/d*7
§Iu %U\IX %GQk
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HORACE HART, PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY
Original juries 104
V
(BrxUj $irglisjj fttfi Sorijelg,
be dxeter Stoufc,
AN ANTHOLOGY OF ANGLO-SAXON POETKY
PRESENTED TO EXETER CATHEDRAL BY LEOFRIC, FIRST BISHOP
OF EXETER (1050-1071), AND STILL IN THE POSSESSION
OF THE DEAN AND CHAPTER,
EDITED FROM THE MANUSCRIPT, WITH A TRANSLATION, NOTES, INTRODUCTION, ETC.,
BY
ISEAEL GOLLANCZ, M.A.,
LATE SCHOLAR OF CHRIST'S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE ; gUAIN STUDENT. ITNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON ; EDITOR OF ' PRE-TUDOR TEXTS.
' I. ittgrrl CEngliBc boc be gehtoilcum bingum o" leo&toisau (jetoovhl ; ' One Great EnelWi Book on all sorts of subjects wrong] it in Terse.'
Leq/HcU Venations,
PART I. POEMS I -VIII.
LONDON:
PUBLISHED FOR THE EARLY ENGLISH TEXT SOCIETY, BY KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNEtt & CO., LIMITED,
PATMBHOM 11: HOI 1 ( iiamm. "AD, W.c.
MDCCCXCV.
PR Ills
A*
'Mo r o 4-
TO
DR. JOHN PEILE
MASTER OF CHRIST'S COLLEGE
THIS WORK IS GRATEFULLY DEDICATED
xf\\
PREFATORY NOTE.
It is proposed to issue the present edition of the ' Exeter Book ' in three parts. Part II, completing the text will, in all probability, be ready for publication by January, 1894. Part III, containing* notes, introductions, indexes, will follow in due course. The Manumissions, Charters, and other Documents prefixed to the MS. will form a supplementary brochure. The entire work will, it is hoped, be completed by the end of 1895. In accordance with the Society's present practice the accompanying instalment is published in advance. All the longer poems of the Codex will be found therein ; in bulk it represents about three-fifths of the whole. The Editor begs leave to point out that the notes at the bottom of the page are strictly limited to variations from the MS., which has been scrupulously followed. Italic letters, when not otherwise commented on, represent the customary Anglo-Saxon contractions ; the small clarendon type, used occasionally after stops, indicates that in the original the size of the respective letters is intermediate between ordinary small and capital letters. No attempt has been made to normalize the spelling of the text, and in matters of interpretation the reading of the MS. has been preferred to plausible emendations. It is surprising to find how often the MS. is correct. Difficult and doubtful passages will be duly discussed in the fuller 'Notes and Illusi rations,1 (Part III); meanwhile, the translation may perhaps eerve ai 1 liiirl\ adequate commentary to the text
I. (i.
CONTENTS OF PAET I.
PAGE
Dedication . . v
Prefatory Note . vii
I. Christ 2
II. Saint Guthlac 104 ^
III. Azaeiah. . . . . . . . . 188
IV. The Phcenix 200
V. Saint Juliana ....... 242
VI. The Wanderer . 286
VII. The Endowments of Men 292
VIII. A Father's Instruction 300
THE EXETER BOOK.
[I. CHRIST. A. THE NATIVITY]
P-]
*cyninge • *[fol. 8 a.]
Su eart se weall-stan be $a wyrhtan iu wit5-wurpon to weorce wel J>e geriseS
f>set pu heafoc£ sie healle mserre 4
and gesomnige side weallas fseste gefoge flint unbrsecne feet geond eorS-b[j/W]g eall eagna gesihbe
wundrien to worlde wuldres ealdor* 8
gesweotula nu burh searo-crseft bin sylfes weorc sotS-fsest sigor-beorht and sona forlset weall wi5 wealle nu is bam weorce bearf
J>get se crse/tga cume and se cyning sylfa 12
and bonne gebete nu gebrosnad is hus under hrofe he J?aet hra gescop leomo laemena nu sceal lif-frea
f»one wergan heap wrabum ahreddan 16
earme from egsan swa he oft dyde eala ]>u reccend and bu riht cyning se J?e locan healde'S lif ontynetS
eadga us siges obrum forwyrned 20
wlitigan wil-sibes gif his weorc ne deag
4. MS. heafoft. 7. MS. b [yri] g. The g just visible. After b there is what I take to be the upper part of a curved y still traceable, resembling in shape an o (certainly not a u). eagna ; originally -nan, the erased n visible. 10. MS. forlet (i. e. se). 12. MS. crsestga. 14. hra can hardly be read
owing to the action of some liquid on 8 a, 8 b. 18. MS. ]>a. 20. eadga :
I. CHRIST. A. THE NATIVITY.
I.
to the King.
Thou art the wall- stone that the workmen once
rejected from the work : well it beseemeth thee,
that thou shouldst be head of the noble hall, 4
and join together with firm fastening
the spacious walls, the flint unbreakable,
so that, throughout earth's cities, all things endowed with sight
may wonder evermore, 0 Prince of glory ! 8
Through thy skill let thine own work now appear
firm, gloriously bright, and forthwith leave
wall against wall. Now is there need for the work
that the Craftsman and the King Himself should come, 1a
and should then restore the house beneath the roof,
which now is waste. He formed the body,
the limbs of clay ; now shall He, Lord of life,
deliver the abject band from foes, 16
the wretched ones from terror, as He oft did.
O thou Ruler and thou just King!
He who holdeth the locks, who openeth life!
bless us with victory, with a bright career, ao
denied unto another, if his work be worthless.
after ga, which comes at the end of the line, a small piece of parchment ha* been cut out : at most one letter could have been on it, but probably none at all. a 1. wil-si)>es, the last two letters can scarcely be read, and all the letters are barely vittfile.
B 2
4 I. CHRIST. 22-54.
hum we for f>earfe }>as word sprecatS
[nu gemcersijgisft bone pe mon gescop
J^set he ne hete ■ ' ' ceose sprecan 24
cearfulra ping pe we in carcerne
sittat5 sorgende sunnan wip-«]i$
hwonne us lif-frea leoht ontyne
weorSe ussum mode to mund-boran 28
and ]?get tydre gewitt tire bewinde
gedo nsic ]?8es wyrSe J>e he to wuldre forlet
p& we hean-lice hweorfan sceoldan
to J?is enge lond eftle bescyrede 32
forjjon secgan mseg se Se so"S spriceS
j^set he ahredde f>a for-hwyrfed wees
frum-cyn fira wses seo fsemne geong
msegtS manes leas pe he *him to meder geceas • *[8 6.] 36
pset wees geworden butan weres frigum
J>eet f>urh bearnes gebyrd bryd eacen wearS
neenig efenlic f>am eer ne sij)f>an
in worlde gewearS wifes gearnung 40
f>eet degol wees dryhtnes geryne
eal giofu geest-lic grund-sceat geond-spreot •
}?eer wisna fela wear's inlihted
lare long-sume burn lifes fruman • 44
pe 33r under hoSman biholen leegon
witgena woS-song }>a se waldend cwom
sepe reorda gehwees ryne gemiclaS
Sara pe geneahhe noman scyppendes 48
)?urh ho[r]scne had hergan willaS •
eala sibbe gesihS Bancta hierusalem ■
cyne-stola cyst cristes burg-lond
engla e]?el-stol and pa, ane in pe 52
saule soS-fsestra simle gerestaS
wuldrum hremge neefre wommes tacn
23. gia8. Five or six letters are quite faded before -giaft. 24. hete
* ceose, the MS. is hardly readable here ; two or three letters are obliterated
I. CHRIST. A. THE NATIVITY. 0
Verily in our need we speak these words,
(we beseech) Him who created man
that He may not choose to speak in hate 24
the doom of us so sorrowful, who in prison
sit yearning for the sun's bright course,
until the Lord of life revealeth the light to us,
until He become our soul's protector, 28
and wreathe the feeble mind with splendour :
may He make us thus worthy, whom He hath admitted unto
when we must needs depart in abject plight
unto this narrow land, bereft of home. 33
Verily he may say it who speaketh truth, that when the race of men was all depraved, He saved it. Young was the maiden,
a damsel sinless, whom He chose for His mother. 36
It came to pass without man's wooing, that the bride was great by child-conception. Never before or after in the world
was any meed of woman like to that ; 4°
it was a secret mystery of the Lord ; all ghostly grace o'erspread earth's region j then many a thing became enlightened
through life's Creator, precepts of ancient day, 44
which erewhile in darkness lay concealed, the sages' songs prophetic, when the Ruler came , He who enlargeth the course of every word of those that, in their wisdom, wish 48
to praise enow the name of their Creator.
O sight of peace ! holy Jerusalem ! choicest of royal thrones I citadel of Christ ! the native seat of angels and of the just, 5a
the souls of whom alone rest in thee ever, exulting in their glories. Never the sign of crime
before ceote. 26. wi[/-«]iC, the italicued letters arc almost obliterated.
,1 MM. fo. 33. n tfc It kardly titbit. 49. MS. hoscne.
6 I. CHRIST. 55-85.
in j?am eard-gearde eawed weor^eS-
ac pe firina gehwylc feor abuge'S 56
wsergtSo and gewinnes bist to wuldre full
halgan hyhtes swa J>u gehaten eart
sioh nu sylfa pe geond J>as sidan gesceaft
swylce rodores hrof rume geond-wlitan 60
ymb healfa gehwone hu f>ec heofones cyning
siSe geseceS and sylf cyme's
mine's eard in pe swa hit ser gefyrn
witgan wis-faeste wordsm ssegdon 64
cySdon cristes gebyrd cwsedon pe to frofre
burga bet-licast • nu is f>set beam cymen
awaecned to wyrpe weorcum ebrea*
bringeS blisse pe benda onlyse(5 68
nif>um genetSde nearo-*f>earfe conn *[9a.]
hu se earcna sceal are gebidan : — : 7
[II.]
EAla wifa wynn geond wuldres J>rym • faerane freo-licast • ofer ealne foldan sceat 72
pees pe a3fre sund-buend secgan hyrdon • arece us f>aet geryne J?set pe of roderum cwom hu f>u encnunge aefre onfenge
bearnes J>urh gebyrde and J>one gebed-scipe 76
sefter nion-wisan mod ne cuSes • ne we socS-lice swylc ne gefrugnan in aer-dagum aefre gelimpan
f>aet Su in sundur-giefe swylce befenge 80
ne we J?sere wyrde wenan J^urfon toweard in tide huru treow in pe weorS-licu wunade nu f>u wuldres f>rym
bosme gebaere and no gebrosnad wearS 84
maeg'S-had se micla swa eal manna beam
70. One line space between the sections.
I. CHRIST. A. THE NATIVITY. 7
shall in that dwelling-place be seen,
but every sin shall flee afar from thee, 56
all curse and conflict ; thou art gloriously full
of holy promise, as thou art named.
See now thyself how the wide creation
and heaven's roof survey eth thee all about 60
on every side, and how the King of heaven
seeketh thee in His course, and cometh Himself,
and taketh His dwelling in thee, as erewhile in days of yore
the wisest prophets spake in words ; 64
they made known the birth of Christ and told it for thy comfort,
thou best of cities! Now the Child is come,
awakened to destroy the Hebrews' works;
He bringeth thee joy; He looseneth thy bonds;' 68
He hath adventured Him for men ; He knoweth their dire need, —
how the wretched must await compassion.
II.
flA/A/ • ' Oh thou joy of women in the glory of glories !
maiden the fairest o'er all the region of the earth, 72
that the ocean-dwellers have ever heard tell of,
unfold to us the mystery that came to thee from the skies,
how thou didst ever receive increase
by child-conception, and yet thou knewest not - 76
communion after human fashion.
Truly we have not heard that ever
in days of yore the like hath happened,
such as thou in special grace receivedst, 80
nor may we hope the thing to come to pass
in future time. Verily the faith that dwelt in thee
was worshipful, since thou didst l>ear within thy bosom
the flower of glory, and thy great maidenhood 84
was not destroy* I All the children of men
8 I. CHRIST. 86-II9.
sorgum sawaS swa eft ripatS
cennat5 to cwealme cwsetS sio eadge meeg
symle sigores full Sancta, maria- 88
hwa3t is f>eos wundrung pe ge wanaS
and geoinrende gehbum msenatS
sunu solimse somod his dohtor
fricgatS burh fyrwet hu ic fsemnan-had 92
mund minne geheold and eac modor gewearS
nisere meotudes suna forban baet monnum nis
cutS geryne ac crist onwrah
in dauides dyrre msegan • 96
bget is euan scyld eal for-pynded
weergSa aworpen and gewuldrad is
se heanra had hyht is onfangen
beet nu bletsung mot bsem gemsene 100
werum and wifum a to worulde fortS
in bam up-lican engla dreame •
* mid socS-feeder symle wunian • * [9 b. ]
eala earendel engla beorhtast 104
ofer middan-geard monnum sended
and soft-fsesta sunnan leoina
torht ofer tunglas bu tida gehwane
of sylfum be symle inlihtes • 108
swa bu god of gode gearo acenned
sunu soban faeder swegles in wuldre
butan anginne sefre vvsere •
Swa fee nu for bearfuin bin agen geweorc 112
bidecS burh byldo fast bu ba beorhtan us •
sunnan onsende and pe sylf cyme
bset (5u inleohte ba pe longe ser-
brosme bebeahte and in beostrum her 116
sseton sin-neahtes synnum bifealdne
deorc deabes sceadu dreogan sceoldan •
nu we hyht-fulle haelo gelyfacS
91. MS. solim§ {i.e. se). 113. byldo corrected from hyldo. 118. sceadu, d corrected from iS. ■
I. CHRIST. A. THE NATIVITY. 9
as they sow in sorrow, so afterwards they reap,
they bring forth for death.' Spake the blessed maiden,
ever full of triumph, the holy Mary : — 88
' What is this wonder which ye wonder at, and bemoan and grievously lament, thou son and thou daughter of Salem 1
Ye ask enquiringly how I preserved 92
my maidenhood, my plighted troth, and yet became great mother of the Creator's Son. Verily to men the mystery is not known ; but Christ revealed in David's beloved kinswoman, 96
that the guilt of Eve is all concluded, the curses overthrown, and the humbler sex is glorified. Hope is gained
that now for both alike, for men and women, 100
blessing may for evermore abide, amid the harmony of angels high above, with the Father of truth, to all eternity.'
Lo ! thou bright ray, brightest of angels 104
sent to men upon this middle-earth, and sun-beam true and constant, bright beyond the stars, thou from thyself
illuminest for ever all the tides of time. 108
Even as thou, God indeed begotten of God, Son of the true Father, wast ever without beginning in the heaven's glory,
so now thine own work in its need 1 1 1
prayeth thee boldly that thou send us the bright sun, and that thou thyself conn •. to enlighten those who long since
were wrapt in darkness, and here in gloom 116
;it tho long night shrouded in sin: death's dark shadow had they to endure. Hopeful now, we trust the salvation
10
I. CHRIST. 120-153.
}mrh fjset word godes weorodum brungen 120
f>e on frymcSe wees feeder selmihtigum
efen-ece mid god and nu eft geweartS
flaesc firena leas f»set seo fsemne gebeer
geomrum to geoce god waes mid us 124
gesewe.n butan synnum somod eardedon
mihtig meotudes beam and se mornies sunu
gej^wsere on feode we f>aes f>onc magon
secgan sige-dryhtne symle bi gewyrhtum 128
J>ees f>e he hine sylfne us sendan wolde •
eala geesta god hu pu gleawlice
mid noman ryhte nemned weere
emmanuhel swa hit engel gecwsecS 132
serest on ebresc j?eet is e/t gereht
rume bi gerynum nu is rodera weard
god sylfa mid us swa f>set gomele gefyrn
ealra cyninga cyning and j?one cleenan eac 136
sacerd soft-lice seegdon toweard •
swa se msere iu melchisedech •
gleaw in gseste god-frym on-*wrah *[10 a.]
eces alwaldan se waes se bringend 140
lara leedend f>am longe his
hyhtan hider-cyme swa him gehaten waes
f>gette sunu meotudes sylfa wolde
gefaelsian foldan meegcSe • 144
swylce grundas eac gsestes meegne
sij>e gesecan nu hie softe J?83S
bidon in bendum hwonne beam godes
cwome to cearigum forf>on c weed on swa 148
suslum gesleehte nu fu sylfa cum
heofones heah-cyning bring us heelo-lif
werigum wite-J>eowum wope forcymenum
bitrum bryne-tearum is seo bot gelong 152
eal set _pe anum ofer-f>earfum
133. MS. est. 153. About Jive letters obliterated after anum.
I. CHRIST. A. THE NATIVITY. 11
brought to the hosts of men through the word of God, 120
which was in the beginning co-eternal
with the Almighty Father, with God, and is now become
flesh void of blemish, that the maiden bare,
as a help for the troubled. God was seen among us 124
without sin; together they dwelt,
the Creator's mighty Son and the son of man,
in peace among folk. Wherefore we must ever,
dutifully, say thanks unto the Lord triumphant 128
that He was willing to send to us Himself.
Oh, God of all spirits ! how wisely Thou wast named with name aright
Emmanuel ! as the angel spake the word 132
in Hebrew first, which fully in its secret meaning is thus interpreted : — ' Now is the Guardian of the skies, God Himself, with us': even as in days of yore old men declared aright that the King 136
of all kings and eke the pure priest was to come ; thus long ago the great Melchizedec, the wise of spirit, revealed the majesty divine of the eternal Ruler; he was the law-bringer, 140
the bringer of doctrine, unto those who long hoped for His advent, for it was promised them that the Son Himself of the Creator
would purify the races of earth, 144
and also in His course would seek the abyss, by the might of His spirit. Patiently now have they waited in their bonds until God's Child should come to the afflicted; therefore spake thus 148
those cast in torments: 'Come thou now thyself, high King of heaven, bring salvation unto us, weary thralls, worn out with weeping,
with bitter burning tears. The remedy resteth 152
alone in Thee for the overmuch oppressed.
12 I. CHRIST. 154-183.
heeftas hyge-geomre hider [gesece
ne leei] pe behindan • jxmne pu heonan cyrre
msenigo Ipus micle ac ]?u miltse on us 156
gecytS cyne-lice crist nergende
wuldres seeding ne lset awyrgde ofer us
onwald agan leef us ecne gefean
wuldres pines pset pee weorcSien 160
weoroda wuldor-cyning pa, pu geworhtes aer
hondum }>inum pu in hean-nissum
wunast wide ferh mid waldend feeder: 7
[in.]
eAla ioseph min iacobes beam 164
mseg dauides niaeran cyninges . nu J>u freode scealt fseste gedselan alsetan lufan mine • Ic lungre earn
deope gedrefed dome bereafod- 168
forSon ic worn for pe worde hsebbe sidra sorga and sar-cwida •
hearmes gehyred and me *hosp sprecatS * [10 6.] torn-worda fela ic tearas sceal 172
geotan geomor-mod • god eaf>e mseg gehaelan hyge-sorge heortan minre afrefran fea-sceaftne • eala feemne geong
msegS maria- hwset bemurnest Su 176
cleopast cearigende ne ic culpan in pe incan senigne aefre onfunde • womma geworhtra \ and Jm pa word spricest swa pu sylfa sie synna gehwylcre 180
firena gefylled ic to fela hsebbe fees byrd-scypes bealwa onfongen • hu mseg ic ladigan laf>an sprsece
154. About ten letters quite faded after hider. 163. One line space between the sections.
I. CHRIST. A. THE NATIVITY. 13
Visit us here, captives sad in spirit, nor leave behind thee, when thou turnst from hence, so great a throng ! but royally show forth 1 56
thy mercy unto us, Christ the Saviour! Prince of Glory! let not the accursed have power over us : grant us thy glory's
endless joy, that those may worship thee, 160
great Lord of hosts, whom thou first wroughtest with thy hands. Thou in the high places dwellest for ever with the all-ruling Father.'
[Mary.] ' Lo, Joseph mine, child of Jacob, 164
kinsman of the great King David,
must thou forthwith renounce thy troth,
and leave my love T [Joseph.] 'Very deeply
am I troubled, bereft of honour, 168
for because of thee I have heard, in words,
much great grief, many sorry speeches,
much insult, and they utter scorn against me,
and many angry words: sad in mind 172
I must shed tears. God may easily
heal the deep sorrow of my heart,
and comfort me distressed. Alas, young damsel,
Mary maiden !' [Mary.] 'Why mournest thou 176
and lamentest sorrowing? Never found I
fault in thee or any cause of blame
for evil done, and yet thou speakest such words,
as thou thyself wert filled with every sin 1S0
nn'l all transgression.' [Joseph.] 'Too much bulc
have I received from this conception.
