70

Gabryel come and seyde to me Ave; ther I conceyvyd god at my consentynge, parfyte god and p(ar)fyte man at onys beynge. [726] than the aungel seyd onto me that it was sex monethys syn zour conseyvynge, this cawsyth my comynge, cosyn, zow to comfort

and se.

Elizabeth: Blyssyd be ze, cosyn, for your hedyr co- 75

how I conseyvyd I shal to zow say. (mynge! the aungel apperyd the howre of incensynge, seyinge I shulde conseyve, and hym thought nay; sethe ffor his mystrost he hath be dowme alway,

and thus of my concepcion I haue tolde zow sum. 80 Maria : ffor this holy psalme I begynne here this day:

MAGNIFICAT ANIMA MEA DOMINUM,
ET EXULTAVIT SP(IRITUS MEUS IN DEO

SALUTARI MEO!
Elizabeth : Be the holy gost with joye goddys son is

in the cum, that thi spyryte so [injoyid] the helth of thi god so. 85 Maria: QUIA RESPEXIT HUMILITATEM ANCIL

L[A]E SU[A]E.
ECCE ENIM EX HOC BEATAM ME DICENT

O[MN]ESGEN(ER)ACIONES.
Elizabeth: ffor he beheld the lownes of hese hand-

maydeze, so ferforthe ffor that all generacionys blysse zow

in pes.

Maria: QUIA FECIT MI[HI] MAGNA QUI POTENS 90

95

Elizabeth : ffor grett thynges he made, and also mygh

tyest, and ryght holy is the name of hym in vs. [73a] Maria : ET MISERICORDIA EIUS A PROGENIE

IN PROGENIES
TIMENTIBUS EUM.
Elizabeth : za, the mercy of hym fro that kynde into

the kynde of pes,
ffor all that hym drede now is he cum.
Maria : FECIT POTENCIAM IN BRACHIO SUO,

DISSPERSIT SUPERBOS MENTE CORDIS SUI. 100 Elizabeth : The pore in his ryght arme he hath mad sothe prowde to dyspeyre [in] the thought of here

hertys only.
Maria: DEPOSUIT POTENTES DE SEDE

ET EXALTAVIT HUMILES.
Elizabeth : The prowde men fro hey setys put he,

and the lowly upon hey[ght] in the sete of pes. Maria: ESSURIENTES IMPLEVIT BONIS,

ET DIVITES DIMISIT INANES.
Elizabeth : alle the pore and the nedy he fulfyllyth

with his goodys,
and the ryche he fellyth to voydnes.
110 Maria: SUSCEPIT ISRAEL PUERUM SUUM,

RECORDATUS EST MISERICORDI[A]E SU[A]E.
Elizabeth : Israel for his childe up toke he to cum,

On his mercy to thynk, ffor hese it be.
Maria: SICUT LOCUTUS EST AD P(AT)RES

N(OST)ROS,
ABRAHAM ET SEMINI EIUS IN S[A]ECULA.

93) MS has full form and 94 MISERICORDIA) MIA MS 100) MS has full form The 101 in) and MS 104 ) MS has full form The 105 heyght ] heyth MS 111 MISERI. CORDIAE) MISERICORDE MS SUAE] SUE MS

114 PATRES NOSTROS ] PŘES NÃOS MS

105

115

I 20

Elizabeth: as he spak here to oure forfaderys in clos,
Abraham and to all hese sed of hym in this

wer[1]d sa. Maria : GLORIA PATRI ET FILIO

ET SPIRITUI SANCTO.
Elizabeth : preysyng be to the fadyr in hevyn, lo!

the same to the son here be so,

the holy gost also to ken. Maria : SICUT ERAT IN PRINCIPIO ET NUNC (73b]

ET SEMPER ET IN S[A]ECULA S[A]ECULOR[UM], AMEN. Elizabeth : As it was in the begynnynge, and now is, 125

and shal be forevyr. and in this wer[i]d in all good werkys to abydyn then Maria: This psalme of p(ro)phesye seyd betwen us

tweyn, in hefne it is wretyn with aungellys hond, evyr to be songe and also to be seyn euery day amonge us at oure evesong.

130

but cosyn Elyzabeth, I shal zow here kepe,
and this thre monethis abyde here now
tyl ze hav childe, to wasche, skore and swepe,
and in all that I may to comforte zow.

Elizabeth: A! ge, modyr of god, ze shewe us here how 135

we shulde be meke, that wrecchis here be.
All hefne and herthe wurchepp zow mow,
that are trone and tabernakyl of the hyz trinite.

Joseph: A! how do ze? how do ze, ffadyr zacharye?

we ffalle ffast in age, withowte oth.

140

117 werld ] werd MS 124 SAECULA SAECULORUM] SECULA SECULOR MS 126 werld ) werd MS 126 ] MS has full form then 127 ] MS has full form This prophesye ] pphesye MS

G

145

why shake ze zour hed? haue ze the palsye?

why speke ze not, sere? I trowe ze are not wroth. Elizabeth : Nay, wys fadyr Ioseph, therto he were ful loth;

it is the vesytac[i]on of god, he may not speke veryly,
lete us thank god therffor both,
he shal remedy it whan it plesyth his mercy,
Come, I pray zow specialy,

i-wys ze are welcome, mary. (god gramercy! Contemplacion: ffor this comfortablest comynge good 150 Joseph: Of zour dissese thynkys no greff, thank god

of all adversyte, ffor he wyl chastyse and repreff tho that he lovyth

most hertyle. Mary, I hold best that we go hens; we haue fer

hom without fayl. Maria: Al redy, husbond, withowt defens, I wyl werke

be your counsayl. Cosyn, be your leve and your lycens, for homward

now us must travayl. of this refreschynge in your p(re)sens god zeld zow,

that most may avayl! [74a] Elizabeth: Now, cosynes both, god sow spede, and

wete zow wele withowtyn wo. zour p(re)sens comfortyth me in dede, and therfore

now am I ryght wo, That ze, my ffrendys and my kynrede thus sone

now shul parte me fro; but I pray god he mote zow spede in every place

155

165

Good husbond, ryse up, I beseke zow and go we 160

to the temple now fast, to wurchep god with that we mow, and thank hym

bothe, this is my cast, of the tyme that is comynge now, ffor now is cum

mercy and venjauns is past; good wyl be born for mannys prow, to brynge us

to blysse that ever shal last. Contemplacion : lystenyth, sovereynes, here is a con

clusyon: how the Aue was mad here is lernyd us, the aungel seyd: AVE, G(RAT)IA PLENA,

D(OMINUS TECUM, BENEDICTA TU IN MULIERIBUS. Elyzabeth seyd: ET BENEDICTUS FRUCTUS VENTRIS TUI, thus the church addyd

MARIA and IH(ES)US her. who seyth oure ladyes sawtere dayly, ffor a zer thus, 170 he hath pardon ten thowsand and eyte hundryd zer. Than ferther to oure matere for to p(ro)cede, Mary with Elizabeth abod ther stylle iij monthys fully, as we rede, thankynge god with hertly wylle. A! lord god! what hous was this on that [held] these childeryn and here moders to, as Mary and Elizabeth, Ih(es)us and John, and Joseph and zakarye also. and evyr our lady abod stylle thus, tyl John was of his modyr born, and than zakarye spak, i-wys, that had be dowm and his spech lorn.

175

180