Sey than aftyr me,—“Here I take the, Mary, to wyff, To havyn to holdyn, as God his wyl with us wyl make; And as long as bethwen us lestyght oure lyff, To love ȝow as myselff, my trewthe I ȝow take.” _Nunc ad Mariam sic dicens episcopus_, Mary, wole ȝe have this man, And hym to kepyn as ȝour lyff? _Maria._ In the tenderest wyse, fadyr, as I kan And with alle my wyttys ffyff. _Episcopus._ Joseph, with this ryng now wedde thi wyff, And be here hand now thou here take. _Joseph._ Sere, with this rynge I wedde here ryff, And take here now here ffor my make. _Episcopus._ Mary, mayd, withoutyn more stryff, Onto thi spowse thou hast him take. _Maria._ In chastyté to ledyn my lyff, I xal hym nevyr forsake, But evyr with hym abyde: And, jentylle spowse, as ȝe an seyd, Lete me levyn as a clene mayd, I xal be trewe, be not dysmayd, Bothe terme, tyme, and tyde. _Episcopus._ Here is the holyest matremony that evyr was in this werd, The hyȝ names of oure lord we wole now syng hy, We alle wole this solempn dede recorde Devowtly. Alma chorus Domini nunc pangat nomina Summi! Now goth hom alle in Godys name, Where as ȝour wonyng was before; Maydenys, to lete here go alone it wore shame, It wold hevy ȝour hertes sore: ȝe xal blysse the tyme that sche was bore, Now loke ȝe at hom here brynge. _Maria._ To have ȝour blyssyng, ffaydr, I falle ȝow before. _Episcopus._ He blysse ȝow that hath non hendyng, In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti! _Episcopus._ Joseph, thiselph art old of age, And thi wyff of age is ȝonge; And as we redyn in old sage, Many man is sclepyr of tonge. Therfore evyl langage for to swage, That ȝour good fame may leste longe, iij. dymysellys xul dwelle with ȝow in stage, With thi wyff to be evyrmore amonge. I xal these iij. here take; Susanne the fyrst xal be, Rebecca the secunde xal go with the, Sephore the thrydde,—loke that ȝe thre This maydon nevyr ȝe forsake. _Susanne._ Sere, I am redy att ȝour wylle, With this maydon for to wende. _Rebecca._ ȝour byddyng, sere, xalle ffulffyl, And ffolwe this maydon ffayr and hende. _Sephor._ To ffolwe hyre it is good skyl, And to ȝour byddynge wole I bende. _Joseph._ Now, sere buschop, hens go I wyl, For now comyth onto my mende A matere that nedful is. _Episcopus._ ffarewel, Joseph and Mary clere, I pray God kepe ȝow alle in fere, And sende ȝow grace in good manere To serve the kynge of blysse. _Maria._ ffadyr and modyr, ȝe knowe this cas, Whow that it doth now stonde with me; With myn spowse I must forth passe, And wott nevyr whan I xal ȝow se; Therfore I pray ȝow here in this plas, Of ȝour blyssynge for charyté; And I xal spede the betyr and have more gras, In what place that evyr I be; On knes to ȝow I falle.