Christ Disputes with the Scholars in the Temple

Modo de doctoribus disputantibus cum Jesu in templo


Primus Doctor
Scripture sacre esse dinoscimur doctos,
We to bere þe belle of all maner clergyse
Secundus Doctor
Velud rosa omnium forum flos,
Lyke onto us was nevyr clerke so wyse.
Primus Doctor
Loke what scyens 3e kan devyse
Of redynge, wrytynge, and trewe ortografye,
Amongys all clerkys we here þe prysse
Of gramer, cadens, and of prosodye.
Secundus Doctor
No clerke abyl to bere oure book
Of versyfyeng nor of other scyens.
Of swete musyke whoso wyll look,
Seke no ferther but to oure presens.
Of dyaletyk we haue be hy3 excellence,
Of sophestrye, logyk, and phylosophye.
Ageyn oure argemente is no recystence
In metaphesyk ne astronomye.
Primus Doctor
Of calculacyon and negremauncye,
Also of augrym and of asmatryk,
O lynyacyon þat longyth to jematrye,
Of dyetis and domys þat longyth to phesyk.
In all þis scyens is non us lyke
In Caton, Gryscysme, nor Doctrynal.
And for endytynge with retoryke,
þe hyest degré is oure be call.
Secundus Doctor
In grett canon and in cevyle lawe,
Also in scyens of polycye,
Is non to us wurthe an hawe.
Of all cunnynge we gere þe maystrye.
Therfore in þis temple we sytt on hye
And of most wurchep kepe þe souereynté.
þer is on erthe no man so wurthye
þe hy3 stat to holdyn as we tweyn be.
Jesus
Omnis sciencia a Domino Deo est:
Al wytt and wysdam, of God it is lent.
Of all 3oure lernynge withinne 3oure brest
Thank hyghly þat Lord þat hath 3ow sent.
Thorwe host and pryde 3oure soulys may be shent.
Of wytt and wysdome 3e haue not so mech
But God may make at hese entente
Of all 3oure connynge many man 3ow lech.
Primus Doctor
Goo hom, lytyl babe, and sytt on þi moderys lappe!
And put a mokador aforn þi brest,
And pray þi modyr to fede þe with þe pappe.
Of þe for to lerne we desyre not to lest.
Secundus Doctor
Go to þi dyner, for þat behovyth the best!
Whan þu art athreste, þan take þe a sowke.
Aftyr, go to cradyl, þerin to take þi rest,
For þat canst þu do bettyr þan for to loke on book.
Jesus
Stondynge þat 3e be so wytty and wyse,
Can 3e owth tellyn how þis werde was wrought?
How longe xal it laste can 3e devyse
With all þe cunnynge þat 3e han sought?
Primus Doctor
Nay, all erthely clerkys þat telle can nought:
It passyth oure wytt þat for to contryve.
It is not possyble abought to be brought:
þe worldys endyng no man kan dysscryve.
Jesus
How it was wrought and how longe it xal endure,
þat I telle be good delyberacyon.
Not only þerof but of every creature,
How it is wrought I knowe be plasmacyon.
Secundus Doctor
Of þi wurdys I haue skorne and derys[y]on.
How schulde a chylde þat nevyr lettyr dude lere
Com to be wytt of so hy3 cognysion
Of þe grete werkys þat so wundyrfull were?
Jesus
Allthynge is brought to informacyon
Be thre personys, oo God in Trynité.
And on of þo thre hath take incarnacyon,
Bothe flesch and blood, of a mayd fre.
And be þat myght of þo personys thre
Hevyn, and erth, and allthynge is wrought.
