[And now here folowethe an ordenaunce of a precessyoun of the feste of Corpus Cristi made in London by daun John Lydegate. (see note)
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 105 110 115 120 125 130 135 140 145 150 155 160 165 170 175 180 185 190 195 200 205 210 215 220	This hye feste nowe for to magnefye, Feste of festes moost hevenly and devyne, In goostly gladnesse to governe us and guye, By which al grace doothe uppon us shyne; For now this day al derkenesse t’enlumyne, In youre presence fette out of fygure, Schal beo declared by many unkouthe signe Gracyous misteryes grounded in scripture. First, that this feste may more beo magnefyed, Seothe and considerthe in youre ymaginatyf For Adams synne how Cryst was crucefyed Uppon a crosse, to stinten al oure stryf. Fruyt celestyal hong on the tree of lyf, The fruyt of fruytes, for shorte conclusyoun, Oure helpe, oure foode, and oure restoratyf And cheef repaste of oure redempcioun. Remembrethe eeke in youre inwarde entente Melchysedec, that offred bred and wyne, In fygure oonly of the sacrament, Steyned in Bosra, on Calvarye made red, On Sherthorsday tofore er he was ded, For memoryal mooste sovereyne and goode, Gaf hees appostels, takethe hereof goode heed, His blessid body and his precyous bloode. Chosen of God this patryarch Abraham, Example pleyne of hospitalytee, Recorde I take, whan that the aungel came To his housholde, wheeche were in noumbre three, In figure oonly of the Trynyté, Sette to hem brede with ful gladde chere, Of gret counforte, a token who list see, The sacrament that stondethe on the awter. To Yssake God list His grace shewe Lyneally adowne frome that partye, In eorthes fatnesse, and in hevenly dewe Frome the Olly Gooste descending to Marye; That braunche of Gesse God list to glorefye, This Roos of Jherico fresshest on lyve, Blest among wymmen, Luc doothe specefye, Whos name is fygurde here with lettres fyve. Jacob saughe aungels goyng up and doune Uppon a laddre, he sleeping certeyne Lowe on a stoone for recreacyoun, The whete glene crowned above the greyne, Forged of golde an Hoost thereinne eseyne; This Crystes bred, delicyous unto kynges, With goostly gladnesse, gracious and sovereyne, Gayve forreyne damage of alle eorthely thinges. This noble duc, this prudent Moyses, With goldin hornes lyche Phebus beemys bright, His arche so ryche, his vyole for t’encresce, With the manna to make oure hertes light; Figure and liknesse, who so looke aright, This goostly manna being here present To us figurethe in oure inwarde sight A symilitude of the sacrament. This chosen Aaron bering a liknesse, In hoolly writte as it is clerly founde, Of trewe preesthode and goostly parfytnesse, This innocent, this lambe with large wounde, The feonde, oure enemy, outtraye and confounde, Is token and signe of Crists passyoun, Spirituel gladness and mooste fer to habounde, This day mynisterd til oure reffeccion. Thou chose of God, David that sloughe Golye, With slyng and stoone called the Chaumpyoun Of al Isrel, as bookis specefye, That sloughe the bere and venqwysshed the lyoun, Figure of Jhesu, that with his passyoun And verraye victorie of hees woundes fyve Brought Philisteys unto subjeccyoun, Whan Longeus spere did thorgh his herte ryve. Ecclesiaste, myrrour of sapience, With cloose castel besyde a clowde reed, That same token by virgynal vydence Sette in Marye flouring of maydenhede, Which bare the fruyt, the celestial bred, Of oure counfort and consolacyoun, Into whos brest the Hoolly Gooste, tathe heede, Sent to Nasareth gracyously came doune. Beholde this prophete called Jeremye, B’avisyoun so hevenly devyne Tooke a chalyce and fast cane him hye To presse owte lykoure of the rede vyne Greyne in the middes, which to make us dyne, Was beete and bulted floure to make of bred, A gracyous fygure that a pure virgyne Should bere manna in which lay al our speede. This Ysayes, in token of plentee, A braunche of vynes mooste gracious and meete At a gret feest him thought that he did see, And therewithal a gracyous glene of whete, Token of joye frome the hevenly seete, Whan God above list frome Jessyes lyne To make his grace as golde dewe doune to