HOnured be thu, blisseful lord benigne, That now vntó man wil be merciábleAs he may se apertly be a signe,A braunche, þat sprongen is ful profitable,fful fresch & faire, & heily commendable Of Iesse-is Rote, þat called is marie,That schal the blisseful appil fructifie.
A blisful flour, owt of this spray schal springe; The fruyt þer-of schal be ful precïous;A causë haue [we] for to ioye & synge,In honure of þat maidë gracïous,That gret comfort schal cause[n] vnto vs; ffor now schal faste oure company encrees,And god with man schal makë smallë pees.
Now be we glad, in honure of this maide, That schal be modier of the kyng eterne,Be whom the raunsom fully schal be paidffor man, þat loken is in hellë herne.Now schal we haue no power for to warne Man for [to] entre in-to paradise;The lord wil sette him at so highe a price.
Thu, lucifer, þat list in helle I-bounde, That whylom were one of oure companye, This maidë schal the vtterly confounde,And do the muchë schame & vilanye,Which Eua hast deceyuëd traytouresly, And made hire trust[en] on thi fals behest,Wherby thu hast hire lynage alle arest.
Thu cursed caitiff! mawgre thi malice! fful sone he schal be sette owt of thin hande;Reseised schal he be with paradise;Thu schalt not be of powire to with-stande;But, as an hound þat tied is with a bande, So schalt thu eternally lyn in thi peyne;Ne no counfort getist thu, thow þou pleyne.
To gret distresse & gret desólacioun A maidë first was déceyvëd be the:Vnto thi schame and [thi] confusïoun,A blissed maidë schal thi ladi be.But weel is him þat schal þat maidë see,
And schal be schent to salue hire, & grete,And say "heil, mary, maidë faire & sweet!"
Who euere it be, þat schal do this messáge, fful weel is him that fyndë may that grace:It schal him weel suffisë for his wage,To see þat blissed sweet[ë] lady face.Now with alle ioyës, myrthë & soláce, ffor loue of hire honure, we [synge] this dayWith alle the songes & myrthës þat we may.