How can I escape the hateful words,
14 t, CHRIST. 184-217.
of>J>e andswa,ic asnige findan • 184
wraf>um to-wif>ere is fset wide cutS
£aet ic of )?am torhtan temple dryhtnes
onfeng freo-lice fsemnan claene
womma lease • and nu gehwyrfed is 188
J>urh nat-hwylees me naw|?er deag
secge ne swige gif ic soft sprece •
J?onne sceal dauides dohtor sweltan
stanum astyrfed gen strengre is 192
J?set ic morj^or hele scyle man-swara •
laj> leoda gehwam lifgan sij^an
fracoS in folcum J>a seo fsemne onwrah •
ryht-geryno and f>us reordade • 196
Soft ic secge J>urh sunu meotudes
gsesta geocend j?eet ic gen ne conn
f>urh gemsec-scipe monnes ower
senges on eortSan ac me eaden wearS 200
geongre in geardum £>8et me gabrihel
heofones heag-engel hselo gebodade.
ssegde soS-lice fset me swegles gsest
leoman onlyhte sceolde ic lifes j?rym 204
geberan beorhtne sunu beam eacen godes
torhtes tir-fruma[w] nu ic his tempel earn
gefremed butan facne in me frofre gsest
ge-*eardode nu J>u ealle forlset *[11 a.] 208
sare sorg-ceare saga ecne J>onc
mserum meotodes sunu }>8et ic his modor gewearS
faemne forS se-fieah and Ipu faeder cweden
woruld-cund bi wene sceolde witedom 212
in him sylfum beon sotSe gefylled •
eala pu so(5a and j?u sib-sum a
ealra cyninga cyning crist ael-mihtig
hu f>u ser wsere eallum geworden 216
worulde J?rymmum mid f>inne wuldor-f seder
206. MS. tir-fruma.
I. CHRIST. A. THE NATIVITY. 15
or how can I find any answer 184
'gainst my foes ? Tis widely known
that from the glorious temple of the Lord,
I joyfully received a maiden pure
and spotless; and now all is changed, 188
through whom I know not. Neither availeth me,
to speak or to be silent; speak I the truth,
then must David's daughter die,
slain with stones ; yet is it harder 192
to conceal crime, to be doomed to live hereafter
perjured, hateful unto all the folk,
accursed 'mong men.' Then the maid unravelled
the true mystery, and thus she spake : 196
1 Truly I say, by the Son of the Creator, the Saviour of souls, that yet I know not in fellowship any man
anywhere on earth ; but it was granted me, 200
while young and in my home, that Gabriel, heavens archangel, bade me hail, and truly said that heaven's spirit
should with his ray illumine me, that I should bear 204
life's glory, an illustrious son, the mighty Child of God, of the bright Creator. Now, without guilt, am I become His temple ; the spirit of comfort
hath dwelt within me. Dismiss thou then 208
all sorry care, and say eternal thanks
unto the Lord's great Son that I have become His mother, nathless a maiden still, and thou, according to the hope, art called His earthly father, should the prophecy 212
be fulfilled aright in Him Himself.'
O thou true and thou peaceful King of all kings, Christ Almighty I
how wast thou, with thy glorious Father, 216
existent before all the world's estates,
16 I. CHRIST. 218-251.
cild acenned )?urh his craift and meaht •
nis senig nu eorl under lyfte
secg searo-jxmcol to j?ses swiSe gleaw* 220
pe p-xt asecgan msege sund buendum ■
areccan mid ryhte hu pe rodera weard
set frymfte genom him to freo-bearne
j?set wses f>ara ]?inga pe her )?eoda cynn 234
gefrugnen mid folcum set fruman serest
geworden under wolcnum J?set witig god
lifes ord-fruma leoht and J?ystro
gedselde dryhtlice and him wses domes geweald 228
and p& wisan abead weoroda ealdor •
nu sie geworden for)) a to widan feore •
leoht lixende gefea lifgendra gehwam
pe in cneorissum cende weorSen 232
and J>a sona gelomp J?a hit swa sceolde
leoma leohtade leoda mseg}?uni
torht mid tunglum sefter Jxm tida bigong
sylfa sette J>set pu sunu wsere . 236
efen-eardigende mid Jnnne engan frean
ser jxm oht J?isses sefre gewurde •
pu eart seo snyttro pe f>as sidan gesceaft
mid f>i waldende worhtes ealle • 240
for]?on nis senig pees horse ne f>ses hyge-crseftig
pe J?in from-*cyn msege fira bearnum *[116.]
sweotule gesejmn cum nu sigores weard
meotod mon-cynnes and June milttse her 244
arfsest ywe us is eallum neod
f>set we f>in medren-cynn motan cunnan
ryht-geryno nu we areccan ne msegon
J?set fsedren-cynn- fier owihte . 248
J>u f»isne middan-geard milde geblissa
f>urh Sinne her-cyme hselende crist*
and )?a gyldnan geatu pe in gear-dagum
244. MS. milstse.
I. CHRIST. A. THE NATIVITY. 17
a child begotten by His skill and might !
There is not now any man under heaven,
any one cunning and so very wise, 220
who can tell unto the ocean-dwellers,
and expound aright, how the Warden of the skies
took thee in the beginning for his noble child.
Of those things which the race of men 224
hath learnt among the nations here, first in the beginning
it came to pass beneath the clouds, that the wise God,
Life's Beginner, parted in lordly wise
light and darkness; and His was the wielding of decree, 228
and thus He, Lord of hosts, declared:
'Let there be now for ever and for ever a bright-shining joy for each of living men who in their generations shall be born ! ' 232
And so anon it came to pass, when it was to be, — a splendour shining bright amidst the stars lighted, in the course of ages, the races of mankind. Himself He had ordained that thou, the Son, shouldst be, 236 co-dwelling with fchy only Lord, ere aught of this had ever come to pass. Thou art the Wisdom, who with the Ruler wroughtest all this wide creation : 240
wherefore there is no man so wise or so profound, that he can truly show thy origin unto the sons of men. Come now, Lord of triumph, Creator of mankind, and graciously show forth 1 1 (
thy mercy here : we all desire that we may know thy mother-kin, a mystery indeed ; we cannot now expound further at all the kin paternal. 248
Bless thou kindly this middle-earth by thy coming hither, Saviour Christ 1 and tin- golden gatet that in days of old
18 I. CHRIST. 252-282.
ful longe aer bilocen stodan 252
heofona heah frea hat ontynan
and usic J>onne gesece j?urh p>in sylfes gong
eatS-mod to eorf»an us is )?inra arna J?earf«
hafa"5 se awyrgda wulf tostenced 356
deor dsed-scua dryhten £>in eowde
wide towrecene £>aet Su waldend aer
blode gebohtes J?set se bealo-fulla
hynetS heard-lice and him on haeft ninieS 260
ofer usse nioda lust for]?on we nergend J>e
biddaS georn-lice breost- gehygdum
f>set f>u hraed-lice helpe gefremme
wergum wreccan faet se wites bona • 264
in helle grund hean gedreose
and f>in hond-geweorc hselefja scyppend
mote arisan and on ryht cuman
to f>am up-cundan aef>elan rice • 268
)?onan us aer J>urh syn-lust se swearta gaest
forteah and fortylde J>set we tires wone
a butan ende sculon ermfu dreogan
butan J?u usic fon ofost-licor ece dryhten 272
aet f>am leod-sceaf>an lifgende god
helm alwihta hredclan wille : 7
[IV.]
eAla f>u msera middan-geardes seo claeneste cwen *ofer eorjmn *[12 a.] 276
Jmra [/]e gewurde to widan feore hu pec mid ryhte ealle reord-berend hatatS and secgat5 haeleS geond foldan
blij?e mode j?aet f>u bryd sie 2S°
}>aes selestan swegles bryttan- Swylce J>a hyhstan on heofonum eac
257. eowde; d corrected from $. 274. Space of about the third of a
I. CHRIST. A. THE NATIVITY. 19
full long ago stood locked, 252
do thou, high Lord of heaven, bid open,
and visit us then, coming thy very self
humbly to earth ! We need thy gracious favour !
The accursed wolf, the beast of darkness, 256
hath scattered, Lord, thy flock,
dispersed it far and wide ; what thou, Omnipotent, of old
didst buy with thy blood, the baleful one
cruelly oppresseth, and taketh it in bondage, 260
despite our anxious longing. Wherefore, Saviour,
we pray thee earnestly, with our heart's inmost thoughts,
that speedily thou grant help unto us,
weary wretches, that the mind's destroyer 264
may fall low down to hell's abyss,
and that thy handiwork, Creator of all men,
may then arise and come aright
unto the noble realm in heaven above, 268
whence erst the swart spirit, through our love of sin,
beguiled us and misled us, so that, void of glory,
we must ever without end bear misery,
unless thou, O Lord eternal, living God, 272
Helm of all created things, wilt free us
the more speedily from man's destroyer.
IV.
O thou glorious lady of this middle-world ! thou purest woman throughout the earth, 276
of those that were from time eternal, how rightly do all men with gift of speech upon this earth name thee, and say,
blithe in their hearts, that thou art bride 280
of heaven's chief Lord ! So too the highest in the heavens,
line between the sections. 277. MS. J>ara ege wurde; a letter erased
ege.
Q 2
20 I. CHRIST. 283-315.
cristes J>egnas cwefatS and singaS
J>aet pu sie hlgefdige halgum meahtum 284
wuldor-weorudes and worl[cf]-cundra
hada under heofonum and hel-wara •
forf>on J?u J>set ana ealra monna
gef>ohtest frymlice frist-hycgende 288
J?set \>n Jmine msegcS-had meotude brohtes
sealdes butan synnum nan swylc ne cwom
senig oJ?er ofer ealle men
bryd beaga hroden pe J>a beorhtan lac 292
to heofon-hame hlutre mode
si]?]mn sende forSon heht sigores fruma
his heah-bodan hider gefleogan*
of his msegen-J^rymme and pe meahta sped 296
snude cyftan pset J?u sunu dryhtnes
J>urh claene gebyrd cennan sceolde
monnum to miltse and pe maria forcS
efne unwemme a gehealden 300
eac we J?set gefrugnon peet gefyrn bi J?e •
sotS-fsest ssegde sum wotS-bora
in eald-dagum esaias
past he wsere gelaeded p&t he lifes gesteald 304
in J>am ecan ham eal sceawode •
wlat f>a swa wis-fsest witga geond J?eod-land
of»f>set he gestarode f>ser gestaj>elad wses
sej^elic ingong eal wees gebunden 308
deoran since duru ormsete
wundur-clommum bewrij^en wende swi(5e
psdt senig elda sefre meahte
swa fsestlice fore-scyttelsas 312
on ecnesse o in-hebba
dppe tSaes ceaster-hlides clustor onlucan •
ser him *godes engel jmrh glsedne gef>onc *[12 6-]
285. MS. worl cundra. 302. woS-bora ; there is a hyphen in MS. ; prob- ably added by a later hand, as the ink is rather paler than that of the letters.
I. CHRIST. A. THE NATIVITY. 21
the thanes of Christ, declare and sing,
that thou, by holy might, art lady 284
of the host of glory, and of the ranks of men
on earth 'neath heaven, and of those that dwell in hell,
for that thou alone of all mankind
nobly didst resolve in thy high thoughts, 288
to bring thy maidenhood unto the Lord,
and give it sinlessly. There hath not come
among all men such another
ring-adorned bride, who would send again 292
with spirit pure the glorious gift
unto the heavenly home. Wherefore the Lord triumphant
bade His arch-angel hither fly
from His great glory, and anon make known to thee 296
His might's avail, that thou, in pure conception,
shouldst bear the Son of the Supreme,
in mercy to mankind, and nathless, Mary,
hold thee e'en unspotted evermore. 300
Eke have we heard what long ago
the poet truly spake concerning thee,
in days of old, to wit, Isaiah,
that he was led where he beheld aright 304
life's dwelling-place in the eternal home ;
looked then the wise soothsayer o'er all land,
till that he gazed where there was placed
a noble door-way; all bound about 308
with precious metal was the door immense,
begirt with wondrous bands; he pondered deeply,
how any mortal man might ever
raise those bolts so firmly fixed, 3**
ever unto all eternity,
or unlock the fastening of that city-gate,
until God's angel joyfully to him
22 I. CHRIST. 316-349.
j?a wisan onwrah and f>aet word acwaeS 316
ic J>e mseg secgan J>set so$ gewearS
j?set Sas gyldnan gatu giet sume sif»e
god sylf wile gaestes msegne
gefselsian feeder sel-mihtig 320
and fmrh J?a fsestan locu foldan neosan
and hio \>onne sefter him ece stondetS
shnle singales swa beclysed
]>cet nsenig of>er nymf>e nergend god 324
hy sefre ma eft onluce'S*
nu ]>set is gefylled )?get se froda pa
mid eagum fser on-wlatade •
}m eart J>8et weall-dor jmrh f>e waldend frea 328
sene on J>as eorftan ut-siSade
and efne swa \>ec gemette meahtum gehrodene
clsene and gecorene crist sel-mihtig
swa tSe sefter him engla J>eoden 332
eft unmaele selces finges
liofm-caegan bileac lifes brytta
iowa us nu f>a are f>e se engel J>e
godes spel-boda gabriel brohte 336
huru j?8es biddaS burg-sittende
J^set (5u ]?a frofre folcum cySe
J)inre sylfre sunu si]}J>an we motan
an-modlice ealle hyhtan 340
nu we on J>set beam foran breostum stariaft
gep>inga us nu J^ristum wordum
Ipsdt he us ne lsete leng owihte
in Jrisse deatS-dene gedwolan hyran 344
ac f>set he usic geferge in feeder-rice
J>aer we sorg-lease si)?)mn motan
wunigan in wuldre mid weoroda god •
eala j?u halga heofona dryhten 348
J?u mid feeder j?inne gefyrn waere
339. MS. motam.
I. CHRIST. A. THE NATIVITY. 23
disclosed the way and spake these words : — 316
1 1 may tell thee (what truly came to pass), that these golden gates yet on a time God Himself will make resplendent,
the Almighty Father, by His spirit's might, 320
and will visit earth through these firm gates, and after Him shall they remain for ever, to all eternity, so firmly closed,
that not any other save the Saviour God 324
shall ever open them again/
Now is fulfilled what the wise man then with eyes there looked upon :
thou art the wall-door; through thee the Lord, the Ruler 328 proceeded once unto this earth ; and even thus He found thee all arrayed in might, pure and choice, He, Christ Almighty;
thus the Prince of angels, the Lord of life, 332
closed thee, all unblemished, after Him again, as with a wondrous key. Show us now the grace that the angel Gabriel, God's messenger, brought unto thee ! 336
Verily we city-dwellers pray for this, that thou reveal to men their comfort, thine own son. Hereafter we may
all with one accord rejoice, 340
now that we behold the child upon thy breast: plead now for us with earnest words that He suffer us not any longer
to obey error in this vale of death, 344
but that He lead us to the Father's realm, where sorrowless hereafter we may abide 'in glory, with the Lord of hosts.
O thou holy Lord of heaven, 348
thou witli thy Father wast of old
24 I. CHRIST. 350-381.
efen-wesende in fain sef elan ham •
naes senig fa giet engel geworden
ne fees miclan msegen-fryinmes nan • 352
Se in roderum up rice biwitigaS
feodnes fryS-gesteald * and his fegnunga- [*13a.J
fa fu aerest wsere mid fone ecan frean
sylf settende fas sidan gesceaft- 356
brade bryten-grundas bsem inc is geniaene
heah-gaest hleofsest we f e hselend crist
f urh eaS-medu ealle biddaS
f set f u gehyre hsefta stefne 360
f inra wied-fiowa nergende god
nu we sind geswencte furh ure sylfra gewill
habbatS wraec-msecgas wergan gaestas
hetlen hel-sceaf a hearde genyrwad 364
gebunden bealo-rapum is seo bot gelong
eall set fe anum ece dryhten-
hreow-cearigum help J?set fin hider-cyme
afrefre fea-sceafte f eah we faehf o witS fee 368
furh firena lust gefremed haebben*
Ara nu onbehtum and usse yrmfa gefenc
hu ive tealtrigatS tydran mode
hwearfia'S heanlice cym nu haelefa cyning 372
ne lata to lange us is lissa fearf
f set fu us ahredde and us haelo-giefe
so(5-faest sylle faet we siffan forS
fa sellan fing symle moten 376
gef eon on f eode f inne will an : 7
[v.]
6Ala seo wlitige weorS-mynda full heah and halig heofon-cund f rynes brade geblissad geond bryten-wongas 380
fa mid ryhte sculon reord-berende 361. MS. med. 371. MS. J>e. 377. One-line space between the sections.
I. CHRIST. A. THE NATIVITY. 25
co-eval in that noble home.
As yet there was not any angel formed,
nor any of the mighty host of glory, 352
which guardeth the kingdom in the skies above,
the noble dwelling of the Lord and of His thanes,
when Thou first, with the eternal Lord,
wast Thyself founding all this wide creation, 356
this broad expanse of earth. Ye twain have fellowship
with the protecting Spirit. O Saviour Christ,
in lowliness we all beseech thee,
that thou hear the voice of these thy captives, 360
of thy hard-pressed slaves, O Saviour God !
How are we troubled through our own desires !
Us wretched exiles have the accursed sprites,
the hateful hell-fiends cruelly constrained, 364
and bound with baleful cords. The cure resteth
all with Thee alone, O Lord eternal.
Help the wretched so that thine advent here
may comfort the forlorn, though through our lust of sin 368
we have engaged in feud 'gainst Thee.
Favour now thy servants, and regard our miseries,
how we stumble being feeble-minded,
and wander abjectly. Come now, O King of men, 37a
tarry not too long ! We need thy mercy,
that thou deliver us, and give us truly
thy healing grace, so that henceforward
we may for ever, in this world, 376
do the better things, and ivork thy will.
V.
O beauteous and worshipful, t lii-li and holy, heavenly Trinity,
widely blessed throughout tjie plains of earth, 380
whom all the wretched dwellers upon earth,
26 I. CHRIST. 382-415.
earme eor5-ware ealle maegcnc
hergan healice nu us hselend god
warfaest onwrah pat we hine witan motan 384
forj^on hy dsed-hwaete dome geswiSde
pcet sotS-faeste seraphinnes cynn
uppe mid englum a bremende
unaJ>reotendum £>rymmum * singatS *[13 5.] 388
ful healice hludan stefne
faegre feor and neah habbaf? folgojm
cyst mid cyninge him J?aet crist forgeaf
p>aet hy motan his aet-wiste eagum brucan 392
simle singales swegle gehyrste
weorSian waldend wide and side
and mid hyra ftyrum frean sel-mihtges
onsyne wear[dfta]8 ecan dryhtnes 396
and ymb J>eoden-stol ]?ringatS georne
hwylc hyra nehst maege ussum nergendo
flihte lacan fritS-geardura in
lonaS leof-licne and in leohte him 400
fa word cweJmS and wuldriaS
aefelne ord-fruman ealra gesceafta-
halig eart f>u halig heah-engla brego
socS sigores frea simle j?u bist halig 404
dryhtna dryhten a fin dom wuna(5
eorft-lic mid aeldum in aelce tid
wide geweorf ad f u eart weoroda god
forfon fu gefyldest foldan and rodoras 408
wigendra hleo wuldres fines
helm al-wihta sie f e in heannessum
ece haelo and in eorfan lof
beorht mid beornum fu gebletsad leofa 412
fe in dryhtnes noman dugefum cwome
heanum to hrof re f e in heahf um sie
a butan ende ece herenis •
396. 'MS. wear®.
I. CHRIST. A. THE NATIVITY. 27
endowed with speech, must rightly with all power
praise highly, for now the trusty Saviour
hath revealed God unto us that we may know Him ; 384
wherefore they, the zealous ones, the glory-crowned,
the race of Seraphim, the true and just,
above 'mid angels ever praising,
sing in unwearying numbers, 388
full highly and with strain exalted,
sweetly, far and near. They have the choicest
service with their King. Christ granted them
that with their eyes they may enjoy His being, 392
and for ever ceaselessly adore the Kuler
far and wide, wrapt in bright harmony :
and with their wings they guard the presence
of the Lord Almighty, the eternal King, 396
and throng around the throne, all eager
which one of them may nearest to our Saviour
disport in flight within the courts of peace ;
they praise the Loved One, and in His light 40.0
these words they speak to Him, and glorify
the noble source of all created things : —
* Holy art thou, holy, Lord of archangels, true Lord of triumph, ever art thou holy, 404
Kings of kings, ever thy glory liveth, on earth 'mong men to all eternity, honoured far and wide. Thou art God of hosts, for thou hast filled the earth and heavens, 408
Shield of warriors, with thy glory; Helm of all things, endless Hosanna be to thee in the highest, and on earth 'mong men
noble praise. Abide thou blessed, 412
that in the Lord's name earnest unto men, to comfort the dejected : in the high heavens eternal praise be thine, world without end.'
28 I. CHRIST. 416-446.
eala hwaet J>aet is wrsec-lic wrixl in wera life 416
f>aette mon-cynnes milde scyppend
onfeng set fsemnan flaesc unwemme
and sio weres friga wiht ne cuf>e
ne furli ssed ne cwom sigores agend 420
monnes ofer moldan ac Jwet wses ma eras ft
J?onne hit eorS-buend ealle cuf>an
j?urh geryne hu he rodera J?riin
heofona heah frea helpe gefremede 424
monna cynne f>urh * his modor hrif *[14a.]
and swa forS gongende folca nergend
his forgif-nesse gumum to helpe
dseletS dogra gehwam dryhten weoroda 428
for]?on we hine dom-hwate dsedum and wordum
hergen hold-lice J>aet is healic raed
monna gehwylcum pe gemynd hafacS
J>aet he symle oftost and inlocast 432
and georn-licost god weorj^ige
he him j^eere lisse lean forgildetS
se gehalgoda hselend sylfa
efne in J?am etSle J>8er he ser ne cwom 436
in lifgendra londes wynne
J?aer he gesaslig sif>jmn eardatS
ealne widan feorh wunaS butan ende : — Ame?i : 7
[B. THE ASCENSION.]
[I-] ~|m TY DV GEORNLICE G^EST-gerynum 44o
^k mon se maera mod-crsefte sec
^fc jxirh scfan snyttro ps&t ])u so<5 wile -A- 1 hu p>aet geeode J?a se sel-inihtiga acenned wearS pmrh clsenne had 444
si)>}?an he marian msegtSa weolman mserre meowlan mund-heals geceas •
419. MS. niht (for uiht = wiht). 439. Two-line space between the sections.
I. CHRIST. B. THE ASCENSION. 29
Lo ! what a wondrous change is this in the life of men, 416 that the benign Creator of mankind took from a damsel flesh immaculate, nor knew she aught of love of man,
nor came the Lord of triumph down to earth 420
through seed of man ; but it was greater craft than all the men that dwell on earth might know, how He, the glory of the skies, through mystery, the heaven's high Lord, framed help 424
for mankind, through his mother's womb. And aye unceasingly the Saviour of mankind dealeth each day his forgiveness unto folk,
to help them; He, the Lord of hosts. 428
Wherefore must we praise Him faithfully, zealous in deed and word. This is a noble rede for every one of men that hath a mind,
that aye most often and most inwardly, 432
and most yearningly, he worship God. He will recompense him for the love, yea, the hallowed Saviour himself,
e'en in the country where he came ne'er before, 436
in the joy of the land of the living, where happy ever after he shall dwell, and rest for evermore, time without end. Amen.
