restore.
above all hese werkys God is mercyabyl;
thow he forsook God be synne, be feyth he forsook

hym never the more,
and thow he p(re)sumyd nevyr so sore,
ze must consyder the frelnes of mankende.
lerne, and ze lyst, this is Goddys lore:
the mercy of God is withowtyn ende.

Ito

I15

Pax: To spare zour speches, systeres, it syt.

It is not onest in vertuys to ben dyscencion,
the pes of God ovyrcomyth all wytt.
yow, Trewthe and Ryght, sey grett resone,
zett Mercy seyth best to my plesone ;
ffor yf mannys sowle shulde abyde in helle,
betwen God and man evyr shulde be dyvysyon,
and than myght not I, Pes, dwelle.

1 20

Therefore me semyth best ze thus acorde-
than hefne and erthe ze shal qweme-
putt bothe your sentens in oure Lorde,
And in his hyz wysdam lete hym deme;
This is most syttynge me shulde seme.
And lete se how we ffowre may all abyde-
that mannys sowle it shulde p(er)ysche it wore sweme,
or that ony of vs ffro othere shuld dyvyde.

125

130

Veritas : In trowthe, hereto I consente ;

I wole prey oure Lorde it may so be. Justicia: I, Ryghtwysnes, am wele contente,

ffor in him is very equyte.

105 Misericordia) mia MS 109 presumyd) psumed MS 115, 120, 121, 125 ) MS has full forms: the, than, therefore, thus, and this 127 perysche] pysche MS

[61a] Mi(sericordi)a: and I, Mercy, ffro this counsel wole not fle

tyl wysdam hath seyd I shal ses. 135 Pax: here is God now, here is vynte;

hefne and erthe is plesyd with pes.

140

Ffilius: I thinke the thoughtys of pes, and nowth of

wykkydnes ; this I deme to ses your contraversy : If Adam had not deyd peryschyd had ryghtwysnes, And also Trewthe had be lost therby. Trewth and Ryght wolde chastyse Ffoly; ziff another deth come not Mercy shulde perysche, Then Pes were exyled ffynaly. so tweyn dethis must be, zow fowre to cherysche. But he that shal deye ze must knawe, that in hym may ben non iniquyte, that helle may holde hym be no lawe, but that he may pas at hese lyberte. qwere swyche on [is], p(ro)vyde and se and hese deth for mannys dethe shal be redempcion. all hefne and erthe seke now ze. plesyth it zow this conclusyon?

145

150

[Scene 2: The Same.)

Veritas: I, Trowthe, haue sowte the erthe without and

withinne,
and, in sothe, ther kan non be fownde
that is of o day byrth, withowte synne,
nor (that to] deth wole be bownde.

155

Mi(sericordi)a : I, Mercy, haue ronne the hevynly re

gyon rownde, and ther is non of that charyte, that ffor man wole suffre a deddly wounde. I can nott wete how this shal be.

160

165

Justicia: Sure, I can fynde non sufficient,

[61] ffor servauntys vnprofytabyl we be eche on. [T]he love nedyth to be ful ardent,

that for man to helle wolde gon.
Pax: That God may do is non but on,

therefore this is be hys avyse,
he that zaff this counsell, lete hym zeve the comferte

alon,
ffor the conclusyon in hym of all these lyse.
Ffilius : It peyneth me that man I mad,

That is to seyn, peyne I must suffre sore.
A counsel of the Trinite must be had,

whiche of vs shal man restore.
Pater : In zour wysdam, son, man was mad thore,

And in wysdam was his temptacion,
therfore, sone, sapyens ze must ordeyn herefore,
and se how of man may be salvacion.

170

175

Ffilius : ffadyr, he that shal do this must be bothe

God and man,

lete me se how I may were that wede,
and syth in my wysdam he began,

I am redy to do this dede.
Sp(irit)us S(an)c(t)us: I, the Holy Ghost, of zow tweyn

do p(ro)cede. this charge I wole take on me

190

I, Love, to zour lover shal zow lede;

this is the assent of oure vnite. (62 a) Mi(sericordi)a: Now is the loveday of us fowre, fynialy,

Now may we love in pes, as we were wonte.
Misericordia et Veritas obviauerunt sibi,
Justicia et Pax osculat[æ] sunt.

Et hic osculabunt pariter omnes.
Pater: ffrom vs God, aungel Gabryel, thu shalt be sende

Into the countre of Galyle-
the name of the cyte Nazareth is kende-
to a mayd, weddyd to a man is she,
of whom the name is Joseph, se,
of the hous of Davyd bore.
the name of the mayd ffre

is Mary, that shal al restore. 195 Ffilius : Say that she is withowte wo, and ful of grace,

And that I, the son of the godhed, of here shal be bore.
hyge the, thu were there apace,
Ellys we shal be there the beffore,
I haue so grett hast to be man thore,
In that mekest and purest virgyne.
sey here she shal restore

of zow aungellys the grett ruyne. [62 b] Sp(irit)us S(an)c(t)us :

and if she aske the how it my[ght] be,
telle here I, the Holy Gost, shal werke al this;
Sche shal be savyd thorwe oure vnyte.
In tokyn, here bareyn cosyn Elyzabeth is
qwyk with childe, in here grett age, i-wys.
seye here, to vs nothynge impossyble ;
here body shal be so fulfylt with blys,
that she shal sone thynke this sownde credyble.

200

205

210

Gabriel : In thyn hey inbasset, lord, I shal go

it shal be do with a thought,
beholde now, lord, I go here to,
I take my fflyth and byde nowth.

215

220

[Scene 3: The Annunciation.] AVE MARIA, GRATIA PLENA, DOMINUS TECUM. Heyl, fful of grace! god is with the ! amonge all women blyssyd art thu! here this name Eva is turnyd Ave, that is to say withowte sorwe ar ze now. Thow sorwe in zow hath no place, zett of joy, lady, ze nede more, Therfore I adde and sey fful of grace,

(63 a] ffor so ful of grace was nevyr non bore. zett who hath grace, he nedyth kepyng sore, therfore I sey god is with the, whiche shal kepe zow endlesly thore,

so amonge all women blyssed ar ze.
Maria: A! mercy, god! this is a mervelyous thynge,

In the aungelys wordys I am trobelyd her,
I thynk how may be this gretynge.
Aungelys dayly to me doth aper,
But not in the lyknes of man that is my fere,
and also thus hyzly to commendyd be
and am most unwurthy, I can not answere,

grett shamfastnes and grett dred is in me. Gabryel: Mary, in this take ze no drede,

ffor at god grace ffownde haue ze.

225

230

235