XXII. DE SANCTO IOHANNE BAPTISTA.
Ego uox clamantis in deserto parate uiam domini rectas facite semitas eius. Þe louerd seint lucas giu trinneð on his godspel þe wunderlich hider kume. and þe erueðliche herbiwist. and þe wunderliche heðen sið. of ure louerd seint iohan baptiste.*. [[Luke iii. 4.]] and þer he specð of his hider cume. he seið þat ure drihten sende his heg engel gabriel to on old man; þat [p 91] was holi prophete. and ec bisshup. and het zacharie. and sende him to seien þat he sholde strene an holie child and clepen hit iohan. and seide wich lif hit sholde leden. and on his burde michel folc blisse. and bifore gode ben michel and mihti. Þo understod þe holi man þat he was of michel elde. and his woreldes make was teames atold. and unberinde. and for þese þre þing let hit unleflich. and ne lefde hit noht; þat þe engel him seide. and þus quað. Vnde hoc sciam. hwu mai ich þis wite þo seide þe*. [[Luke i. 18, 20].] engel. Qvia non credidisti uerbis meis. ecce eris tacens et non poteris loqui usque ad diem natiuitatis eius. For þu art unlef mine worde. þu shalt beo dumb forte þat child beo boren. and þerbi wite þat ich soð seie. þus bicom þe holi man dumb; and on his spuse þis holi child strende. On the sixte moneð þarafter was þat holi maiden ure lafdi seinte marie liht mid þe holi child ure louerd ih[es]u crist and com to hire moge Seinte elizabet þe ich er embe was þe bar on hire wombe Seinte Iohan baptiste. and alse wat se þat holi meide mid worde grette þe holie spuse; þo warð soð þat þe engel hadde er bi þis child seid. Spiritu sancto replebitur adhuc ex utero matris sue þat child sholde on his Page 127 moder wombe ben fild of þe holi gost alse it was. Et pro|phetalis spirituc filii illuminauit spiritum matris et prophetauit uterque. hic gaudio illa uerbo. for þat þe þis childes witige gost lihte þe moder gost; of witienge. swo þat hie witegede boðe of ure louerd ihesu cristes to cume. and of þe moder ure lafdi seinte marie. þat child on his blisse for hit floxede. and pleide to-genes hire. and te moder on hire worde þus seide. Vnde*. [[Luke i. 43.]] [p 92] hoc michi. ut ueniat; mater domini mei ad me. Weðen is me cumen þat mi louerdes moder cumeð to me? Ðo þis child was boren. and him was name geuen*. [Or giuen.] þo com þe fader his speche. and witegede þe childes arueðliche herbiwist. and þus queð Tu puer propheta altissimi vocaberis preibis enim*. [[Luke i. 76.]]ante faciem domini parare vias ejus. Þis child shal hoten godes prophete. and fare bifore godes neb. and maken his weies. and hit swo warð. for þat alse wat se he was þogen on wintre. and on wastme and hadde michel of wereld þinge. þo nam he geme of mannes liflode. and cnew þat here dedes weren iuele. and here speche unnutte. and fleg here ferede. for he nolde noht folgen here forbisne ne on speche ne on dede. and þerfore ferde into weste wilderne alse Seinte ambrosii seið on his loft|songe. Antra deserti teneris s. c. tur. fugiens p. n. l. s. m. u. f. posses. On his guweðe he fleh fro folke to weste. for þat he ne wolde. noh[t] mid lihte wordes filen his liflode. and for he was send into þe weste to maken þere godes weies; þerefore he makede his wunienge in þe wilderne. and staðelede his liflode on fode. and on shrude. swo þat he wa[s] bicumelich to his wuninge and ec to his wike. alse hit seið on þe loft songe. Prebuit hirtum tegimen camelus. a. s. tro. b. c. l. h. s. p. m. locustis. Weste was his wunienge. and stark haire of oluente his wede. wilde hunie and languste his mete. and water was his drinke. Ðo sprong þe word of his holi liflode wide into þe londe and bigan þat folc sechen to his wunienge. for to sen his holi liflode. and to here his wise lore and wenden þo for his michele wisdom; þat hit crist self [p 93] were. and he bigan þo to maken alse þe boc seið. Instruendo ad fidem. inuitando ad baptismum. vocando ad penitenciam. tehte hem rihte bileue. bed hem to fulcninge. Page 129 and clepede hem to shrifte. þat is to reusende. and to forleten. and to beten here sinnes. for þat is shrift. Ðo wolden þe bisshupes. and þe oðre lerede þe wuneden in þe lond; witen hwat he ware. for þat hie wenden þat hit were crist self. and senden here erendrakes to him þus queðinde. Tu quis es?