fleete, To stanche oure venymes wheeche were serpentyne.1 Holly Helyas, by grace that God him sent, The noble prophete benigne and honurable, Made strong in spirit fourty dayes wente In his journey, the brede made him so stable, Cristallyne water to him so comfortable, Al his vyage boothe in brede and lenkethe, A blessid fygure verray coumfortable, Of the sacrament komethe oure goostly strenkethe. Zacharye holding there the fayre sensier, With goostely fumys as any bawme so swoote, Beo meditacyouns and grete preyer That uppe ascendithe frome the hertes roote, Goostely tryacle and oure lyves boote, Ageynst the sorowes of worldely pestylence, Alle infect ayres it puttethe under foote Of hem that take this bred with reverence. Blessed Baptyst, of clennesse locke and keye, Mooste devoutly gan marken and declare With his fingur, whan he seyde Agnus Dei, Shewing the lambe which caused oure welfare On Good Frydaye was on the crosse made bare, And offred up for oure redempcyoun On Eestre morowe, to stinten al oure care, Ageynst seeknesse oure restauracyoun. This holly man, th’evangelist Saint Jehan Th’appocolips wrote, and eke dranke poysoun, In Cristes feyth als stable as the stoone, Aboode with Jhesu in his passyoun; And for to make a declaracyoun, O the chalyce patyn a chylde yong of age Shewed after there the consecracyoun This brede is he that dyed for oure outrage. This blessed Mark, resembling the lyoun, In his gospel parfyte, stable and goode, Of bred and wyn for confirmacion On Sherthorsday remembrethe howe it stoode; Seyde at his souper with a ful blessed moode To hees discyples, aforne er he arros: “This bred, my body, this wyne, it is my bloode Which that for man dyed uppon the crosse.” Hooly Mathewe this elate gospeller, Stable, parfyte, and truwe in his entente, He wrote and seyde, of holy herte and entiere, Touching this blessed gloryous sacrament: “This is the chalyce of nuwe testament That shal beo shadde for many and not for oon, For Cryste Jhesu was frome his fader sent, Excepcion noon, but dyen for ech oone.” Lucas confermethe of this hooly bloode, T’avoyde aweye al ambeguytee: “This is my bodye that schal for man beo ded, Him to delyver frome infernal powstee; To Jherusalem, th’emperyal citee, Him to conduyte eternally t’abyde, Adam oure fader and his posteritee, By Cryst that suffred a spere to perce his syde.” Paulus doctor wrytethe in his scripture, The which affermethe and seythe us truly: “Yif there beo founden any creature Which that this bred receyvethe unworthely, He etethe his doome moste dampnabully, For which I counseyle, and pleynly thus I mene, Ech man beo ware to kepe him prudently, Not to resceive it, but yif he beo clene.” He that is cleped maystre of sentence, Sette in a cloude holde here a fresshe ymage, Remembrethe eeke by gret excellence, In this mater avoyding al outrage, Given to man here in oure pilgrymage, This sacrament after his doctryne Is Crystis body, repaste of our passage, By the Hooly Gooste take of a pure virgyne. The noble clerc, the doctour ful famous, Wrytethe and recordethe, remembring truly Geyns heretykes, hoolly Jeronimus, Howe that this hoost is hole in ech partye Bothe God and man, Cryste Jhesus verraily, In eche partycle hoole and undevyded, This oure byleve and creance feythfully, Oute of oure hertes alle errours circumcyded. Moral Gregore, ful weele reherce he can In his wryting and vertuous doctryne, This glorious doctour, this parfyte hooly man, Touching this bred dothe thus determyne, Howe it is flesshe toke of a pure virgyne. Geynst al seeknesse our cheef restoratyf, Oure helth, welfare, richchest medisyn, This sacrament this blessed bred of lyf. Blessed Austyne rehersethe in sentence, “Whan Cryste is ete or resceyved in substaunce, That lyf is eten of hevenly excellence, Oure force, oure might, our strenkethe, oure suffisaunce, Qwykenyng oure herte with al goostly plesaunce, Repast ay lasting, restoratyf ternal, And remedy geynst al oure olde grevaunce Brought ine by byting of an appul smale.” Ambrosius, with sugerd elloquence, Wrytethe with his penne and langage laureate, With Crystis worde substancial in sentence, “The sacrament is justely consecrate