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AIL, thou peerless offspring of the omnipotence of the Father, of the wisdom of the Son, and of the enrapturing goodness of the Holy Ghost, Mary, who fillest heaven and earth with thy gentle light. Thou that art full of grace, the Lord is with thee, even the only-begotten Son of the Father, and the one only Son of the love of thy virgin heart, thy sweetest Spouse and thy Beloved. Blessed art thou amongst women, for thou hast annulled the curse of Eve, and hast brought back an everlasting blessing. And blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus Christ, the Lord and Creator of all things, who doth evermore bless and sanctify, enrich and quicken all things. Amen.

While St Mechtilde was ardently desiring to greet the Blessed Virgin with the most sublime salutation possible, she saw in vision our Lady % bearing on her heart the angelical salutation written in letters of gold, and saying to her: No salutation can surpass this, nor can any be so sweet in my ears as that with which God the everlasting Father greeted me, in the following manner:

AIL, Mary, in union with that reverence wherewith God the Father greeted thee with Ave, and by his omnipotence delivered thee from every woe and Vae of sin. Hail, Mary, in