And as it plesyth þat hy3 mageste,
Allthynge xal leste, and lenger nowght.
Primus Doctor
I grawnt weyl allthynge þat God dyde make,
And withowtyn hym nothynge may be.
But o thynge þu seydyst and þat I forsake:
þat oo God alone was personys thre.
Ryght onpossyble þat is to me:
That on is thre I kannot thynke.
If þu canst preve it, anon lett se,
For in oure hertys it may nevyr synke.
Jesus
In þe sunne consydyr 3e thyngys thre:
The splendure, þe hete, and þe lyght.
As þo thre partys but oo sunne be,
Ryght so thre personys be oo God of Myght.
Secundus Doctor
In very feyth, þis reson is ryght!
But 3itt, fayr babe, oo thynge we pray 3ow:
What do all þo thre personys hyght?
Vs to enforme 3e sey to me now.
Jesus
The fyrst is calde þe Fadyr of Myght,
þe secunde þe Sone of Wysdam and Wytt,
þe Holy Gost þe iijde, of grace he is lyght;
And in oo substauns all these iij be knyt.
Primus Doctor
Another questyon I aske 3ow 3itt:
3e seyd on of þese iij toke fiesch and blood,
And sche a clene mayde — I kannot beleue it!
Clene mayde and modyr nevyr 3it in oo persone stood.
Jesus
Lyke as be sunne doth perysch be glas,
þe glas not hurte of his nature,
Ryght so be Godhede entryd has
þe Virgynes wombe, and sche mayd pure.
That maydonys childe xal do grett cure,
Convicte þe devyl in þe opyn felde,
And with his bolde berst fecch hom his creature.
Mankende to saue, his brest xal be þe shelde.
Secundus Doctor
This childys doctryne doth passe oure wytt!
Sum aungel of hevyn I trowe þat he be.
But, blyssyd babe, of oo dowte 3itt
We pray 3ow enforme us for charyté:
Which toke flesch of þe personys thre
Ageyn be fende to holde such batayle?
Jesus
The secunde persone, forsothe, is he
Xal fray þe fende withowte fayle.
Primus Doctor
Why rather he than any of þat tother?
The fyrst or þe thyrde, why come they nowth?
Jesus
This is þe cawse why, sertys, and non other:
Ageyn þe secunde þe trespas was wrought.
Whan þe serpent Adam to synne browth,
He temptyd hym nowght be þe Faderys myght;
Of þe Gostys goodnes spak he ryght nowght;
But in connynge he temptyd hym ryght.
Myght is þe Faderys owyn propyrté,
To þe Gost aproperyd is goodnes.
In none of these tweyn temptyd he,
Mankende to synne whan he dede dresse.
To þe Sone connynge doth longe expres;
Therwith þe serpent dyd Adam asay.
"Ete of þis appyl," he seyd no lesse,
"And þu xalt haue connynge as God verray"
þus be secunde person attrybute
Was only towchyd be temptacyon.
Wherfore hymself wyl holde þe sewte
And kepe his propyrté fro maculacion.
Secundus Doctor
This is an hevynly declaracyon:
Oure naturall wytt it doth excede.
So 3onge a childe of such informacyon,
In al þis werld nevyr er non 3ede.
Primus Doctor
We be not worthy to kepe þis sete
Whyll þat oure mayster is in presens.
þe maystry of us þis childe doth gete;
We must hym wurchep with hy3 reverens.
Come forth, swete babe of grett excellens,
þe whysest clerke þat evyr 3ett was born.
To 3ow we 3eve þe hy3 resydens,
Vs more to teche as 3e haue done beforn.

