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VIII.

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DE NATALE DOMINI.

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5    Homo quidam descendebat ab ierusalem in ierico. & cetera.
6Godalmihti seið an forbisne to his folk in þe halie
7godspel and seið. A mon lihte from ierusalem in to ierico. and
8fol imong þoues. ho him bireueden. and ho him ferwundeden and
9letten hine liggen half quic. and wenden forð. Þer com a prost
10bi þe weie and him nawiht ne help; and wende forð þer com an
11diacne. et cetera. þa com þer an helendis. Mon. and heuede rouþe
12of him. and wesch his wunden mid wine. and smerede mid oli
13and bond his wunden. and brohte him huppen his werue. and
14brohte him to an hors huse. and bitahte hine þe hors horde; to
15witene. A þe marȝen bitahte him twa peneȝes to spenen on him
16and seide. and ȝif þu mare spenest of þine hwan ic aȝen cherre;
17al ic þe ȝelde. Nu hit iburd breke þas word; alse me brekeð
18þe nute for to habbene þene curnel. Þes .Mon. þhet a lihte from
19ierusalem in to ierico. þet his bitacned adam ure forme feder;
20þet alihte from hehe in to lahe. Ierusalem bitacneð griþes sihþe.
21and ierico; trukinge of lihte. her me mei understonde þet he
22alihte from hehe to lahe from derewurð wuninge; in to wone
23of blisse. He uol imong þeues. hwet boð þas þeues; þet boð þo
24þet weren imakede engles in houene. and fellen ut for hore
25wrechede. þe he uel imong hom and foleȝede hore lare; and brec
26cristes heste. þa ho hine bireueden of þere muchele mihte. þet
27crist him hafde iȝefen of al þer orþe scrude of þe uisces iþe
28wetere. and fuȝeles iþei þeEdition: iþe lufte. and alles cunnes wilde dor; and
29alles cunnes wurmes. Al adam him mihte to clopie. and al
30walde him to cume. Al se hwat se he forgulte wes; al hit him
31ulel and scunede; þet him er luuede ho him for wundedenforwundedenEdition: for wundeden; þa
32þe he heuede scome aȝeines his scuppende. þa he hefde þurst and
33hunger and chele and alle wreche siþe; ho hine bilefde liggen

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34half quic. half quic ho wes; þa þe he sarinesse heuede wið-innen
35him; for his sunnen. Her me ah to understonden for-whi hit
36seið alf quic. and noht alf ded. her of me mei ane forbisne of twa
37brondes. hwanne þe an inis aquenched al to gederes. and þe oðer is
38aquenched al buten a gnast þene þet haued þene ene gnast upen
39him. me mei blauwen. and he wule aquikien and al þe brond
40tenden. þe brond þe is al aquenched þah me blouwe efre; ne
41quikeð he neure. þas twa brondes bitacneð twein men. þe an
42sunegeð. and is sari for his sunne. ah he ne mei his flesc awelden.
43þis monne me mei sermonen mid godes worde. fro hwat he
44scal his sunne uor-saken and bileuen and bon itent of þen hali
45gast. Alse is þe brond of þe lutle fure. Þes oðer .Mon. þet
46sunegeð and luueð his sunnen alse deð þet fette swin þet fule
47fen to liggen in. þes ilke .Mon. is strong to sermonen; ah crist
48hine tende mid holde mode þer we muȝen understonde þet adam
49wes sari uor þe sunne þet he heuede idon. and for þisse sarinesse
50hit is seidiseid; þat he wes half quic bileued. Nu cumeð þe prest
51þet him nawiht ne help. þis bitacneð þe world þet wes from
52biginnegge and eue; þat cume to moises þe prophete. In þisse
53worlde nas na laȝe ne na larþeu. and þah þes patriarches alse
54abel and noe and abraham and ysaac. gode men weren þurh þet
55ho weren itende of þan halie gast. and al þos godnesse hom ne
56mihte werien. þet ho ne wenden alle in to helle. and al þos world
57wende forþ and efre lei þes wreche for-wunden. Nu is þes prest
58uorþe. and him naueþ nawiht iholpen. Nu cumeð þes diakne;
59þet bitacneð moyses þe prophete. he brohte þe laȝe; þet me
60sculde in þe ehtuþe dei þet knaue child embsniþen mid ane ulint
61sexe. and sette imong monkunne laȝe and lare hu me sulde
62godalmihti serue. and his wille wurche in orðe. and al þis hom
63helpe ne mihte; þet ho ne wenden alle in to helle. Nu is
64þes deakne forþe. Nu kumeð þes helendisse .Mon. and haueð
65reunesse of þisse forwundede .Mon. elelendis he is icleped for he
66is of unkuþe þode. þe king of heuene þe com in to herþe and
67auenede him in to his iscefte. her of seid; seint Iohan þe ewangeliste
68in apocalipsi. A vuhel com flon from houene into orðe.
69her he uette feþer-home and wenge mid þisse fluhte he fleh into

