De Concepcione Beate Marie et [Eius] Festiuitate.

Alsoo, good men and woymen, suche a day 3e schull haue our Lady-day þat ys callet þe Concepcyon. Of þe wheche day holy chyrch 12 maketh mencyon of þe concepcyon of hyr for pre specyall poyntes: for hor fadyr holynes, for hor modyr goodnes, and for hyr owne 9 a choson mekenes. Scho had a fadyr þat was callet || Iohachym, þat was of such holynes þat, when he was fyften 3ere old, he departyd 16 his good yn þre partyes: on to wydows and to fadyrles chyldyrn; anoþyr to þo þat wern pore and nedfull, and seruet God nyght and day yn þe tempull; the thryd he kepyd to his howswold. And when he was xx^ti 3ere old, for þe gret godenesse þat he herd 20 and knew by Saynt Anne, he weddyd hur, and werne yfere xx^ti 3ere. Þe wheche tyme, Anne neuer dysplesyd hym, by nyght nor be day, for þe gret godenes þat was wythyn hur. But þa3 þay wer boþe good and holy, God gaue hom no fruyth of hor 24 body; but wern barayne boþe. Therfor þay maden a vow to God, bothe, yf he wold 3if hom a chyld, þay wold offyr hit vp ynto þe tempull þat schulld serue hit day and nyght. Then as Iohachym, on a day, wyth hys neghtboures 3ede to þe tempull, for- 28 to bryng his offryng to þe byschop of þat contrey, þat heght Isakar, and he rebuket hym openly, and þus to hym sayde: ‘Iohachym,’ quod he, ‘hyt fallyth not to þe þat art barayne, for-to offyr yn company wyth þes þat God hath 3euen fruyte yn 32 Israell.’ Then was Iohachym sore aschamet of his rebuke, þat he went home wepyng, and preuely toke his schepherdus wyth his schepe, and 3ede forth yn ferre contrey among hylles, and 16purposet hym forto haue lyuet þer all his lyfe-dayes, and neuer efte haue sene Anne, his wyfe. Then was Anne sory, and prayde to God and sayde þus: ‘Lord,’ scho sayde, ‘þat me ys woo, for I 4 am barayne, and may haue no chyldren ; and now more, for my husbond ys gon, and I not whethyr. Lord, haue mercy on me!’ Then, as scho prayde this, an angyll com to hur, and comforted hur, and sayde : ‘Anne, be of good chere, þou. schalt haue a chyld 8 suche þat neuer noon had lyke, ny neuer schall be byfore nor aftyr.’ Then was Anne aferde of þys angeles worde and of þe syght of hym, and lay all day yn hur prayers, as || scho had ben 9 b ded. Then went þis same angell to Iohachym, and sayde to hym 12 þe same wordes, and bade hym take a lombe, and offyr hit to God yn sacryfyce. And soo he dyd. And when he had ydone, fro mydday to euensong tyme he lay apon þe erthe yn his prayers, þonkyng God wyth all hys hert and all hys myght. Then, on þe 16 morow, as þe angell bade, he 3ede homward on soft pace wyth hys schepe. And when he come negh home, þe angell come to Anne, and bade hyr goo to þe 3eate þat was called þe gylden 3eate, and abyde hor husbond þer. Þen was scho glad and fayne, and toke 20 hor maydens wyth hor, and 3ede thedyr, and met þer wyth Iohachym, hor husbond, and sayde: ‘Now, Lord, I thonke þe heghly, for I was wedow, and now I am noon; I was barayne, and now I schall haue a chyld; I was yn mornyng and woo, and now 24 I schall be yn joy and lykyng, and conseyue our lady. And when scho was borne, scho called hor Mary as þe angell bade before. Then aftyr, when scho was wened, þay broght hur to þe tempull, and laften hyr among oþer maydens to serue God day 28 and nyght. Then was scho so meke yn all hor doyngys, þat all othyr vyrgenes called hor qwene of maydens, so þat scho was and ys 3et þe mekest seynt yn Heuen, and most redy ys ay to helpe all þo þat callyth to hyr yn nede.