XXXIX. THE ASCENSION.
Hic incipit ascencio Domini nostri cum Maria et undecim discipulis et duobis angelis sedentibus in albis, et Jhesus dicit discipulis suis etc.
Jhesus. Pax vobis! amonge ȝow pes,
Bothe love, and reste, and charyté,
Amonge all vertues lete it not ses,
ffor amonge alle vertues prynspal his he.
ȝe be to blame I may wel preve,
ffor I wyl use to ȝow wurdys pleyn,
That ȝe be so hard of herte to beleve,
That from dethe to lyve I am resyn ageyn.
Nottwithstondynge, as ȝe knowe serteyn,
To ȝow viij. sythys aperyd have I,
Be soundry tymes the trewth to seyn,
And this is the ix. tyme sothly,
Evyn and no mo.
But now sum mete
Anon doth gete,
ffor I wyl ete
With ȝow, and goo.
My dyscyplis, here what I sey,
And to my wourdys ȝevythe attencion,
ffrom Jersalem loke ȝe go nott awey,
But mekely abydyth my fadyres promicion,
Off whiche be my mowthe ȝe have have had informacion,
Whylle bodyly with ȝow I was dwellynge,
ffor John sothly ffor mannys salvacion,
Onlye in watyr was me baptysynge;
But I ȝow be-hete,
Withinne ffewe days that ȝe
In the Holy Goost xul baptyzid be,
Therfore rysyth up and ffolwyht me
Onto the mownte of Olyvete.
Jacobus major. O Lord! vowchesaff us for to telle,
Iff thou wylt now, withowte more delay,
Restoryn the kyngdam of Israelle,
And ȝeve us the joye, Lord, that lestyth ay.
Jhesus. Seres, the tymes and the monthis knowe ȝe ne may,
Whiche my fadyr hath put in his owyn power;
But ȝe xul take within short day
Of the Holy Goost the vertu cler.
Thorwe whiche xul ȝe,
In Jerusalem and in Jury,
And moreovyr also in Samary,
And to the worldys ende uttyrly,
My wyttnes only be.
Lovyth no wrathe nor no wronge,
But levyth in charyté with mylde stevyn,
With myrthe, and melody, and aungelle songe,
Now I stey streyte ffro ȝow to hevyn.
Hic ascendit ab oculis eorum, et in cœlo cantent, etc.
Angelus. Returnyth ageyn to ȝour loggynge,
To Jerusalem, ffor he wyl thus,
His promys mekely ther abydynge,
ffor dowteles this forseyd Jhesus
Whiche from ȝow is take,
In a clowde as ȝe hym seyn
Steyng up, so xal comyn ageyn,
Of al mankynde, this is serteyn,
Jugement xal he make.
O! ȝe bretheryn, attendyth to me,
And takyth good hede what I xal seyn,
It behovyth the Scripture ffulfylled to be,
That of Davyd was seyd with wourdys pleyn,
Of Judas whiche was the gyde serteyn
Of hem that Cryst slew cruelly,
Whiche aftyr ffrom dethe ros up ageyn,
And hath abedyn in erthe fful days fourty;
And aftyr alle this,
Before oure eye,
In a bryght skye,
He dede up stye
To hevyn blys.
This seyd Judas was amonge us,
Noumbryd apoustylle, and had lyche dygnyté,
But whan he betrayd oure Lord Jhesus,
He hynge hymself upon a tre.
In whos sted muste nedys ordeyned be
Another, oure noumbre ffor to restore,
On of tho whiche, as weel knowe we,
Han be conversaunt here longe before
In oure company,
Whiche xal wyttnes
Berun expresse
To more and lesse
Of Crystys resurrexion stedfastly.
Hic statuent duos, Joseph Justum et Mathiam, etc.
O! sovereyn Lorde, whiche of every man
The hertys dost knowe most inwardly,
With alle the lowlyness we may or kan,
To the we prey fful benygnely,
That thou vowchesaff, thorwe thy mercy,
Us hym to shewe, whiche in this cas
Thou lykyst to chesyn effectuously,
To ocapye the lott of Judas plas!
Hic dabunt sortes et cadet super Mathiam, etc.
Now gramercy, Lord!
And to fulfylle
Thin holy wylle,
As it is skylle,
We alle accorde!