earm, B. [Fol. 1146.] wendest, B. wontrede, B. meastlung, B. [Fol. 114c.] wenest, B. wummon, B. imaket arm of an eðeliche mon pat tu lift under. for noht oder nohtunge; þat te schal laði þi lift bireowe pat sið þat tu eauer didef te into swuch peowdom for worldliche wunne pat tu wendes to bizeten. t haueft ifunden weane prin. t wondrade riue. And if þat tu wendeft Gold; iwurden to meaftling. t nis nawt af ti fole of hwam ifpec þruppe bihet te to ifinden. Nu þu feft þat ha habbeð itricchet te af treitres. for under weole in wunno ftude pu haueft her ofte helle. t bute þu wið breide þe; bredef te þat oder. Afke pes cwenes. þes riche cuntaffes pes modie lafdis of hare liflade. So liche foliche zif ha biþenche ham riht t cnawleched fox; Jch habbe ham to witneffe ha licked huni of þornef. ha buggen al þat fwete wið twa dale of bittre. t tat fchal fordre ibis writ beon openliche ifcheawet. Nis hit nower neh gold al þat ter schines. nat tah na mon bute ham felf hwat ham ftiche ofte. Hwen pus if of pe riche. hwat wenes tu of the poure þat beo wacliche izeouen and biset uuele as gentille wimmen mest alle nu oworlde. þat nabbed hwerwið buggen ham brudgume onont ham t zeoued ham in to peowdom of an exelicher mon wið al þat ha habbed. Weilawei ieshu godd hwuch unwurde chaffere wel were ham weren ha on hare brudlakes dei iboren to biburien. for þi feli meiden forzet ti folc as dau bit. Do awei pe pohtes pat prikien pin heorte þurh licomliche luftes. t leareð þe and egged toward þulli leadieð, B. peowdom for fleschliche fulden. forzet ec pi fader hus af daui read prafter. pi fader he cleopeð þat unbeaw pat ftreonede pe of þi moder. þat ilke unhende flesches brune. þat bearninde zece of þat licomliche luft. bifore þat wlatefulle werc. þat beasteliche Gederinge. þat schomelese somnunge. þat fulde of fulde ftinkende t untohe dede. Hit if tah in wedlac fummes weis to polien af men schal after iheren if þu askes hwi Godd schop swuch þing to beon. Jch be onfwerie. Godd ne fchop hit neauer fwuch. Ah Adam teue turnden hit to beo fwuch þurh hare funne. t merden ure cunde. þat if tif unþeawes hus. t haue mare tif B. omits. eohde, B. [Fol. 114d.] me, B. beonne, B. A be more harm in it. pere is all too much lordliness and mastery berein, in þis nature pus marred, which David bus called by faders house, pat is, pe lust of lechery þat rule berein. Forget, and go out of it wið a Gods grace to hearty will, and God will, after þat will, give bee a streng subdue lust. A spiritual bride- etc. groom. assuredly from his dear grace. pere needs not but þat þou will and let God work. Have trust in his help. pou shalt beseech him for noping good, nor begin anyðing þat he will not end it. Ever await his grace, and overcome wið help of it þat same weak nature þat drawed into servitude and casted so many into miry fil. Et concupiscet, And þen will, saið David, þe king desire þy beauty; þe king of all kings will desire þee for his leman; and þen þou, seely maiden, þat art allotted to him wið þe grace of maidenhood, break not pou þat seal pat sealed you toge der. Retain þy name by which pou art wedded to him, nor ever quit for a lust and for a trumpery delight of a moment þat same ding þat may never be recovered. Maidenhood is a Lost maidenhood treasure pat, if it be once lost, will never again be found. Maidenhood is be bloom pat, if it be once foully plucked, never again sproute up; but pough it wider some time beauty by evil wid various doughts, it never may grow after pat. Maidenhood is pe star þat if it be once gone out of be east adown to be west, never again arise. Maidenhood is a but once lost is grace granted pee from heaven; if ever þou put it away once, never shalt pou recover such anoder, for maidenhood is queen of heaven and þe faið of þe world, by which we transcen- are