I dyde mete vpon the waye
Ffor god wold I you behete a
Sone that I fholde hyr mete
Off grace for my owne prowhb
Ther off I hadde joye ynowh
And my hert gret gladnesse
Ffor she as by lyklynesse
Was douhter of fom Emperour
Somme myghty kyng or govenour
Or off that lord that guyeth al
Wych ys of power most royal
And thys lady gracyous
Moft debonayre and vertuous
Was yclad by gret delyht
In a furcote al of whyt
With a Tyssu gyrt off grene
And endlong ful bryht and shene
Sche hadde a charboucle ston
That round abowte hyr body shon
Was noon so reche as I was war
And on hyr brest a nouche she bar
I trowe that nowher was no bet
And in the awmaylled ther was sette
Passyngly a reche sterre
Wych that caft hys bemys ferre
Round a bowte al the place
Ther was fwych habondaunce off grace
Out of whos bosom mylde ynowh
Ther kam a dowe whyt as snowgh
Wyth hys wynges splayng oute
Plauynyge round hyr honde aboute
Thys lady of whom I han told
Hadde on hyr hed a crowne of gold
Wrouht of sterrys shene and bryht
That caft aboute a ful cler lyht
He was ful myghty who taketh hede
That fette yt ferft upon hyr hed
And made yt ffyrst by gret avys
Off gret Richeffe and gret prys
Thys lady that I spak of here
Was curteys and of noble chere
And wonderly of gret vertu
And ffyrst she gan me to falue
In goodly wyse axynge of me

What maner thyng yt myght be
Or cause why I shold hyr leref
That I made so hevy chere
Or why that I was ay wepyng
For lak of eny maner thyng
Wher of when I gan take hede
I ffyl ynto a maner drede
Ffor unkonnyng and leudnesse &
That sche of fo gret noblesse
Dyfdenede not in hyr degre
To speke to on so pore as me
But yiff yt were so as I gesse
Al only of hyr gentyllenesse
For gladly wher ys most beute
Ther ys grettest humylyte
And that ys verrayly the sygne
Swych ar most goodly and benygne
An apple tre with frut most lade
To folk that stonden in the shade
Mor lowly doth hys branches louteh
Thon a nother tre withoute
Wher haboundeth most goodness
Ther ys ay most of meknesse
None so greet token of bewte
As ys parfyt humylyte
Who wanteth hyr in hys banere
Hath not vertu hool and entere i

*

1 And then I gan to wepe anoon Sihe and forowe and seyn allas What shal I don now in thys cas Or to what party in certeyne Shal I drawen off thys tweyne

GRACE DIEU.

k

Quoth Grace Dieu what may thys be Why wepyft thow what eyleth the So thyfylve to dysconforte

*

*

The PYLGRIM.

Certys quoth I I may wel wepe For yiff ye lyft to take kepe

In straunge lond with al thy myght

I zive lyht to folk echon

That out of hyr waye gon

To pylgrymes day and nyht

I enlumine and give lyht

To al pylgrymes in ther way
As wel in dyrknesse as be day
So they lyfte rewarded me
And lyste that I her guyde be
And yiff they erryn in her weye
Ageyn I han hem wel conveye
I wyl hem helpen and redresse
Ffor I am she in sothfastnesse
Whom thow owest seke of ryght

And releue hem on and alle

Leffte vp folkys that be falle

Ffrom al myscheff and from al blame
And Grace dieu that ys my name
Fful nedful in ech contre

And by thys dowe wych thow dost se
Wych I bere with wynges fayre
Humble benygne and debonayre
I am tokeynyd who lyst seke
With hyr goodly eyen meke
And fo thow shalt me calle in dede
Whan thow haft on to me nede
And that shal be ful offte sythe f
That I may my power kythe &
Telpe the in thy pylgrymage
Ffor fynally in thy vyage
As thow goft to that cyte
Thow shalt haue offte aduerfyte
Gret mefcheff and encombraunce
Empechementys and dysturbaunce
Wych thow mayst nat in no degre
Paffe nor endure withoute me
Nor that cyte never atteyne
Thogh thow ever do thy peyne
Withoute that I thy guyde be

