Of Iesu mast lyst me speke, þat al my bale may bete; Me thynk my hert may al tobreke when I thynk on þat swete; In lufe lacyd He hase my thoght, þat I sal neuer forgete. Ful dere me thynk He hase me boght with blodi hende and fete. 80 For luf my hert es bowne to brest, when I þat faire behalde; Lufe es fair þare it es fest, þat neuer will be calde; Lufe vs reues þe nyght-rest, in grace it makes vs balde; Of al warkes luf es þe best, als haly men me talde. Na wonder gyf I syghand be, and sithen in sorow be sette: 85 Iesu was nayled apon þe tre, and al blody forbette. To thynk on Hym es grete pyté—how tenderly He grette— Þis hase He sufferde, man, for þe, if þat þou syn wyll lette. Þare es na tonge in erth may tell of lufe þe swetnesse. Þat stedfastly in lufe kan dwell, his ioy es endlesse. 90 God schylde þat he sulde til hell, þat lufes and langand es, Or euer his enmys sulde hym qwell, or make his luf be lesse. Iesu es lufe þat lastes ay, til Hym es owre langyng; Iesu þe nyght turnes to þe day, þe dawyng intil spryng. Iesu, thynk on vs now and ay, for Þe we halde oure keyng; 95 Iesu, gyf vs grace, as Þou wel may, to luf Þe withowten endyng. [Foot-note: 45 For now] Forþi _MS. Lambeth 583_.] [Foot-note: 51 wyne] = wynne _MS._] [Foot-note: 65 hend] handes _MS., apparently altered from_ hend.] [Foot-note: 69 I] _so MS. Lambeth 583_.] B. THE NATURE OF THE BEE. (The Thornton MS. (before 1450); ed. Horstmann, vol. i, p. 193.) _Moralia Ricardi Heremite de Natura Apis._ The bee has thre kyndis. Ane es þat scho es neuer ydill, and scho es noghte with thaym þat will noghte wyrke, bot castys thaym owte, and puttes thaym awaye. Anothire es þat when scho flyes scho takes erthe in hyr fette, þat scho be noghte lyghtly ouerheghede in the ayere of wynde. The {5} thyrde es þat scho kepes clene and bryghte hire wyngeȝ. Thus ryghtwyse men þat lufes God are neuer in ydyllnes. For owthyre þay ere in trauayle, prayand, or thynkande, or redande, or othere gude doande; or withtakand ydill mene, and schewand thaym worthy to be put fra þe ryste of heuene, {10} for þay will noghte trauayle here. Þay take erthe, þat es, þay halde þamselfe vile and erthely, that thay be noghte blawene with þe wynde of vanyté and of pryde. Thay kepe thaire wynges clene, that es, þe twa commandementes of charyté þay fulfill in gud concyens, and {15} thay hafe othyre vertus, vnblendyde with þe fylthe of syne and vnclene luste.