protected. Tis a virtue above all virtues, and to Christ dental doctrine. be most acceptable of all. Whence bou hast, maiden, ever irrecoverable. It sometimes loses some of its thoughts; never found. Some High flying notions. preciously to guard it; for it is so high a ding and so very dear to God, and so acceptable. Hence it is a loss þat is beyond recovery. If it is dear to God, þat is, so like himself, no wonder: for he is pe loveliest ding, and wiðout every breach, and was ever, and is, pure beyond all dings, and loveð purity beyond all dings. And what is a more lovesome Xing and more to be extolled among earðly Kings þan þe virtue of maidenhood? Widout breach and pure, taken from himself, who make out of an earðly luuien, B. for be, B. harm if al to muchel lauerddomt meistrie prinne pis cunde muche, B. imerred tus þat d clepeð þus ti faderes hus. þat if te luft of leccherie pat rixled per wid inne. forzet t ga ut prof wix wil of pin heorte. t Godd wile after þe wil zeoue þe ftreng de fikerliche of hif deore grace. ne parf þe bute wilnen t lete Godd wurchen. Haue truft on his help. ne schal tu na þing Godes bisechen ne bigunnen. þat he hit nule enden eauer bide his grace. t ouerkum wir hire help pat ilke wake cunde pat drahed into peowdom t into fulde fenniliche akafte fe monie. At concupifcet rex decorem tu[um]. Ant penne wile seið dð þe king wilni þi wlite. pe king of alle kingef defire pe to leofmon. t pu þenne feli meiden þat art ilote to him wið meidenhades menske. iloten, B. ne brec þu nawt tat feil þat feiled inc to cederes. hald ti nome burh hwam þu art to him iweddet. ne leaf þu neauer for a luft t for an exelich delit of an hond hwile þat ilke þing þat ne mei neuer beon acouered. Meidenhad if trefor þe, B. þat beo hit eanef forloren. ne be hit neauer ifunden. Meidenhad is te blosme. þat beo ha eanes fulliche forcoruen. ne fprute ha neauer eft. Ah bah ha falewi fum chere mid mifliche pohtes. Ha mei eft greuen neauer þe latere. Meidenhad if te steorre þat beo ha canes of þe eaft igan adun to þe weft. neauer eft ne arise ha. Meidenhad if iþe, B. tat an zeoue izettet te of heouene. do þu hit eanes awei. ne schal tu neauer nan oder al fwuch acoueren for meidenhad if heuene cwent worldes alefneffe þurh hwan þe beon alefendnesse, B. iburhen. mihte ouer alle mihtest cwemeft crist of alle, for þi þu a heft meiden fe deore wurdliche to witen hit. for hit if fe heh ping t se swide leof godd t fe licwurde. forþi hit if an lure pat if wiðute coueringe. zif hit if godd leof þat if him felf fwa ilich. hit nis na wunder for he if leoflukest þing. I wiðuten eauer euch bruchet wef eauert if cleane ouer alle ping. t ouer alle þing luued cleanneffe. And hwat is luffumre þing t mare to herien bimong eorðliche pinges pen þe mihte of meidenhad bute bruche and ping, B. cleane ibroiden on himseluen. þat makeð of eorðlich mon [Fol. 1156.] þonkes, B. buten, B. pinge, B. [Fol. 115c.] man or woman a heavenly angel, out of a lowly one an exalted one, out of a foe a friend, a help out of what harmeð. Our flesh is our foe, and debases and harmeð Our flesh may be us as it defile us. But if it keep itself widout offence, our friend. pure, it is our very good friend and help, out of true service; for in it and rough it pou earnest, maiden, to be equal to angels in þe high bliss of heaven, and in þe presence of God justified, in case pou leadest þeir life in as an angel. A maiden as good pe frail flesh wiðout frailty. An angel and a maiden are equal in virtue of maidenhoods excellence, pough in blessedness þey are yet separate and divided. And þough þe maidenhood of þem be be more blessed now, pine it demands þe more streng to preserve, and it shall be requited wið a higher reward. pis virtue is þe only one Purity the only pat in þis mortal life shewed in its estate