Tho hyr lyst no lenger byde
But took me in the fame tydeh
And made me wt hyr for to gon
To an hous of hers anoon

Wher I sholde fynde indede
Al thyng that I hadde of nede
She was hyr fylff yn fothnesse
Off thylk hous cheff founderesse

Ffor on hyr word yt was fyrst groundyd
And by hyr wysdom bylt and foundyd
The yerys of the masownry
Thyrtene hundred and thyrtty
And ffor the ffayrnesse and bewte
I hadde gret wyl that hous to fe
Abaysshed for yt was so fayr

Ffor yt heng hih up in the hayr
Twen hevene and erthe stood the place
As yt hadde only by grace
Ffrom the hevene defcendyd doun
So ftood that hevenely mancyon
With steplys and with toures hihe
Fresshely arrayed to the eye
As a place most royal
Above al other princypal
Wych stood vp on a ffayr River
The water ther of holfom and cler
But ther nas passage in that place
Nor shepe wherby men myhte passe

BAPTISM.1

* The pilgrim having been exhorted by Gracedieu to enter her house by the waters of Baptifm, he thus replies :

The PYLGRYME.

Ffor wych to gracedieu I fayde
And to hyr thus I abrayde b
Madame me femeth in my thouht
That ive ben in perel brouht
Ffor I kan fey no passage
To paffe by nor avauntage

I kan nat fwymmen yt stondeth so
Wherfor I not what I may do
And yiff I entre I am in doute
How euer I schold komen oute
Ffor wych tentre I stonde in drede
I haue of helpe so gret nede

GRACEDIEU argueth.

What menyth thys what may thys be That thow art now as femeth me So fore a dred of thys Ryver Wych ys but lyte smothe and cler Why artow ferful of thys ftream And art toward Jerufaleem And mustest off necessyte Passen ferst the gret fee

Or thow kome ther to her ys al And dredyst now thys Ryver smal And most kouth ys thys passage To chyldre that be yong of age And offter han thys ryver wonne Than folk that ben on age ronne

For other weye ys ther noon To Jerufaleem for to goon

*

And ek I wyl the telle a thyng Ther paffede onys her a kyng Ffyrst affuryng the paffage Unto euery maner age

To wasshen hym yt was no nede
But that hym lyft off lowly hede
Schewe example by hys grace
How other folkys sholde passe
Wher by the fame went
Wherfore tel me thyn entent
Yiff thow thys ryver lyft atteyne
And I shal anon ordeyne
A fergeaunt of myn inspecial
Wych offycer the helpe shal
For to paffe the water cler
And wardeyn ys of the Ryver
He shal the wasshe he shal the bathe
And make the passe the more rathe
And to put the out of doute
He shal crofle the round aboute
Make the fur as thow shalt se
From al tempeftys of the fe
Tescape the wawe of euery streem
And make the wynne Jerufaleem
By conquest and fynally

That thow shalt drede non enmy

*

*

The Pilgrim inquires the neceffity of this washing.

In answer to this inquiry Gracedieu thus fpeaks

on them as enabled them to live without infirmity, and without neceffity of death. He granted them uprightness, and power to keep that uprightness in freedom of will, so that the body then obeyed the foul, tendering it subjection as it ought in reason to do.

"God intended this Righteousness as an inheritance to their pofterity; but Adam and Eve forfeited it by their disobedience. Then death became their portion; and as they no longer obeyed God they lost the command over themselves; d for he who will not render fubjection to a higher authority can no longer claim obedience.

"Adam was placed in Paradise, to dress it and to keep it; its felicity did not confift alone in delicious fruits and cooling waters, but in the uprightness which caused Adam and Eve to love their Creator better than themselves,f and each other as themselves.

"But fince human nature received so great a wound by their disobedience,& that this Righteousness became effaced from it, the good God renewed it when He commanded Mofes,h saying, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy strength, and thy neighbour as thyself.

