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

Pax: To spare your 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.

Therefore me semyth best ge 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.

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,

110

115

120

125

130

[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

145

150

155

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

this I deme to ses zour 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, gow 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 ge.

plesyth it gow this conclusyon?

[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.

133 Misericordia] Mia MS

149 is] his MS provyde] pvyde MS
MS H

138] MS has full form this

156 that to] to that

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.

Justicia: Sure, I can fynde non sufficient,
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 gaff 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.

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.

Spirit)us S(an)c(t)us: I, the Holy Ghost, of zow tweyn

160

[61b]

165

170

175

180

I, Love, to zour lover shal gow lede;

this is the assent of oure vnite.

[62a] 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.

190

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. hyze the, thu were there apace,

200

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 gow aungellys the grett ruyne.

[62b] Spirit)us S(an)c(t)us:

205

210

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.

186b osculatæ ] osculate MS H

has full forms the, there, and this

189, 193, 197, 198, 204] MS

203 myght] myth MS H

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.

[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,

215

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,

ffor so ful of grace was nevyr non bore.
gett 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 hygly to commendyd be
and am most unwurthy, I can not answere,
grett shamfastnes and grett dred is in me.

Gabryel: Mary, in this take ge no drede,
ffor at god grace ffownde haue ze.

211, 215, 216, 217, 219] MS has full forms: thyn, thee, thu, this, thow 227 thynge] herynge MS H

has full form thus

233 unwurthy ] unwirthy H

232] MS

220

[63 a]

225

230

235