of þe bliss imheavenly virtue. mortal in þe blessed land, where bride take not bridegroom, nor bridegroom bride, and which teached here on ear, in its mode of life, be lifeleading of heaven; and in þis world, which is called a land of unlikeness, maintaine her conduct in pe likeness of be heavenly nature, bough she be an outlaw perefrom, and in a frame of clay and in a body of a beast, almost lives as a heavenly angel. Is not þis virtue much to be extolled by all? pis is besides pe virtue þat holds our frail vessel, þat is our feeble flesh, as St. Paul teaches, in entire holiness. And as he sweet unguent and expensive beyond oders, which is yclept balm, preserves þe dead carcass which is þerewið rubbed from rotting, so dos maidenhood a maidens living flesh, maintain wiðout stain all her limbs and her senses, her sight and hearing, her taste and smelling, and every limbs feeling; so þat þey spoil not, nor melt away brough carnal lusts in pe file of þe flesh. So pat God ha prough his grace granted so much love, þat þey be not like þem of whom it is written by be profet þat þey in þeir filð rotted like boars. pat is to say, every woman þat is her husbands slave, and liveð in filð, he and she box. But it is not said of bese þat þey rot þerein if þey lawfully hold to þeir wedlock. But þe same sorry wretches þat, unwedded, It is libertines wallow in þe same foul mire, are pe devils boars, who who do wrong. rides pem and spurs þem to do all þat he will. pese wallow in mire, and rot away þerein, till þey arise brough Maidenhood is balm. No scripture warrant to disparage wedlock. on engle, B. bute, B. iuertu i, B. deadliche, B. [Fol. 115d.] brude, B. heouenlich, B. ilicome, B. twummon. heouene engel. of heane. hine. of fa freond. help. of patte harmed. Vre flesch if ure fa. t heaneð us tharmex se ofte af ha us fule. Ah zif þat ha wit hire wiðute bruche cleane. ha if uf fwide god freond 't help of treowe hure. for in hire t purh hire þu of earnest meiden to beo engle euening ipe heze bliffe of heuene. t wið God rihte hwen þu hare liflade iþi bruchele flesch wiðute bruche leadeft. engelt meiden beon euening in uertu of meidenhades mihte pah eadineffe ha twinni zette t to tweane. And tah hare meidenhad beo eadiure nude. þin if te mare ftrenge to halden. t schal wið mare mede beon þe forzulden. pis mihte if þat an pat ipis deadlich lif fcheaped in hire eftat of þe bliffe undeadlich iþat eadi lond af brud ne nime gume. ne brudgume bruide. t teche her on eorde in hire liflade pe liflade of heuene. t ipis world pat if icleopet lond of unlicneffe athalt hire bure ilicneffe of heuenliche cunde þah ha beo utlahe proft in licome of lamt in beaftes bodi neh liue heuenlich engel. Nif tif mihte of alle fwide to herien. pis if jet pe uertu þat halt ure bruchele feat þat if ure feble flesch as sente pawel leared in hal halineffe. And as tat swote smirlest deoreft of oore þat if icleopet basme. wit pat deade licome þat if ter wið ifmittet from rotunge. alfwa de meidenhad ismiret, B. meidenef cwike flesch wiðute wemmunge halt alle hire liment hire fif wittes. fihdet heringe. fmecchunget smeallunge t euch limes felunge. þat ha ne merren ne formeal ten þurh licomliche luftes i flesches fulde þat godd haueð þurh hif grace fe muche luue vnned þat ha ne beod of þa iunnen, B. iliche bi hwam hit if iwriten pus purh be prophete þat ha in hare wurðunge as eaueres forroteden. þat if eauer euch wif þat if hire were pralt liued iwurðinge het hoe bade. Ah nif hit nawt bi þeose iseid þat ha forrotie prin if ha hare wedlac laheliche halden. Ah pa ilke fari wrecches pat ipat ilke fule wurðinge unweddede walewid. beo pe deueles eaueres pat rit ham t fpure ham to don al þat he wile. þeos walewid in wurdinge t forroted prin forrotied, B. fleschliche, B. [Fol. 116a.] halde, B. pe ipe, B. |