The PurveyProject

Natiuitas Beate Marie
In natiuitate sancte Marie Virgins. Requir historiam beate Marie vt supra in concepcione eiusdem, et cetera.

Par Élodie MONTEAU
Publication en ligne le 01 mars 2013

1/187r/ How this holy ffest of þe natiuite, þat is to sey þe birth of our Lady Seint Mary was first founde. A grete clerk called Iohanne Beleth telleth how þere was, vpon a tyme, an holy man solatory, vertuous, right, holy and devoute. And whan he was on a nyght in his devoute prayers and meditacions, he herd euery ȝere, oonys in þe nyght of þe natiuite and birth of our Lady, þe glorious songe of aungellis in heven, and no more but all oonly þat nyght. Than, þis holy man prayed to God devoutely þat he

2/187v/ myght knowe and vndirstonde þe cause whi þat he herd þat melodius songe of aungellis þat certeyn nyght and no moo nyghtis in all þe ȝere. Þan there come an aungell to hym and tolde hym þat on þat same nyght, þat pure virgyn and mercifull modir of God called Maria, she was born of hir modir Anne. And all be it þat it is vnknowen to men in erthe, ȝett Goddis aungellis haue it in reuerence and worship in heven. so þan þe aungellis bad hym þat he shall publissh, shewe it and tell it to men in holy chirch what he had herd and seen, þat holi chirch and seintis in heven may solempnyse acordyng vpon þe day of þe natiuite and birth of our Lady Seint Mary. Anon, þe aungell vanysshed from 'hym'. So þan þis holy man went to þe pope and tolde hym of þis reuelacion, where þe po<p>e wrote dovn þat euery cristen man shuld haue þe natiuite of our Lady in reuerence, and worship þe viij day of Septembre to þe laude and praysyng of hym þat toke fflessh and blode of þat virtuous virgine our Lady Seint Mary. Thus cam þis holy ffeste first into holy chirch. I fynde writen of our Lady how þere was a Iew vpon a tyme, þat was born in Fraunce and cam into Yngelond for certeyn nedis þat he had to doo with oþir of his nacion. And fro Brystowe to Wylteshire, he was take with thefis and brought into an olde house where he was bounde to a post, his handis behynde hym. When þe thefis were gone, he fell aslepe, and he sawe a feir woman all clad in white and she cam to hym warde. And þerewith, he waked oute of his slepe and lokid aboute hym and feld hymself þat he was vnbounde. þan our Lady was so bright þat as he thought she passed þe son in brightnes. and þus he seyd to hir: “What lady be ȝe þat þus haue holpe me?” “I am” seid she, “Mary, Goddis modir þat þu and all þi nacion haue had in dispite and ȝe sey þat I neuere bare Criste Ihesu, Goddis son, and I, clene mayde before þe birth, in þe birth and aftir þe birth. But nertheles, I am cum to bring þe oute of þi prison and þy bondis, and oute of þi errour and mysbeleve þat þu art in. Wherefore, I commaunde the to cum with me anon and goo stonde on yondir stone, and loke dovnward”.

3/188r/ And so he did, where he sawe þe peynes of hell, þat for fere, he was nere hande oute of his mynde. Than seid our Lady to hym: “Þese peynes be ordeynd to þe and to all þoo þat woll not beleve on Criste Ihesu 'þat' was born of a mayde, and on Cristis precius passion and on cristen feith. ‹ett, folow me”, saide þat mercifull modir of God. Where she sett þe Iew vpon an hyll and shewid hym a place bewtevous and most delectable, and plesaunt of moste joye and blisse, þat he was ravisshed with þat sight. To whom our Lady seid: “This plesaunt place is ordenyd for þem þat bileve in þe [in]carnacion, how God was born of me, and I, clene mayde beforn þe birth, in þe birth and aftir þe birth. And þat Ihesu, my son, shed his hert blode for þe redempcion of man kinde. Now þu haste see þe horribyll peynes of hell and þe delectabill joyes of blisse. Chese þu wheþer þu haddist moste gladly to haue”. With þis, þat blessid Lady passid away from hym. The next day, he cam to Bathe, and þere, he was baptized and callid Iohanne, and aftir was an holy man. þus most euery man stedfastly beleve, if he woll cum to blisse. It is to vndirstonde þat no man kan tell þe grete joye and gladnes þat Ioachym and Anne, fadir and modir to our Lady, þat þei had in þeyr hertis whan þat blessid Lady was born. For whan þei had prayed to God xxx ȝere beforn, bothe day and nyght and gafe grete gode in almes, ffor which grete godenes þat þei did, allmyghti God, in reuelacion bi an aungell, tolde þem þey shuld haue a childe þat shuld be holy and plese God passing all women, and call hir Maria. For þat frute of þeir bodies was gife to þem more bi grace þan bi nature, for she was halowed in hir modirs wombe, holy born, and euere holy aftir. And whan Maria was iij ȝere of age, Ioachym, hir fadir, and Anne, hir modir, brought hir into þe temple in Iherusalem, and offred hir þere to God as þei had made a wowe. She knelyd a dovne at þe ouer moste step or grece, and made hir prayers as she had be full of grace and of age, ffor þe holy goste was euer more with hir and gafe hir grace. And God send an aungell

