Part 24 (1/2)
This is the lyone, G.o.d, and G.o.ddis sone, Ih{es}u cri?t, wich ay in hewyne ?al won{n}e.
For as the lyone of euery be?t is king, So is he lord and mai?t{er} of al thing, 2048 That of the ble??it vyrgyne vas y-bore.
Ful many a natur the lyone haith, quhar-fore That he to G.o.d re?emblyt is, bot I Lyk not mo at this tyme ?pecify. 2052 This is the lyone, thar-of have yow no dred, That ?hal the help and comfort In thi ned.
[Footnote T47: ”see”(?).]
[Headnote: THE LEECH WITHOUT MEDICINE IS CHRIST.]
++The ?entens here now woll I the defyne [Sidenote: The leech without medicine is also G.o.d.]
Of hyme, the lech w{i}t{h}outen medy?yne, 2056 Wich is the G.o.d that euery thing hath vroght.
For yow may know that vther Is It noght, [Fol. 26a.]
[Sidenote: Not as surgeons,]
As ?urgynis and fe?icianis, wich that delith W{i}t{h} mortell thing{is}, and mortell thing{is} helyth, 2060 [Sidenote: whose art is in medicine,]
And al thar art is in to medy?yne, As it is ordanit be the my{ch}t dewyne, [Sidenote: and in plaisters, drinks, and various anointments; who know the quality of the year, and the disposition of the planets.]
As pla?t{er}is, drink{is}, and anouy{n}tme{n}t{is}[T48] ?eir, And of the qualyte watyng of the yher; 2064 And of the planet{is} di?po?iciou{n}e, And of the naturis of compleccyoune, And in the diu{er} changing of hwmowr{is}.
Thus wnd{er} reull lyith al there cwris; 2068 And yhit thei far as blynd man In the way, Oft quhen that deith thar craft li?t to a??ay.
Bot G.o.d, the wich that is the ?ou{er}an lech, Nedith no man{er} medy?yne to ?ech; 2072 For ther is no Infyrmyte, nore wound, Bot as hyme lykith al is holl and ?ound.
[Sidenote: But G.o.d can heal infirmity of thought,]
So can he heill Infyrmytee of thoght, Wich that one erdly mede?yne can noght; 2076 [Sidenote: and also the soul that goeth to confusion.]
And als the ?aul that to confu?ioune goith, And haith with hyme and vther p{ar}teis boith, His dedly wound G.o.d helyth frome the ground; On to his cure no medy?yne is found. 2080 This Is his my{ch}t that neu{er} more ?hall fyne, This is the leich w{i}t{h}outen medy?yne; And If that yhow at confe??ioune hath ben And makith the of al thi ?yn{n}is clen, 2084 [Sidenote: He shall be thy leech in all necessity.]
Yow art than holl, and this ilk ?amyn is he Schall be thi leich In al nece??itee.
[Footnote T48: MS. ”anonytmet{is},” or ”anouytmet{is}.”]
[Headnote: THE FLOWER IS THE VIRGIN MARY.]
++Now of the flour y woll to the di?cern: This is the flour that haith[T49] the froyt etern, 2088 This is the flour, this fadith for no ?chour, This is the flour of euery flouris floure;
[Footnote T49: The word, though indistinct, is almost certainly ”haith.” Stevenson has ”high;” but this gives no sense.]
[Sidenote: The flower is she of whom the eternal fruit was born,]
This is the flour, of quhom the froyt vas born, This ws redemyt eft{er} that we war lorn; 2092 This Is the flour that eu{er} ?pryngith new, This is the flour that changith neu{er} hew; [Sidenote: the virgin that bore the Saviour,]
This is the vyrgyne, this is the ble??it flour That Ih{es}u bur is our salweour, 2096 This flour wnwe{m}myt of hir wirginitee; This is the flour of our felicitee, This is the flour to quhom ve ?huld exort, [Sidenote: that ceaseth not to support us caitiffs,]
This is the flour not ?e??ith to ?upport 2100 In prayere, con?ell, and in by??ynes, Vs catifis ay In to our wrechitnes [Fol. 26b.]
On to hir sone, the quich hir con?ell herith; This is the flour that al our gladne ?terith, 2104 [Sidenote: through whose prayer are many saved.]
Throuch whois prayer mony one is ?awit, That to the deth et{er}naly war re?awit, Ne war hir hartly ?uplicatioune.
This is the flour of our ?aluatioune, 2108 Next hir sone, the froyt of euery flour; This is the ?am that ?hal be thi ?uccour, If that the lykith hartly Reu{er}ans And ?{er}uice ?eld one to hir excellens, 2112 Syne wor?chip hir w{i}t{h} al thi by??yne; Sche ?al thi harm, ?che ?all thi ned redre.
[Sidenote: She shall so counsel the lion and the leech, that thou need not despair.]
Sche ?all ?ice con?ell if one to the two, The lyone and the ?ou{er}ane lech al?o, 2116 Yow ?all not Ned yi drem for to di?par, Nor ?hit no thing that is in thi contrare.
Now--q{uo}d the mai?t{er}--yow may well wnd{er}?tand Tueching thi drem as I have born on hande; 2120 And planly haith the mat{er} al declarith, That yhow may know of wich yow was di?parith.
The lech, the lyone, and the flour al?o, Yow wor?chip them, yow ?erve them eu{er}mo; 2124 And ples the world as I have ?aid before; In gou{er}nans thus ?tondith al thi glore.
[Sidenote: Do now as thou list, for all is in thy hand.]
Do as yow li?t, for al is in thi honde, To tyne thi-?elf, thi honore, and thi londe, 2128 Or lyk o prince, o {con}querour, or king, In honore and in wor?chip for to Ringe.”
[Headnote: ARTHUR IS COMFORTED.]
[Sidenote: The king replies,]
”Now,” q{uod} the king, ”I fell that the ?upport Of yhour con?ell haith don me ?ich comfort, 2132 [Sidenote: that his heart is eased from fear;]
Of euery raddour my hart is In to e, To ?hour {com}mand, G.o.d will, y ?al obe.
Bot o thing is yneuch wn to me, [Sidenote: but inquires if Galiot will win over the red knight, and what is his name.]
How galiot makith his awant that he 2136 Shall have the kny{ch}t, that only by his honde And manhed, was defendour of my londe; If that ?hall fall y pray yhow tellith me, And quhat he hecht, and of quhat lond is hee?” 2140 ”What that he hecht yow ?hall no fory{er} know, [Sidenote: The master evades reply.]