Southwell: Our ladyes Spousalls

Continuing with Robert Southwell's sequence of poems on the Blessed Virgin Mary and Christ, we now consider her 'spousalls' to Joseph.

By Tissot. (Brooklyn Museum)

Wife did she live yet Virgin did she die
Untowched of man, yet mother of a sonne
To save herself and childe from fatall lye
To end the webb whereof the thredd was spoone
In marriage knotts to Joseph she was tyde
Unwonted workes with wonted veyles to hide.

God lent his paradice to Josephs Care
Wherein he was to plante the tree of life
His sonne of Josephs child the title bare
Just cause to make the mother Josephs wife.
O blessed man betrothd to such a spouse
More blessd to live with such a childe in house.

No carnall love this sacred league procurde
All vaine delights were farre from their assent
Though both in wedlocke bandes themselves assurde
Yet streite by vow they seald their chaste intent.
Thus had she Virgins, wives, and widowes crowne
And by chast child-birth doubled her renowne.

Notes

Preliminary: The Joseph in the Gospels is known to all Christians as an example of chastity. It is interesting to note that his namesake, Joseph son of Jacob, also demonstrated the virtue of chastity.  When he was employed by Potiphar in Egypt, the latter's wife tried to seduce him. The story is recounted in Chapter 39 of Genesis:

[7] And after many days his (Potiphar's) mistress cast her eyes on Joseph, and said: Lie with me. [8] But he, in no wise consenting to that wicked act, said to her: Behold, my master hath delivered all things to me, and knoweth not what he hath in his own house: [9] Neither is there any thing which is not in my power, or that he hath not delivered to me, but thee, who art his wife: how then can I do this wicked thing, and sin against my God? [10] With such words as these day by day, both the woman was importunate with the young man, and he refused the adultery.

Potiphar's wife was so enraged by his rejection of her advances that she made a false accusation of rape against Joseph and he was thrown into prison.

St Joseph was of the City of David but was worked in Nazareth as a tekton (a carpenter according to St Justin, writing in the second century AD). St Thomas Aquinas suggests that Joseph was affianced to Mary at the time of the Annunciation and married her some time after.

[16] And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ

[18] Now the generation of Christ was in this wise. When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost. [19] Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately. [20] But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost. [21] And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name JESUS. For he shall save his people from their sins. [22] Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: [23] Behold a virgin shall be with child, and bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. [24] And Joseph rising up from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife. [25] And he knew her not till [A Hebrew mode of speech connoting only what is done without any regard to the future] she brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.  [Matthew I]

[Title] spousalls: (n plural)The action of marrying someone, or of contracting to do so; the performance of a ceremony of marriage or (esp.) betrothal

Verse 1: Mary was seen to live the life of a wife and mother but remained ever a virgin up to the end of her earthly life, her dormition and her assumption into Heaven. She was untouched by any man in the sense of never having any congress, conjugal or otherwise. Though 'untouched of man', both men and women have been touched by her graces and intercessions as she spends her time in Heaven doing good on earth.

[l3] fatall: 'Producing or resulting in death, destruction, or irreversible ruin, material or immaterial; deadly, destructive, ruinous.' For the Blessed Virgin Mary, marriage to Joseph would prevent the dissemination of rumours ('lyes') that would ruin her good name and lead to dishonour for herself and also for her son.

[ll4] To end the webb ...spoone: 'spoone' is of course 'spun'. One possible image here is of a woman spinning wool or flax from a distaff into thread and twisting it onto a spindle. Such women were called 'spinsters' which came to mean an unmarried woman (with none of the pejorative connotations of modern English).

[l5] In marriage knotts ...tyde: To preserve their reputation and honour, Mary and Joseph would 'tie the knot'  of marriage, providing thereby a husband for Mary and a foster-father for Jesus.

[l6] Unwonted: Not wonted, usual, or habitual; not commonly heard, seen, practised, etc.; infrequent. Not wont to appear; rarely seen. Going beyond ordinary limits.The 'unwonted workes' are described by Gabriel in response to Mary's question: How shall this be done, because I know not man?

[35] And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

The 'wonted veyles' are the external appearances of the betrothal and marriage, modest coverings that veil the mystery of the conception. St John records in chapter VI of his gospel of the Jews:

[42] And they said: Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?

[l7] his paradice: In one sense, God's paradice refers to Mary. The image, however, suggests a further idea. . God created a beautiful garden for Adam.  Eve began as part of Adam's body, being formed from it. She was created as his friend and to be a 'helper like himself', created both to dwell in God's presence in Paradise [Genesis 2 20]. Mary, the second Eve, also begins physically joined (in her womb) to the second Adam, Jesus who is her son and her God. God places this paradise in Joseph's care. In the first as in the second state, the formula may be written thus:

Adam + Eve + freedom from sin + the real presence of God = Paradise.

Is it too fanciful to meditate upon a third state for Christians in the Church Militant?

The soul + Mary + freedom from sin + the real presence in Holy Communion = Paradise.

[l8] ...the tree of life: God planted the tree of life in the midst of Paradise. It was a gift to our first parents who, by eating of the fruit of it, would have been preserved in a constant state of health, vigour, and strength, and would not have died at all. The second tree of life is Jesus, our Divine Saviour, who was born in Bethlehem, the house of bread, was laid in a manger (from a word meaning 'to eat': whence the ox and ass were able to eat) and was later to explain to astonished listeners:

[51] I am the living bread which came down from heaven. [52] If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give, is my flesh, for the life of the world. [53] The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying: How can this man give us his flesh to eat? [54] Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. [55] He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day.[John VI]

The astonishment of His listeners persists even to this day, among those who even give a second thought to the matter. Who could ever have imagined that Jesus would offer Himself as the fruit of the tree of life to us in Holy Communion? Who could ever slide into an indifferent frame of mind when approaching the Blessed Sacrament?

l11-12] O blessed...More blessed:The first sense here is that Joseph was a man blessed to be betrothed to such a spouse as Mary but was even more blessed to live in a house in the presence of the child Jesus, the son of the living God.
A second sense comes from recollecting that Fr Southwell was writing for an audience living in a land which, from once proudly proclaiming itself Mary's dowry, had become a place where recusant Catholics following the faith of their fathers, were cruelly persecuted. The Act of Uniformity of 1558 first imposed fines on all non-attenders of the new church services. These recusants may have pondered sadly on the fact that, unlike their parents and grandparents, they no longer enjoyed the blessing of their own local church, with the real presence of Jesus in the tabernacle. They no longer had easy access to Mass, Holy Communion (see previous note) and the other sacraments. The message for such Catholics would be to unite themselves to Mary and to pray that, just as the child Jesus was present in Joseph's house, He might also be present in their house, which is to say in their hearts.

[l13] this sacred league: 'league' means a covenant, compact, alliance made between parties for their mutual protection and assistance against a common enemy, the prosecution or safeguarding of joint interests, and the like. In one sense, it refers here to the betrothal and marriage between Mary and Joseph. The expression 'sacred league' may also refer to the 'Holy League' formed in 1571 as a result of the efforts of Pope St Pius V to defend Christendom from conquest by the infidel Turks. The League secured a miraculous victory against the odds at the Battle of Lepanto on 7 October that same year. The date became the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

[l16] streite: If taken adverbially, the meaning would be 'immediately, without delay'. If taken as an adjective, qualifying 'vow', the sense might include: : 'tightly drawn' (of bonds, a knot); 'close'  (of an embrace); 'rigorous, strict' (of a religious order, its rules, etc.); 'stringent, strict, allowing no evasion' (of a commandment, law, penalty, vow).