B. THE ASCENSION.
I.
Seek thou now eagerly with all thy power of mind, 440
with the secrets of thy spirit, thou great man, that thou mayst know aright, through thy soul's wisdom. how it came about, when the Almighty
was born into the world in purity, 444
after he chose out Mary as protector, ohoicett of maidens 1 damsel renowned!
30 I. CHRIST. 447-482.
J>aet Jwr in hwitum hrreglum gewerede
englas ne ooeowdun J>a se seeding cwom 448
beorn in betlem bodan waeron gear we
pa furh hleof>or-cwide hyrduni cySdon
saegdon socSne gefean J>aette sunu waere
in middan-geard meotudes acenned 452
in betleme hwaefre in bocum ne cwiS
J>aet hy in hwitum J>aer hraeglum ooywden •
in f>a aefelan tid swa hie eft dydon •
$a se brega maera • to bethania 456
*f>eoden J>rym-fsest his J?egna gedryht *[14&.]
gelatSade leof weorud hy J>ses lareowes
on J>am wil-daege word ne gehyrwdon
hyra sinc-giefan sona waeron gearwe 460
hselecS mid hlaford to faere halgan byrg
£>aer him tacna fela tires brytta
onwrah wuldres helm word-gerynum
aerjxm up-stige an-cenned sunu 464
efen-ece beam agnum faeder
J>aes ymb feowertig \>e he of foldan aer
from deatSe aras dagena rimes •
hsefde f>a gefylled swa aer biforan sungon 468
witgena word geond woruld innan
jmrh his frowinga fegnas heredon •
lufedun leof-wendum lifes agend
faeder frum-sceafta he him faegre f>aes 472
leofum gesijmm lean aefter geaf
and J>aet word acwaeS waldend engla
gefysed frea mihtig to feeder rice
gefeotS ge on ferfrSe naefre ic from-hweorfe 476
ac ic lufan symle laeste wiS eowic
and eow meant giefe and mid-wunige
awo to ealdre J>aet eow aefre ne bitS
Jmrh gife mine godes onsien • 48°
Farat5 nu geond ealne • yrmenne grund •
geond wid-wegas • weoredum cytSacS •
I. CHRIST. B. THE ASCENSIOX. 31
that there appeared not angels then arrayed
in robes of white, when the Prince, the Chief, 448
came into Bethlehem. Angels were ready,
who revealed in accents clear and told
to shepherds the sure joy that there was born
in middle-earth, in Bethlehem, 452
a Son of the Creator; yet in books it saith not
that they appeared there at that glorious tide,
in robes of white, e'en as they did anon,
when the great Leader in Bethany, 456
the Lord majestic, gathered His band of thanes,
the host beloved; on that welcome day
they slighted not the word of their Teacher,
of their bounteous Dispenser; soon were they dight, 460
men with their master, for the holy city :
there splendour's Lord, the Helm of glory,
revealed full many a sign to them in mystic words,
ere He arose, only begotten Son, 464
Child with his own Father co-eternal,
forty numbered days after he had first
ascended from the earth, from death.
Then had he fulfilled the prophets' words, 468
as they had sung before throughout the world,—
yea, by his passion. His thanes lauded Him,
they praised lovingly the Lord of life,
the Father of creation ! Wherefore in aftertime 472
he nobly recompensed His beloved comrades,
and these words spake He, Prince of angels,
mighty Lord, while hastening to his Father's realm : —
1 Rejoice ye in spirit, ne'er will I turn away, 476
but I will show my love towards you ever, and grant you might and abide with you ever to all eternity, and through my grace ye shall ne'er know the want of sustenance. 480
Go now o'er all the spacious earth, «< Vr the wide ways, announce to men,
32 I. CHRIST. 483-516.
bodiaS and brema$« beorhtne geleafan«
and fulwiaS folc under roderum • 484
hweorfatS to heofonum • hergas breotaj^ •
fyllatS and feogatS • feond-scype dwaesca'S •
sibbe sawaS • on sefan manna •
}?urh meahta sped • ic eow mid-wunige • 488
fortS on frofre • and eow friSe healde •
strength, sta]x>l-fsestre • *on stowa gehware • *[15a.]
Sa weartS semninga sweg on lyfto*
hlud gehyred • heofon-engla f>reat« 492
weorud wlite-scyne • wuldres aras •
cwomun on corSre • cyning ure gewat •
}mrh J>ses temples hrof • j?ser hy to-segun •
f>a J>e leofes f»a gen • last weardeduw • 496
on }?am f>ing-stede • f>egnas gecorene •
gesegon hi on heahfm • hlaford stigan •
god-bearn of grundum • him wses geomor sefa •
hat set heortan • hyge murnende • 500
j?ees f>e hi swa leofne • leng ne mostun •
geseon under swegle • song ahofun •
aras ufan-cunde • seeding heredun •
lofedun lif-fruman • leohte gefegun • 504
J?e of J>aes hgelendes • heafelan lixte •
gesegon hy ael-beorhte • englas twegen •
fsegre ymb \>mt frum-bearn • frsetwum blican •
cyninga wuldor • cleopedon of heah)?u • 508
wordum wrset-licum* ofer wera mengu-
beorhtan reorde • hwaet bidaS ge
galilesce • guman on hwearfte • ,
Nu ge sweotule geseoS- socSne dryhten • 512
on swegl faran . sigores agend .
wile up heonan • eard gestigan •
aejbelinga ord • mid f>as engla gedryht •
ealra folca fruma • feeder efel-stoll : 7 5l6
496. MS. weardedum. 503. MS. herednm. 5 16. One line space
between the sections.
I. CHRIST. B. THE ASCENSION. 33
preach and proclaim the hright belief,
and baptize folk beneath the skies, 484
turn them to heaven ; break idols,
cast them down and hate them ; extinguish enmity,
sow peace within the minds of men,
by virtue of your powers. I will ever stay with you 488
in solace, and will keep you in peace
with steadfast strength in every place ! '
Then suddenly, a sound was heard loud in the air ; a band of heavenly angels, 492
the messengers of glory, a beauteous host, in legion came ; our king departed through the temple's roof, where they beheld, they who watched still the dear One's track, 496
the chosen thanes, there in the meeting-place, — they saw the Lord, the Child divine, ascend from earth into the heights : their souls were sad, their spirit's grief was hot within their hearts, 500
for now they might no longer see 'neath heaven One so beloved. Then raised a song the messengers celestial, praised they the Prince, they lauded life's Creator, joyed they in the light 504
which glistened from the Saviour's head, saw they angels twain, resplendent, fair, shining in splendour 'round that first-born Child, the glory of all kings ; they cried out from on high 508
in wondrous words over the hosts of men, with voices clear : * Why bide ye here, and stand about, ye Galilean men?
Now see ye the true King, the Lord of victory, 512
manifestly wending to the skies; the Chief of princes with these hosts of angels, the Lord of all mankind, up from hence
will soar unto Hi- native lmnir, His Fat licr-land.' 516
D
34 I. CHRIST. 517-546.
pi.]
WE mid J>yslice* freate willaS* ofer lieofona gehlidu • hlaford fergan • to J>sere beorhtan byrg* mid J>as bliSan gedryt* ealra sige-bearna • )?set seleste* 520
*and sej^eleste • J»e ge her onstariaS • and in frofre geseoS* frsetwum blican • *[15i.J wile eft swa-beah • eorSan msegSe •
sylfa gesecan. side herge- 524
and Iponne gedeman* cbeda gehwylce* ]?ara <Se gefremedon • folc under roderum • Sa wses wuldres weard • wolcnura bifen t • heah-engla cyning* ofer lirofas upp* 528
haligra helm • hyht vva?s geniwad • blis in burgum • J>urh J?ses beornes cyme • gesset sige-hremig • on ba swibran hand •
ece ead-fruma* agnum feeder* 532
gewitan him ba gongan • to hierusalem • hasletS hyge-rofe • in (5a halgan burg • geomor-mode • f»onan hy god nyhst •
up-stigende* eagum segun* 536
hyra wil-gifan* fser wses wopes hring* torne bitolden • wses seo treow lufu • hat set heortan • hre#er innan weoll •
beorn breost-sefa • bidon ealle f>ser • 540
J?egnas brym-fulle • J>eodnes gehata • in f>aere torhtan by rig • tyn niht ba-gen • swa him sylf bibead • swegles agend •
ser £on up-stige • ealles waldend • 544
on heofona gehyld hwite cwoman • eorla ead-giefan • englas to-geanes •
527. MS. bifengun. 539. MS. hreder. 540. MS. beorn, an erasure
leticeen b and o ; bidan.
I. CIITUST. B. THE ASCENSION. 35
II.
'Fain would we o'er the vaults of heaven conduct the Lord with all this company, this joyous band, unto the shining burgh.'
'He whom ye gaze on here, the best 520
and noblest of all the sons of triumph, He whom ye see in solace shining resplendently, will surely yet again with ample host
Himself revisit all the races of the earth, 524
and then will judge each single deed that folk beneath the heavens have performed/
Then was glory's Guardian, the archangels' King, the Helm of holy men, wrapt in clouds 528
high o'er the roofs. Joy and bliss were renewed within the cities, at the Prince's coming. On His own Father's right hand sat He down triumphant, the eternal Source of good. 532
Then went they journeying to Jerusalem, unto that holy burgh, the valiant men sad in spirit, from that spot where they had seen so late with their own eyes God rise aloft, 536
their kind Dispenser : there was unbroken weeping, their faithful love was overwhelmed with grief, hot in their hearts their spirits boiled within, their breast-thoughts burned. All His glorious thanes 5^0
awaited there the Lord's behests, within the noble city, yet ten nights, as Himself the Lord of heaven bade,
ere He, Omnipotent, ascended high 544
to heaven's keeping, and white angels camo towiinl the bounteous Prince of warrior-men,
i) 2
36 r. christ. 547-580.
tSoet is wel cweden • swa gewritu secgaft ■
\>cet him al-beorhte englas togeanes • 548
in J?a halgan tid • heapum c woman •
sigan on swegle • fa wses symbla maest •
geworden in wuldre • wel J>set gedafenaS •
feet to j^sere blisse • beorhte gewerede • 552
in J?ses peodnes burg • f>egnas cwoman •
weorud wlite-scyne • gesegon wil-cuman •
on heah-setle • heofones waldend •
folca feorh-giefan • frsetwum * ealles waldend *[16a.] 556
middan-geardes and msegen-prymmcs
hafaS nu se halga helle bireafod
ealles ]?ses gafoles J?e hi gear-dagum
in J?aet orlege unryhte swealg- 560
nu sind forcumene and in cwic-susle
gehynde and gehsefte in helle grund
dugujmm bidseled deofla cempan
ne meahtan wiper- brogan wige spowan 564
weepna wyrpum sif>J?an wuldres cyning
heofon-rices helm hilde gefremede
wij? his eald-feondum anes meahtum
peer he of haefte ahlod huf>a maeste- 568
of feonda byrig folces unrim •
J>isne ilcan f>reat J?e ge her on-stariaft
wile nu gesecan sawla nergend
gsesta gief-stol godes agen beam 572
sefter gu$-plegan nu ge geare cunnon
hwaet se hlaford is se J?isne here laedetS
nu ge from-lice freondum to-geanes
gongatS glsed-mode geatu ontynaft • 576
wile into eow ealles waldend
cyning on ceastre corcSre ne lytle
fyrn-weorca fruma folc gelsedan
in dreama dream &e he on deoflum genom 580
548. MS. aelbeorhte. 564. MS. ne,ahtan.
I. CHRIST. B. THE ASCENSION. 37
It is well-spoken, as the Scriptures say,
that all-bright angels at that holy tide 548
in legions came, descending in the clouds
to meet Him; then the greatest jubilee
arose within the Glory. 'Tis well befitting
that His servants came to the Beatitude, 552
into the Prince's city, brightly clad,
a beauteous host: they saw the welcome Guest
on His high throne, the heaven's Lord,
Source of men's life, ruling in splendour all, — 556
the middle-earth and the majestic host.
Now hath the holy One despoiled hell of all the tribute that in ancient days
it basely gorged within that place of strife. 560
Now are they quelled, the devils' champions, in living torture humbled and held bound, bereft of prowess, in hell's abyss :
the hostile foes might not speed in battle 564
witli weapon-thrusts, when He, the King of glory, the Helm of heaven's realm, waged war, with his sole might, against his ancient foes. Then drew He forth from durance the best spoil, £<>8
a folk unnumbered from the burgh of fiends, this very band which ye gnze on here. Now will He visit the spirits' throne of grace the proper Child of God, Saviour of souls, 573
after the war-play. Now ye know right well what Lord is He that leadeth this company ; now boldly go ye forward *to meet friends, joyful in spirit. Open, O ye gates ! 57<*
the Lord of all, the King, creation's Source, will lead through you unto the city, unto the joy of joys, with host not small, the folk which from the devils He hath r It 580
38 I. CHRIST, 581-611.
j?urh his sylfes sygor sib sceal gemsene
englum and seklum a for<5 lieonan
wesan wide-ferh • wser is set-somne
godes and monna gsest-halig treow 584
lufu lifes hyht and ealles leohtes gefea*
hwaet we nu gehyrdan hu J>3et hselu-bearn
Jmrh his hyder-cyme hals eft forgeaf
gefreode and gefreojmde folc under wolcnum 588
maere meotudes sunu \)cct nu monna gehwylc
cwic *J?endan her wunat geceosan mot *[16 6.]
swa helle hienjm swa heofones maerfm
swa "past leohte leoht swa <5a lajmn niht 592
swa J^rymines J>raece swa J?rystra wraece •
swa mid dryhten dream- swa mid deoflum hream .
swa wite mid wrajmm swa wuldor mid arum
swa lif swa deacS swa him leofre biS 596
to gefremmanne £>eiiden flaesc and gaest
wuniacS in worulde wuldor £>aes age
jn*ynysse f>rym jxmc butan ende : 7
[in.]
T\^ET is f>ees wyrtfe pcetio, wer-J>eode 600
■*-' secgen dryhtne ]?onc dugufta gehwylcre
\>e us sitS and aer simle gefremede
Jmrh monig-fealdra maegna geryno •
he us cet giefetS and aehta sj3ed 604
welan ofer wid-lond and weder lif>e
under swegles hleo sunne and mona
aej^elast tungla eallum scinatS
heofon-condelle hselejmm on eorSan 608
dreosetS deaw and ren duguSe weccaj?
to feorh-nere fira cynne
iecaS eorS-welan- f>aes we ealles sculon
599. One line space between the sections.
I. CHRIST. B. THE ASCENSION. 39
through His own victory. Peace shall be shared
by angels and by men henceforth evermore
to all eternity : 'twixt God and men
there is a covenant, a ghostly pledge, — 584
love, and life's hope, and joy of all the light.
Lo! we have now heard how the Saviour-Child dispensed again salvation by His advent hither, how He, the Lord's great Son, freed and protected 588
folk 'neath the clouds, that now each man, while he is dwelling here alive, must choose, — be it hell's shame, or heaven's fame,
be it the shining light, or the loathsome night, 592
be it majestic state, or the rash ones' hate, be it song with the Lord, or with devils discord, be it torment with the grim, or glory with cherubim, be it life, or death, as it shall liefer be 596
for him to act while flesh and spirit dwell within the world. Wherefore let glory be, thanks endless, to the noble Trinity.
III.
'Tis therefore fitting that the tribes of men 600
give thanks unto the Lord for every good which late and early He hath ever rendered us, through mystery of wonders manifold.
He giveth us food and fulness of possessions, 604
wealth o'er the spacious earth, and gentle weather under the heaven's protection ; sun and moon, noblest of constellations, heaven's candles,
shine for all men on earth alike; '>oS
d< w i;ilh tli :ind rain ; they call abundance forth to nourish life, for all the race of men; earth's riches they increase. For all this must we
40 I. CHRIST. 612-645.
secgan J>onc and lof* }?eodne ussum- 612
and hum faare hselo • p>e he us to hyhte forgcaf*
t5a he )?a yrmtSu . eft-oncyrde
get [h] is up-stige • J>e we aer drugon
and gejringade J^eod-buendum • 616
wiS feeder swaesne faehfa mseste
cyning an-boren cwide eft-onhwearf
saulum to sibbe se ]>e aer sungen [wees]
J?urh yrne hyge • aelduwi to sorge • 620
Ic Ipec ofer eorcSan geworhte* on J>aere J>u scealt yrnif>um lifgan •
wunian in gewinne * and wraece dreogan *[17a.]
feondum to hroJ)or fus-leotS galan
and to )?a?re ilean scealt eft geweorJ?an 624
wyrmum aweallen )?onan wites fyr
of j?sere eorftan scealt eft gesecan-
Hwaet us J>is se seeding ycSre gefremede
j?a lie leomum onfeng • and lic-homan 628
monnes magu-tudre • si)?J>an meotodes sunu
engla elpel • upgestigan
wolde weoroda god* us se willa bicwom
heanum to helpe on )?a halgan tid • 632
bi )?on giedd awraec iob swa he cufte
herede helm wera hselend lofede
and mid sib-lufan sunu waldendes
freo-noman cende and hine fugel nemde 636
fone iudeas • ongietan ne meahtan •
in (Sa?re god-cundan gaestes strengtSu
wa3s f>83s fugles flyht feondum on eorjmn •
dyrne and degol • )?am \> e deorc gewit 640
hsefdon on hre]?re heortan stsenne •
noldan hi J) a torhtan • tacen oncnawan •
J>e him beforan fremede. freo-bearn godes •
monig mis-lie • geond middan-geard 644
swa se faela fugel • flyges cunnode •
615. MS. is. 61S. [wees] evidently omitted by the scribe.
I. CHRIST. B. THE ASCENSION. 41
give thanks and praise unto our Lord, 612
yet first for our salvation, which He gave us as our hope,
at His ascension, when He turned away
the miseries which we had suffered erst,
when He, the one-born King, on man's behalf, 616
compounded with His Father, the Beloved,
the greatest feud, averted the decree,
for our souls' peace, which had been sung erewhile
in angry mood for sorrow unto men : — 620
'I wrought thee on the earth, on it shalt thou live in want, shalt dwell in toil, and exile shalt endure, shalt sing the death-song for thy foes' delight, and shalt be turned again to that same earth, 624
with worms o'ercharged, from whence thou shalt thereafter seek the fire of punishment.'
Lo ! this the noble Prince assuaged for us when He took limb and fleshly covering 628
from child of man, when He willed to ascend to the land of angels, He the Creator's Son, the God of hosts : upon that holy tide,
the wish arose to help us, wretched ones. 632
Of this Job sang a song as he well could; he praised the Helm of men, lauded the Saviour, and in tender love devised a noble name
for the Ruler's Son, and named Him as a bird, 636
a name which Jews might nowise understand. By the Spirit's strength divine, hidden and secret from his foes on earth
was that bird's flight, from those who ill their breasts 640
had understanding dark, a stony heart: tliey would not recognise the glorious signs which the noble child of God wrought before them, many and various, on the middle-earth. 644
Thus the noble bird assayed his flight ;
42 I. CHRIST. 646-679.
hwilum engla eard • up gesohtc •
modig meahtum Strang • f>one maran liain •
hwilum he to cor]xin eft gestylde • 648
Jmrh gsestes giefe grund-sceat sohte •
wende to worulde bi pon se witga song •
he waes upp-hafen engla feeSmum
in his £>a miclan • meahta spede • 652
heali and halig ofer heofona f>rym .
ne meahtan f>a )> ees fugles • flyht gecnawan •
*J>e pees up-stiges and-ssec fremedon *[17 6.]
and pset ne gelyfdon pcette lif-fruma 656
in monnes hiw ofer meegna j?rym
halig from hrusan ahafen wurde •
tSa us geweortSade se J>as world gescop
godes gsest-sunu and us giefe sealde 660
uppe mid englum ece staf>elas
and eac monig-fealde modes snyttru
seow and sette geond sefan monna •
Sumum word-laf>e wise sendecS 664
on his modes gemynd jmrh his mu)?es geest
sej>ele andgiet • se maeg eal fela •
singan and secgan J?am bi<5 snyttru craeft •
bifolen on ferfte • Sum mseg fingrum wel • 668
hlude fore haelejmm hearpan stirgan*
gleo-beam gretan* Sum maeg god-cunde«
reccan ryhte se • Sum mseg ryne tungla •
secgan side gesceaft* Sum maeg searolice 672
word-cwide writan* Sumum wiges sped-
giefecS set gvipe pomie gar-getrum
ofer scild-hreadan sceotend sendatS
flacor flan-geweorc • Sum maeg fromlice 676
ofer sealtne see sund-wudu drifan
hreran holni-f>raece • Sum maeg heanne beam
staelgne gestigan • Sum mseg styled sweord •
h
654 MS. fly,t. 673. MS. Suinu.
I. CHRIST. B. THE ASCENSION. 43
whilom He sought on high the angels' land,
the noble home, proud, strong in might,
whilom He again descended to the earth, 648
He sought earth's region in his spirit's grace,
and wended to the world : of this the prophet sang : —
'He was borne aloft embraced in angels' arms into the spacious glory of His might, 652
high and holy, above the heaven's splendour.'
They might not know of that bird's flight, who made denial of the ascension,
and who believed not that life's Author, 656
in form of man, holy from the earth, was raised above the glorious hosts. Then God's Spirit-Son who shaped the world, ennobled us and gave us gifts, 660
eternal seats with the angels on high, and wisdom, too, of mind, full-manifold, He sowed and set within men's soul.
