How the Angels Recordyd Theyr Songes agaynst the Comyng of Oure Lord

Capitulo Octauo

`So thenne after this counceylle, ther was an assemble of multitude of Angels, and dyden this message as is before sayd, soo that Dauid ordeyned plente of lusty instrumentes, bothe organs and harpes, symbals and sawtryes, kroudes and tympans, trompettes and tabours, and many other, of whiche he maketh mencion in his owne songes in the Sauter, callynge alle creatures, and specially these Aungels, for to preyse God and worshype hym with alle theyr besynesse.

`Soo when they hadde these instrumentes, they recorded songes besyly, tylle that they were within a lytell tyme parfyte ynowe in al maner musike, and also in the craft of makyng suche maner of instrumentes, moche better than Dauyd couth thynken en deuysen, & no doute that Tubal¹¹¹ ne Pyctagoras had nought be but lerners and as prentyses in theyr presence. And they shold haue ben abasshed for to haue herd the melodye that they made therin.

`The poete Orpheus - that was so swete an harpoure, as the clerkes feynen, that the^a trees folowed him, & the^b stremes stoden^c to heren^d his armony, & stinten [99v] Helle so ferforth, that Helle graunted what that he wold desyre, for his subtyle pleye -though that he had be present among this companye, alle his craft ne curiosyte ne shold nought haue auayled, ne be had of no reputacion.

`So thenne these Angels occupyed the instrumentys in soo lusty wyse, that al Heuen was in a maner renouellyd with a fresshe ioye. And of this ioye^e and melody was taken occasion to halowe in this Chirche bynethe this holy feste of the Concepcion of this Blessid Virgyn, Mayden and Moder, Quene of Heuen Blisse and Emperesse of Helle, the refute and comforte of Adams lygnage.

'But this feste was but as an assaye and preparatory, as an exampler to these other feestes. And nought for thy, yet fynde we ful ofte that a curious dore in harp or other instrument wyl make as moche melodye, and also lusty to euery mannes heryng in recordyng pryuely, as when he pleyeth in presence of a lord in his best maner.

`But when it was come to the tyme that this plaunte was woxen and shewyd hym self openly to the world al clere aboue the erthe, the Angels, that nought elles dyde, ne longe tyme hadden doo, but, abydynge this feste, recordynge theyr songes and theyr ioyeful armonye, and hadden longe tyme boren naked swerdes to warden the entre of Paradys, and forth do vengeaunce vppon wretchyd synners, anone they putten vp theyr wepen, Cherubyn forthmost of alle, and token theyr instrumentes and bygonne to pleyen soo delyciously, that Heuen bygan to laughe of the newe ioye that there was begonne. And this was the dyte of theyr songe: