[Sidenote: The child Christ was so clean that ox and ass worshipped him.] Þe{n}ne watȝ her blyþe barne burnyst so clene, Þat boþe þe ox & þe asse hym hered at-ones; Þay knewe hy{m} by his clannes for ky{n}g of nature, For non so clene of such a clos com neu{er} er þe{n}ne; 1088 & ȝif clanly he þe{n}ne com, ful cortays þ{er}-aft{er}, [Sidenote: He hated wickedness, and would never touch ought that was vile.] Þat alle þat longed to luþ{er} ful lodly he hated; By nobleye of his norture he nolde neu{er} towche Oȝt þat watȝ vngoderly oþ{er} ordure watȝ i{n}ne. 1092 [Sidenote: Yet there came to him lazars and lepers, lame and blind.] Ȝet comen lodly to þat lede, as laȝares monye, Su{m}me lepre, su{m}me lome, & lom{er}ande blynde, Poysened & parlatyk & pyned i{n} fyres, [Sidenote: Dry and dropsical folk.] Drye folk & ydropike, & dede at þe laste; 1096 Alle called on þat cortayse & claymed his g{ra}ce. [Sidenote: He healed all with kind speech.] He heled hem wyth hynde speche of þat þay ask aft{er}, For what-so he towched also-tyd to{ur}ned to hele, Wel cla{n}ner þen any crafte cowþe devyse; 1100 So clene watȝ his hondely{n}g vche ordure hit schonied, [Sidenote: His handling was so good, that he needed no knife to cut or carve with.] & þe gropy{n}g so goud of god & man boþe, Þat for fetys of his fyngeres fonded he neu{er} Nauþ{er} to cout[56] ne to kerue, w{i}t{h} knyf ne wyth egge, 1104 For-þy brek he þe bred blades wyth-outen; [Sidenote: The bread he broke more perfectly than could all the tools of Toulouse.] For hit ferde freloker i{n} fete i{n} his fayre honde, Displayed more pryuyly when he hit part schulde, Þe{n}ne alle þe toles of tolowse moȝt tyȝt hit to kerue, 1108 [Sidenote: How can we approach his court except we be clean?] Þ{us} is he kyryo{us} & clene þat þ{o}u his cort askes; Hov schulde þ{o}u com to his kyth bot if þ{o}u clene were? Nov ar we sore & synful & sov[_er_]ly[57] vch one, How schulde we se, þe{n} may we say, þ{a}t syre vpon throne? 1112 [Sidenote: God is merciful.] Ȝis, þat mayst{er} is mercyable; þaȝ þ{o}u be man fe{n}ny, & al to-marred i{n} myre whyl þ{o}u on molde lyuyes, Þ{o}u may schyne þurȝ schryfte, þaȝ þ{o}u haf schome serued, [Headnote: PENANCE MAKES MAN PURE AS A PEARL.]