[63b]

ze shal conceyve in zour wombe, indeede,
a childe, the sone of the trynyte;
his name of zow ih(es)u clepyd shalbe;
he shal be grett, the son of the hyest, clepyd of

kende,
and of his ffadyr davyd the lord shal zeve hym

240

the se,

245

250

Reynyng in the hous of Jacob, of which regne shal

be n(o) end.
Maria: Aungel, I sey to zow,

in what maner of wyse shal this be?
ffor knowyng of man I have non now:
I have evyrmore kept and shal my virgynyte,
I dowte not the wordes ze han seyd to me,

But I aske how it shal be do.
Gabryel : The holy gost shal come fro above to the,

and the vertu of hym hyest shal schadu the so,
Therfore that holy gost of the shal be bore,
he shal be clepyd the son of god sage.
and se Elyzabeth zour cosyn thore,
she hath conseyvid a son in hyre age;

This is the sexte monyth of here passage, [64a] of here that clepyd was bareyn.

nothynge is impossyble to goddys usage:

they thynkyth longe to here what ze wyl seyn. here the aungel makyth a lytyl restynge and mary beholdyth

hym, and the aungel seyth:
Mary, come of and haste the,
and take hede in thyn entent
whow the holy gost, blyssyd he be,
Abydyth thin answere and thin assent.

255

260

265

Thorwe wyse werke of dyvinyte
the secunde persone, verament,
is mad man by fraternyte,
withinne thiself in place present.
fferther more take hede this space,
whow all the blyssyd spyrytys of vertu,
that are in hefne byffore goddys face,
and all the gode levers and trew,
That are here in this erthely place,
thyn owyn kynrede, the sothe ho knew,
and the chosyn sowlys, this tyme of grace,
that are in helle and byde rescu,

270

(64b]

As Adam, Abraham, and davyd in fere,
and many others of good reputacion,
that thin Answere desyre to here,
and thin Assent to the incarnacion,
In which thu standyst as p(re)se[r]vere,
of all mankende savacion.
gyff me myn answere now, lady dere,
to all these creatures comfortacion.

280

285

Maria: with all mekenes I clyne to this acorde,

bowynge down my face with all benyngnyte, Se here the hand-mayden of oure lorde,

Aftyr thi worde be it don to me.
Gabryel : Gramercy, my lady ffre,

Gramercy of your answere on hyght,
Gramercy of zour grett humylyte,
Gramercy, ze lanterne off lyght.

290

264 ) MS has full form the 272, 273, 276 282 ) MS has full forms thyn, and, and, these 274 rescu ) erased in MS and ther rescu substituted, H follows correction 279 preservere] psever MS, presevere H

F

295

300

here the holy gost discendit with iij bemys to oure lady, the sone of the godhed ne[x]t with iij bemys to the holy gost, the fadyr godly with iij bemys to the sone, and so entre all thre to

here bosom, and mary seyth:
[65 a] Maria: A! now I fele in my body be

parfyte god and parfyte man,
havyng all schappe of chyldly carnalyte,
evyn all at onys, thus god began,
Not takynge ffyrst o membyr and sythe another,
but parfyte childhod ze have anon;
of your hand-mayden now have ze mad zour modyr,
withowte peyne in ffiesche and bon.
Thus conceyved nevyr woman non,
that evyr was beyng in this lyff.
O, myn hyest ffadyr, in zour trone,
It is worthy zour son, now my son, hauea p(re)rogatyff!
I can not telle what joy, what blysse,
now I fele in my body!
Aungel Gabryel, I thank zow for thys,
most mekely recomende me to my faderes mercy.
To haue be the modyr of god fful lytyl wend I.
Now myn cosyn Elizabeth ffayn wold I se,
how sche hath conseyvid, as ze dede specyfy.

Now blyssyd be the hy3 trynyte !
[65 b] Gabryel: ffare weyl turtyl, goddys dowtere dere!

ffare wel goddys modyr, I the honowre!
ffare wel goddys sustyr, and his pleynge fere !

ffare wel goddys chawmere, and his bowre! 315 Maria : ffare wel Gabryel, specyalye!

ffare wel goddes mesangere expresse !
I thank zow for your traveyl hye,
Gramercy of your grett goodnes !

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310

320

325

And namely of zour comfortabyl massage,
ffor I vndyrstande by inspyracion
that ze knowe, by syngulere p(ri)uylage,
most of my sonys incarnacion.
I p(ra)y zow take it into usage,
be a custom ocupacion,
to vesyte me ofte be mene passage,

zour p(re)sence is my comfortacion. Gabryel: At zour wyl, lady, so shal it be,

ze gentyllest of blood and hyest of kynrede that reynyth in erth in ony degre, be pryncypal incheson of the godhede! I comende me onto zow, thu trone of the trinyte ! O! mekest mayde, now the modyr of ih(es)u! qwen of hefne, lady of erth, and empres of helle be ze [66a] socour to all synful that wol to zow sew. Thorozourbody beryth the babe oureblysse shalrenew, 335 to zow, modyr of mercy, most mekely I recomende, and as I began, I end, with an Ave new.

Enjonyd hefne and erth, with that I ascende.
Ang(e)li cantando istam sequenciam :

Aue maria, gr(aci)a plena,
d(omin)us tecum, uirgo se[r]ena.

330

[67 a] [PLAY] 12. (JOSEPH'S RETURN.]

Joseph: How, dame, how! undo goure dore, undo!

Are ze at hom ? why speke ze notht?
Susanna: Who is ther? why cry ze so?

telle us youre herand. Wy[l] ze ought? 5 Joseph: Undo goure dore I sey zow to,

ffor to come in is all my thought.
Maria: it is my spowse that spekyth us to;

ondo the dore, his wyl were wrought.
Wellcome hom, myn husband dere,

how haue ze ferd in fer countre?
Joseph : To gete oure lyvynge, withowten dwere,

I haue sore laboryd for the and me.
Maria: husband, ryght gracyously now com be ze;

it solacyth me sore sothly to se zow in sy[ght]. 15 Joseph: Me merveylyth, wyff, surely youre face I can

10

not se,

but as the sonne with his bemys, qu(han) he is most

bry[ght].

20

Maria : husband, it is as it plesyth oure lord, that

grace of hym grew.
who that evyr beholdyth me veryly,
they shal be grettly steryd to vertu,

for this syfte and many mo, good lord gramercy ! Joseph: how hast thu ferde, jentyl mayde,

whyl I haue be out of londe?
Maria : Sekyr, sere, beth now[ght] dysmayde,

ry[ght] after the wyl of goddys sonde.

4 wyl] wy MS, wyl H 14 syght] syth MS H quhan) qû MS bryght] bryth MS H 23 nowght ) nowth MS H 24 ryght) ryth MS H

16