page 73

1

VII.

2
3

CREDO.

4
5    Tria sunt hominum saluti nescessaria. fides. baptissmus.
6mundicia uite.
7    Þro þing bod þet ech .Mon. habbe mot þet wile his cristindom
8foleȝe. þet an is rihte ileue. þet oðer; fulluht. þet ðridde; feir
9lif to leden on þisse liue. he nis noht fulliche cristene mon þet
10is awiht wone of þisse þreo þing. of ileue spek ure drihten
11ine þe hali godspel and seið. Qui non crediderit condempnabitur.
12þe mon. þet naueð rihte ileue mid him. he wurh idemed to
13þolien wawe mid douelen in helle. on oðer stude of rihte ileue
14spec þe apostle and seið. Inpossibile est hominem sine fide posse
15deo placere. Ne mei na man do þing þet beo god iqueme.
16bute he habbe rihte ileue mid him. of þe halie fulht spec ure
17drihten on oðer stude and seið. Nisi quis renatus fuerit ex
18aqua & spiritu sancto non potest introire in regnum celorum.
19Ne mei na .Mon. cume in to godes riche bote he beo ifulhted.
20of clene liflade spec þe prophete isaias and þus seið. Lauamini
21mundi estote. wascheð ou; and wonieð clene. and dauid þe
22prophete spekeð in an salm of clene lif and seið. Asperges me
23domine isopo & mundabor bi-spreng me lauerd mid buhsumnesse;
24þenne wurðe ic clene. & alibi. Delicto meo munda me
25domine. and on oðer stude he seið. lauerd clense me of alle
26mine fule sunnen. and þeh alle men beon of hore sunnen
27iclensed et þe fulht; noþeles heo aȝen for to cumen heore
28bileue. onforward þos cristendomes ech man leornede his
29bileue er he fulht underfenge. Ah þa weren monie childre
30dede fulhtles. and forlorne. þer fore hit wes iloked bi godes
31wissunge ine halie chirche. þet mon scule childre fulhten and
32heore godfaderes and heore godmoderes scullen onswerie for
33hem et þe chirche dure and beo in borȝes et þe fonstan þet
34heo sculen beon bi-lefulle .Men. and heore bileue cunnen;
35wenne heo lorne muȝe. and þis ne mei þe godfadres ne þe

page 75

36godmodres don; buten heo cunnen heore bileue. þet is. pater
37noster. and credo. Ne na .Mon. nah him solue wernen henne
38 .Mon. him for node þer to bide. þer fore we willen biginne
39ure larspel of bileue. þet rihte ileue setten þe twelue apostles
40on write er heo to-wenden in to al þis middelerd. and ec of
41heom wrat þer of his uers. and sancte peter wrat þet ereste.
42and þe salm þet heo alle þus writen wes ihaten. Credo. efter þan
43formeste word of þe salm. Alle ȝe kunnen leste þet ich wene
44ower credo. þeh ȝe nuten nawiht alle hwat hit seið. Numeð
45nu ȝeme þerto and ic ou wile seggen word efter word and
46þermide hwat þet word bi-queþ. Þis word. credo. Mon mei
47understonden. on þro wise. þet on is; Credo deo. Ih ileue
48gode. þet oðer is; Credo deum. ich ileue þet god is. þos twa
49þing doð alle heðene men. ah þet þridde ne leueð nan; bute
50þe gode cristene .Mon. and þe godfurhte and þe lefulle qui
51credit in deum. þe bileued in god. and to luuene ine god;
52mote fif þing. Silicet. eum dominum omnium cognoscere.
53super omnia diligere. pre omnibus timere. & uenerari eique per
54omnia obedire. Þet an is iknawen him to lauerd ouer alle þing.
55þet oðer is luuien him ouer alle þing. þet þridde is; habben
56heie of him ouer alle þing. þet forþe is; wurþen him ouer alle
57þing. þet fifte is; beon him ibucsum ouer alle þing. Þe .Mon.
58þet haueþ þis ilke fif þing mid him; he is leful .Mon. and if
59him is eni þer of wane; he nis nawiht alse leful alse him bi-houede.
60Credo in deum. Ic ileue in god. patrem omnipotentem. þe
61feder almihti. Creatorem celi & terre. scuppende and weldende
62of heouene and of orðe and of alle iscefte & in ihesum christum .
63and ich ileue on þe helende crist. filium eius unicum. his enlepi
64sune. dominum nostrum. ure lauerd he is ihaten helende for he
65moncun helede of þan deþliche atter. þet þe alde deouel blou
66on adam. and on eue. and on al heore ofsprinke. swa þet heore
67fif-falde mihte hom wes al binumen. þet is hore lust. hore loking.
68hore blawing. hore smelling. heore feling wes al iattret. ac he
69hom helde mid his halie fif wunden þa he þolede for us ine þe
70halie rode. and gef hom eche frechipe alle þa þet hit alde cunnen.
71he is his enlipi sune. nawiht efter þoþnunge. ac efter istrone.

page 77

72for þan he him alse þe sunne streonþ þe lome þet ho spret in to
73al þis wide worlde. and þe fader is ine þe sune on þre wise.
74On wacste; for he is muchel and mihti ouer alle þing. On
75wlite; for sunne and mone þostreþ for his fairnesse. On þewe.
76for he is ful of alle godnesse. and þeð he beo alle ichefte lauerd
77for he alle þing iscop. noþeles he nis nawiht alle monne lauerd.
78þech alle men bon on his onwald; but lefulle monne lauerð.
79and þe godfurhte. and gode cristene .Monne. lauerd; þet on god
80bileueð. for alle oðre .men. þet heuie sunnen drecheð. and nulleð
81heore sunnen forleten; boð on þe doules on-walde. and þet
82hwile ne studed hom nawiht þet ho singe pater noster. and
83credo. God ȝefe gode leue alle þa þet hit nabbet. and ihalde
84hit us. and alle oðre þa hit habbeð to hore liues ende. Qui
85conceptus est & cetera. We habbeð bigunnen ou to seggen on
86englisch hwat bi-queþ þe crede. and habbeð ou iseið twa uers.
87and wule nuþe þet þridde. and ic ileue on þene helend þe þet
88halie meide in hire likame underfeng. nawiht efter flesces wille.
89ne efter likames ikunde; ah alswa alse ȝe nimeð þe worde þet
90iho speke to ou of mine muþe swa ho ifeng ure drihten. þa þe
91engel hire brohte þe blisfulle tidinge. þus queþende. Ecce concipies
92in utero & paries filium. þu scald underfon an child in þi
93wombe and bere knaue child; and haten hit helend and hit
94scal king bon on þet endelese kineriche. and þet hali meiden
95onswerede and seide. quomodo fiet istud & cetera. hu scal þat
96bon soþþen na .Mon. mine likame irineð ne mid me flesliche
97nefde to donne. Þa onswerede þe engel and seide. spiritus
98sanctus & cetera.