To one He sendeth to memory's seat 664
charm of wise words, through the spirit of the mouth, and noble understanding. He can sing and say full many things, within whose soul is hid the power of wisdom. One can full well 608
with fingers, loud before the warriors, wake the harp, and greet the glee-beam : one can expound aright the law divine: one can tell the constellations' course, the wide creation: one cunningly can write 673
the spoken word : to one he givcth battle-speed, when in the light the shooters send the storm of darts, swift-flying arrow-work, over the shield's defence : one can boldly 676
o'er the Bali tet drive the ocean-wood and itir the w;itci'.s rush: one can ascend the lofty tree and iteep 1 OD6 r.m work
44 I. CHRIST. 680-709.
wsepen gewyrcan • Sum con wonga bigoug • 680
wegas wid-gielle swa se waldend us
god-bearn on grundura his giefe bryttatS-
Nyle he amgum anum • ealle gesyllan
gaestes snyttru J>y lses him gielp scef>J>e 684
j>urh his anes crseft ofer ofre fortS: 7
[IV.]
*JT\US god meahtig geofum uu-hneawum • *[ 18 a.] -L'cyning al-wihta • crseftum weorSaj) eorJ)an tuddor swylce eadgum blsed 688
seletS on swegle sibbe rseref) ece to ealdre engla and monna swa he his weorc weorj^atS- bi J?on se witga cwsetS pcet a-hsefen wseren halge gimmas 692
hsedre heofon-tungol healice upp« sunne and mona- hwset sindan j?a gimmas swa scyne buton god sylfa
he is se sotS-fsesta* sunnan leoma 696
englum and eorS-warum 8ef>ele scima ofer middan-geard mona lixe# ga3st-lic tungol swa seo godes circe
jmrh gesomninga* sotSes and ryhtes 700
l)eorhte bliceS swa hit on bocum cwif> sif>J>an of grundum god-bearn a-stag* cyning clsenra gehwses fa seo circe her-
se-fyllendra eaht-nyese bad- 704
under hsef>enra« hyrda gewealdum j;ser (5a syn-sceaSan sopes ne giemdon gsestes f>earfe ac hi godes tempel
brsecan and bserndon blod-gyte worhtan 708
feodan and. fyldon hwsefre forS bicwom
685. forS, the only word on the last line 0/176; the rest of the line blank. 698. MS. lixed. 709. MS. feodan; between o and d a letter erased in MS.
I. CHRIST. B. THE ASCENSION.
45
steeled sword and weapon : one knoweth the plains' direction, 680
the wide ways. Thus the Ruler, Child divine,
dispenseth unto us His gifts on earth ;
He will not give to any one man all
the spirit's wisdom, lest pride injure him, 684
placed far above the rest by power of himself alone.
IV.
Thus mighty God, King of all created things, ennobleth by these crafts, by gifts unsparing, earth's progeny, and giveth joy 688
unto the blessed in heaven, and setteth peace for angels and for men to all eternity. He honoureth His work, even as the prophet said, that holy gems were raised aloft 692
on high, the stars serene of heaven, the sun and moon. What are these gems so bright, but God Himself?
He is the sun's true beam, 696
the noble light for angels and for men : the moon shineth o'er the middle-earth, a spiritual star, e'en as God's Church gleameth brightly through the congregations of the True and Just; as it saith in books, that when the Child divine, the King all pure, had ascended from the earth, then the Church here of the faithful ones endured oppression 704
'neath heathen shepherds' rule ; then the sinful took no heed of truth, nor of their spirit's needs, but brake and burned God's temple, wrought bloodshed, 708
hated and destroyed; yet through the Spirit's grace
lib * 5
700
^5^'
46 I. CHRIST. 710-744.
Jmrh gsestes giefe • godes f>egna bleed sefter up-stige ecan dryhtnes •
bi Jmn Salomon song- sunu dauifes 712
giedda gearo-snottor • gaest-geryimra waldend wer-J>eoda and beet word acwsetS cuS J>aet geweor'Se'S bcette cyning engla
meotud meahtum swift munt gestylletS 716
gehleapetS hea-dune hyllas and cnollas • bewriS mid his wuldre • woruld alysetS ealle eortS-* buend Jmrh f>one sefelan styll • *[18 b.] waes se forma hlyp jm he on faemnan astag 720
msegetS un-msele and J^ser mennisc hiw onfeng bntan firenum hcet to frofre geweartS eallum eorS-warura wses se oJ?er stiell
bearnes gebyrda* Jm he in binne wees 724
in cildes hiw clajmm bewnnden ealra Jjrymma J^rym wees se Jmdda hlyp rodor-cyninges raes )?a he on rode astag
feeder frofre gsest wses se feorSa stiell 728
in byrgenne f»a he Jmne beam ofgeaf fold-seme fsest w*es se fifta hlyp j?a he hell-warena heap forbygde
in cwic-snsle cyning inne gebond 732
feonda fore-sprecan fyrnum teagum grom-hydigne fzer he gen lige'5 in carcerne clommum gefsestnad
synnuwi gesseled • wses se siexta hlyp 736
haliges hyht-plega f>a he to heofonum astag on his eald-cyftSe j)a wses engla f»reat on J>a halgan tid hleahtre blij^e
wynnum geworden gesawan wnldres f>rym 740
se}?elinga ord e}>les neosan beorhtra bolda pa wear's burg-warum • eadgum ece gefea* sej^elinges plega
Jms her on grundum godes ece beam . 744
710. MS. blos^S. 731. MS. werena.
I. CHRIST. B. THE ASCENSION. 47
the welfare of God's servants was maintained
after the eternal Lord's ascent :
of this thing Solomon the son of David sang, 712
all-wise in song and secrets spiritual,
the ruler of the nations, and these words he spake: —
'This shall be known that the angels' King, the Lord strong in His might, shall mount a hill, 716
shall leap the lofty downs, shall with His glory wreathe the hills and knolls, and by that noble bound shall free the world and all that dwell on earth/
The first leap was when He descended to the damsel, 720 the spotless maid, and sinlessly took there a human form, which was a solace for all men on earth. The second spring was this, the infant's birth, when He, the Glory of all glories, 724
swathed in clothes was in the manger in child-form. The third leap was
the heavenly King's career when He, the Father's solace, mounted on the rood. The fourth spring was 728
into the tomb, when he left the tree, (and lay) fast within the earth-house. The fifth leap was when he bowed down the multitude of hell-folk in living torment, and bound their king within, 732
the devils' spokesman, so grim of spirit, with fiery fetters,- where he yet lieth in the prison there, fastened with bonds,
;uid bound with sins. The sixth leap was 736 '
the holy One's exultant revel when He to heaven ascended, onto his ancient home: then, the hosts of angels were blithe with laughter and with joy,
upon that holy tide : they saw the Crown of glory, 740
the Prince of nobles, draw near his native land, the bright abodes ; then was the Prince's revel eternal joy for the happy folk within that burgh.
Tims the eternal Child of God, here upon earth, 744
48 I. CHRIST. 745-778. .
ofer heah hleojm hlypum stylde
modig sefter muntum swa we men sculon
heortan gehygdum hlypum styllan
of meegne in msegen • maerj?um tilgan 748
pcet we to f»am hyhstan hrofe gestigan
halgura weorcura J>aer is hyht and blis
gef>ungen f>egn-weorud . is us fearf micel
pcet we mid heortan ha3lo secen • 752
J>aer we mid gseste georne * gelyfaS *[19 0.]
fset f>8et hselo-bearn heonan u'p-stige
mid usse lic-homan lifgende god
forj^on we a sculon idle lustas 756
syn-wunde forseon and pses sellran gefeon
habbaS we us to frofre feeder on roderum
selmeahtigne he his aras J>onan
halig of heahSu hider onsendetS 760
J>a us gescildaf) wi(S sce]}J>endra
efglum earh-farum pi lses un-holdan-
wunde gewyrcen ponne wroht-bora
in folc godes fortS onsendeS 764
of his braegd-bogan biterne stral
forj^on we feeste sculon wiS p&m fser-scyte
symle wserlice • wearde healdan
J>y laes se attres ord in-gebuge 768
biter bord-gelac under ban-locan
feonda fser-searo past bi<5 frecne wund
blatast benna utan us beorgan jm
j^enden we on eorSan eard weardigen 772
utan us to feeder freofa wilnian
biddan beam godes and f>one bliSan gsest
pcet he us gescilde wi5 sceafan waepnum •
la)?ra lyge-searwum se us lif forgeaf 776
leomu lie and gsest* si him lof symle
pwch woruld worulda • wuldor on heofnuw : 7
757. MS. sellan. 762. MS. englum. 766. MS. fcer,scyte. iff. MS. se. 778. Half-line space betiveen the sections.
I. CHRIST. B. THE ASCENSION. 49
sprang by leaps over the lofty hills, boldly from mount to mount, so must we men, in our hearts' thoughts, by such leaps spring from virtue unto virtue and strive for glory, 748
so that through holy works we may rise unto the highest height, where there is joy and bliss and ministering legions glorious. Great is our need, that we should seek salvation there with our hearts, 752
where we earnestly in spirit place our faith, so that the Saviour-Child, the living God, may with our bodies soar aloft from hence. Wherefore we must ever scorn all idle lusts 756
and wounds of sin, and rejoice in what is goodlier; we have our solace in the Almighty, our Father in heaven :) He, the holy One, will send His messengers down hither from on high 760
to shield us from the noxious arrow-flights of those that do us scathe, lest fiends should work us wounds, when the Accuser sendeth forth the bitter shaft 764
among God's folk from his drawn bow. Wherefore we must firmly and aye warily keep watch against the sudden shot,
lest the envenomed point, the bitter dart, 768
the sudden wile of foes, should enter in beneath the bones', enclosure : that is a grievous wound, the ghastliest of gashes. Let us then guard ourselves, while we hold habitation upon earth ; 77a
let us desire peace from the Father, and pray the Son of God, and eke the kindly Spirit, that He shield us from the spoilers' weapons, from the lying wiles of foes; He gave us life, 776
limbs, body, and eke spirit: ever to Him be prtite, glory in thf hoavui«, world without end.
£
50 1. CHRIST. 779-810.
[v.]
NE fearf him ondraedan deofla strselas senig on eorSan selda cynnes 780
gromra gar-fare gif hine god scildef) duguSa dryhten is J?am dome neah Ipcet we gelice sceolon leanura hleotan
swa we wide feorh weorcum hlodun 784
geond sidne grund . us secgaft bee hii set serestan ead-*mod astag • *[19 &.] in middan-geard msegna gold-hord
in faemnan fseftm freo beam godes • 788
halig of heahj?u huru ic wene me • and eac ondrgede • dom ffy re}>ran • Sonne eft cymeS engla J>eoden
\>e ic ne heold teala Ipcet me haelend min 792
on bocum bibead ic j?ses brogan sceal geseon s/n-wrsece fees \>e ic soft talge V peer monig beoS on gemot \xded
fore onsyne eces deman 796
porme • h • cwacacS • gehyre'S cyning mseSlan • rodera ryhtend* sprecan ref>e word f>am J>e him aer in worulde wace hyrdon
fendan • fjj • and *f . yj»ast meahtan 800
frofre findan J>ser sceal forht monig on Jmm wong-stede werig bidan hwaet him sefter daedum deman wille
wrafra wita bif> se • ^ • scaecen 804
eorf>an fraetwa h • wses longe .
Is • flodum bilocen lif-wynna dasl •
P • on foldan Iponne fraetwe sculon
byrnan on baele blac rasettecS 808
recen reada leg relpe scri^eS*
geond woruld wide wongas hreosatS
783. hleotan, h evidently added later. 790. MS. clyre])ran. 795. MS.
I. CHRIST. B. THE ASCENSION. 51
No one of the race of men on earth need fear the devil's shafts, 780
the spear-flight of the fiends, if God, the Lord of hosts, shieldeth him. The day of doom is nigh, so that we shall gain the recompense
that by our works we have amassed on this wide earth, 784 during the length of life. Books tell us, how at first the noble Son of God, glory's Treasury, holy from on high,
humbly descended to the middle-earth 788
into the damsel's keeping. Verily I ween, and eke I fear, a doom the sterner, when the Prince of angels cometh a second time, for that I kept not well that which my Saviour 792
bade me in his books : therefore shall I see terror and sin-vengeance, I know full well, when many shall be brought unto the concourse before the presence of the eternal Judge. 796
Then the Keen shall quake, when he heareth the king, heaven's ruler, speak and utter wrathful words to those who erewhile in the world obeyed him feebly, while Yearning and Need might most easily 800
find solace : there many a one afeard shall wearily await upon that plain what fearful penalty He will adjudge to him after his deeds : then the Winsomeness of earthly gauds 804 shall be all changed. Longsince, the portion of life's joys, allotted Us, by Lake-floods was enclosed, our Fortune on the earth : then shall earthly gauds consume in fire ; bright and swift 808
the ruddy flame shall rage and fiercely stride o'er the wide world ; the plains shall fall,
Inda'S. 797-807. The runic letter* in the text are taken to represent
■;,,!,, //,,. wordi :— Cene, Yfel, Nyd, Wyn, tfr, Lagu, Feoh.
i
E 2
.1~-*-
52 I. CHRIST. 8H-844.
burg-stede berstaft brond biS on tyhte
seletS eald-gestreon unmurnlice 81 a
geesta gifrast pcet geo guman heoldan
f>enden him on eorf>an onmedla wa?s-
forf>on ic leofra gehwone leeran wille
fast he ne ageele gsestes J>earfe 816
ne on gylp geote }?enden god wille
post he her in worulde wunian mote
somed sif>ian sawel in lice
in J»am gsest-hofe scyle gumena gehwylc 820
on his gear-dagum georne bif>encan
pcet us milde bicwom meahta waldend
aet *aerestan J>urh }>8es engles word • *[20 a-']
hi (5 nn eorneste ponne eft cymet5 824
re<5e and ryhtwis rodor bi$ onhrered
and J>as miclan gemetu middan-geardes
beheofia'S • ponne beorht cyning leanacS
J>ass pe hy on eorf>an eargum dsedum 828
lifdon leahtrum fa • f>aes hi longe sculon
ferS-werige onfon in fyr-ba#e
waelmum biwrecene wraf>-lic and-le&n •
ponne rnasgna cyning on gemot cymetS S3 2
}?rymma msesta J?eod-egsa bi(S
hlud gehyred bi heofon-woman
cwaniendra cirm cerge reota(5
fore onsyne eces deman 836
pa pe hyra weorcum wace truwiacS
Saer bi)? o(5-ywed egsa mara
ponne from frum -gesceape gefrsegen wurde
sefre on eorSan J>ser bi(5 eeghwylcum 840
syn-wyrcendra on J?a snudan tid
leofra micle ponne eall f»eos lame gesceaft
p&r he hine sylfne on J>am sige-freate
behydan msege ponne herga frum a 844
830. MS. fyr bade. 835. MS. cwanendra.
I. CHRIST. B. THE ASCENSION. 53
the citadels shall crash; the fire shall on its way;
unpityingly shall he, greediest of guests, burn up 8ia
the ancient treasures which men held of old,
while pride dwelt with them upon earth.
Wherefore I will instruct each well-beloved
lest he be careless of his spirit's need, 816
or pour it forth in boasting, whilst God willeth
that he may dwell here in the world,
whilst soul with body, the guest-house it is in,
may journey on together. Each man must 820
consider in his life-days well,
how He, the Lord of might, was kind to us
at first, according to the angel's word.
He will then be stern when he cometh again, 824
wrathful and rigorous. The heavens shall shake,
and all the great estates of middle-earth
shall wail, when the bright King requiteth them
for that they lived on earth in wicked deeds, 828
crime-stained : wherefore they must long,
aweary of themselves, beset with flames, endure
dire retribution in the bath of fire,
when the mighty King cometh to the concourse there, 832
with greatest majesty : then men's terror,
the cry of mourners, shall be heard aloud,
amid the noises of the heavens ; sadly shall they wail
afore the presence of the eternal Judge, 836
who have but faint reliance in their works.
Then shall be seen a greater terror
than ever hath been heard of on the earth,
since the beginning: there at that sudden time 840
« ;u li sinner will have liefer far
tlmn all this transient creation
MM place where he may hide him
in that rush of triumph, when the Lord of hosts, 844
54 I. CHRIST. 845-874.
8eJ>elinga ord eallum demeft
leofum ge LuSum lean sefter ryhte
J?eoda gehwylcre is us f>earf micel
])cet we gsestes wlite ser J>am gryre-brogan 848
on J>as gsesnan tid georne bij?encen«
Nu is f>on gelicost swa we on lagu-flode
ofer cald wseter ceolura HcSan
geond sidne see sund-hengestum 852
fiod-wudu fergen . is })9et frecne stream •
yt5a ofermaeta J?e we her on lacatS
geond pas wacan woruld windge holmas ,
ofer deop gelad wses se drohtaft strong 856
ser J»on we to londe geliden *ha3fdon *[20 b.~\
ofer hreone hrycg J>a us help bicwom
peet us to hselo hylpe gelsedde /
godes gsest-sunu and us giefe sealde 860
\)8dt we oncnawan magun ofer ceoles bord
hwaer we sselan sceolon sund-hengestas
ealde y(S-mearas ancrum fseste
utan us to £>8ere hyfte hylit , staf>elian • 864
fta us gerymde rodera waldend
halge on heahf>u J>a he heofonum astag : — :/ :/ \j
[C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.]
BONNE MID FERE fold-buende se micla dseg meahtan dryhtnes 868
set midre niht msegne bihlseme'S scire gesceafte swa oft sceaSa fsecne £>eof jmst-lice \>e on fystre fare^S on sweartre niht sorg-lease haeletS 873
semninga for-fehtS sleepe gebundne eorlas ungearwe yfles gena?ge(5
866. Two-line space between the sections.
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 55
the Chief of princes, shall adjudge to all,
to friends and foes, to every one of men,
a righteous recompense. Great is our need,
that in this barren time, ere that grim terror, 848
we should fain bethink us of our spirit's grace.
Now 'tis most like as if we fare in ships on the ocean-flood, over the water cold,
and drive the flood- wood through the spacious sea, 85 a
with horses of the deep : a perilous stream is this of boundless waves, and these are stormy seas, on which we toss about, here in this feeble world,
o'er the deep paths. The way was hard, 856
ere that we had sailed unto the land, over the troubled main; then came there help to us, that brought us to the haven of salvation, God's Spirit-Son, and gave us grace 860
that we may know, e'en from the vessel's deck, where we must bind with anchors fast our ocean-steeds, old stallions of the waves. O let us rest our hope in that same port, 864
which the Sovereign of the skies opened for us, holy on high, when He to heaven ascended.
C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.
With sudden fear, at midnight then,
the mighty Lord's great day, 868
.shall boldly strike earth's habitants £+*****
and the bright creation, even as some wily robber, ' f»** *
■ some daring thief that prowleth in the dark,
in the swart night, Burpriseth suddenly 87a
careless mortals bound in sin p.
tad evilly assaullctli men tnpreptred.
56 I. CHEIST. 875-909.
swa on syne beorg somod up cymeS
msegen-folc micel meotude getrywe 876
beorht and blij^e bim vveorfe'S blsed gifen ■
fonne from feovverum fold an sceatum
f am ytemestum eorjmn rices
englas sel-beorhte on efen blawaS 880
byman on brehtme beofaS middan-geard
hruse under hoelefmm , hlydaS tosomne
trume and torhte wiS tungla gong
singatS and swinsiaf) suj>an and norf>an 884
eastan and. westan ofer tealle gesceaft
weccatS of deafte dryht-gumena beam
eall monna cynn *to meotud-sceafte *[21 a.]
eges-lic of peere ealdan moldan hataS hy upp-astandan 888
sneome of slsepe f>y fsestan fser mon mceg sorgende folc
gehyran hyge-geomor hearde gefysed
cearum cwif»ende cwicra gewyrhtu
forhte a-fserde pcet bi^ fore-tacna msest 892
jmra \ e ser dplpe sift sefre gewurde
monnum o]>ywed J?ar gemengde beo"5
onhselo gelac engla and deofla
beorhtra and blacra weor)?etS bega cyme 896
hwitra and sweartra swa him is bam sceapen
ungelice englum and deoflum
\)onne semninga on syne beorg
sujmn eastan sunnan leoma 900
cyrnetS of scyppende scynan leohtor
\)onne hit men nisegen modum ahycgan
beorhte blican Iponne beam godes
j?urh heofona gehleodu hider otS-ywetS 904
cyme<5 wundorlic cristes onsyn
8e})el-cyninges wlite eastan fram roderum
on sefan swete sinum folce
biter bealo-fullum gebleod wundrum • 908
eadgum and earmuv/i ungelice
885. M8. healle.
I. CHRIST.
THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.
57
ate
So to Sion's hill a mighty host,
radiant and blithe, shall ascend together,
the faithful of the Lord : glory shall be given them.
Then from the world's four coiners,
from the uttermost regions of the realm of earth,
resplendent angels shall loudly, with one accord,
sound their trumpets, and mid-earth shall quake,
and the region under men. Boldly and gloriously
shall they blow together toward the stars' career,
and sing and chant from south and north,
from east and west, o'er all creation,
and wake from death unto the final doom,
aghast from the old earth, the sons of warrior-men
and all mankind, and bid them arise
forthwith from their deep sleep. There one may hear
a sorrowing host, dismal and hard bestead,
sorely afeard, bewailing woefully
their deeds when living. This shall be the greatest sign
of all those which aye, erewhile or since,
were shown to men : to wit, the hidden hosts
of angels and of devils, the bright and dark,
shall be commingled ; there shall come both,
the white and black, as a home is shaped for them,
for angels and for devils, all unlike.
Then suddenly to Sion's hill a sun-beam from south-east shall come from the Creator, shining more brilliantly than men may ween of in their minds, and gleaming brightly ; then the Son of God hitherward shall appear o'er heaven's vaults ; wondrous from the east of heaven shall come Christ's presence, the aspect of the noble King,
t -minded to his own folk, litter to the baleful, marvellously visaged, diversely for the blcsted and the forlorn.
