Thus, lo! God and man together begane,
As two for to joine together in one,
As at this good tyme to be sett at one;
Thus God begane

This world for to forme and to encreasse man.

Angell in heaven for offence was damned,
And man also for beinge variable;
Whether shuld be saved was examyned,

Man or yet angell; then God was greable
To answer for man, for man was not able,
And said man had mocyon and angell had none,
Wherefore God and man shuld be seit at one.
Thanke we him than,

That thus did leave angell and saved man.

The Devill clamed man by bargan as this,

For an thappell, he said, man was bought and solde; God aunswered and said, the bargan was his,

Withe myne to be myne, how durst thoue be so bolde? Man myne, syne thyne, wherfore thoue art now told, Thoue bought nought, then taike nought, the bargan

is don;

Wherfore God and man shalbe set att one.

Nowe blessed be he,

For we that are bownde, loe! nowe are maid free.

Betwene God and man it was great distaunce,

For man said that God shuld have kept him upryght,

And God said man maid all the variaunce,

For thapple to sett his commaundement so light;

Wherfore of his mercye sparinge the ryght,

He thought God and man shuld be set at one;
Seinge that God and man was set at one,
What kindnes was this,

Το agree with man and the fault not his?

Withe man and woman it was great traverse,

Man said to the woman, 66 woe myght thou be!" "Nay," quod the woman, "why dost thoue reverse? For womans entisinge woe be to the!

For God [made] man the heade and ruler of me;
Thus God sawe man and woman were not at one,
He thought in a woman to sett theime at one;
To our solace,

His mercye he graunted for our trespace.

Of womanhede lo! thre degres there be,
Widowehede, wedlocke, and verginnitie;
Widowehede clamed heaven, her title is this,
By oppressions that mekelie suffrethe she;
And vergins clame by chastité alone;

Then God thought a woman shoulde set them at one;
A wedlocke by generacion, heaven hires shuld be,
And cease the strife;

For Marie was maden, widowe, and wife.

The ritche and the pore the title did reherse;
The pore clamed heaven throughe his pacient havour,
He saide beati pauperes, and further the verse,
The riche man by ritches thought hym in favour,

For who was so ritche as was our saviour?
And againe who so pure as he was one,
In hey when he ley to set us at one?
Who grant us peace,

And at the last ende the great joyes endles!

FFINIS.

XXVIII.

[MS. Cott. Vesp. a. xxv. fol. 160, vo.]

A CARROLL OF THE BIRTHE OF CHRIST.

THE golden tyme ys nowe at hande,

The daye of joye from heaven doth springe,
Salvacyone over-flowes the lande,

Wherefore all faithfull thus may singe,
Glorye to God most hie!

And peacce on the earth continuallye!
And unto men rejoysinge!

The birthe of Christ who lyst to here,
To this oure songe lett them gyve eare,
Which showes the same most playnlye:

The angell Gabriell from above

Was sent by God to breake his love

Unto the virgin Marye;

Who saide, "haile! Marye, full of graicce,

Blessed art thow of womans rayce!

The lorde ys with the sertainly,

As he haith sent the worde by me."
When she harde this, she was affrayed,

And cast in her mynde what he hadde saide;
The angell saide, "feare not, Marye,

The Sonne of God dothe dwell with the.

Lo! in thie wombe thou shalt conceyve,

And beare a sonne whosse name shall have The gloryous name of Jesus;

He shalbe greate in majestie,

And calde the sonne of God most hee,
Who still shall dwell emongst hus.
The Lorde for hym shall well provide
The seate of his father Davyde;
And he shall reigne for evermore,

A safegarde styll unto the poore,

Whosse kingdome sure shall have no ende, But styll in joyes the tyme to spende."

The virgin saide to thangell than,

"Howe shall this be? I knowe no man."

The angell annswered and saide,

"The holye gost, be not affraide,
From heaven shall come upon the;
And by the graicce of God most hie,
Powre shall over-shadowe the,

I tell the truthe, beleve me.
And also thie cosen Elizabethe
So in lykewisse conceyved haithe,

Thus God canne make the barren tre
To budde with frute most pleasauntlye."
Then Mary said, with one accorde,
“Behould the hande-mayde of the Lorde!
The will of God be done in me,

As yt shall pleasse his majestie!”

When fortye wekes were commed and gonne, In Bethleem this our Lorde was borne,

As Esaye he did prophesye;

The shepherdes keping sheepe by night,
The Lorde did compasse them with light,
His angell walking harde bye.
The shepherdes then were soore dismaide,
The angell saide, "be not affraied,
I bringe you tidinges of suche joye
As Sathans force canne not destroye.
For whye? to you ys borne this day
The savioure of the world, I saye:
This ys the signe where you shall see
A swodled child in maunger lye."

The shepherdes stright to Bethleem wente,
As they by thangell than were sent,
Where Josephe was with Marye;
And as the angell to them saide,
They founde the child in maunger layde,
Whom they dyd worshipp trulye;
And sprede abrode what they did see,
As thangell tould them certainlye,