ABSTRACT
Goddys owne blessed chyldern, þat byn comen þis day to holy chyrch yn þe worschyp of God and þe chyldern þat weren yslayne 21 a for Goddys sake. As holy || chyrche þis day maketh mynde, and 4 reduþe and syngythe of hom, þes chyldren ben called yn holy chyrche Innocentys, þat ys yn Englysche: wytheouten nye. For þay wer not nyes to God by pride, for God ys euer anyed wyth pryde, men and woymen, and a3aynestondyth hom, nor to 8 hor neghtbur by 1 no wrong doyng, ny to homselfe by no concent of synne. I may well say, þay lyueden here clanly wythout schame, þay dyedyn wythout 2 blame, and wern folowed yn her same. This Innocentes þat holy chyrche syngeth 3 of, lyueden her wythout 12 schame ; for þay wer all within 4 two 3er of age. Wherfor þay wer not aschamet of hor owne scnappe; for when a chyld ys wythyn state of innocentes, he ys not aschamet of hys schappe, for he ys not defowled wyth fulth of synne, but of þe synne þat 16 he 5 hathe, he draweth of þe synne of Adam and of Eue 5 . For so ferden þey 6 yn þe same wyse. For whyle þay wer yn paradyse yn þe state of jnnocentes, þay wer naket; but þay wer not aschamet of hor schappe, for þay wer wythout synne. But as 20 sone as þay haden synned, þay seen hor schappe, and wern aschamet þerof, and hydden hit wyth leues of fygge-tre. Thus, when synne bygynnytb to take rote yn a chyld, þen jnnocentes gothe away; for þen he begynnyth to know þe good from þe 24 euell. Þen he synneth, and þen he greueth hys God. But þes chyldyr lyued not soo long forto knew þe good from þe euell, but wern jslayne wythyn degfe of jnnocentes. Wherfor þay lyuedon here wythout schame. 28