"Adam poffefsed this love by nature, the performance of it was therefore easy to him; but after his disobedience it became very difficult to his pofterity, so that without my afsistance it is impossible for you to do right; but if you make an effort to direct your course to the right haven

'de tirer toufiours a bon port' and to recover the power of lovingi with a pure heart, your gracious Redeemer will ac

cept your service as a duty done unto Himself, and will pardon that which is wanting; and though the flesh will still tempt you to evil, you must battle strongly against this finful inclination; you will always find resistance necessary, but I will be with you to enable you to withstand against your enemy, that it shall not overcome you, which I cannot do unless you will submit to the washing" (of Baptifm).

The Pilgrim does not acknowledge this neceffity, faying, that if his parents had been cleanfed from original fin, he must also have inherited their cleanfing.

GRACEDIEU replies:

1 Than quod she to me agayn
Tak hed when men sewen greyne
The husk the chaff yt ys no nay
But fyrst be clene put away
Or yt be throwe upon the londe
And fowe abroad with manhys hond
Whit and pur yff thow take hede
And afterward whan yt doth fede
Upon the tyme off hys rypyng
And the fefon of gadryng
Men fynde ageyn the fame corn
Huskyd as yt was beforn

And ther to clothyd newe ageyn
By which exaumple in certeyn
Thogh thy fadris wer by grace
Off ther orygynal trespace
Purgyd clene and frely quyt
The caff and the strowh abyt
Reneweth ay and ever shal
Of the fynne orygynal

n

Up on the greyn wych of hem spryngeth The huske alway with hem they bryngeth Al folkys as thow shalt lere

Pource nest mie que tout tel
Nayes peche originel
Cefte paille toufiours reuient
Auec chascun quant nouuel vient
En ce monde et en ceste terre
Telement qua chascun fault querre
Riuiere ou preigne lauement
Sil veult auoir son purgement

That kyndely be fowen here
In this world fro day to day
The huske with hem abyt alway
And feveryth not in no manere
Tyl they be wasshed in the ryvere
Wherfor by short conclusyoun
They nede eche on purgatyoun

The Pilgrim acknowledges that he can no longer make any objection, lamenting that it is out of his power to assist himself; an advocate arrives, who undertakes to speak for him and to aid him to pass the river

"Et celluy Guillaume auoit nom
Pas ne scauoie son surnom."

1 The PYLGRYME.

Tyl at the laste an aduocaat
Kam to me tho in my nede
Without gerdoun a other mede
And for I hadde of speche lak
Wonderly goodly for me he spak
Profrede for to helpe of grace
To make me the Ryver passe
And that I myght over gon
And that I wer ek wasshe anoon

In al that ever he coude or myghte
And Guyllyam ffor fothly he hyhte b
Hys furname I not ne knew
And thus he spak to Gracedieu
Myn almesse with your grace

I wol fulfyllen in thys place
And yiff ye wyl I calle shal
Off your hous the Offycyal
Ffor yt ys now ryght good fefon
Affter your oppynyon
That he mak by your byddyng
Off thys pylgrym the wasshyng
Wher of ye han so mych feyd
Quod she I am ryght wel affayd
And ther withal benygne of look
The advocate anoon me took
Of Charyte by gret plesaunce
Affter the custom and usaunce
And made calle of fyrst of al
To helpyn hym the offycyal
Bad hem also among hem alle
Affter hys name me to calle
The he shold ek don hys dever d

To helpe me pass the ryver
That I were wasshen and noon ryght
And fo he dyde withal hys myght
And many thynges as he abrayde
Over me methouhte he fayde
Wordys that hadde gret vertue
As he was taught of gracedieu
When thorgh me thouht and that anoon
That I saw ther fro me goon
A foul that was of colour blak

And in his lydene thus he spak
Cryyng men herd hym every cost f
I wys quod he I have al loft

Gracedieu ne men mentit point
Et quant ie fuz oultre passe
Et laduocat fen fut ale
Qui me fift fi grant courtoifie
Quoblier iamais ne doy mie
Lors en sa maifon gracedieu
Me mena ou moult a beau lieu
Et la me fist elle semblant
Plus bel que nauoit fait deuant

GRACEDIEU.

Puis dist elle que es laue

Et que la riuiere as passe
Et de toy est hors lennemy
Qui ia y auoit fait son ny
Maintes chofes te monftreray
Dont ton prouffit tresgrant feray
Se tu as voulente daprendre
Et adroit y veulx bien entendre