The PurveyProject

De sancto Iohanne Baptista
Homilies for Saints

Par Alina MIHOC
Publication en ligne le 05 octobre 2013

1Frendys, ȝe shal haue a solempne feste in Holy Chirche of seynt Iohn Baptiste, the whiche day he was born of his moder Elizabeth. And as we redyn that day of him that Gabriel the arcaungel, Goddes messengere, was sent from God to do message to Zacary, his fader, that was the prest of the Olde Lawe. And as he dede his offyce in the temple, Gabriel cam to him and tolde him that his wif Elizabeth shulde bere a sone and his name shulde be called Iohn, seyde he. And that shulde be a gret ioyeto him and to many oder men for he seyde he shulde be gret beforn his Lord God. And whanne this man Zacary herde this message of the angel, he dowted meche and beleued it nowte that he had seyde for be that skele that he was an olde man and she an olde womman, and had be baren al her lyf and bare neuere child before. And therefore he dowte it and had no stedfaste beleue in the

2/f. 58r/ angel wordes. And tho seyde Gabriel ayen to him : ‘I am he, the whiche amny God and I am now sent to the’, seyde he, ‘to brynge the message of theise tythenges. And for that’, seyde he, ‘that ƿu beleuest not my wordes, ƿu shalt be dome and not speke til that day ƿat al this thinges that I haue seyde to the be don ‘. And tho anon Zacary wax dome tyl the tyme of the birthe of this holy man Iohn Baptiste. And so furtheremore, whanne Zacary had fulfilled his offyce that he shulde don in the temple, he went him home to his owne hous and Elizabeth conceyved right as the angel Gabriel seyde before. And whanne it was vi monethes after she had conceyued, Gabriel was sent to the cite of Nazareth to the uirgyn Mary and brout her message that she shulde take the sone of al ther heyest fader.And alsohe brouthere tythenges that Elizabeth, her cosyn, that had euere be baren, thurgh the grace of God now she hath conceyued. And now it is vi monethes from the tyme of here conceyvenge. And tho whanne Mary herde theise tythenges, she happed that she had conceyued Goddes sone of heuene and yede here to Elizabeth and salude her. And as sone as she was comyn to her,

3/f. 58v/ this childe Iohn pleyed him and made mery in his moder wombe. And after that1, whanne Elizabeth had childed and Iohn was comyn into this worlde, and he shulde be circumcised and hau had his name. And haue named him Zacary. And the mother denyed it and seyde: ‘Nay, but he shulde be called Iohn’, seyde she. And tho thei asked his fader Zacary what name he shulde be calde. And he was dome and myte not speke til he had spoke with Gabriel, but he wrot theise wordes : Iohanne estnomen eius. And that is to sayn: ‘The name of him is Iohn’. And after that spake Zacary and profecied of whome Crist brout witness. There he sayde thus: Inter natos mulierem non surrexit maior Iohanne Baptista. And this is to seyn: ‘Amonge alle the childre that euere was born of womman, ne was there neuere a better childe than this seynt Iohn Baptiste’. For2 whi he duelled mayden from the tyme that he was born til he dyed. And also he toke him ˋtilˊ an holy lyf. And anon he went him into the wilderness and wolde non oder clothes weryn but sharpe clothes of camelshere. And his metys were rotes of erbes and floures medled with hony. And that was euere mete and water was his drynke, and thus he leued al his lyf tyme. And therefore there is no birthe of no

4/f. 59r/ seynt in heuene, outtake the birthe of oure Lord Ihesu Crist and of oure lady Mary, ƿat is more worthi to ben halowed than the birth of seynt Iohn Baptiste. And therefore halowe we that day of seynt Iohn Baptiste with meche ioye and gostly mirthe as in bedys biddyng and in almesdede doynge thurgh the solempne kepynge of almyty God. And seynt Iohn graunte us alle to haue good endynge and after to come to that ioye and blisse of heuene euerelastynge. Amen.

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