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70houene þer he uatte þet he nes and nawiht ne lefde of þet he wes.
71þis is to understonden þet hit wes þes liuiendes godes sune þe
72muchele lauerd; þet al þe world fulleð of him solue. bitunde him
73solue in ane meidenes inneþe alse þe sunne scineð þurh þe glesne
74ehþurl. þet gles ne brekeð ne chineð and þe sunne aschineð þer
75þurh. and ho nimeð al swuch hou alse ho þer on uint. ȝif þet
76gles is red; ho schineð red. Alse þe liuendes godes sune in to
77þe meidene com. and ho of hire meiden-had nawiht ne wemde.
78ȝef ho awemmed were of hire meiden-had; þenne ne mihte noht
79hire sune habbe þene nome þet him wes iȝefen at circumcisiun þet
80wes helend. and ȝef he hefde on his moder ibroken hire meiden-had;
81ne mihte nawiht brekere bon icloped helere. for-þi he com
82and bette þe ne brec nefre. for-þi he is icleped elelendis. for-þi
83þe here he is; and honen he nis. þes .Mon. þet com þus from
84houene in to horðe and uppen him nom monnes icunde for
85monnes node. Hwet node efde moncun þet he .Mon. were; Mon
86hefde uorloren efre stephne bi-uore gode. Þa com þes .Mon.
87he nefre ne gulte. þes mihte speken ouer al þes .Mon bi-com
88uorspeker. he isehtnede god and man. he com bi þis forwundede
89mon. Wel he com bi him; þa he bicom alswich alse he; wiþute
90sunne ane. He wes iwunde mid wine. and smirede mid oli.
91We aȝen to understonden hwet boð þe wepne þet adam wes mide
92forwunded. mid þa ilke wepne we boð forwunded. mid spere of
93prude. of ȝitcunge. of ȝifernesse. of eorre. of hordome. mid onde.
94mid aswolkenesse. þis boð þa wepne þet adam was mide forwunded.
95Nu bihoueð þe forwunded wreche þet he habbe leche.
96we boð forwunded us bi-houed leche. Adam wes ilechned þurh
97god almihti solf. and us bi-houeð leche þurh prestes muð. he
98weis his wunde mid wine. hwet is win in wunde; Win makeð
99wunde smerte. Ah þe smertinge clenseð þe wunde; swa þet ho
100ne scal of þere wunde habbe nan oðer uuel. Al so hali scrift
101bið in mine ure ure WRITTEN ABOVE THE LINE wunde hwan we scale festen. and fleis bileuen
102and muchel of ure mine mine WRITTEN ABOVE THE LINE wille for ure mine mine WRITTEN ABOVE THE LINE wrechede. Hwet
103is þet oli; Oli haueð huppen him lihtnesse and softnesse and
104hele. Alse þu scalt habben hwenne þu hauest idon þi scrift of
105þine misdede þenne þu scalt habbe lihtnesse and softnesse and

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106hele. þis is þet oli þe muchele mede þet þu scalt habben
107hwenne þu hauest ibet þine misdeden. þenne he brohte hine
108uppen his werue þet is unorne mare. þet bitacneð ure unorne
109fleis. hwense we habbeð imaked þene licome to þer saule bihoue.
110he hine brohte to ane hors-huse. and bitahte hine þan hors-horde.
111and bed hine witen þene forwundede .Mon. Hwet is
112þis hors-us; þet is hali chirche. hali chirche hwet is; al cristene
113folc. for hwon; In halie chirche boð betere and wurse. Alse
114in hors-huse boð fule and clene. he þet haueð þet hors-hus te
115witene; scal þer. þer hit is ful; makien hit clene. þet bitakneð
116þe prost þet scal among cristene monkun þene sunfulle of sunne
117clensen. he haueð oþeo þeEdition: oþe marȝen þa twein peneȝes þe þe helelendisse.
118Mon. bitahte. þet boð þa twa laȝen þe alde and þe nowe þet prost
119scal spenen among al his underþede. ȝef he mare speneð of his;
120hwense he aȝein cherreð al he hit him wule ȝelden. hwet is þet
121he mei mare spenen of his aȝen; feire forbisne of his aȝene
122liflade. Alse alle þo þet him boð underþede. þet nimeð mare
123uppen hom þen þe heste of hali chirche. þet is to understonden.
124Meiden þet hire meiden-hat wit. and haldeþ so se hit nis noht
125heste of hali chirche. and widewe of hire widewe-had ne .Mon.
126þe worlde to forsaken. In þe deie of liureisun hwense god almihtin
127wule windwin þet er wes iþorschen. he wile ison hwiche
128boð þo. þet muȝe stonden aȝein þes fleisces lust and wernen his
129aȝene fleisces iwille. þet bitakneð þet corn þet þurleð þe wind. þet
130smal chef þet flid ford mid þe winde; bicumeð wurþinge þet
131corn me deð in to gerner. þet bitakeneð þe gode men þe scule
132bon idon in to heuene. þe ilke þe foleȝeð þes fleisces lust. Alse
133deð þet smalchef þe winde; þo scule bileuen in þosternesse.
134God almihtin iscilde ut þet we ne bo noht of þe smalcheue.
135Ah þet we moten bon of þe corne þe me scal don in to þe
136gernere þet is in to heuene; þe feder and þe sune and þe halie
137gast. per omnia secula seculorum. Amen.