From Nicholas Love, The Mirror of the Blessed Life of Jesus Christ, 1410 (ed. Michael Sargent, 2005)

[The Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection are described for the] edificacioun of hem the ben of symple understandynge. . . to the which soules as seint Bernard saith contemplacioun of the manhede of God is mor lyking more spedeful and more siker than hige contemplacioun of the godhede. And therfore to hem is principally to be sette in minde the ymage of Cristes incarnacioun passion and resurrection. . .so that a symple soul that kan not thenke bot bodies or bodily thinges maye have somewhat according to his affecioun wherewith he may fede and stirre his devocioun.

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From Chapter 4:

And when she had done: þei wenten to sitte to gedire. And oure lady of hire souereyn mekenes, sette hire doune in þe lowere place at Elizabeth feet. Bot she anone risyng vp: suffred not bot toke hire vp & so þei setten downe to gedire. And þan asked oure lady of Elizabeth þe manere of hire conceyuyng, & she a3eyn of þe maner of hire conceyuyng, & so þei tolden eipere to oþere gladly þe grete gudenesse of oure lord, & lowedon & wirchipedon god of eiþer conception, & so in þonkyng god & gostly myrþ þei contynueden dayes & ny3tes. For oure laidy duelled þere þe [terme] of þre moneþes seruyng Elizabeth in al þat she my3t, mekely, reuerently & deuoutly as a seruant, for3etyng þat she was goddis modere & qwene of alle þe world. A lord god what house was þat, what Chaumbur & what bedde in þe whech duelleden to gedire & resteden so worþi Moderes with so noble sones, þat is to sey Marie & Elizabeth, Jesus & Jon. And also with hem duellyng þo wirchipful olde men, Zakarie & Joseph. Þis was a blessed companye of men & women & of children.

In þis forseid processe of þe visitacione of oure lady we hauen ensaumple þat it is leueful & oft spedful, deuout men & women to viset oþer for edificacion & gostly recreacion, & namelich þe 3ongere to þe eldire, so þat it be done in dewe tyme, & with oþere leueful menes. And also þat þe 3iftes of grace mowen be notifiede to oþere for edificacion, in tyme so þat it be not done for vayn ioy, bot [only to] goddus wirchipe. . . .

¶ De natiuitate sancti Jobannis baptiste

Forþermore when þe tyme of Elizabeth was come she was li3tnet & bare hir child, þe which in token of his grete holynes, oure lady first lift vp fro þe gronde, & after bisily di3t & treted as it longet to him. IAnd þe child as vndurstondyng what she was, sette hees eyene saddely vpon hire, & when she wolde take him to his modere: he turned his hed & his face to hire, als hauyng in hir al only his likyng, & she gladly pleide with him, & louely clipped & kissed him. And here mowe we se þe grete worþines of þis child, for þere was neuer none oþer before þat had so worþi a berere.

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From Chapter 44:

Oo lord god in what state was þat tyme his modere soule, when she sawh him so peynfully faile, wepe & dye? Soþely I trowe þat for þe multitude of anguishes she was alle out of hir self & vnfelable made as half dede, & þat now mich more þan what tyme she mette with him, beringe þe crosse as it is seide.

What trowe we didene þen Maudleyn þe trewe louede disciplesse, what John his awne derlyng, & oþer tweyn sistres of oure lady? Bot what miht þei do? Þei were alle fulle of sorowe & bitternes, & þerfore þei weptene sore without remedye.

Loo now hangeþ oure lorde on þe crosse dede, & alle þat grete multitude goþe awey towarde þe cite, & his sorouful modere with þe foure forseide felawes, sette hir done by side þe crosse, & beholdeþ piteuously hir dere sone so ferd wiþ & abideþ helpe fro god, þat she miht haue him to hir & birye him.

Þou also if þou beholde wele þi lorde þou maiht haue here matire ynouh of hye compassion, seynge him so tormentede, þat fro þe sole of þe fote in to þe hiest part of þe hede þer was in him none hole place nor membre without passion.

Þis is a pitevouse siht & a joyful siht. A pitevous siht in him for þat harde passion þat he suffrede for oure sauacion, bot it is a likyng siht to vs, for þe matire & þe effecte þat we haue þerbye of oure redempcion. Soþely þis siht of oure lord Jesu hangyng so on þe crosse by deuoute ymaginacion of þe soule, is so likyng to sume creatours þat after longe exercise of sorouful compassion þei felen sumtyme, so grete likyng not onely in soule bot also in þe body þat þei kunne not telle, & þat noman may in siht in knowe, bot onely he þat by experience feleþ it. And þan may he wele sey with þe apostle, Betyde me neuer to be ioyful bot in þe crosse of my lord Jesu criste. Amen.