876
880
884
it*
888
892
896
90O
CMO) 904
908
58 I. CHRIST. 91O-944.
he bit5 jmm godum glsed-mod on gesihf>e • wlitig wynsumlic weorude p&m halgan •
on gefean faeger • freond and leoftael • 912
lufsum and lif>e leofum monnum to sceawianne J?one scynan wlite weftne mid willum waldendes cyme
maegen-cyninges ]mm Ipe him on mode aer 916
wordum and weorcum wel gecwemdun • he bit5 ]?am yflum eges-lic and grim-lie to geseonne synnegum monnum
j?am peer mid firenum *cuma"S forS for-worhte . *[21 &.] 920 Ipset maeg wites to wearninga J>am pe hafacS wisne gefoht Ipat se him eallunga owiht ne ondraedecS se for "Saere onsyne egsan ne weorJ>etS
forht on fer<5e porme he frean gesihcS 924
ealra gesceafta* cmdweardne faran mid maegen-wundrum mongum to fringe ond him on healfa gehwowe heofon-engla f>reat ymb-utan faratS selbeorhtra scolu 928
hergas haligra heapum geneahhe . dyneS deop gesceaft and fore dryhtne faereS W83lm-fyra maest ofer widne grund «
hlemmetS hata leg heofonas berstatS 932
trume and torhte tungol of-hreosaS poime weorj^ecS sunne sweart gewended on blodes hiw seo "Se beorhte scan
ofer aer-woruld aelda bearnum < 936
Mona \>cet sylfe Ipe aer mon-cynne nihtes lyhte nif>er gehreose'S and steorran swa some stredaS of heofone
J?urh 5a strongan lyft stormum abeatne • 940
Wile aelmihtig mid his engla gedryht maegen-cyninga meotod on gemot cuman frym-faest f>eoden , bi(5 J?aer his fegna eac
hrej>-eadig heap . halge sawle 944
927. MS. gehwore.
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 59
For the good, the holy company, He shall be joyful of presence, beauteous; winsome,
fair in delight, loving and gracious. 912
Sweet shall it be and pleasant for His beloved to view that radiant aspect, all benign of will, the coming of the Ifculer, of the mighty King, yea, for those erewhile 916
who pleased Him well, by words and works. For the evil ones, the sinful, He shall be terrific and fearful to behold,
for those who come there aye fordone by crime. 920
It may be for a sign unto his mind who hath wise thought, that he need dread him nought at all, who afore that presence becometh not
afeard with terror in his soul, when he see'th the Lord 924 of all created things advance before him with mighty wonders to the doom of many, while on each side of Him bands of heavenly angels fare round about, legions of all-bright ones, 928
companies of the holy, with full many a host. The great creation shall resound, and before the Lord shall go the greatest of all raging fires throughout the spacious earth : hot flame shall roar, the heavens shall burst, 932
the steadfast and bright planets shall fall down; ^^»«^» then shall the sun be changed, all swart, to the hue of blood,, the sun which brightly shone for the sons of men above the former world : 936
likewise the moon which erewhile gave light for mankind in the night shall fall adown, and the stars too shall descend from heaven, tempest-driven through the stormy air. 940
Then the Almighty, the Creator of great Kings, will come unto the concourse with His angel-host, lie the Lord majestic: there eke of His serrftntfl ilieit* shall I" a proud and li.ippy band i the holy souls 944
60 I. CHRIST. 945-974.
mid hyra frean faraS \>o\\ne folca weard
fmrh egsan f>rea eortSan msegcSe
sylfa geseceS . weorf>e<5 geond sidne grund
hlud gehyred heofon-byman stefh 948
and on seofon healfa "swogatS windas
blawaS brecende bearhtma mseste
weccacS and woniacS woruld mid storme •
*fylla(5 mid feore foldan gesceafte • *[22 «.] 952
"Sonne heard gebrec hlud un-msete
swar and swicSlic sweg-dynna maest
seldnm eges-lic eawed weor]3e(5
peer msegen werge monna cynnes 956
wornum hweorfaS on .widne leg
fa Jpser cwice meteS cwelmende f/r
sume up sume nifer seldes fulle •
ponne bi(5 untweo fset fser adames • 960
cfn cearena full cwif>e"S gesargaeZ
nales fore lytlum leode geomre
ac fore fam msestan msegen-earfefum.
%orme eall £>reo on efen nimecS 964
won fyres wselm wide tosomne
se swearta lig sees mid hyra fiscum
eorfan mid hire beorgum and up-heofon
torhtne mid his tunglum teon-leg somod 968
fryfmm bsernetS freo eal on an
grimme togsedre grorna(S gesargad
eal middan-geard on f>a mseran tid :j
[ii.]
8WA se gifra gsest grundas geond-sece'S 972
hifende leg heah-getimbro fylletS on fold-wong fyres egsan
960. MS. untreo. adames: the first and seconds, in tliu ivord resemble* the rounded Celtic et, and is different to the ordinary letter employed hy the scribe. 961. MS. gesargaS. 970. gesargad; d originally S, the stroke
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 61
with their Lord shall fare, when the Guardian of all folk
Himself shall visit with dread punishment
the races of the earth : then through the spacious plain
the voice of heaven's trumpet shall be heard aloud, 948
and on the seven sides the winds shall howl
and blow and break with greatest noise,
and wake and waste the world with storm,
and with their breath o'erthrow the earth's creation. 952
Then a hard crash, loud, immeasurable,
heavy and violent, the greatest of fierce dins,
terrible for mortals, shall be manifest.
Then legions of the race of men, accursed, 956
shall wend in multitudes into wide flame,
and living shall there feel destroying fires,
some up, some down, fulfilled with burning.
Small doubt that there the cheerless race of Adam, 960
shall utter lamentations, full of sorrows,
afflicted with no feeble tribulation,
but with great anguish, direfullest and worst,
when the pallid surge of fire, the swarthy flame, 964
shall seize all those three things, at once, alike,
and far and wide; to wit, seas with their fish,
earth with her hills, and heaven above
bright with its stars ; the avenging flame 968
shall fiercely burn all three, at once,
with fearful onset : all middle-earth,
afflicted at that mighty time, shall mourn.
II.
So shall the greedy guest pervade the earth ; 972
Um ravaging flame shall hurl with fire's terror the lofty buildings down unto the plain;
hat been erased. 971. One line ttpnee between the tectiom. 972. MS. SWA, the scribe ha* forgotten to put the utrohe through the A.
62 I. CHRIST. 975-IO08.
wid-msere blaest woruld mid-ealle
hat heoro-gifre hreosacS geneahhe 976
to-brocene burg-weallas beorgas gemeltatS
and heah-cleofu \a wi(5 holme ser
faeste wiS flodum foldan scefdun
sticS and staetS-fsest sta]?elas wiS waege 980
waetre windendum. Ipomie wihta gehwylce
deora and fugla deaS-leg nimeS
faeretS aefter foldan fyr-swearta leg
*weallende wiga swa eer wseter fleowan *[22 b.~] 984
flodas afysde • ponne on fyr-bafte
swelaS sse-fiscas sundes getwaefde
waeg-deora gehwylc werig sweltetS
byrnef) waeter swa weax J?aer biS wundra ma 988
J>onwe hit aenig on mode maege afencan
hu J?aet gestun and se storm and seo stronge lyft
brecaS brade gesceaft beornas gretacS
wepatS wanende wergum stefnum 992
heane hyge-geomre hreowum gedreahte •
Seof>eS swearta leg synne on fordonum
and gold-fraetwe gleda forswelgatS
eall aer-gestreon ej>el-cyninga • 996
8aer bi(S cirm and cearu and cwicra gewin
gehreow and hlud wop bi heofon- woman
earmlic aelda gedreag J^onan aenig ne maeg
firen-daedum fah fricS gewinnan 1000
leg-bryne losian londes ower •
Ac f>aet fyr nimeS f>urh foldan gehwaet
graefetS grim-lice georne asececS
innan and utan eorftan sceatas 1004
o^aet eall hafaS aeldes leoma
woruld-widles worn waelme forbaerned •
Son we mihtig god on J?one maeran beorg
mid ])j maestan maegen-f>rymme cymetS 1008
978. MS. Jm. 979. MS. scehdun.
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 03
the fierce-devouring, hot, wide-spreading blast
shall overthrow the world withal ; all shattered 976
the city-walls shall fall; the hills shall melt
and the high cliffs, which erewhile parted earth
stoutly and steadfastly from ocean,
firm-set against the floods, bulwarks against the wave 980
and circling water. Then shall the death-flame seize
each living creature, beast and bird ;
the fire-swart flame shall fare through earth
like a raging warrior; where erst the waters flowed, 984
the rushing floods, in a sea of fire shall burn
the fishes of the deep ; bereft of swimming-craft
each of the beasts of ocean shall a-weary die ;
water shall burn as wax; there shall more wonders be 988
than any mortal may conceive in mind,
when the roar and the storm and the raging wind
shall break the broad creation ; men shall wail
and weep and moan with abject voices, 99a
humble, sad in mind, overwhelmed with penitence.
The swart flame shall seethe on those damned by sin,
and gledes shall gorge the golden ornaments,
all the ancient treasures of the kings of earth. 996
There shall be cry and sorrow, the strife of those alive,
misery and loud lament 'mid the heaven's roar,
the sorry plight of men. Thence not any man
stained with sinful crime, may peace achieve, 1000
or anywhere escape the burning flame ;
but the fire shall seize each thing on earth,
shall fiercely delve and eagerly shall search
the tracts of earth within and without, 1004
until the fire's glow hath purged with heat
all the stain of the world's pollution.
Then the mighty God, the heavenly angels' King, shall come with greatest majesty 1008
64 I. CHRIST. IOO9-IO42.
heofon-engla cyning halig seined
wuldorlic ofer weredum waldende god«
ond hine ymb-utan ae^el-dugutS betast
halge here-fetSan hlutre blicaS 10 1 a
eadig engla gedryht in-geJ»oncum
forhte beofiatS fore feeder egsan.
forj^on nis aenig wundor hu him woruld-monna
seo unclsene gecynd cearum sorgende 1016
hearde ondrede • ^onne sio halge gecynd
*hwit and heofon-beorht heag-engla maegen [*23 a.]
for "Ssere onsyne beotS egsan afyrhte
bidatS beofiende beorhte gesceafte 1020
dryhtnes domes daga eges-licast
weorf»e'S in worulde porme wuldor-cyning
J>urh f>rym J>reat5 f>eoda gehwylce
hate'3 a-risan reord-berende 1024
of fold-grafum folc anra gehwyle
cuman to gemote • mon-cynnes gehwone .
Iporme eall hrafte adames cynn
onfeh(S flaesce weor^eS fold-rasste 1028
eardes set ende sceal ponne anra gehwyle
fore cristes cyme cwic arisan
leoftum onfon and lic-homan
ed-geong wesan hafaft eall on him 1032
J?aes ]>e he on foldan in fyrn-dagum
godes dppe gales on his gaeste gehlod
geara gongum hafaft aet-gaedre l>u
lie and sawle sceal on leoht cuman 1036
sinra weorca wlite and worda gemynd
and heortan gehygd fore heofona cyning •
Donne bij? geyced and geedniwad
mon-cyn J?urh meotud micel ariseS 1040
dryht-folc to dome sij>f>an deaf>es bend
to-lese<5 lif-frumat lyft bi<S onbaerned
1027. adames see note, 1. 960. 1042. MS. lif-fruman.
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 05
unto that noble hill ; glorious o'er His hosts,
the sovereign God shall shine in holiness ;
and, Him around, the goodliest chivalry,
the holy warrior-band, the blessed angel-troop, 1012
shall brightly gleam ; they tremble
in terror of the Father, in their inmost thoughts afeard.
Wherefore 'tis no wonder that the unclean race
of worldly men shall sorely be a-dread 10 t 6
and sorrowfully wail, whenas the holy race,
the white and heavenly bright, the archangels' host,
before that Presence shall be with fear affrighted;
trembling the radiant creatures shall abide 1020
their Sovereign's doom. Most terrible of days in the world
that day shall be, when the glorious King
shall mightily o'erwhelm full every race,
and bid each single folk, creatures of speech, 1024
arise from out their earthy graves,
and come each man to that assembly.
Then full quickly shall Adam's kin take flesh,
there shall be an end of their earthly rest, 1028
and of their sojourn ; then at Christ's coming
each one of them shall rise up quickened,
and shall take limb and fleshly covering,
and shall be young again, and have within him all 1032
that he on earth, in former days,
in the course of years, heaped upon his soul,
of good or bad ; he shall have together
both the body and the soul ; the image of his works, io^fi
and the memory of his words, and the thoughts of his heart,
shall come to light before the heaven's King.
Then mankind shall be multiplied and renewed
by its Creator: a mighty multitude 1040
sliall arise to judgment, after life's Author sh.-ill unbind
the bonds of dentli; tin- riir .shall Ik? kindled,
F
66 I. CHRIST. IO43-IO77.
hreosatS heofon-steorran hyjmS wide
gifre glede gaestas hweorfaS 1044
on ecne eard opene weor^acS
ofer middan-geard monna dsede ■
ne magun hord wera heortan gefohtas
fore waldende wihte bemijmn- 1048
ne sindon him daeda dyrne ac })8er biS dryhtne cu"S
on )mm miclan daege hu monna gehwylc
aar earnode eces lifes
and eall andwe&rd Ipcet hi aer oplpe sitS 1052
worhtun in worulde • ne bio fser wilit for-*holen *[23 &.]
monna gehygda ac se masra daeg
hre}>er-locena hord heortan ge)?ohtas
ealle aetyweo1 . ser sceal gej>encan 1056
gaestes fearfe sepe gode myntetS
bringan beorhtne wlite ]?onne bryne Costa's
hat heoru-gifre hu gehealdne sind
sawle wi<S synnum fore sige-deman« 1060
ISonne sio by man stefen and se beorhta segn
and J>aet hate fyr and seo hea duguft
and se engla Iprym and se egsan J>rea
and se hearda daeg and seo hea rod 1064
ryht araered rices to beacne
folc-dryht wera biforan bonnacS
sawla gehwylce f>ara J>e si(S olplpe aer
on lic-homan leoj^um onfengen • 106S
tSonwe weoroda maest fore waldende
ece and ed-geong awdweard gaecS
neode and nyde bi noman gehatne
bera<S breosta hord fore beam godes 1072
feores fraetwe wile faeder eahtan
hu gesunde suna sawle bringen
of J»am eole J>e hi on lifdon-
ftonne beoo1 bealde • J>a f>e beorhtne wlite 1076
meotude bringacS bi(5 hyra meaht and gefea
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 67
heaven's stars shall fall ; the greedy fire
shall ravage far and wide; souls shall wend 1044
to their eternal home ; the deeds of men shall be full manifest throughout mid-earth. The treasured thoughts of men, the meditations of their heart, may nowise be concealed before the Ruler; 1048
deeds are not dark to Him ; but there on that great day it shall be known unto the Lord how every man shall ere have merited eternal life,
and all shall be revealed that each hath wrought, 105 a
early or late on earth. Nought shall be hid there of the thoughts of men, but that great day discloseth all the locked mind's treasury,
all meditations of the heart. He must think 1056
erewhile of his spirit's need, who would bring to God an aspect fair, when the hot devouring fire assayeth before the Judge triumphant
how souls have been restrained from sin. 1060
Lo, then the trumpet's voice and the bright sign, and the hot fire and the exalted warrior-band, and the glory of the angels and the pang of terror, and the stern day and the high rood, 1064
raised up erect in sign of mastery, shall summon forward all the hosts of men, the souls of all that early or late
took limb within the body's covering. 1068
Whenas the greatest host, appearing before the Sovereign, eternal and with youth renewed, shall fare, by force and need, yea, called by name,
and shall bear before God's Child their bosoms' hoard, 107,1 the treasures of their life, then will the Father see how all unmarred His sons may bring their souls e'en from the land in which they lived erewhile. Tin n shall they be bold that bring the Lord 1076
an Biped fair ; their might and joy shall !■»•
p a
68 I. CHRIST. TO78-TIO7.
swiSe gesselig-lic sawlum to gielde
wuldor-lean weorca . wel is fam pe motuw
on pa grimman tid gode lician : 7 1080
[in.]
PJER him sylfe geseoft sorga mseste syn-fa men sarig-fercSe • ne bitS him to are pset peer fore ell-J^eodum usses dryhtnes rod andweard stondecS 1084
beacna beorhtast blode bestemed heofon-cyninges hlutran dreore biseon mid swate fset ofer side gesceaft
scire scinecS . sceadu *beocS bidyrned • *[24 a.] 1088
J>aer se leohta beam leodum byrhtecS fset p eah to teonum [geteod] weorf)eS feodum to £>rea ]?am pe Iponc gode
wom-wyrcende wita ne cubun 1092
bges he on J?one halgan beam ahongen waes fore mon-cynnes man-forwyrhtu • bser he leof-lice lifes ceapode
beoden mon-cynne on bam daege 1096
mid by weor<5e fe no worn dyde his lic-homa leahtra firena mid by usic alysde pees he eft-lean wile
burh eorneste ealles genomian* n 00
ftonne sio reade rod ofer ealle swegle scinetS on bgere sunnan gyld on pa forhtlice firenum fordone
swearte syn-wyrcend sorgum wlitaft n 04
geseocS him to bealwe pcet him betst bicwom bser hy hit to gode ongietan wolclan and eac ba ealdan wunde and pa, openan dolg
1079. M& motum. 1080. lician :y the only tvord in the line dividing
the sections. 1088. MS. bydyrned. 1090. [geteod], conjectural.
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OE JUDGMENT. 69
full happy, their souls' recompense,
their works' great meed. Well is it for those
who at that awful time are pleasing unto God ! 1080
III.
There men stained with sin, sad in their soul, shall see the greatest sorrow for themselves in this, — not for their grace shall it be that our Lord's rood, of beacons the brightest, shall stand forth there 1084
before the diverse tribes of men, moist with the gore of heaven's King, with His pure blood, o'erflowing with His sweat, that o'er the wide creation it shall shine full clear ; shadow shall be banished, 1088
where'er the bright beam shineth forth for folk; yet it shall be for the discomfiture and torment of all those who working ill
did not know the thanks due unto God, 1093
in that He was hanged upon the holy tree for mankind's base misdeeds, where He, our Sovereign, He whose body
wrought no crime, nor any wicked sin, 1096
sold His life lovingly upon that day, for mankind's sake, for that same price with which He ransomed us; for all this
sternly will He exact His payment then, uco
when through all heaven, yea, instead of sun, the red rood ahull shine forth ; fearfully and sorrowfully they shall look thereon, black workers of sin defiled by wickedness; 11 04
the best thing in tin- world shall seem their banc,
when they would bin regard it as their bliws; with souls aweary they shall eke behold
70 T. CHRIST. T 1 08-1 142.
on hyra dryhtne geseoS dreorig-ferSe 1108
swa him mid naeglum ]?urh-drifan niS-hycgende
J>a hwitan honda and f>a halgan fet
and of his sidan swa some swat forletan
pser blod and wseter butu set-somne 1 1 1 2
ut bicwoman fore eagna gesyhtS
rinnan fore rincura J?a he on rode wses •
eall f>is magon him sylfe geseon ponne
open orgete pest he for selda lufan iu6
firen-fremmendra fela frowade •
magun leoda beam leohte oncnawan
hu hine lygnedon lease on gelponcum
hysptun hearm-cwidum and on his hleor somod 11 20
hyra spatl speowdon spraecon him edwit
and on fone eadgan andwlitem swa some
hel-fuse men hondum slogun
folmum areahtum and fystum eac • 1 1 24
and ymb his heafod heardne gebigdon
beag fyrnenne • *blinde on gef>oncum • *[24 &.]
dysge and gedwealde gesegun J>a dumban gesceaft
eorcSan eal-grene and up-rodor 11 28
forhte gefelan frean J^rowinga
and mid cearum cwiSdun feah hi cvvice naeron
fa hyra scyppend sceaf>an onfengon
syngum hondum . sunne wear (5 adwaesced 1132
J?ream aj>rysmed }>a sio f»eod geseah
in hierusalem godwebba cyst
J?eet ser "5am halgan huse sceolde
to weorJ?unga weorud sceawian 11 36
ufan eall forbaerst ]>wt hit on eorf»an laeg
on twam styccum p aes temples segl
wundor-bleom geworht to wlite J>aes huses
sylf slat on tu swylce hit seaxes ecg 1140
scearp f>urh-wode scire burstan
muras and stanas monge aefter foldan
1 131. 31 S. }>a J>e hyra.
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 71
the ancient wounds and open sores upon the Lord, 1108
even as the base contrivers pierced with nails
the white hands and the holy feet,
and from his side too let out the gore,
and blood and water both at once n 12
came gushing forth before the people there,
in sight of their eyes, when He was on the rood.
