My ffadyr and my modyr thei wepte fulle sore, fful hevy here hertys wern of this dede; With wepynge eyn thei preyd therfore That God wolde socowre hem and sende hem sede. Iff God wold graunt hem a childe be bore, They behest the chylde here lyf xulde lede, In Goddys temple to serve evyrmore, And wurchep God in love and drede. Than God fful of grace, He herd here longe prayour, And than sent hem bothe seed and flowre: Whan I was born in here bowre, To the temple offryd I was. Whan that I was to the temple brought, And offerde up to God above, Ther hested I, as myn hert thought, To serve my God with hertyly love. Clennesse and chastyté myn hert owth, Erthely creature nevyr may shove; Suche clene lyff xuld ȝe nought In no maner wyse reprove; To this clennesse I me take. This is the cawse, as I ȝow telle, That I with man wylle nevyr melle, In the servyse of God wyl I evyr dwelle,— I wyl nevyr have other make. _Episcopus._ A! mercy God, these wordys wyse, Of this fayr mayde clene; Thei trobyl myn hert in many wyse, Her wytt is grett, and that is sene; In clennes to levyn in Godys servise, No man here blame non here tene, And ȝit in lawe thus it lyce, That suche weddyd xulde bene: Who xal expownd this oute? The lawe doth after lyff of clennes, The lawe doth bydde suche maydenes expres That to spowsyng they xulde hem dres: God help us in this dowhte! This ansuere grettly trobelyth me: To mak a vow to creatures it is lefful,— Vovete and reddite in Scripture have we, And to observe oure lawe also it is nedful. In this to dyscerne to me it is dredful; Therfore to cowcelle me in this cas, I calle The holde and the wyse and swiche as ben spedful.— In this sey ȝour avyse, I beseche ȝow alle. _Minister._ To breke our lawe and custom it wore hard indede, And on that other syde to do aȝen Scrypture; To ȝeve sentens in this degré ȝe must take goo hede, ffor dowteles this matere is dyffuse and obscure. Myn avyse here in this, I ȝow ensure, That we prey alle God to have relacion; ffor be prayour grett knowleche men recure, And to this I counselle ȝou to ȝeve assygnacion. _Episcopus._ Trewly ȝour counselle is ryght good and eylsum, And as ȝe han seyd, so xal it be: I charge ȝow, bretheryn and systerys, hedyr ȝe com, And togedyr to God now pray we, That it may plese his fynyte deyté, Knowleche in this to sendyn us! Mekely eche man ffalle downe on kne, And we xal begynne _Veni Creator spiritus_. _Et hic cantent “Veni Creator.” And whan “Veni Creator” is doun, the buschop xal seyng_,