*. [[John i. 19|23.]] hwat art tu? [E]t respondit. [N]on sum ego Christus. Ne ami noht crist? and hie seiden. Artu helias. nai he seide. and hie seiden. artu prophete? nai he seide. nan þere prophete þe ge wenen. [E]t dixerunt. Quis igitur es. ut responsum demus eis qui miserunt nos? Seiden hie wich andswere shule we giuen hem þe senden us to þe; and he answerede. þus queðinde Ego uox clamantis in [deserto] parate uiam domini rectas facite semitas ejus. Ich am his steuene þe remeð in þis westerne. and þus queðinde. Makeð þe louerdes weies. and rihteð his peðes. Et enim uox ordine nature antecedit uerbum. sic. iohannes ordine temporum antecedit christum, Vnde dicitur hic dei uox ille uerbum. listeð nu wat tis westerne is. and wi ure drihten gredeð þer onne. Populus qui malo opere dereliquid deum factorem suum. et inutili uerbo recessit á deo salutari suo. est descertus. al þat folc þat þurh unnutte speche and iuele speche. and iue[le]dede. turneð fro gode. and forleteð his hersumnesse. is cleped westren. for þat þe he ne wuneð noht on hem; ne he on him; for þi is þis westren for-grouwen. mid brimbles. and mid þornes and mid iuele wiedes. þat is to seien. þat folc is forgilt wið god. on [p 94] unnitte speche. and on iuele dede. and on idel þonc. Clamat ergo dominus ad nos per predicatores tanquam surdos et longe positos. and for-þi gredeð ure drihten to us; alse to deue men. and fer fro him wunien. Deue we ben oðer þicke liste. þanne we heren speke godes word. and nimeð þer to litel geme. oðer non. fer fro ure drihten we ben. þeh we gon to chirche. and giuen rihte tiðinge. and singen ure bede. and deleð almes more for to hauen eorðliche winne þene heuenliche wele. ac turne we to ure drihten on rihte bileue. and nehtleche him on clene liflode. and maken us wei to him. on soðe luue to gode and to mannen. Est enim dilectio dei et proximi regia uia quaPage 131eundum est ad uitam. for þat soðe luue ledeð alle rihtwise men to eche blisse; þe luueð god more þane him seluen. and ech cristene man alse him seluen. ac þat is arueð forþe ani eorðlich man. and þerfore do we alse seint iohan baptiste us minegeð þus queðinde. Rectas facite semitas dei nostri. Makeð rihte godes peðes. Semite dei quibus facile peruenitur ad eum sunt opera bona. Godes paðes ben ure gode dedes. on elmes. and on oðre þinge þe us shule leden to eche liue. Que si fecerimus pro celestibus declinabimus ad terram. Si autem pro fauore populi. ad sinistram diuertemus. Gif we don ure gode dedes for to hauen þis weorldes selðe. oðer mannes hereword to mede. þenne make we godes weies wronge. and ne ben noht toward heuene. ac gif [we] don. and queðen. and ðenchen wel for þat we god luuen. and us longeð to him. and we þeron [h]alden to ure lifes*. [MS. lilfef.] [p 95] ende. þenne beo we on rihte weie. þe ledeð us to eche life. alse dide þe louerd Seint iohan baptiste. alse ich er sede. Ðe wun|derliche com into þis wreche woreld and her-one arueðliche wunede. and her-offe at his ende wurliche wende. for he was bihaueded on herodes prisone. for he nolde noht turnen ut of þe hege weie. ne of þe rihte paðes. þe he minegede mankin to makiende. and was þer-one werchende. and farende. for to þat he [com] to ðe ende þat is eche lif. ad quam nos ducat. qui u[i]uit.