All this may they themselves then see
open and manifest, that He bore much 11 16
for love of men, for wicked sinners' sake ;
the sons of men may easily perceive
how they, false in their thoughts, belied Him,
mocked Him with insults, and on His face too 11 20
spat their spittle; spake to Him with taunt,
and e'en upon the blessed visage
the hell-prone men struck with their hands,
with outstretched palms, and with their fists, 11 24
and wreathed a hard thorn-crown
about his head, blind in their thoughts,
foolish and erring. They saw how dumb creation,
the earth all green and heaven above, 11 28
felt fearfully the sufferings of the Lord ;
and sorely mourned they, though they were not quick,
when impious men seized on their Creator
with sinful hands. The sun became obscured, 1132
darkened with misery ; then in Jerusalem
the people saw the choicest of all textures,
which folk erewhile were wont to wonder at,
as the glory of the holy house, 11 36
burst all right down, so that in pieces twain
it lay upon the earth ; the temple's veil,
with wondrous colours wrought to adorn that house,
in twain was rent, as if a falchion's edge 11 40
full sharp, had passed there-through. Sheer crashed
walls and stones a-many throughout earth,
72 I. CHRIST. II43-II77.
and seo eorfte eac egsan myrde
beofode on bearhtme and se brada see 1144
cyftde crseftes meaht and of clomme braec
up yrriiiga on eorfan f£e(5m
ge on stede scynum steorran forleton
hyra sweesne wlite, on J?a sylfan tid n 48
heofon hluttre ongeat hwa hine healice
torhtne getremede tungol-gimmum •
forbon he his bodan sende J?a waes geboren serest
gesceafta scir-cyning • hwset eac scyldge men 1152
gesegon to soSe f>y sylfan dsege
J?e on fro wade feod-wundor micel
\>cetie eortSe ageaf jm hyre on laegun
eft lifgende up astodan 11 56
J?a pe heo ser fa3ste bifen hsefde
deade bibyrgde J?e dryhtnes bibod
heoldon on href>re • hell eac ongeat
scyld-wreccende • \>at se scyppend cwom 11 60
waldende god J?a heo Ipcet weorud ageaf
hlop>e of J>am hatan hrebre hyge wearS mongum blissad
*sawlum sorge to-glidene • hwaet eac sse cySde *[25 a.]
hwa hine gesette on sidne grand 1164
tir-meahtig cyning ■ forfon he hine tredne him
ongean gyrede foime god wolde
ofer sine y(5e gan eah-stream ne dorste
his frean fet flode bisencan • u 68
ge eac beamas onbudon hwa hy mid bledum sceop
monge nales lea* $a mihtig god
on hira anne gestag J>ser he earfefu
gebolade fore fearfe feod-buendra 11 72
laftlicne deatS leodum to helpe •
Sa wearS beam monig blodigum tearum
birunnen under rindum reade and J?icce
sep wear"S to swate • feet asecgan ne maguw 1 1 76
fold-buende Jnirh frod gewit
1 1 58. MS. bibyrgede, i. e. bibyrgde. 1168. MS. fream. 1176. MS. magum.
I. CHRIST. C. THE PAY OF JUDGMENT. 73
and all the earth was marred through fear,
and quaked full suddenly ; and the broad sea 1 144
showed forth its power's might, and angrily
from durance brake over earth's bosom;
yea, in their beauteous place the stars forsook
their aspect sweet; at that same time 1148
the radiant heaven discerned who erst
had made it bright on high with starry gems;
forsooth it sent its heralds, when first was born
creation's noble King. Yea, even guilty men 1152
beheld in sooth on that same day
whereon He suffered, a marvel passing great,
to wit, earth yielded those who in her lay ;
they stood up living once again, n 56
those whom she had erewhile held fast,
the dead and buried, who had kept in mind
the Lord's command. Hell, the sin-avenging,
knew also that the Maker and the ruling God 11 60
was come, when she gave up the multitude,
the host, from her hot bosom ; the hearts of many were
then comforted, their sorrows vanished from their souls. Yea, eke the sea declared who had set it on its spacious bed, — 1164
the gloriously mighty King ; therefore it made itself passable for him, when God would fare over its wave ; the water-stream dared not
with its flood submerge its Master's feet. 1168
Y< ;i. trees, a many, nowise few, likewise proclaimed who shaped them with their blossoms, when mighty God on one of them ascended, where He endured miseries for the need of earth's inhabitants, 11 72
a loathsome death, to succour men. Then was many a tree beneath its bark suffused with bloody tears, all red and thiek ;
thcil Mp was turned to gOFC. Btfth'l habitant - 1176
may not declare from their deep understanding,
74: I. CHRIST. 1 1 78-I208.
hu fela J>a onfundun pa, gefelan ne magun
dryhtnes J>rowinga deade gesceafte
pa, pe 9ef>elast sind eorcSan gecynda 11 80
and heofones eac heah-getimbro •
eall fore }mni anum unrot gewearS
forht afongen J>eah hi fertS-gewit
of hyra aef>elum senig ne cuf>en 1184
wendon swa peah. wundrum fa hyra waldend for
of lic-homan leode ne cufan
mod-blinde men meotud oncnawan
flintum heardran pwt hi frea nerede 1188
fram hell-cwale halgum meahtum
alvvalda god pcet set serestan
fore-foncle men from fruman worulde
j^urh wis gewit witgan dryhtnes 119a
halge hige-gleawe haelej»um saegdon
oft nales sene ymb poet eef>ele beam •
^set se earcnan stan eallum sceolde
to hleo and to hroj^er *haelej?a cynne *[25 6.] 11 96
weortSan in worulde wuldres agend
eades ord-fruma j?urh p&, 8e)?elan cwenn : 7
[IV.]
HWses wenetS se pe mid gewitte nyle gemuuan ]m mildan meotudes lare 1200
and eal tSa earfe<5u pe he fore seldum adreag forj^on pe he wolde fset we wuldres eard in ecnesse agan mosten*
Swa J>am biS grorne on J>am grimman dsege 1204
domes p2es miclan f>am pe dryhtnes sceal deatS-firenum forden dolg sceawian wunde and wite on werigum sefan geseoc5 sorga imeste hu se sylfa cyning 1208
1198. Space of about a third of a line between the sections.
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 75
how many things which cannot feel, insensate things,
experienced then the sufferings of the Lord.
Those that are noblest of the species of the earth, 1180
and eke the lofty structures of the heaven,
all, for that alone, grew suddenly
sad and afeard; though by their natures
they knew not any mental wit, 11 84
yet wondrously had they knowledge, when their Lord
fared from His body. Benighted men,
harder than flints, would not then
acknowledge their Maker, that the Lord, Almighty God, 1188
had saved them from hell-torment
by His holy might, nor that of yore,
in the world's beginning, the prophets of the Lord,
far-seeing men, holy and nobly-minded, 1192
had told to folk about the noble Child,
oft-times, not once, through their wise understanding,
that through the noble woman He should be
a precious stone here in the world 11 96
for the refuge and the help of all mankind,
the Lord of glory, the first Cause of bliss.
IV.
What hope hath he who wittingly disdaineth to bear in mind the gentle teaching of the Lord, 1200
and all the miseries that He bore for men, for that He wished that we might possess, to all eternity, the home of glory 1
Sad indeed shall be their lot, on the grim day 1204
of that great doom, who, damned by deadly sin, arc forced to see with saddened souls the scars and wounds and torments of the Lord ; they shall see the greatest of sorrows, how the King Himself 1208
76 I. CHRIST. 1209-1242.
mid sine lic-homan lysde of firenum
J>urh milde mod \>cet hy mostun man-weorca
tome lifgan and tires bleed
ecne agan by J>9es ecSles J>onc 121 2
byra waldende wita ne cuf>on« f.
For)?on fser to teonuin J>a tacen geseoS
orgeatu on gode ungesselge
\>onne crist sitetS on his cyne-stole 12 16
on heah-setle heofon-meegna god
feeder selmihtig folca gehwylcum
scyppend scinende sciifecS bi gewyrbtum
eall aefter rybte rodera waldeud- 1220
Tponne beoS gesomnad on J»a swij^ran bond
J?a cleenan folc criste sylfum
gecorene bi cystum J>a eer sinne cwide georne
lustura lsestun on byra lif-dagum* 1224
ond J>ser wom-sceajmn on J>one wyrsan dsel
fore scyppende scyrede weorfjatS
batecS bim gewitan on fa winstran hond
sigora socS cyning synfulra weorud* 1228
p8dY hy arasade reota"5 * and beofiatS *[26 a.]
fore frean forhte swa fule swa gset
unsyfre folc arna ne wenacS*
Sonne biS gsesta d6m fore gode sceaden • 1232
wera cneorissum swa hi geworbtun ser
faer bi<5 on eadgum e(5 gesyne
]?reo tacen somod fees pe hi hyra feodnes wel
wordum and weorcum willan heoldon- 1236
an is serest orgeate j?ser
J?a3t hy fore leodum leohte blicaj?
blsede and byrbte ofer burga gesetu
him onscina<5 eer-gewyrhtu 1240
on sylfra gebwam sunnan beorhtran •
of>er is to-eacan andgete swa some
1 231. MS. weneaft, i.e. wena'd.
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.
77
1224
with His own body ransomed them from sin,
in gentle mood, so that they might live
void of ill-deeds, and have the bliss
of endless glory. They did not know how to give thanks 1212
unto their Sovereign for this heritage;
therefore shall they see there to their sorrow
signs unpropitious manifest in God,
when Christ shall sit on his royal throne, 1216
on his high seat, when the Almighty Father,
the radiant Creator, God of the heavenly hosts,
shall prescribe all righteously
for every man according to his works. 1220
Then shall be gathered on the right hand of Christ Himself the cleanly folk, chosen for their virtues, who in their life-days had joyfully performed His word. And the workers of harm shall be disposed before their Maker on the worser side ; the true King of victory shall bid the band of the sinful wend them unto the left hand, where they, discovered, shall wail and quake, afeard before the Lord, as foul as goats, an unpure folk, — they may expect no grace. When the spirits' doom shall be adjudged 'fore God to men's generations, as they wrought erewhile, there shall easily three signs be visible, at once, upon the blessed, for that they kept well their Lord's desire, by words and works. 1236
One sign is first full manifest, to wit, that they shall shine witli light before the folk, with glory and with brightness, over the cities' dwelling ; their former doings shall shine upon them, 1240
upon each of them, brighter than the sun. There is eke a second likewise manifest
W"t CV&* f*C% f^^mJ
1228
1232
78 I. CHRIST. 1 243-1 277.
pwt hy him in wuldre witon waldendes giefe
and onseotS eagum to wynne 1244
pset hi on heofon-rice hlutru dreamas
eadge mid englum agan motura*
Sonne bitS J>ridde hu on J>ystra bealo
pcet gesselige weorud gesihtS J>set fordone 1248
sar J^rowian synna to wite
weallendne lig and wyrma wlite
bitrum ceaflum byrnendra scole
of jmm him aweaxetS wynsum gefea 1252
\>omxe hi J>aet yfel geseocS oftre dreogan
J>set hy )?urh miltse meotudes genaeson •
'Sonne hi py geornor gode }?onciaS
blsedes and blissa pe hy bu geseocS 1256
pazt he hy generede from niS-cwale
and eac forgeaf ece dreamas
bitS him hel bilocen heofon-rice agiefen ,
swa sceal gewrixled ]mm pe ser wel heoldon 1260
]mrh mod-lufan meotudes willan-
Sonne biS f>am ofrum ungelice
willa geworden magon weana to fela
geseon on him selfum synne genoge 1264
atol-earfocSa ser gedenra
peer him sorgendum sar oSclife'S-
* f>roht J?eod-bealu on f>reo healfa *[26 b.]
an is f»ara pazt hy him yrmf>a to fela 1268
grim helle fyr gearo to wite
araZweard seo<5 on f>a hi awo sculon
wrcec-winnende wsergcSu dreogan
ponne is him oJ>er earfefu swa some 1272
scyldgum to sconde J?aet hi J^aer scoma mseste
dreogatS fordone on him dryhten gesihtS.
nales feara sum firen-bealu latSlic
and pcet sell-beorhte eac sceawiacS 1276
heofon-engla here and hselefa beam
1246. MS. motum.
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 79
that they shall know, for their glory, the Ruler's grace,
and shall behold, for their eyes' delight, 1244
that, as saints, amid angels, they are to own
pure ecstacies in heaven's realm.
Then the third shall be, how that the blessed band
shall see the lost ones in the baleful gloom 1248
suffering, in penance for their sins, sore pain,
the surging flame and luring serpents,
with their bitter jaws, — a shoal of burning creatures ;
thence winsome joy shall wax for them, 1252
when they see other men endure the ill,
that they escaped, through mercy of the Lord.
Then shall they give thanks to God the more eagerly
for their glory and delights, when they see, 1256
that he both saved them from cruel torment
and also gave to them eternal joys;
hell shall be locked for them, heaven's kingdom shall be given
them. This shall be granted unto them that ere kept well, 1260
tliough their souls' love, the will of the Creator. Then all unlike shall be the joy forsooth of the other men ; they may see in themselves too many woes, and sins enough, 1264
and dire afflictions for their former doings ; there sore pain shall cleave to them, the sorrowing ones, and suffering and mortal ill, from sources three. One of them is, that they shall see before them 1268
too many miseries, and hell's grim fire ready for their punibhing, where in wretchedness, they shall suffer aye damnation.
Then a second misery, likewise, 1372
shall shame the guilty, that they there, undone by sin, shall suffer greatest contumely ; the Lord shall see in them no few loathsome evil sins, and the all-bright band of heavenly angels u7^»
lull 'lie like, :i!i<l ill.- sons of men.
80 I. CHRIST. I278-T3TT.
ealle eorcS-buend and atol deofol
raircne maegen-craeft man-womma gehwone-
Magon }?urh f>a lic-homan leahtra firene 1280
geseon on p am sawlum beocS J>a syngan flaesc
scandum £urh-waden swa ]?aet scire glass
fset mon yj>aest mseg eall fmrh-wlitan •
Sonne biS )?aet J>ridde J^earfendum sorg 1284
cwtyende cearo Ipcet hy on J>a claenan seocS
hu hi fore god-daedum glade blissiatS
pa, hy unsaelge aer forhogdun
to donne ponne him dagas laestun , 1288
and be hyra weorcum wepende sar
pait hi aer freolice fremedon unryht
geseoS hi )?a betran blaede scinan •
ne bi<5 him hyra yrmcSu an to wife 1292
ac Jrnra oJ>erra ead to sorgum
J?aes pe hy swa fasgre gefean on fyrn-dagum •
and swa aenlice an-forletun
J>urh leaslice lices wynne 1296
earges flaesc-homan idelne lust .
psdr hi ascamode scondum gedreahte
swiciaft on swiman syn-byrf>enne
firen-weorc beratS on Ipcet pa, folc seoS- 1300
waere him j?on betre fast hy healo-*daede *[27 a.]
eelces unryht es aer gescomeden
fore anum men eargra weorca
godes bodan ssegdon fast hi to gyrne wiston 1304
firen-daeda on him , ne maeg £>urh ]?aet flaesc se scrift
geseon on f>aere sawle hwaef>er him mon socS pe lyge
sagaS on hine sylfne porme he J?a synne bigaecS
maeg mon swa peah gelacnigan leahtra gehwylcne 1308
yfel unclaene gif he hit anum gesegcS
and naenig bihelan ma?g on ])am heardan daege
worn unbeted "$aer hit f»a weorud geseot)*
1294. MS. gefeon. 131 1. unbeted. MS. fS corrected to d.
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 81
All earth's inhabitants, and the fell devil,
shall behold their darksome craft and every stain of guilt ;
through their bodies they may see upon their souls 1280
their sins of shame ; ignominiously the sinful flesh
shall be transpierced, as 'twere clear glass,
that men may most easily see all through.
A third sorrow for the wretched shall then be, 1284
yea, dire lament, that they behold the pure, how gladly they rejoice in the good deeds, that they, unhappy ones, despised to do
before, when still their days availed them ; 1 288
and weeping sore because of their own works, because they freely wrought unrighteousness before, they shall behold their betters shine in glory. Not merely their own misery shall be their bale, 1292
but the blessedness of those others shall be their grief, in that they in former days forsook delights so fair and so incomparable
for the body's all-delusive joy, 1296
and for the vain desire of the vile flesh. There abashed, o'er whelmed with shame, they shall wander giddily, and bear their wicked works, the burden of their sins, and the folk shall gaze thereon. 1300 'Twere better for them had they erst felt shame for each base deed and each transgression, and for their evil works, before one man, and had told God's servant that too well they knew 1304
ill-deeds within them. The confessor cannot sec through the flesh into the soul, whether a man tell him truth or lie about himself, when he avoweth his sins; yet one can heal every transgression 1308
and unclean evil, if he tell it but to one; and none may there conceal on that stern day crime unamended; multitudes shall see it.
a
c^r^
82 I. CHRIST. 13 1 2-1 342.
eala J>8er we nu magon wraj>e firene 1312
geseon on ussura sawlum synna wunde
mid lic-homan leahtra gehygdu
eagum uncleene in-gef>oncas •
ne J?set senig mseg of>rum gesecgan 1316
mid hu micle elne seghwylc wille
Jmrh ealle list lifes tiligan
feores forhtlice forS acSolian
syn-rust fwean and hine sylfne ]?rean 1320
and Ipcet worn aerran wunde hselan
J>one lytlan fyrst J?e her lifes sy
pmt he msege fore eagum eor(5-buendra
unscomiende e(51es mid monnum 1324
brucan bysmerleas ftendan bu somod
lie and sawle lifgan mote:
[v.]
NY we sceolon georne gleawlice Jjurh-seon usse href>er-cofan heortan eagum 1328
innan uncyste we mid J?am o(5rum ne magun heafod-gimmum hyge-J^onces fercS e&gwn f>urh-wlitan oenge J?inga
h weeper him yfel pe god under wunige 1332
pcet he on J?a grimman tid gode licie potme he ofer weoruda gehwyle • *wuldre scinetS *[27&.] of his heah-setle hlutran lege
fjeer he fore englum and fore etyeodum 1336
to J?am eadgestum serest mee^leS- and him swseslice sibbe gehatetS heofona heah-cyning halgan reorde
frefre(5 he fgegre and him frij? beodecS 1340
hate<5 hy gesunde and gesenade on ef>el faran engla dreames
1326. Space of half- line between the sections. T329- MS- mnan.
1337. &8' msedleS.
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 83
Verily, we shall then behold, 131 a
with the body's eyes, our base iniquities,
the wounds of our sins upon our souls,
our thoughts of wickedness, our impure cogitations.
Not any man may tell it to another, 1316
with how great zeal, by every artifice,
each man desireth to attain life's goal,
anxious to protract existence forth,
to wash away the rust of sin, afflicting himself, 1320
to heal the blemish of some former wound,
during the little span that there is here of life,
so that before the eyes of earth's inhabitants
he may enjoy his home 'mong men 1324
blameless and unashamed, as long as
body and soul may both together live.
V.
Now must we fain discreetly pierce, with our heart's eyes, the chamber of the breast, 1328
unto the sin within ; with those other eyes, the jewels of the head, we may not anywhit survey the home of inmost thought, whether evil or good dwell there beneath, 1332
so that at that dread time it may please God, when, from His lofty throne, with flame all-pure, He shall shine in glory o'er each multitude, where, before angels and before all folk, II' shall speak first to those most happy ones, and lovingly shall promise them goodwill, He, the heaven's high King ; and witli His holy voice shall greatly comfort them, and shall proclaim their peace, 1340 and .shall bid them then, fall nfe and Mewed fnre to tin* li-.m,- of angels' harmony,
u 2
84 I. CHRIST. I343- J 376.
and pses to widan feore willum neotmi •
onfotS nu mid freondum mines feeder rice 1344
pcet eow wses ser woruldum wynlice gearo
blaed mid blissum beorht eoles wlite
hwonne ge pa, lif-welan mid J>am leofjYjtum
swase swegl-dreamas geseon mosten 1348
ge paes earnedon J>a ge earme men
woruld-J>earfende willum onfenguw
on mildum sefan • Bonne liy him J>urh minne noman
eatSmode to eow arna bsedun 1352
ponne ge hyra hulpon and him hleo<5 gefon
hingrendum hlaf and hraegl nacedum
and J>a pe on sare seoce lagun
aefjVjdon tinsofte adle gebundne 1356
to fam ge holdlice hyge sta}>eladon
mid modes myne eall ge past me dydon •
Bonne ge hy mid sibbum sohtun and hyra sefan trymedon
fortS on frofre fses ge fsegre sceolon 1360
lean mid leofum lange bi ucan • ,
OnginnetS ponne to J»am yflum ungelice
wordum meeolan pe him bi(S on pa, wynstran bond
J?urh egsan J>rea alwalda god • 1364
ne J>urfon hi ponne to meotude miltse gewenan
lifes ne lissa ac f>8er lean cumatS
werum bi gewyrhtum worda , and dseda
reord-berendum sceolon f>one ryhtan d6m 1368
senile gesefnan * egsan fulne , *[28 a.]
bit5 f>ser seo miccle milts afyrred
J>eod-buendura on ]mm dsege
J?a?s selmihtigan • ponne he yrringa 1372
on past frsete folc firene staelecS
la)?um wordum hatecS hyra lifes riht
araZweard ywan past he him ser forgeaf
syngum to saelura onginnecS sylf cwecSan 1376
1347. MS. leoftum. 1350. MS. onfenguni. 1356. MS. sefdon.
1370. MS. miccle. 1375. MS. ySan.
1. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OE JUDGMENT. 85
and at will enjoy it unto all eternity : —
'Receive ye now, 'mid friends, my Father's realm, 1344 the bliss and the glories and the radiant beauty of that home, which joyfully, before all worlds, was dight for you, when, with the best beloved, ye might behold life's riches, the sweet delights of heaven. 1348
This ye merited when ye willingly received poor men, the needy of the world, in gentle mood ; when in my name
they humbly prayed you for compassion, 1352
then helped ye them, and gave them sheltering, bread to the hungry, and garment to the naked, and those that lay sick in sore pain,
and suffered grievously, bound by disease, 1356
their spirits ye sustained in kindly wise, yea, with the soul's affection. All this ye did for me, when ye sought them with goodwill, and aye in comfort stayed their spirits; wherefore ye shall gloriously 1360
long enjoy reward with my beloved.'
