page 131

1

XXIII.

2
3

DE SANCTO IOHANNE BABTISTA.

4
5    Inter natos mulierum non surrexit maior iohanne baptista.
6Un-ligel man selde ligeð. and soð-sagel man seið ofte soð.
7and he þe neure ne lihgh ne lige ne wile. ne ne mai. þat is ure
8helende. he seið eure soð and þerefore is soð þat he seide bi þe
9louerd Seint iohan baptiste þus queðinde. Inter natos Mulierum
10et cetera of alle þe bernes. þe ben boren of wifes bosem. nis
11non more þenne iohan þe fulcnere. Ðe forme man þe com in þis

page 133

12midden-erd þat was adam. ure alre fader he was more. Quia
13inmortalis fuit. donec peccauit for þat he was undeaðlich forte
14he sinede. and eure beo mihte gif he him wite wolde. ac he ne
15was boren of wifes bosme. ne ne hadde fader ne moder. Set
16dominus fecit eum de uirgine terra. ac ure drihten him shop of
17eorðe þat was unfiled. Eftsone ure helend þat is sheppende and
18wealdende of alle shafte is more þene Seint iohan baptiste ac he
19was strened of þe heuenliche fader. er þanne þe heuene oðer eorðe
20shapen were. and ne was of wifes bosme boren. and was of þe
21holi meydenes ure lefdi Seinte Marie. Ysaac. þat þe lif holi
22wimman sarra on hire elde kennede. and te lif holi man
23abraham. on his elde strende. alse ure drihten hadde er þan
24þan iseid. þat he sholde he ne was noht more ne forðe swo
25michel a sume wise swo seint iohan baptiste Ne non oðer of wifes
26bosme boren. and þat is sene on þre þing of him. on his hidercume.
27oðer his her biwist. þe þridde his heðensið. Aduentus
28eius in mundum fuit mirabilis. Status eius in mundo difficilis
29multimoda afflictione carnis. Exitus eius de mundo triumphalis
30quia dum facinora uiriliter obstitit. et hostem uicit. et mortem
31perdidit et uitam inuenit. his hidercume was ful of wundren. þe
32ure drihten wrohten; to wurðende mid seint iohan baptiste þe
33forme wunder was; þat þo þe god fundede of heuene to eorðe
34to fonden mennisshe. of þe holie meidenes inneðe ure lafdi
35Seinte Marie. Ðo spec þe heuenliche fader to þe sune heuenliche
36of seint iohan and efnede him to engel þus queðinde. Ecce
37mitto angelum meum qui preparabit uiam tuam ante faciem
38tuam. here ich sende min engel biforen þine nebbe þe shal
39ruden þine weie to-fore þe. Et reuera fuit angelus non
40naturaliter sed officialiter. and he was iwis godes engel noht of
41kinde for þat he ne was noht gost; ac on wike. þat oðer wunder
42was; þat he ches two lif holi men him to fader. and to moder
43þe weren boðe teames ateald. and heo þe wimman was barrage
44swo þat heo ne mihte for unkinde hauen no child. Þat þridde
45wunder was. þat god sende þe holi engel gabriel to þe lif holie
46prest zacharie. þo þe he gede in þe temple mid his rechel fat. to
47rechelende þe alter. and sende him seggen þat he sholde þis holi

page 135

48child strene. Ðe holi man sah þe heg engel atte alteres ende.
49and warð of-grisen, and ofdred. and te engel quað to him;
50and sede Ne timeas zacharia. quoniam exaudita est oratio tua
51et elizabet uxor tua pariet tibi filium et vocabis nomen eius
52Iohannem ... et in nativitate eius multi gaudebunt. Ne beo
53þu zacharie noht of-grisen. þu hauest longe iwist after
54strene and god haueð herd þine bede; and tiðed te bene.
55and elizabet þi spuse shal hauen a cnauechild. and him shal
56to name iohan. and hit shal beo þe to michel blisse. and
57fele shule fagenien on his burde. Erit enim magnus coram
58domino. for he shal ben michel bifore gode. Et adiecit
59angelus explicare seriem magnitudinis iohannis contentam
60in quatuor. scilicet. Virtute abstinencie. Donis gracie.
61Officii dignitate. Et palma uictorie. Þe childes michelnesse
62sheude þe engel on fuwer þingen. On is wið-teinge of alle
63lichames lustes. and iuele lastes. Et uinum et siceram non
64bibit et cetera. Þat oðer is un-erned giue. þat þridde is heh
65wike. þat feorðe is wlites ending his michelnesse was unhiled
66on ten fold wise and mo. an is þat þe heuenliche fader heuenede
67him to engel. Vt ecce mitto angelum meum et cetera. Oðer is
68þat he sende þe heh engel to þe holi man þe him strene sholde.
69Et uox tua pariet tibi filium. Þat þridde is þat þe fader bicom
70dumb. for he ne lefde hit noht þat þe engel him sede. Et eris
71tacens usque ad natiuitatem eius. þe feorðe is. þat his moder
72him bar siðen heo was teames atold. and neure er ne was mid
73childe; for kinde hit hire werende. Et processit in diebus suis
74sterilis. þe fifte is. þat þo þe he was on his moder wombe get unboren
75he witegede of ure helendes to cume. and of þe maidenes
76þe him bar get on hire swete wombe. þat is ure lafdi seinte
77marie. Et exultauit infans in utero meo. þe sixte is þat
78elizabet was liht of þe holie gost þe was on þe child þe hie
79mide hiede. swo þat hie ec witegede of ure helendes to cume.
80Et unde hoc michi ut ueniat mater domini mei ad me? þe
81seueðe is þat he giaf his fader mihte to speken þe hadde dumb