4/188v/ to kepe hir and teche hir. And whan hir fadir and modir with þeir freendis had offred hir þere, þei went home and left hir in þe temple. And she gafe hirself to spirituell occupacion and devocion and putte hirself to a rule, þat euery day from morow vnto vndirn she was in hir prayeris contynually, and from vndirn vnto none, she occupied 'hir' erast 'as' weving of clothes of silke in þe temple. And at none, whan mete was brought to hir, she gafe it to þe pore folkes and kept hirself in devocion vnto aungell brought hir mete. And þus she lyved so clene and honestly þat all oþir maydens in þe temple called hir quene of maydens. But whan þat blessid Maria was xij ȝere of age and more, þe custome of þe londe was þat she shuld be called to mariage bi the ordinaunce of þe bisshop of þe temple, to haue an husbande. And so thei did publyssh, proclame and crye in diuerse partyes þat kyngis, lordis and gentyllis þat were not maried shuld com and assemble at þe temple at a certeyn day assigned, ffor to witte whoo was moste worþi to wedde Maria, called quene of maydens, þat was cum of þe lyne of Dauid. And whan þei cam to Iherusalem, there was cum and assembled of þe best blode and lyne of all þe worlde þere. So þe bysshop toke a rodde of a drye stik þat had be in þe temple many ȝere beforn and he, þat rod in hande, in his hande, if it borgened and bare floures, he shuld haue þat mayde to his wife, and ellis, he shuld not haue hir. Soo þis yonge lady and blessid mayde Mary was arayed and brought into þe temple. And she was so fayr and so bright þat þei myght not beholde hir for brightnes. The bysshop had brynge forth þe rodde and seyde: “He þat toke it in his hande, if it foresshid and borged levis and flouris, he shulde haue þat mayde”. Then kyngis, lordis and gentyllis went to and toke þe rod, but it wolde not be. Than oþir degrees oon day or twayn. Than þe third day, it must nedis be made an ende of. the which day cam an holde man into þe citee, þat lyved bi his craft of carpentrye called Ioseph. He desired to goo to þe temple and see þe custom what shuld be done, and he stode affarr in a corner of þe temple. And þere cam a feyr white dove flying into þe temple

5/189r/ and restid vpon Ioseph is hede. And a beme of þe sunne shyned thrugh þe stone wall vpon Ioseph is hede þere þat euery man see it, but he perceyvid it not hymself. Whan þe grete bisshop of þe temple sawe this grete werk of God, he called Ioseph vnto hym, saying thus vnto hym: “Ioseph, take þu þis rodde in þyne hande”. And forthwith, the drye rodde began to byrgyn and wexe grene fayr leved and brare frute in his hande. Than þe bisshop þanked God of þis grete myracle, but Ioseph was full hevy and sory to haue hir to his wife. Than þe bisshop weddyd þem togedir worshipfully. Than not longe aftir, as it was þe wyll and pleasur of God þe Fadir of heven send dovn his holy archaungell, a mynystre of þe trynyte, Gabriell, to þe citee of Galilee named Nazareth. to our blessid Lady Maria, newly weddid by þe wyll of God and of þe reuelacion of þe holy goste to an holy man of þe house of Dauid called Ioseph. And as þis holy virgyn was in hir closett in 'hir' prayers, the messynger of God, Gabriell, cam to hir with meke chere. He saluted hir saying þus: Aue gracia plena, Dominus tecum ; “Heyl full of grace, God is with the”. Where þat glorious virgyn was conceyved by inspiracion of þe holy goste, and conceyved þe second person in trynyte, God is son, Ihesu. And so was she bothe mayde, modir and wife. And whan she began to be with childe, Ioseph marvelid gretely how þat myght be, ffor wele he wist that he had neuere parte of hir body. Also he wist wele þat she had made a vow to God of hir chastitee. Than he þouȝt how he was made for to wedde hir, by þe byddyng of God and with grete myracle shewyng. He þought also he was not worthi to dwell in hir company. Wherefore he purposed pryvily to goo from hir and leve hir alone. Than there cam an aungell of God to hym and seyde: Ioseph, ne timeas. Accipe Mariam conuigem tuam, quo in ea natu est despum sancto est;

6/189v/ “Drede þe not, Ioseph, to take Mary thi wife”, as who seyth all be it þat she is with childe, for þat what is in hir, it is of the holy goste, ffor God wolde þat þat was shuld be do. Quer plus si velis ut sup.. in annunciacione eiusdem de ista matria ; worship we reuerently and devoutely, pray vnto þis vertuous virgyn and modir of God, saying vnto hir: Sancta Maria, succurre miseris inna pusillamines resone flebiles, ora p.. pplo.. inter veni p.. clero intercede p.. deuote femines sexu ; “O holy Mari, socour wrecchis, helpe and favour þe feynt anf feble, refressh and cheryssh þat be weping and sorowfull. Pray for þe peple þat is synfull, be þu a mediatrix to þe clerge þat is nedefull, and beseche for all man kinde to thy son þat is myghtfull”. Amen.

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