As Scripture makithe mencioun of me,
In bookis of nature who list to se:
Wherfor me thynk I do nat amys,
To welcome the kyng of hevene blis;
That from the seete of the hye Trynité,
Into a virgyns wombe immaculate,
Descendid this tyme of fre volunté,
And so becom man incarnate,
To restore hym to his first estate,
Wherfor I singe of his nativité,
A solis ortus cardine.
The pellican sang withe mornyng chiere,
Of Cristes compassioun I do compleyne,
That mankynde hathe bought so deere,
With grevous hurtis and bytter peyne,
And yit man can nat love hym agayne,
Wherfore I synge as I was wont,
Vexilla regis prodeunt.
The nyghtyngale lepe from boughe to boughe,
And on the pellican she made a crye,
And seyd, "pellican, why mournest thow now?
Crist is risen from dethe triewly,
Mankynd withe hym to glorifye;
Wherfor syng now as we do,
Consurgit Cristus tumulo."
The lark also ful naturally,
Cristes ascencioune in humanité
Commendyd withe song specially,
And seyde, "blissed be thow, Lorde of felicité,
That hast callid man to so highe degree,
That never deserved of equyté,"
Eterne rex altissime.
The douffe also that is so white,
In hert bothe meke and beautevous,
Unto the erthe she toke hir flight,
And sang a song ful gracious,
Of al songes most vertuous;
And as I perceyved, she songe thus,
Veni Creator Spiritus.
The briddes present upon a tre,
Were gadred togydre as covenaunt was,
Praisyng oon God in Trynité,
That al this wyde world dothe enbrace ;
And thus thay songe, both more and lasse,
This melodious ympne withe grete solas,
O lux beata Trinitas.
[From MS. Harl. 2251, fol. 28-29.]
ALLE THYNGES IN MESURE.
By witte of man al thynge that is contryved,
Standithe in proporcioune plainly to conclude,
In olde auctours lyke as it is discryved,
Whether it be depnesse or longitude,
Cast out by compas of height or latitude,
By peyse, by nombre, tryed out by equité,
To voyde al errour fro folkis than ben rude,
Nothyng commendyd but it in mesure be.
Mesours of musyk bene the spieris nyne,
Mevid by mesure withe hevenly armony;
Lower in erthe compas, squyer, and lyne,
Voyde al errours cause of geometrye;
Sownyng of instrumentis, concorde of mynstrelcye,
Sette fulle and hoole be perfite unité;
Swetnesse of mesure causithe al melodye,
By perfit musyk if it in mesure be.
Without mesure may non artificere
In his wirkyng parfitely procede,
Peyntour, steynour, mason, nor carpentere,
Without mesure accomplisshe nat in dede;
Where mesure faylethe, wrong wrought is every dede,
Of thynge to longe the superfluité
Mesure cutte of, and thus who can take heede,
Iche thynge is praysed if it in mesure be.
Whan mesure failethe in dome or jugement,
Rightwisnes is tourned to woodenesse,
A rigurous juge, a foltisshe president,
Withe hate and rancour dothe his vertu dresse ;
Vengeaunce by envye theyre reason doth oppresse;
Whan they ben blynde and can no mesure se,
False rooted malice and cruel wilfulnesse,
Wil suffre no mesure in theyr court to be.
An olde proverbe, mesour is tresoure,✓
Where mesure failethe is disconnemence ;
In rethorik stant no parfite colour,
But if it be conveyed by cadence,
If mesure lak, what vailithe eloquence?
Concludyng thus the soveranté,
Of every craft and of eche scyence,
Receyvithe his price, if it in mesure be.
Where mesure reygnithe, subgettis lyve in peas;
Roote of discorde is froward tyrannye:
Favour in mesure causithe grete mires,
And out of mesure it causithe grete envye.
Men must by mesour rigour modifye,
Atwixt love and hate mesure dothe equyté ;/
Wherfor late soverayns use this policye,
What ever they do late it in mesure be.
Lete men be mesure werk other travaile,
Mesoure biddithe men do none outrages ;
And he that ever of mesure takith counsaile,
Can nat shewe in one hoode two visages.
The coke by mesour sesonyth his potages,
A temperat hete egalle in oone degre,
By decoccioune to take theyr avauntages,
Aforn provyded that al in mesure be.
Disport withe labour among is necessary;
Travaile requyrithe a recreacioune ;
Pees and werre ben thynges ful contrary:
Mesure of ereriche grauntithe his season;
Chaunge and diversité of complexioune
In sundry agees set adversité,
Nat to glad ne to hevy of condicioune,
But al is wele so it in mesure be.
That is goode that causithe no damage,
Honest disport that causithe none hyndryng.
Blessid of God is also that langage,
That kepithe his tunge fro froward bakbytyng;
And blessid is he that saithe wele of al thyng,
And blissed is he whiche in his poverté,
List thank God voyde al grucchyng,
And dothe nothyng but it in mesure be.
Late every man wisely advertise,
He shal agayne receyve suche mesoure,
By egal peyse and in the same wise,
So as he weyethe unto his neyghboure;
Be it of hate favour or rancoure.
The gospel tellithe lerne this of me,
So as thow weyest be mercy or rigoure,
The mesure same shal be don to the.
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