Oure daily foode, renuwyng oure estate, Recounseylling us whan we trespas or erre, And mathe us mighty with Sathan to debate To wynne tryumphe in al his mortal werre.” Maistre of storyes, this doctour ful notable, Holding a chalys here in a sonne clere, An Ooste aloft gloryous and comendable, A pytee pleyning with a ful hevy cheere, With face doune caste, shewing the manere Of hir compleynte with her pytous looke, Ellas, she bought hir sones dethe to deere, Whan he for man the raunsoun on him tooke. This hoolly Thomas, called of Algwyne, By hie myracle that sawghe persones three, An ooste ful rounde, a sunne about it shyne, Joyned in oon by parfyte unytee, A gloryous liknesse of the Trynitee, Gracyous and digne for to beo comended, With feyth, with hope, with parfyte charitee, Al oure byleeve is thereinne comprehended. With theos figures shewed in youre presence, By divers likenesses you to doo plesaunce, Resceivethe hem with devoute reverence, This bred of lyfe yee kepe in remembraunce Oute of this Egipte of worldely grevaunce, Youre restoratyf celestyal manna, Of which God graunt eternal suffysaunce Where aungels sing everlasting Osanna.      [Shirley kouthe fynde no more of this copye.	holy feast; celebrate; (see note); (t-note) (t-note) spiritual; guide; (see note); (t-note) to illuminate; (t-note) fashioned out of likenesses; (see note) strange signs; (t-note) (t-note) mind’s eye; (see note) (see note) to end thoughts (see note) Dyed; (see note) Maundy Thursday; (t-note) take special note of this; (t-note) (see note) I make mention of; (t-note) (see note) (t-note) altar chose to show His grace; (see note); (t-note) (see note); (t-note) the Holy Ghost; (t-note) Jesse; (t-note) Rose; alive; (see note) [the apostle] Luke (t-note) saw; (see note) (see note) Host (i.e., eucharistic wafer); seen; (t-note) spiritual public compensation for Moses; (see note) like Phebus’ (i.e., the sun’s) beams; (see note) ark; (see note) hearts image having the quality of; (see note) spiritual perfection devil; vanquishes Christ’s passion; (t-note) spiritual refreshment chosen; killed; (see note) bear; lion; (t-note) true; his; (t-note) Philistines; (t-note) wisdom; (see note) fortified; red cliff manifestation bread take heed; (t-note) Nazareth (see note) By prophetic dream; (t-note) quickly went to work dinner beaten and sifted good fortune (see note); (t-note) fitting (t-note) sheaf of wheat seat chosen from Jesse’s lineage flow (t-note) Holy; (see note) resolute breadth and length; (t-note) inspiring spiritual strength; (t-note) censer; (see note) balm; sweet; (t-note) By; (t-note) medicine; protection infectious airs purity; (see note) began to point out Lamb of God Easter morning to put an end to; (t-note) sickness; restoration; (t-note) (see note) The Apocalypse as solid as a rock Stayed with chalice cover; (t-note) sins; (see note) (see note) perfect Maundy Thursday spirit; (t-note) arose (see note) exalted; (see note) sincere; (t-note) new; (t-note) shed; (t-note) (see note) To ward off all doubt power the imperial city safeguard; to abide spear; pierce St. Paul; writes; (see note) affirms; says (see note) eats his fate; damnably; (t-note) (t-note) unless he is free of sin called master of doctrine; (see note) sin taken from cleric; (see note) Against heretics complete; (see note) belief and doctrine; (t-note) purged; (t-note) recount; (see note); (t-note) bread (i.e., the eucharistic wafer) Against; sickness; chief medicine (t-note) Augustine explains in [his] teaching; (see note); (t-note) eaten; (see note) strength; livelihood spiritual joy ever; eternal; (t-note) apple; (see note) sweet rhetoric; (see note) (see note) weighty in meaning (see note) renewing; condition (t-note) makes; (t-note) (see note); (t-note) chalice; bright; (t-note) Host (i.e., the eucharistic wafer); (t-note) A pietà (sorrow) lamenting; sad mien; (see note); (t-note) (t-note) (t-note) too dear; (t-note) (see note); (t-note) saw; (t-note) (t-note) one; (t-note) (t-note) worthy; (t-note) faith; (t-note) belief; (t-note) (t-note) (see note); (t-note) (t-note) (see note); (t-note) (t-note) (t-note) plenty; (t-note) (t-note) could; (t-note)