Classic Poem

Whoso desirith to gete and conquere
The blisse of heuene, needful is a guyde
Him to condue and for to brynge him there,
And so good knowe I noon for mannes syde,
As the roote of humblesse and fo to pryde,
That lady, of whos tetes virginal
Sook our redemptour, the maker of al.

Betwixt God and man is shee mediatrice
For our offenses mercy to purchace
Shee is our seur sheeld ageyn the malice
Of the feend þat our soules wolde embrace
And carie hem vnto þat horrible place
Wheras eternel peyne is, and torment,
More than may be spoke of, thoght or ment.

Now syn þat lady noble and glorious
To al mankynde hath so greet cheertee
That in this slipir lyf and perillous
Staf of confort and help to man is shee,
Conuenient is þat to þat lady free
We do seruice, honour and plesance,
And to þat ende heer is a remembrance.

Explicit prologus et incipit fabula
Ther was whilom, as þat seith the scripture,
In France a ryche man and a worthy,
That God and holy chirche to honure
And plese enforced he him bisily,
And vnto Crystes modir specially,
þat noble lady, þat blissid virgyne,
For to worsshipe, he dide his might and pyne.

It shoop so þat this man had a yong sone,
Vnto which he yaf informacion,
Euery day to haue in custume and wone
For to seye at his excitacion
The angelike salutacion
L sythes in worsship and honour
Of Goddes modir, of vertu the flour.

By his fadres wil a monk, aftirward,
In th'abbeye of Seint Gyle maad was he,
Wheras he in penance sharp and hard
Obserued wel his ordres duetee,
Lyuynge in vertuous religioustee,
And on a tyme, him to pleye and solace,
His fadir made him come hoom to his place.

Now was ther, at our ladyes reuerence,
A chapel in it maad and edified,
Into which the monk, whan conuenience
Of tyme he had awayted and espied,
His fadres lore to fulfille him hied,
And L sythes with deuout corage
Seide Aue Marie as was his vsage.

And whan þat he had endid his preyeere,
Our lady, clothid in a garnement
Sleeuelees, byfore him he sy appeere,
Wherof the monk took good auisament,
Merueillynge hym what þat this mighte han ment,
And seide, " O goode lady, by your leeue,
What garnament is this, and hath no sleeue?"
And she answerde and seide, " This clothynge
Thow hast me youen, for thow euery day
L sythe Aue Maria seyynge,
Honured hast me Hensfoorth, I the pray,
Vse to treble þat by any way,
And to euery xthe Aue ioyne also
A Pater Noster Do thow euene so.

" The firste L ti wole I þat seid be
In the memorie of the ioie and honour
That I had whan the angel grette me,
Which was right a wondirful confortour
To me whan he seide the redemptour
Of al mankynde I receyue sholde
Greet was my ioie whan he so me tolde.

" Thow shalt eek seyn the seconde lty
In honur and in mynde of the gladnesse
That I had whan I baar of my body
God and man withouten wo or duresse.
The üide lty in thyn herte impresse,
And seye it eek with good deuocioun
In the memorie of myn assumpcion,

" Whan þat I was coroned queene of heuene,
In which my sone regneth, and shal ay"
Al this was doon þat I speke of and meene,
As the book seith, vpon an halyday
And than seide our lady, the glorious may,
" The nexte halyday wole I resorte
To this place thee to glade and conforte. " "

And therwithal fro thens departed shee,
The monk in his deuocion dwellynge,
And euery day Aue Maria he
Seide aftir hir doctryne and enformynge.
And, the nexte haliday aftir suynge,
Our lady fresshly arraied and wel
To the monk cam, beynge in þat chapel,

And vnto him seide, " Beholde now
How good clothyng and how fressh apparaille
That this wyke to me youen hast thow
Sleeues to my clothynge now nat faille,
Thee thanke I, and ful wel for thy trauaille
Shalt thow be qwit heer, in this lyf present,
And in þat othir whan thow hens art went.

" Walke now and go hoom vnto th'abbeye
Whan thow comst, abbot shalt thow chosen be,
And the couent teche thow for to seye
My psalter as byforn taght haue I thee.
The peple also thow shalt in generaltee
The same lessoun to myn honur teche,
And in hir hurtes wole I been hir leche.

" Viie yeer lyue shalt thow for to do
This charge and whan tho yeeres been agoon,
Thow passe shalt hens and me come vnto,
And, of this, doute haue thow right noon.
By my psalter shal ther be many oon
Saued, and had vp to eternel blisse,
þat, if þat ner, sholden therof misse."

Whan shee had seid what lykid hir to seye,
Shee vp to heuene ascendid vp and sty
And soone aftir, abbot of þat abbeye
He maad was, as þat tolde him our lady.
The couent and the peple deuoutly
This monk enformed and taghte hir psalteer,
For to be seid aftir þat viie yeer.

Tho yeeres past, his soule was betaght
To God. He heuene had vnto his meede
Who serueth our lady, leesith right naght
Shee souffissantly qwytith euery deede.
And now heeraftir the bettre to speede,
And in hir grace cheerly for to stonde,
Hir psalteer for to seye let vs fonde.