Hic adducunt Jesum inter ipsos et in scanno altiori ipsum sedere faciunt, ipsis in inferioribus scannis sedentibus, et ait ijus doctor:


Secundus Doctor
So 3onge a chylde suche clergye to reche,
And so sadly to sey it, we woundyr sore
Who was 3oure mayster, who dede 3ow teche?
Of what man had 3e þis wurthy lore?
Jesus
My wytt and my lernynge is no 3onge store:
Or þis worde was wrought all þinge dede I knowe.
Fyrst, or 3e wore borne, 3erys many score
Thorwe þe myght of my fadyr my wytt in me dede flowe.
Primus Doctor
Or þat we weryn born? Nay, þat may nat be!
þe 3ongest of us tweyn is iij score 3ere of age.
And þiselfe art but a chylde, al men may wel se;
Late camst out of cradyl, as it semyth be þi vesage.
Jesus
I am of dobyl byrth and of dobyl lenage:
Fyrst be my fadyr I am without gynnynge.
And lyke as he is hendeles in his hy3 stage,
So xal I also neuyrmor haue endynge.
For be my fadyr, Kynge Celestyall
Without begynnyng, I am endles.
But be my modyr, þat is carnall,
I am but xij 3ere of age, þat is expres.
My body of 3ough3 doth shewe wyttnes,
Which of my modyr here I dude take.
But [be] myn hy3 godhede, þis is no lesse,
Allthynge in þis worlde, forsothe, dude I make.
Secundus Doctor
Be 3oure fadyr, þat endles is,
Who is 3oure modyr? Telle us we pray.
Jesus
Be my fadyr, þe hy3 Kynge of Blys,
A modyrles chylde I am, veray.
Primus Doctor
Who was 3oure fadyr, to us than say.
Be 3oure modyr a woman þat was?
Jesus I am fadyrles
As for þat may,
Of fleschly luste she dude nevyr trespas.
Secundus Doctor
Telle us, I pray 3ow, what is 3oure name?
What hyght 3oure modyr, telle us also.
Jesu
Jesu of Nazareth, I am þe same,
Born of a clene mayd, prophetys seyd so.
Ysaye seyd bus: Ecce virgo,
A mayd xal conceyve in clennes a chylde,
3itt ageyn nature and al kende, loo,
From all wem of synne pure and vndefylde.
Mary, þe chylde ofJoachym and Anne,
Ys þat clene mayd, and here childe am I.
þe frute of here wombe xal saue euery manne
From þe grett dowte of þe fyndys tormentry.
Primus Doctor
All þe clerkys of þis worlde, trewly,
Cannot brynge this to declaracyon
Lesse þan þei haue of God Almyghty
Sum influens of informacyon.
Secundus Doctor
No[w], jentyl Jesu, we 3ow pray,
Whyl þat we stodye, a whyle to dwelle,
In cas mo dowtys þat we fynde may,
þe trewth of hem 3e may us telle.
Jesu
Goo take 3oure stodye and avyse 3ow well,
And all 3oure leysere I xal abyde.
If any dowtys to me 3e mell,
þe trewth þerof I xall vnhyde.
Maria
Alas, alas, myn hert is wo!
My blyssyd babe awey is went.
I wott nevyr whedyr þat he is go.
Alas, for sorwe myn hert is rent!
Jentyl husbond, haue [3ou] hym sent
Out on herrande to any place?
But yf 3e knowe were [he] ys bent,
Myn hert for woo asondyr wyl race.
Joseph
On my massage I hym not sent,
Forsothe, good wyff, in no degré.
How longe is it þat he hens went?
What tyme dude 3e 3oure childe last se?
Maria
Trewly, gode spowse, not þese days thre.
þerfore myn herte is cast in care.
Hym for to seke wherso he be,
In hast, good husbonde, lete us forth fare.
Joseph
Than to Hierusalem lete us streyte wende,
For kynred gladly togedyr wole gon.
I hope he [is] þer with sum good frende;
þer he hath cosynys ryght many on.
Maria
I am aferde þat he hath fon
For his grett wyttys and werkys good.
Lyke hym of wytt forsoth is non;
Euery childe with hym is wroth and wood.
Alas, my babe, my blys, my blood,
Whedyr art þu þus gon fro me?
My sowle, my swetyng, my frute, myn food,
Send me ssum wurd where þat þu be.
Telle me, good serys, for charyté,
Jesu, my childe, þat babe of blysse,
Amonge þis compayné dude 3e hym se?
For Godys hy3 loue, telle where he is.
Primus Doctor
Of oo qwestyon I am bethought,
All of 3oure modyr, þat blyssyd may:
In what governauns is she brought?
How is sche rewlyd be nyght and day?
Jesu
An old man, Joseph, as I 3ow say,
Here weddyd be meracle onto his wyff,
Here for to fede and kepe alway,
And bothyn in clennesse be maydonys o lyff.
Secundus Doctor
What nede was it here to be wedde
Onto a man of so grett age
Lesse þan þei myght bothe a go to bedde
And kept þe lawe of maryage?
Jesus
To blynde þe devyl of his knowlache,
And my byrth from hym to hyde;
þat holy wedlok was grett stopage
þe devyl in dowte to do abyde.
Also whan sche xulde to Egypte gon
And fle from Herowde for dowte of me,
Becawse she xulde nat go alon,
Joseph was ordeyned here make to be,
My fadyr, of his hy3 magesté,
Here for to comforte in þe way.
These be be cawsys, as 3e may se,
Why Joseph weddyd þat holy may.
Maria
A, dere childe, dere chylde, why hast þu þus done?
For þe we haue had grett sorwe and care.
Thy fadyr and I thre days haue gone
Wyde þe to seke, of blysse ful bare.
Jesus
Why haue 3e sought me with evy fare?
Wete 3e not wele þat I muste ben
Amonge hem þat is my faderys ware,
His gostly catel for to ovyrsen?
Maria
3oure faderys wyl must nedys be wrought,
It is most wurthy þat it so be.
3itt on 3oure modyr haue 3e sum thought,
And be nevyrmore so longe fro me.
As to my thynkynge, these days thre
þat 3e absente haue ben away
Be more lengere in þer degré
þan all be xx space of xij 3ere day.
Jesus
Now for to plese my modyr mylde
I xal 3ow folwe with obedyence.
I am 3oure sone and subjecte childe,
And owe to do 3ow hy3 reverence.
Home with 3ow I wyl go hens,
Of 3ow clerkys my leve I take.
Euery childe xulde with good dyligens,
His modyr to plese, his owyn wyl forsake.
Primus Doctor
O blyssyd Jesu, with 3ow we wende,
Of 3ow to haue more informacyon.
Ful blyssyd is 3oure modyr hende,
Of whom 3e toke 3oure incarnacyon.
We pray 3ow,Jesu, of consolacyon
At oure most nede of 3oy to haue.
All þat hath herd þis consummacyon
Of þis pagent, 3oure grace þem saue.
Amen


2024 Mar 19  14:56:36