Then with words full different will the All-ruling God begin to speak, with fearful threatening,
unto the wicked, who shall be on His left hand. 1364
They may not then expect compassion from the Lord, nor life nor grace; but recompense for words and deeds shall come to mortals there, to those with speech endowed, according to their works : they shall endure 1368
the only righteous, though an awful, doom. There, on that day, the great compassion of the Almighty One shall be far removed
from the inhabitants of earth, when He shall angrily, 137a
in hostile words, charge their trangressions on impious folk, and shall bid them then present their life's account before Him, which He erewhile gave to 1 lie in li.ise sinners, for their bliss. The Almighty Lord
Bimaelf 1376
86 I. CHKTST. I377-I4IO.
swa he to anum sprece and hwaefre ealle mametS
firen-synnig folc frea selmihtig •
hwset ic f>ec mon minum hondum
asrest geworhte and pe andgiet sealde 1380
of lame ic pe leoJ?e gesette geaf ic (5e lifgendne gsest
arode pe ofer ealle gesceafte gedyde ic pcet pu onsyn hsefdest
mseg-wlite me gelicne geaf ic pe eac meahta sped
welan ofer wid-londa gehwylc . nysses Jm wean asni'gne dsel*
ftystra fast }>u J^olian sceolde pu pees J>onc ne wisses 13S5
pa, ic fte swa scienne gesceapen hsefde
wynlicne geworht and pe welan forgyfen
pcet Su mostes wealdan worulde gesceaftum ■ 1 3S8
tSa ic pe on J>a faegran foldan gesette
to neotenne neorxna wonges
beorhtne blaed- welan bleom scinende •
Sa J>u lifes word lsestan noldes 1392
ac min bibod brsece be frines bonan worde
faacnum feonde furf>or hyrdes
scej^endum seeaf>an ]?onwe jmium scyppende •
nu ic $a ealdan race anforlsete 1396
hu J>u set asrestan yfle gehogdes
firen-weorcum forlure f>eet ic 8e to fremum sealde
J?a ic pe goda swa fela forgiefen hsefde
and pe on fara eallum eades to lyt 1400
mode fuhte gif )?u meahte sped
efen-micle *gode agan ne moste • *[28 b.]
$a pu. of ]?an gefean • fremde wurde
feondum to willan feor aworpen 1404
neorxna wonges wlite nyde sceoldes
agiefan geomor-mod gsesta ef»el •
earg and unrot eallum bidseled
dugej?um and dreamum and J>a bidrifen wurde 1408
on pas J>eostran weoruld J?a3r )?u J>olades sijbj^an
ma?gen-earfej?u micle stunde
1380. 3IS. salde.
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 87
shall then begin to speak as if He spake to one, and nathless shall He mean all sinning folk : —
1 Lo, man ! with mine own hands I made thee at the first, and granted to thee wisdom ; 1380
I formed thee limbs of clay : I gave a living spirit unto thee ; I honoured thee o'er all created things; I wrought that thou
shouldst have aspect and form like to myself; I gave thee eke fulness of might, wealth o'er each spacious land; nought knewest thou of woe, nought of the gloom that thou hadst to endure ; for all this thou
wast not grateful. 1385
When I had shapen thee so beauteously, and had made thee comely, and had given thee power that thou mightst rule the creatures of the world, 1388
when I had set thee in that fair domain, to enjoy the bright and blissful wealth of Paradise, resplendent with , its hues,
then wouldst thou not fulfil the word of Life, 139a
but, at the word of thy Bane, didst break my bidding; a treacherous foe, a mischievous destroyer, didst thou obey, rather than thy Creator.
Now will I let pass that ancient story, . 1396
how at the first thou didst wickedly devise, and didst lose by sinful works, what I granted for thy good. When I had given thee thus much of goodly things, and yet withal it seemed unto thy mind 1400
too little happiness, unless thou mightest own fulness of power equally great with God, then thou becamest, to thy foes' delight,
an alien to that joy, cast out afar; 1404
perforce then hadst thou sadly to forego the charm of Paradise, the spirits' home, — wicked and sorrowful, cut ofl' from all
its blessings and its joys; then wast thou driven 1408
into this gloomy world, where thou hast raftered since, • luring so long a time, grievous hardship*,
88 I. CHRIST. I4II-I44O.
sar and swar gewin and sweartne deatS
and sefter [A]ingonge hreosan sceoldes 141 2
liean in helle helpendra leas •
<Sa mec ongon hreowan feet min liond-geweorc
on feonda geweald feran sceolde
mon-cynnes tuddor man-cwealni seon 14 16
sceolde uncuSne earcl cunnian
sare si}?as J>a ic sylf gestag
maga in modor J?eah waes hyre maegden-had
seghwees onwalg- wearS ic and geboren 1420
folcum to frofre mec mon folmuni biwond
bifeahte mid £>earfan wsedum and mec J>a on feostre alegde
biwundenne mid wonnum clafum hwaet ic Ipcet for worulde
geJ>olade lytel J>uhte ic leoda bearnum lseg ic on heardum stane 1424 cild geong on crybbe mid f)y ic pe wolde cwealm afyrran • hat helle bealu J?set J>u moste halig scinan eadig on f»am ecan life forfton ic fast earfef>e w6nn :j
[VI.]
NM& me for mode ac ic on magu-geoguSe 1428
yrmjrn geaefnde arleas lic-sar \><xt ic furh J?a wsere pe gelic and J>u meahte minum weorf>an
mseg-wlite gelic mane bidseled 1432
and fore monna lufan min prowade heafod hearm-slege hleor * gef»olade *[29a.] oft and-l&ta, arleasra spatl
of mu5e onfeng man-fremmendra 1436
swylce hi me geblendon bittre tosomne unswetne drync ecedes and geallan • ftonne ic fore folce onfeng feonda geniftlan fylgdon me mid firenum fashfe ne rohtun 1440
141 2. MS. ingonge. T427- Space of half- line between the sections.
1430. MS. wege lie (t. e. we gelic).
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 89
pain and heavy toil and swarthy death,
doomed, after thy going hence, abased to fall 141 2
down into hell, with none to help thee.
Then it began to rue me that mine handiwork
should pass into the power of fiends,
that mankind's progeny should see dire torment, 141 6
and should experience a loveless home,
and sore vicissitudes. Then I myself descended,
as a son into his mother, yet was her maidenhood
wholly inviolate. I was born alone 1420
for the solace of men : with their hands they swathed me,
and wrapt me with a poor man's weeds, and laid me then in
darkness, swaddled in dusky clothes. Lo ! this for the world I suffered ; little seemed I to the sons of men ; on the hard stone I lay, 1424 a young child in its crib, for that I would remove from thee the torture and hot misery of hell ; that thou mightst shine as
saint, blessed in the life eternal, therefore I bore that pain.
VI.
'Twas not for pride, but I endured adversity 1428
and shameful pain of body in my youth, that I thereby might be like unto thee, and that, severed from evil sin, thou mightst become like to mine own fair human form ; 1432
and for my love of men, my head and face bore and endured the baleful stroke ; oft my visage received the spittle from the mouth of impious workers of iniquity ; 1436
yea, too, they mingled for me, bitterly together, ;ni imswect drink of vinegar and gall; tin 11 for mankind 1 received the wrath of foes, they followed me with tormenti) reckless in hat' 1440
CO I. CHRIST. I44I-I474.
and mid sweopum slogun ic }>3et sar for tSe
J?urli eaSmedu eall gefolade
hosp and heard cwide J>a hi hwsesne beag
ymb min heafod heardne gebygdon 1444
f>ream bi£>rycton se wses of J»ornum geworht •
Sa ic wses ahongen on heanne beam
rode gefsestnad (Sa hi ricene
mid spere of minre sidan swat ut-gotun 1448
dreor to foldan ^ fast p\x of deofles J?urh fbeet
nyd-gewalde genered wurde •
Sa ic womma leas wite ]?olade
yfel earfefu offset ic anne forlet 1452
of minum lic-homan lifgendne gsest
geseoft nu }>a feorh-dolg pe gefremedun a^r
on minum folmum and on fotum swa some
Jmrh f>a ic hongade hearde gefaestnad • 1456
meaht her eac geseon orgete nu gen
on minre sidan swatge wunde
hu J>aer wses unefen racu unc gemsene •
Ic onfeng J>in sar fast f>u moste gesaelig 1460
mines ef el-rices eadig neotan •
and pe mine deacSe deore gebohte
poet longe lif pddt p\x on leohte siffan
wlitig womma leas wunian mostes • 1464
lseg min fleesc-homa in foldan bigrafen
nijpre gehyded se tSe nsengum sco"d
in byrgenne J?set ]?u meahte beorhte uppe
on roderum wesan rice mid englum • 1468
forhwon forlete *J>u lif J?aet scyne *[29&.]
J?get ic pe for lufan mid mine lic-homan
heanum to helpe hold gecypte ■;
wurde })u f>aes gewitleas J>eet J>u waldende 1472
f>inre alysnesse }?onc ne wisses •
Ne ascige ic nu owiht bi fam bitran
1446. MS. hean , I45I- w^e corrected from wita.
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 91
they struck me with their scourges. All that pain,
their scorn and harsh reproach, in humbleness
I bore for thee. Then they bent a spiny
and sharp crown around my head; 1444
with cruelty they pressed it on — 'twas wrought of thorns.
Then was I hanged upon a lofty tree,
and fastened to a rood ; with a spear then,
from my side, they poured out on to earth 1448
my blood and gore. That thou, thereby, shouldst be
delivered from the devil's tyranny,
all sinless, bore I then this punishment
and sore affliction, till that I sent 1452
the living spirit from my body forth alone.
See now the fatal wounds which they once made
upon my palms, and on my feet also,
by which I hung, fastened full strongly ; 1456
here mayst thou see too, manifest e'en yet,
the gory wound upon my side.
How uneven was the reckoning there between us two !
I received thy pain, that thou, blessed, 1460
mightst happily enjoy my native realm,
and by my death I dearly bought for thee
long life, that thenceforth thou mightst
dwell in the light, beauteous and void of sins. 1464
My body's flesh, the which had harmed no man,
lay buried in the earth, hidden beneath,
down in its sepulchre, that thou mightst shine
mighty 'mid angels, in the skies above. 1 (O
Why didst thou forsake that beauteous life,
which graciously I bought for thee, through love,
with mine own body, to help thee, wretched I
So witless wast thou that thou didst not show 147a
♦ hanks to the Lord for thy redemption.
Nought tu h I now for that death of mine,
92 i. chimst. 1 47 5- 1 508.
deafte minum pe ic adreag fore pe •
ac forgield me pin lif paes pe ic iu pe min 1476
purh woruld-wite weor5 gesealde •
"Sees lifes ic manige pe pu mid leahtrum hafast
ofslegen synlice sylfum to sconde •
forhwan pu paet sele-gescot pcet ic me swaes on pe 1480
gehalgode htis to wynne
purh firen-lustas fule synne
unsyfre bismite sylfes willum
ge pu pone lic-homan pe ic alysde me 1484
feonduni of frecSme and pa him firene forbead
scyld-wyrcende scondum geweindest •
forhwon ahenge pu mec hefgor on pinra honda rode
ponwe iu hongade hwaet me peos heardra pyncecS 1488
nu is swaerra mid mec pinra synna rod
pe ic unwillum on beom gefaestnad
poime seo oper waes pe ic aer gestag
willum minum pa mec pin wea swipast 1492
set heortan gebreaw pa ic pec from helle ateah
paer pu hit wolde sylfa sippan gehealdan •
Ic waes on worulde weadla pact Su wurde welig in heofonuw
earm ic waes on eftle pinum paet pu wwrde eadig on minum.
pa tSu paes ealles aenigne pone 1496
pinum nergende nysses on mode •
bibead ic eow pcet ge bropor mine
* in woruld-rice wel aretten *[30a.] 1500
of pam aehtum pe ic eow on eorcSan geaf •
earmra hulpen earge ge paet laestun •
pearfum forwyrndon pcet hi under eowrum paece mosten
in-gebugan and him aeghwaes oftugon 1504
purh heardne hyge hraegles nacedum •
moses mete-leasum peah hy him purh minne noman
werge wonhale waetan baedan
drynces gedreahte dugupa lease T508
1490. gefsestnad ; d originally &. 1495- -^'~'- worde.
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 93
so bitter, which I endured for thee ;
but render me thy life, for which, in martyrdom, 1476
I gave thee once mine own as price.
I claim of thee that life which thou hast sinfully
destroyed with vice, to thine own shame.
Why hast thou filthily defiled, by thine own will, 1480
through wicked lusts and through foul sin,
the tabernacle which I sanctified in thee
to be the cherished home of my delight?
Yea, perpetrating guilt, thou didst shamefully pollute 1484
that body which I ransomed for myself,
from the grasp of foes, and then forbade it sin.
Why hast thou crucified me worse, on thy hands' cross,
than when of old I hung ? Lo ! this methinks is harder. 1488
Is now heavier for me thy sins' cross,
on which I am made fast, unwillingly,
than was that other, which I before ascended,
with mine own will, when thy misery 1492
rued me so much at heart, when I drew thee forth from hell,
where thou thyself wouldst afterwards abide.
I in the world was poor, that thou in heaven mightst
be rich, wretched was I in thy land, that thou in mine mightst 1496
happy be. Then for all this thou knewest not in thy heart any gratitude unto thy Saviour. I bade that ye should cherish well
my brethren in the world's domain ; 1500
from those possessions which I gave to you on earth, that ye should help the poor. Ill have ye done so. The needy ye forbade to enter 'neath your roof, and ye withheld from them full everything, 1504
in your bard hearts, — raiment from the naked, food from the foodless ; though aweary and infirm, yearning for drink, void of all sustenance, and parehtd with thirst, they prayed for Vfttef 150S
94 I. CHRIST. 1 509-1 53 7.
Jmrste gef>egede ge him J>riste oftugon
sarge ge ne sohton ne him swaeslic word
frofre gesprsecon Ipcet hy J>y freoran hyge
mode gefengen eall ge fset me dydan 1512
to hynjmm heofon-cyninge J>ees ge sceolon hearde adreogan
wite to widan ealdre wraec mid deoflum gef>olian •
ISonne }>8er ofer ealle egeslicne cwide
sylf sigora weard sares fulne 1516
ofer ])cet fsege folc forS forlsetetS •
cwi(5 to f>ara synfulra sawla fe]mn •
faraS nu awyrgde willum biscyrede •
engla dreames on ece fir* 1520
J>aet wses satane and his gesijmm mid
deofle gegearwad and f?aere deorcan scole
hat and heoro-grim on feet ge hreosan sceolan-
ne magon hi J>oime gehynan heofon-cyninges bibod 1524
rseduin birofene sceolon rsipe feallan
on grimne grund J>a ser wif> gode wunnon •
bitS ]xmne rices weard rej>e and meahtig
yrre and egesful and weard ne mseg 1528
on pissum fold-wege feond gebidan 7
[vii.i
SWApeft sige-mece mid f>sere swi[#]ran hond pcet on J^set deope * dael deofol gefeallacS *[30 6.] in sweartne leg synfulra here 1532
under foldan sceat fsege gsestas on wraj>ra wic womfulra scolu werge to forwyrde on wite-hus
deacS-sele deofles nales dryhtnes gemynd T536
sif>)mn gesecatS synne ne aspringacS
1526. grimne; originally griirtme ; me corrected into ne. T529- one
line space between the sections. 1530. MS. swiran. 1533- sceat. 1536. MS. deofoles, i. e. deofles.
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 95
in my name, harshly ye denied it them. The sorrowful ye sought not, nor spake a kindly word of comfort unto them, that they might gain within their hearts a spirit the more buoyant. All this ye did in scorn 15 12
of me, heaven's King : wherefore ye shall sore endure torment for evermore, and suffer exile amid devils.' Then over all those there, over the fated folk, the Lord of victories shall Himself send forth 15 16
a dreadful edict, full of tribulation, and shall declare unto that host of sinful souls : —
' Go now accursed, wilfully cut off from angels' joy, into eternal fire, 1520
which, hot and fiercely grim, was dight for the devil Satan and his comrades too, and all that swarthy shoal : therein shall ye fall/
Then may they not deride, bereft of rede, 1524
the bidding of the heavenly King; they who ere warred
'gainst God, shall quickly fall into the grim abyss. The Lord of empire shall be stern and mighty then, angry and terrible: no foe upon this track of earth 1528
may then abide before His face.
VII.
He shall sweep the victor-sword with His right hand, so that the devils shall fall down the deep gulf into swart flame; the band of the sinful 1532
into the region of the earth beneath ; the fated spirits into the camp of foes ; the shoal of the pernicious, damned to destruction, into tho house of torment, the death-hull of the devil. They shall nowise thereafter seek remembrance of the Lord, nor from their sin escape, 1537
96 I. CHRIST. 1538-1573.
£>8er hi leahtrum fa • lege gebundne
swylt J^rowiaS bi(S him syn-wracu
andvreavd undyrne pcet is ece cwealm • 1540
ne ma?g pset hate dael of heoloS-cynne
in sin-nehte synne forbsernan
to widan feore worn of fsere sawle
ac psev se deopa seatS dreorge fede(5 1544
grundleas giemetS gsesta on f>eostre-
seletS hy mid pj ealdan lige and mid py egsan forste
wraf>um wyrmum and mid wita fela
frecnum feorh-gomum folcum scendeft . 1548
J?eet we magon eahtan and on an cwe<San
soSe secgan J>set se sawle weard
lifes wisdom forloren hsebbe
se pe nu ne giemecS hwsejper his gaest sie 1552
earm pe eadig Ipe&r he ece sceal
sefter hin-gonge hamfsest wesan
ne bisorgatS he synne to fremman
wonhydig mon ne he wihte hafat) 1556
hreowe on mode peet him halig gaest
losige }mrh leahtras on J>as lsenan tid •
"Sonne man-sceacSa fore meotude forht
deorc on J>am dome standecS and deacSe fah 1560
wommum awyrged bitS se wser-loga
fyres afylled feores unwyrSe
egsan gepread andwe&rd gode •
won and wliteleas hafacS werges bleo 1564
facen-tacen feores • fSonne firena beam
* tearum geota<5 J^onne J>9es tid ne bif> *[31 a.]
synne cwi^aS ac hy to si(5 do(5
gsestum helpe • Sonne J^aes giman nele 1568
weoruda waldend hu J>a worn sceajmn
hyra eald-gestreon on j?a openan tid
sare gieten ne "bij? J>set sorga tid
leodum alyfed J>set pver lsecedtfm 1572
findan mote se pe nu his feore nyle
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 97
where crime-stainetl, wrapt in flame,
they shall endure destruction; imminent, clear to them,
shall be the vengeance for their sins; that is eternal death. 1540
The hot gulf may not, through the livelong night,
through all eternity, purge their sin away
from that hell-race, the stain from off their souls j
but there the deep pit feedeth those dreary ones ; . 1544
bottomless it keepeth the spirits in its gloom ;
burneth them with its ancient flame; with chill terror,
with hateful serpents and with torments many,
with sharp and deadly jaws, it scatheth folk. 1548
Wherefore we may believe and ever say, soothly declare, that that soul's guardian hath altogether lost the wisdom of this life, who heedeth not now whether his spirit be ' 1552
wretched or happy, where, after its going hence, it shall be resident eternally. He dreadeth nowise sin to perpetrate,
thoughtless man ! nor hath he aught 1556
of ruth within his mind, though his holy spirit perish, in this fading time, through deeds of shame. When the evil-doer, afeard before his Maker, shall stand at the judgment, black and foul with death, 1560 accursed with crimes, then shall the traitor, of life unworthy, be fulfilled of fire, and overwhelmed with terror before God ;
swart and sightless, he shall have a felon's hue, 1564
the token of a life of perfidy. Then shall the sons of men shed tears, and shall bewail their sins, when time availeth not ; too late shall they devise help for their spirits, when the Lord of hosts 1568
will not heed how the evil-doers sorely, at that all-disclosing time,
deplore what erst they cherished. That time of sorrow will not avail, that ho who will not now, 157a
while he liveth here, gain his life's salvation.
h
98 I. CHRIST. 1 5 74- 1 607.
hselo strynan j?enden her leofaft •
ne bicS peer sengum godum gnorn aetywed
ne naengura yflum wel • ac peer aeghwaej>er 1576
anfealde gewyrht andwe&rd wigetS •
forSon sceal onettan se J>e agan wile
lif aet meotude J>enden him leoht and gaest
somod-faest seon he his sawle wlite 1580
georne bigonge on godes willan
and w/aer weorfte worda and daeda-
j?eawa and gejwnca f>enden him feos woruld
sceadum scrij^ende scinan mote 1584
pat he ne forleose on J?as laenan tid
his dreames blaed and his dagena rim
and his weorces wlite and wuldres lean
J>aette heofones cyning on £>a halgan tid 1588
sotS-faest syletS to sigor-leanum
]mm J>e him on gaestum georne hyratS*
"ponne heofon and hel haelejm bearnum
fira feorum fylde weorJ^etS 1592
grundas swelgatS godes emdsacan
lacende leg laSwende men
}>reaS J?eod-sceaf)an and no J>onan IsetatS
on gefean faran to feorh-nere 1596
ac se bryne bindetS bid-faestne liere
feo<5 firena beam frecne me JrincetS
faet J>as gaest-berend giman nellatS
men on mode ponne man hwaet 1600
him se waldend- *to wrace gesette [*31 &.]
laf>um leodum , ponne lif and deatS
sawlum swelgaft bitS susla hus
open and o<5-eawed a^-logum ongean- 1604
$aet sceolon fyllan firen-georne men
sweartum sawlum ponne synna wracu
scyldigra scolu ascyred weorfjetS
1582. MS. }>aer. 1597. MS. biS.
I CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 99
may there find out a healing remedy.
Grief shall not be shown to any good man there,
nor joy to any evil, but there each one 1576
shall bear before God's sight his own desert.
Therefore must he be alert, while light and soul
hold fast together, who wisheth to possess
life from the Creator. Let him foster zealously 1580
the beauty of his soul, after God's will ;
let him be wary in words and deeds,
in habits and in thoughts, . while this world,
speeding with its shadows, may still shine for him, 1584
so that he lose not, in this fading time,
the blossom of his joy, and the number of his days,
and the beauty of his work, and the reward of glory,
which the righteous King of heaven giveth, 1588
at that holy time, as the rewards of victory,
to those who fain, with all their soul, obey Him.
