Ammunition Against the Doubters
I love to pull things like this out against those who have received the wisdom of the world. Like the famous passage from Aquinas after Aristotle that proves without doubt that medieval scholars (hence those of the Renaissance and beyond) believed the world to be a sphere, this middle English poem announces the Assumption into Heaven of the Blessed Virgin. It is not a renaissance invention, nor is it an addition after the fact. This was doctrine as far back as the date of composition of the poem.
from "Poems in Celebration of Mary"All haile, lady, mother, and virgyn immaculate;
Haile, Mary, most precious that bare our savyour Jesu;
Haile, clarified cristall, haile, wife mundificate;
Haile, rote of grace, our joy thow did renewe,
For the Holy Gost did clerely in the yssue.
Our soles for lacke had ells perresshed sore
Nere throgh the helpe of our highe redemptour. (Without the help)
All haile, whose solempne glorious concepcioun
Full of glorie and hye joye tryumphaunte:
Bothe celestyall and terrestriall gif laude with Jubilacioun
Of new joy and gladnesse with solace incessaunte.
Alhaile, whose nativité to us is solempnysaunte (festival)
Ferens lucem ut Lucyfer, lux oriens,
Dyademe angelicall, verum solem preveniens.
Alhaile be thy mekenes, sine viro fecunditas
Whose amyable Annunciacioun to us was redempcion.
Joye therfore be to thee, tu summa suavitas,
And glorified be the houre of thy incarnacioun,
By whome we advoyde the infernall dampnacioun.
So dulcour was the ground in whom Crist hym planted
O mater most illuminate, we myght not the have wanted. (we might not have done without you)
Haile, true chast virgyn and mother immaculate,
Whose pure purificacion to us was purgacion:
Haile, replete with all virtue angelicate,
Whose celestiall hye ascendaunte Assumpcion
Was oure gret joye and glorificacion.
Wherfore, dere lady, solistrice be for grace, (solicitress)
That we with thy son in heyven may have a place.
