Wond{er}is lyk that no man can duclar.” 2012 [Footnote T46: Or, “leir.” MS. apparently has “leir,” corrected to “heir.”] [Headnote: THE WATER-LION MEANS GOD.] ++“Now, ſ{ir},” q{uod} he, “and I of them al thre, What thei betakyne ſhal I ſchaw to the, [Sidenote: The master’s explanation.] Such as the clerk{is} at them ſpecifiit; Thei vſit no thing what thei ſignefiit. 2016 [Fol. 25b.] [Sidenote: The water-lion is the very God.] The wattir lyone Is the god werray, God to the lyone is lyknyt many way; But thei have hyme In to the wattir ſeñ, Confuſit were ther wittis al, y weñ; 2020 [Sidenote: The water is men’s fragility;] The wattir was ther awn fragelitee, And thar treſpas, and thar Inequitee In to this world, the wich thei ſtond y-cloſit; That was the wattir wich thei have ſuppoſit, 2024 That haith there knowlag maad ſo Inp{er}fyt; Thar ſyne & ek ther worldis gret delyt, As clowdy wattir, was eu{er}more betweñ, [Sidenote: whereby they see not the lion perfectly.] That thei the lyone p{er}fitly hath no{ch}t ſeñ; 2028 Bot as the wattir, wich was y{er} awn ſyn{n}e, That eu{er}mor thei ſtond confuſit In. [Sidenote: Had men been always religious, they had seen the lion not in water, but clearly.] If thei haith ſtond in to religioñ clen, Thei had the lyone Not in watt{er} ſen, 2032 Bot clerly vp in to the hewyne abuf, Et{er}naly whar he ſhal not remufe. And eu{er}more in vatt{er} of ſyne vas hee, For-quhi It is Impoſſeble for to bee;[T47] 2036 [Sidenote: The world is enclosed in the darkness of their sin.] And thus the world, wich that thei ar In, Y-cloſit Is in dyrknes of ther ſyne; And ek the thikneß of the air betwen The lyone mad in vattir to be ſen. 2040 For It was no{ch}t bot ſtrenth of ther clergy Wich thei have here, and It is bot erthly, That makith them there reſou{n}s dewyß, And ſe the lyone thus in erthly wyß. 2044 [Sidenote: The lion is God’s son, Jesu Christ.] This is the lyone, god, and goddis sone, Ih{es}u criſt, wich ay in hewyne ſal won{n}e. For as the lyone of euery beſt is king, So is he lord and maiſt{er} of al thing, 2048 That of the bleſſit vyrgyne vas y-bore. Ful many a natur the lyone haith, quhar-fore That he to god reſemblyt is, bot I Lyk not mo at this tyme ſpecify. 2052 This is the lyone, thar-of have yow no dred, That ſhal the help and comfort In thi ned. [Footnote T47: “see”(?).] [Headnote: THE LEECH WITHOUT MEDICINE IS CHRIST.]