Man, thou shalt now vnderstand, Of my head, bothe fote and hand, Are four c. and fyue thousand Woundes and sixty; Fifty and vii. Were tolde full euen Vpon my body. 30 Now synge we, &c.
Syth I for loue bought thé so dere, As thou may se thy self here, I pray thé with a ryght good chere Loue me agayne, That it lykes me To suffre for thé Now all this payne. Now synge we, &c.
Man, vnderstand now thou shall, In sted of drynke they gaue me gall, And eysell mengled therwithall, 40 The Jewes fell; These paynes on me I suffred for thé To bryng thé fro hell. Now synge we, &c.
Now for thy lyfe thou hast mysled, Mercy to aske be thou not adred; The lest drop of blode that I for thé bled Myght clense thé soone Of all the syn The worlde within, 50 If thou haddest doone. Now synge we, &c.
I was more wrother with Judas, For he wold no mercy aske, Than I was for his trespas Whan he me solde; I was euer redy To graunt hym mercy, But he none wolde. Now synge we, &c.
Lo, how I hold my armes abrode, Thé to receyue redy isprode![599] 60 For the great loue that I to thé had Well may thou knowe, Some loue agayne I wolde full fayne Thou woldest to me shewe. Now synge we, &c.
For loue I aske nothyng of thé But stand fast in faythe, and syn thou fle, And payne to lyue in honeste Bothe nyght and day; And thou shalt have blys 70 That neuer shall mys Withouten nay. Now synge we, &c.
Now, Jesu, for thy great goodnes, That for man suffred great hardnes, Saue vs fro the deuyls cruelnes, And to blys vs send, And graunt vs grace To se thy face Withouten ende. Now synge we, &c.
[598] _Now synge we, &c._] From _Bibliographical Miscellanies_ (edited by the Rev. Dr. Bliss), 1813, 4to, p. 48, where it is given from an imperfect volume (or fragments of volumes) of black-letter _Christmas Carolles_, partly (but probably not wholly) printed by Kele.
“_Codex membranaceus in 4to, seculo xiv scriptus, figuris illuminatis, sed injuria temporis pene deletis ornatus, in quo continetur_,
I. Polichronitudo basileos _sive_ historia belli quod Ricardus I. gessit contra Sarracenos, _Gallice_.
_Hoc opus Skeltono ascribitur a Cl. Stanleio; primo autem intuitu satis liquet codicem ipsum longe ante tempus quo claruit Skeltonus fuisse scriptum, ab eoque regi dono missum, ut testantur sequentes versus diverso et recenti caractere primæ paginæ inscripti_:”[600]]