Jhesus, For Thi Holy Name

Words and Music: Traditional English

Source: Thomas Wright, Songs and Carols Now First Printed, From a Manuscript of the Fifteenth Century (London: The Percy Society, 1847), Song #63, printed verbatim from a manuscript probably owned by a professional musician, and apparently written in the latter half of the fifteenth century, circa 1471-1485.

Prey we to the Trinyte,
And to al the holy compane,
For to bryng us to the blys,
The wych shal never mysse.

Jhesus, for thi holy name,
    And for thi beter passyon,
Save us frome syn and shame
    And endeles damnacyon;
and bryng us to that blysse,
That nevere shal mysse.

O gloryusse lady, quen off heven,
    O mayden and o mothere bryght,
To hy sonne with myld steven
    Be owr gyde both day and nyght;
That we may cum to that blysse,
The wych never shal mysse.

Gabryell and Raphaell,
    With scherapyn and seraphyn,
Archangell Mychaell,
    With all the orders nyne,
Bryng us to that blysse,
The wych never shal mysse.

O ye holy patryarkys,
    Abraham, Yssak, and many moo,
Ye were full blyssed in yowr werkes,
    With Johan the Baptyst also,
For to bryng us to that blysse,
The wych never shal mysse.

The holy apostoles off Cryst,
    Petur, Paule, and Bartylmewe,
With Thomas, and Johan the evangelyst,
    And Andrew, Jamys, and Mathewe,
Bryng us to that hevenly blysse,
The wych never shal mysse.

Pray fore us ye seyntys bryght,
    Stevyn, Laurence, and Cristofore,
And swete Georg, that noble knyght,
    With all the marters in the qwere,
That we may cum to that blysse,
The wych never shall mysse.

Blyssyd confessor, sent Gregory,
    With Nycholas, and Edward kyng,
Sent Leonard, and Antony,
    To yow we pray above all thyng,
To helpe us to that blysse,
The wych never shal mysse.

O yow blyssed matrones,
    Anne and swet sent Elsabeth,
With al the gloryus vyrgyns,
    Kateryne and noble sent Margret,
Bryng us to the hevenly blysse,
The wych never shall mysse.

All the company celestyall,
    The wych do syng so musycall,
To the kyng pryneypall
    Pray fore us terrestyall,
That we may cum to that blysse,
Thye wych never shall mysse.

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