page 137

82ben; siðe he þe engel mislefde. Et apertum est os zacharie et
83prophetauit. Þe egteðe is þat ure drihten him benbed fulcnen on
84watere to synbote. and fulcning beden and ec seggen Super
85quem uideris spiritum descendentem. et cetera. Hic est qui
86baptizat in spiritu sancto. wanne þu sest gost cumen and wunien
87uppe mannen he shal fulcnen on þe holie gost to sinnes forgiuenesse.
88þe nigeðe is þat þe heuenliche þremnesse was mid
89him þo he fulcnede ure helende. Pater in uoce. Filius in
90homine. Spiritus sanctus in specie columbe. Þe fader on
91stefne. þe sune on mannes efene. þe holi gost on culures hewe.
92þe tieðe is. þat michele hereword þat ure helend him gaf þus
93queðinde. Inter natos mulierum. Of alle wifes children nis
94non more þanne Seint iohan babtiste. Þis child him self on his
95liflode hadde his agen michelnesse on þre wise. scilicet. Abstinencia
96humilitate. Paciencia. On is wiðteung. oðer is admodnesse.
97þe þridde þoleburdnesse. he hadde mihte te witen him of
98alle flesliche lustes. alse þe apostel bit. Abstinete uos a carnalibus
99desideriis que militant aduersus animam. Wið-teod giu
100of þe flesliche lustes. þe fihteð togenes þe soule. Wiðteo þine
101egen þat hie ne biholden non iuel ne non un-nut ne forðen idel.
102Wiðteo þi lichame fro orguil. and idel. and ouer mete wede.
103Wiðteo ec þine golliche deden mid alle; gif þu spuse ne hauest.
104and gif þu spuse hauest; wiðteo te on unluuede stede. and on
105unluued time. þat is þanne þu fasten shalt. oðer halgen. Ne beo
106þu noht wuned to don hit on unluued wise ne wilful to wecchen
107lust þat to. Quoniam qui sic agit uehemens amator est et
108proprie uxoris adulter. For alle þo þe swo don; don ewuebruche
109on here agene spuse. he hadde ec admodnesse þo al folc herde.
110hwu heh. and hwu holie he was. and hwu holi lif he ladde and
111wenden þat hit were self crist and seden hit. and he wið-quað
112and sede. Non sum ego christus. nec etiam dignus ut soluam
113corrigiam calciamentj eius. ge wenen þat ich beo crist. ac ich
114nam noht ne forðen wurðe þat ich un-cnutte his sho þuong. Ne
115mihte he mid none worden kiðen betere; þat he admod was
116and him seluen mece. Qvia in spiritu lenitatis peccatores
117corripuit. et ad penitenciam uocauit. Mid softnesse he castede

page 139

118þe sinfulle and minegede hem to sinbote. and to clene liflode.
119Et semet ipsum prebuit exemplum. and giaf hem faire forbisne of
120him selfen þeh he sinful ne were alse seint ambrosii seið
121Antra deserti. t. s. a. c. turmas. On his guweðe he understod
122þat he was send into þis midden erd. to donde þrefolde wike.
123scilicet aduentum christi prenunciare. baptismum predicare.
124baptizare. an is to kiðen cristes to cume. oðer is bodien
125fulcninge þat þridde is fulcnen. and meðede þo his liflode swo
126þat he was bicumelich to swiche wike. Ne forte cum aliis
127predicaret reprobus ipse fieret. For þat he ne wolde noht mis
128leued þenne he men lerde. Nam cuius uita despicitur restat ut
129eius predicacio contempnatur ; for nis þe lorþeau noht to luuene;
130gif his liflode is iuel. and ful. and for þi he turnde ut of þe burh
131into wilderne. and fro mennes wunienge to wilde deores. and
132ches þere crundel to halle. and eorðhole to bure bare eorðe to
133bedde. and hard ston to bolstre. Stiue here to shurte and gret
134sac to curtle. Moren and wilde uni was his mete. and noht
135bute water his drinke. On wecche. and on swinche. and on alle
136wise he wan wið his hagene lichame. and þurh swiche liflode
137þuhte swete his lore alle þo þe hit herden. Ðo ne mihte his
138holinesse ben no lengere for-hole. ac sprong his word wide into
139al þe worelde and teh folc to him to heren his wise word. and
140to sende his wunderliche liflode. and he minede alle men to forleten
141here sinnes and beten. and on sinbote understonden
142fulcnenge. and fele þer of him seluen fulcnede. and bi þo dages
143luuede herodes þe king his broðer wif; and bi-nam hire him.
144and Seint Iohan hit wið seide. and lettede hit bi his mihte. and
145te king stod eie of him. for his holinesse. and bad him swike.
146and he ne dorste for godes eie forleten; þat he þe king þat þeau
147ne binome. Ðo was þe king wroð; and bad binden him and
148don him in to prisune bute he wolde his word wiðteon. þo cneu
149seint iohan. þat gif he wolde þolen þat te king drige his unriht
150he mihte liuen and ben him lief and wurð. ac gif he wolde
151folgen rihtwisnesse he sholde þerfore his lif forleten and swo
152dide atten ende. for þat a maiden bed te kinge his heued. and he
153hit bad of acken. and hire bitechen. and he þat eðeliche deað

page 141

154admodliche þolede. and þer mid bigat eche lif on blisse. Nu we
155hauen seid þreo þing þe we giu biheten. hwu wunderlich was his
156hider-cume. and hwu wrecchede his her-biwist. and hwu siker
157his heðensið. and wiche wise he was more þenne ani oðer man
158of wifes bosme boren. and a wiche wise he of þis woreldes wowe
159wot; in to eche wele. swo mote we alle. and þere wunen mid
160him abuten ende. Eo prestante quem ore predicauit. et digito
161monstrauit. Qui. vivit et Regnat per omnia secula seculorum.