Then heaven and hell shall be fulfilled with the sons of men, with the souls of mortals; 1592
the abyss shall gorge God's adversaries; flickering flame shall harass erring folk, the spoilers of the people, and shall not let them thence depart in joy into security, 1596
but the fire shall keep the host immovable, and shall vex the sons of men. Fool-hardy methinketh it, that men, creatures endowed with spirit, will not be heedful in their minds, seeing that their Sovereign 1600
may in vengeance put on them, on hateful folk, any evil whatsoever. When life and death shall grasp their share of souls, the house of torment then shall stand open and revealed to perjurers' sight ; 1604
sin -loving men shall fill it
with their swart souls ; then, as a penalty for their sins, the shoal of guilty ones shall be disparted,
H 2
100 I. CHEIST. 1 608-1 64 1.
beane from halgum on hearm-cwale • 1608
ftaer sceolan feofas and }>eod-sceaban
lease and forlegene lifes ne wenan
and man-sworan mo[r]bor-lean seon
heard and heoro-grim • j?onwe hel nimetS 161 2
wserleasra weorud and hi waldend giefe(5
feondum in forwyrd fa browiatS
ealdor-bealu egeslic earm bi5 se be wile
firenum gewyrcan baet he fan scyle 1616
from his scyppende ascyred weorSan
set dom-daege to deaSe niber
under helle cinn in J>3et hate fyr
under liges locan Ipser hy leomu rsecaft 1620
to bindenne and to bsernenne
and to swingenne synna to wite •
Sonne halig gaast helle biluceS
morf>er-husa msest burh meaht godes 1624
fyres fulle and feonda here
cyninges worde se bij? cwealma msest
deofla and monna • \>cet is dreamleas hus •
iSser eenig ne mseg ower losian 1628
caldan clomwum hy brascon cyninges word
beorht boca bibod forbon hy abidan sceolon
in sin-nehte sar ende-leas
firen-daadum fa forS browian 1632
<5a Ipe her [/or-]hogdun heofon-rices brym •
Iponne J?a gecorenan fore crist beraS
beorhte frastwe hyra blaed leofa<5
88t dom-d83ge agan dream mid gode • 1636
lij>es lifes J?ses f>e *alyfed bij> [*32 a.]
haligra gehwam on heofon-rice •
Saet is se ef>el \>e no geendad weorbeS
ac J>aer symle forS synna lease 1640
dream weardiaS dryhten lofiatS
161 1. MS. mo}>or. 162 1. bindenne* over the first n there is a badly formed m, or three strokes resembling m. 1628. MS. ojjer. 1633. MS. hogdun.
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 101
the base from the holy, unto pernicious death ; 1608
there thieves and spoilers of the folk,
the lying and adulterate, shall have no hope of life ;
and the forsworn shall see their crimes' reward,
grievous and fiercely grim; then shall* hell take 161 2
the host of faithless ones, and the Lord shall give them
in perdition to the fiends ; the hostile foe shall suffer
terrific racking pain. Wretched shall he be who willeth
to work so wickedly, that he, as a guilty one, 16 16
shall be, upon the day of doom, wholly cut off
from his Creator, doomed to the death beneath,
among hell's race, in the hot fire,
under the barriers of flame; there shall men stretch their 1620
limbs, to be bound and to be burned and to be scourged, in punishment of sins.
Then the Holy Spirit, through the might of God, at the King's command, shall lock up hell, 1624
that greatest of the homes of torment, full of fire, and the host of fiends therein ; of all the torments of devils and of men this shall be greatest. That is a joyless house ; there no one ever may escape 1628
from those cold bonds ; they brake their King's command, the scriptures' bright behest; therefore, they must abide in livelong night, and, stained with wicked deeds, thenceforth must they endure pain without end, 1632
who here despised the glory of the heavenly realm.
Then the chosen shall carry before Christ radiant treasures; their bliss shall live;
with God, at doomsday, shall they have the joy 1636
of life serene, the which shall be vouchsafed to every holy man in heaven's realm ; that is the home which shall know no end, but there the sinless, henceforth evermore, 1640
shall keep their joy, and praise the Lord,
102 T. CHRIST. 1 642-1 664.
leofne lifes weard leohte biwundne
sibbum biswettede sorgum biwerede
dreamum gedyrde dryhtne gelyfde 1644
awo to ealdre engla gemanan
brucatS mid blisse beorhte mid lisse
freogatS folces weard f seder ealra
geweald hafatS and healdetS haligra weorud • 1648
&8Br is engla song eadigra blis
\>mr is seo dyre dryhtnes onsien
eallum f>am gesselgum sunnan leohtra •
8ser is leofra lufu lif butan ende-deatSe 1652
glsed gumena weorud gioguS butan ylde
heofon-duguSa f>rym • hselu butan sare
ryht-fremmendum reest butan gewinne
dom-eadigra daeg butan fieostrura 1656
beorht blsedes full blis butan sorgum
frit5 freondum bitweon for5 butan sefestum
gesselgum on swegle sib butan nif»e
halgum on gemonge • nis J>aer hungor ne Jmrst 1660
slsep ne swar leger ne sunnan bryne
ne cyle ne cearo ac J>ser cyninges gief[e]
awo brucatS eadigra gedryht
weoruda wlite-scynast wuldres mid dryhten : — : 7 1664
1650. MS. J)ses. 1662. MS. gief ; after which is an erasure. 1664.
dryhten : — : 7 is the last word on 32a ; a blank space of three lines follows.
I. CHRIST. C. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 103
their life's dear Guardian ; there, begirt with light,
bewrapt in jDeace, shielded from sorrows,
glorified by joys, endeared unto the Lord, 1644
radiant with grace, they shall aye, to all eternity,
enjoy in bliss the angels' fellowship,
and cherish mankind's Guardian, the Father of all,
Sovran Preserver of the hosts of the holy. 1648
There is angels' song ; bliss of the happy ; there is the cherished presence of the Lord, brighter than the sun, for all those blessed ones ; there is the love of the beloved; life without death's end; 1652 a gladsome host of men ; youth without age ; the glory of the heavenly chivalry ; health without pain for righteous workers, and for souls sublime rest without any toil; there is day without gloom, 1656
radiant and joyful ; happiness without sorrow ; friendship 'twixt friends for ever without feud; peace without enmity for the blessed in heaven, in the communion of saints; hunger is not there nor thirst, 1660 sleep nor grievous sickness ; nor sun's heat, nor cold nor care ; but the company of the blest, the fairest of all hosts, shall there for aye enjoy their Sovran's grace, and glory with their King. 1664
9
104 II. SAINT GUTHLAO. A. I-24. [CUR. 1666-89.]
s
[II. SAINT GUTHLAC. « A.]
> ' V > ft
E bid gefeana F^EGEast J>onne hy set frymSe [*32 b.\ gemetatS [Chr. 1666.]
engel and seo eadge saw! • ofgiefef) hio fas eorjmn wynne •
forlsetetS J>as lsenan dreamas • and hio wif ham lice gedseletS •
Sonne cwitS se engel hafaS yldran ha£. 4
^ at* grete'S gsest of erne • abeodecS him godes serende • ^ Nu fu most feran fider fu fundadest- c
longe and gelome • ic fee lsedan sceal
wegas f e sindon wefe and wuldres leoht 8
torht ontyned • • eart nu tid-fara • c
to f am halgan ham • f ser nsefre hreow cymetS •
eder-gong fore yrmfura • ac fser bif engla dream >' [Chr. 1676.J - sib and gesselignes • and sawla rsest • 12
and f aer a to feore gefeon motun •
dryman mid dryhten fa fe his domas her^
sefnacS on eorf an he him ece lean •
healdecS on heofonum faer se hyhsta ealra 16
cynihga cyning ceastrum wealdeS • ,
Seet sind fa getimbru fe no tydriaS
ne fam fore yrmfum fe fser in-wunia'S
lif aspringetS ac him bitS lenge hu sel 20
geoguf e brucacS • and godes miltsa • [Chr. 1686.]
f ider soSfsestra • sawla motun •
cuman eefter cwealme fa fe ser cristes • se • R»
laeratS and laestatS • and his lof raeraft • . c. • 24
[l Lines 1-29 = Christ. 1 666-1 694, in Grein's edition. For reference,
Greins numbering is inserted between brackets.'] 13. MS. motum. 18.
MS. nil.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 105
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A.
I.
THAT shall be the fairest of joys, when they at first shall meet, the angel and the happy soul, when it resigneth the joys of earth, forsaketh these frail delights, and from the body shall depart. Then shall the angel speak (his the more exalted state), 4
one spirit shall greet the other, and announce to it God's
errand : —
'Now thou may'st travel whither thou wast yearning longtime and often ; I am to lead thee ;
the ways shall be pleasant for thee, and glory's bright light 8 shall be revealed ; thou art now a traveller unto that holy home where sorrow never cometh, the refuge from afflictions.' There is angels' harmony, goodwill and happiness and souls' repose ; 1 2
and there for evermore may they rejoice and revel with the Lord, who here, on earth, fulfil his judgments; He holdeth for them, in heaven, eternal recompense ; over the cities there, 16
the most high, the King of kings, holdeth rule.'
These are the structures which do not decay, nor, through misery, shall life fail those who dwell therein, but the longer the better it shall be for
them ; ;o
youth shall they enjoy and the grace of God. Thither, after death, the souls of righteous men may come, who orewhile teach and do the law of Christ and raise on high His prm 34
106 IT. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 25-58. [CHR. 1690-4; GUTH 1-29. J
oferwinnatS pa awyrgdan gsestas bigytatS him wuldres rseste • A Hwider sceal f>ses monnes mod astigan • 4
ser oplpe sefter ponne he his serine her
gsest bigonge pat se gode mote c 28
womma clsene * in geweald cuman • [*33 a.]
Monge sindon geond middan-geard • fa [1]
yj hadas under heofonum- p>a pe in haligra c
rim arisaS we f>ees ryht magun C 32
-p 3Bt seghwylcum anra gehyran A
tP gif we halig bebodu healdan willa'S- ^
Mseg nu snottor guma ssele brucan fr godra tida and his gseste forS 36
£>x weges willian • , woruld is onhrered ft ^ — - #^4
colaf> cristes lufu sindan costinga
geond middan-geard monge arisene • [10]
Swa pcet geara iu godes spelbodan 40
wordum seegdon and Jmrh witedom
eal anemdon swa hit nu gongetS •
EaldaS eorf>an blsed sej^ela gehwylcre
and of wlite wendaS wsestma gecyndu • 44
bij> seo sif>re tid sseda gehwylces
msetrse in msegne for)?on se mon ne j?earf
to }>isse worulde wyrpe gehycgan -
pat he us fsegran gefean bringe 48
ofer f>a nijjas pe we nu dreogaft • [20]
sermon endien ealle gesceafte
Sa he gesette on siex dagum •
$a nu under heofonum hadas cennaS 52
micle and meete . is J?es middan-geard
dalum gedseled dryhten sceawaft
hwser J?a eardien pe his • se • healden
gesihtS he f>a domas dogra gehwylce 56
wonian and wendan of woruld-ryhte •
Sa he gesette )?urh his sylfes word >
I -^
25. MS. gses,tas. 46. MS. maetr? (i. e. maetrae).
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 107
they overcome the cursed sprites; they gain glory's rest.
Whither, sooner or later, must a man's mood aspire, whenas he would cherish
his one soul here, that it may come 28
to God's dominion, clean of blemishes 1
There are many states 'neath heaven, throughout this middle-earth, which rise
into the number of the holy; wherefore rightly 32
we may belong to any one of them, if we will keep the commandments holy; the wise man may now enjoy prosperity
and happy times, and yet be wishful for 36
his spirit's way hereafter. The world is stirred, the love of Christ cooleth, many temptations have arisen, throughout this mid die- earth,
even as, in days of yore, God's messengers 40
spake in words, and through the gift prophetic declared it all, as it is now befalling.
The glory of each produce of the earth declineth, and all the kinds of growth change from their beauty; 44
the latter time of every seed is now of feebler virtue ; wherefore man dare not direct his hope to this world's mutability,
that it may bring to us some fair delight 48
transcending all the griefs we now endure, ere that all the creatures,, that in six days He set upon the earth, shall have an end,
yea, all which now produce their kinds 'neath heaven, $j
the mighty and the feeble. This middle-earth is parted in divisions; the Lord beholdelh where they abide who keep His law ;
He seeth the judgments which He fixed 56
through His own word, fade day by day, and depart from the justice of the world :
108
ii.
SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 5^~^2. [30-63.]
he fela findeft fea beoS gecorene ,
sume him pses hades hlisan willaS
wegan on wordum and pa weorc ne dotS • .
bitS him eorS-wela ofer pcet ece lif
hyhta hyhst se gehwylcum *sceal [*33 &.]
fold-buendra fremde geweorf>an •,
for)?on hy nu hyrwatS haligra mod •
Sa pe him to heofonum hyge sta)?eliaS
witon pat se-e#eZ ece bidetS
ealra pa&re mengu pe geond middan-geard
dryhtne feowiacS and J>ses deoran ham
wilniatS bi gewyrhtum swa fas woruld-gestreon
on j?a mseran god bimutad weorfa'S •
ftonne pset gegyrnaft )?a pe him godes egsa
hleonaf) ofer heafdum hy py hyhstan beocS
J>rymme gef>reade pisses lifes
J>urh bibodu bruca'S and pses betran forS
wyscatS and wenaf> wuldres bycgaft
sellacS selmessan earme frefracS
beoS rtim-mode ryhtra gestreona j
lufiaS mid lacum pa pe lses agun •
dseghwam dryhtne feowia']? j he hyra dsede sceawatS •
sume pa. wuniatS on westennum
secaS and gesittaS sylfra willum
hamas on heolstrum hy tSaes heofoncundan
boldes bidatS ; oft him brogan to
laSne geleedeS se pe him lifes of-6nn •
eaweS him egsan hwilum idel wuldor
brsegd-wis bona hafa?5 bega crseft
eahtetS an-buendra < fore him englas stondaS
gearwe mid gsesta wsepnum, beo)? hyra geoca gemyndge
healdaS haligra feorh witon hyra hyht mid dryhten ,
pcet sind pa, gecostan cempan J>a fam cyninge feowa'5
se nsefre pa, lean alegetS pam pe his lufan adreogetS: 7
L3P] 60
64
68 [4o]
V
1*
[5o] 80
S4
88 [60]
92
67. MS. eleS. 71. MS. bimutatt.
the line dividing the sections.
92. adreogefi, the only word on
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 109
He shall find many, few shall be chosen.
Some desire to gain their order's reputation 60
by mere words, but do not do the works ; earthly wealth is their highest hope, above the life eternal, which shall be alien to every one now dwelling in the world; 64
verily, they now despise the mood of holy men, who fix their thoughts on heaven, and know that that Fatherland bideth eternally for the host of all upon mid-earth 68
who serve the Lord, and by their works desire that beloved home; so the treasures of this world shall be transmuted into nobler wealth,
when they yearn for it, upon whose heads 72
resteth the fear of God ; by that highest majesty they are constrained ; this life they enjoy as by command, and forthwith ever wish and hope for that better life : they purchase glory ; 76
they bestow alms ; they comfort the poor ; they are liberal of their just gains; they cherish with gifts those who have less, and daily serve the Lord ; He beholdeth their deeds. 80
Some who dwell in wildernesses, who seek and occupy, by their own wills, homes in dark caverns, these await
the heavenly dwelling-place ; he who grudgeth them life, 84 oft bringeth hateful terror upon them ; sometimes he showeth them horror, sometimes vain glory ; the wily murderer hath power of both,
and harasseth these lonely-dwellers ; before them angels stand 88 ready with their spirits' weapons ; they are mindful of their safety ; they preserve the life of saints ; they know their hope is with
the Lord. These are the chosen champions that serve the King, who ne'er withholdeth their pay from thone who bear Him love. 9a
110 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 93- 1 24. [64-95.]
[II.]
1V/|~AGUN we nu nemnan pcet us neah geweartS
J-"-"- f>urh haligne *had gecyj>ed [*34 a.]
hu guSlac his in godes willan
mod gerehte man eall forseah 96
eorftlic aefelu upp gemunde
ham in heofonum him wses hyht to j?am •
sif>J?an hine in-lyhte se f>e lifes weg [70]
gaestum gearwatS and him giefe sealde 100
engelcunde Ipcet he ana ongan
beorg-seJ>el bugan and his bleed gode
j)urh eatSmedu ealne gesealde •
Sone f>e he (5n geogutSe bigan sceolde 104
worulde wynnum hine weard biheold
halig of heofonum se }?8et hluttre mod
in }?8es gsestes god georne trymede •
Hwaet we hyrdon oft poet se halga wer 108
in )?a serestan seldu gelufade [80]
frecnessa fela - fyrst wses swa-}>eana
in godes dome hwonne gutSlace
on his ondgietan engel sealde 112
Ipcet him swetSraden synna lustas •
Tid wass toweard hine twegen ymb
weardas wacedon J?a gewin drugon _
engel dryhtnes and se atela gaest • 116
nalses hy him gelice lare baeron
in his modes gemynd mongum tidum •
of>er him f>as eorfan ealle saegde [90]
lsene under lyfte and f>a longan gdd 120
herede on heofonum peer haligra
sawla gesittaS in sigor-wuldre
dryhtnes dreamas he him daeda lean
georne gieldeS J>am f»e his giefe willaS 124
105. MS. wearS.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. Ill
II.
Now may we declare what lately was made known to us by men of holy state, how Gruthlac trained his mind
unto the will of God, despised all sin 96
and earthly wealth, and turned his thoughts on high, unto a home in heaven; his hope was thitherward, from the day when He who dighteth life's way for souls, had enlightened him, and had granted him 100
angelic grace, so that he began to occupy alone a mountain-home, and gave in humbleness his whole life unto God,
the which, 'tis said, in youth he spent 104
in pleasures of the world. Him a holy guardian from heaven beheld, who fain confirmed his cleanly soul in spiritual goodness.
Lo ! we have often heard that this holy man 108
loved in the earlier period of his life many vicious courses ; nathless there was a time, in God's determining, whenas He sent
an angel unto Guthlac's mind, 112
so that his lust for sin might be allayed. The time was near ; two guardians watched about him, who kept up strife, —
an angel of the Lord and the fell spirit. 116
Many times they brought their teaching, nowise alike, unto his mind's remembrance ; the one declared to him that all this earth was transient 'neath the sky, and praised 120
the lasting good in heaven, where the souls of holy men possess in glorious triumph the Lord's delights; gladly He payeth th.it deeds' reward to those who will accept i*4
112 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. I35-I59. [96-130.]
f>icgan to police and him )ms woruld uttor leetan \>oxme f>set ece lif • , Of>er hyne sc^hte fset he sceaSena gemot
nihtes sohte and J?urh nefringe 128
wunne aefter worulde swa doS wrsec-msecgas [IO°]
j?a J>e ne bimurnatS* * monnes feore [*34 b.]
J?aes \>e him to honda huf>e gelsedetS
butan hy J>y reafe reedan motan • ( 132
Swa hy hine trymedon on twa healfa • of>f>8et p&s gewinnes weoroda dryhten on pses engles dom ende gereahte • .
feond waes geflymed , sij^am frofre gaest 136
in gutSlaces geoce gewunade lufade hine and lserde lenge hu geornor
]>cet him leofedan londes wynne [II0]
bold on beorhge , oft f>ser broga cwom 140
egeslic and uncutS eald-feonda niS searo-crseftum swij? . hy him sylf hyra onsyn ywdon and J?ser ser fela
setla gesseton j?onan si(5 tugon 144
wide waSe wuldre byscyrede lyft-lacende ^ wses seo londes stow bimij>en fore monnum • oj}f>set meotud onwrah beorg <5n bear we £>a se bytla cwom 148
se ]?ser haligne ham areerde • [120]
nales Ipj he giemde Jmrh gitsunga laenes lif-welan ac )?8et lond gode
fsegre gefreo]x>de si)?J?an feond oferwon 152
cristes cempa , he gecostad wearS in gemyndigra monna tidum • Sara ]>e nu gena Jmrh gsestlieu
wundor [Awie] weortSia'S and his wisdomes 156
hlisan healdaS Ipmt se halga f>eow elne ge-eode )>a he ana gesset
dygle stowe • Saer he dryhtnes lof [130]
153. MS. gecostaS. 156. [hine] conjectural.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 113
His grace with thanks, and will suffer all this world
to be beyond them rather than the life eternal.
The other egged him on, that he should seek by night
the meeting-place of robbers, and should make gain 138
by worldly villainy, as banded outlaws do,
who care not for the life of any man
that bringeth plunder to their hands.
if they may but dispose of spoil. 13a
Thus on two sides they were exhorting him, until the Lord of hosts ordained the ending of that contention to the glory of the angel. The fiend was put to flight; the Spirit of comfort 136
remained for Guthlac's aid thereafter,
and loved him and taught him, the longer the more zealously, so that he grew enamoured of that land's charm, of that dwelling on the hill. Oft came there terror, 140
dreadful and strange, — the hatred of those ancient fiends, strong in guileful cunning; to Guthlac's self they showed their aspects; there had they erewhile fixed their many seats, but thence, cut off from glory, 144
they had gone their way, a journey far and wide, hovering through the air. Hidden from men was that spot of land, until God disclosed
the mound within the grove, when the builder came, 148
who there reared up a holy home, not because he cared, through greediness, for life's frail wealth, but that he might nobly devote the land to God, when he, Christ's champion, 15 2
had overcome the fiends. Tempted was he in the times of men who still remember it, of men who even now still honour him
for his hpi ritual wonders, and who preserve 156
his wisdom's fame, which he, the holy vassal, gained by his courage, when all alone he dwelt in that dark place, where he recited and extolled
I
114 It SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 160-I89. [131-160.]
reahte and raerde ; oft f>urh reorde abead 160
Jjani pe J>rowera J^eawas lufedon
godes serendu # )?a him ga?st onwrah
lifes snyttru Ipsdt he his lic-homan
wynna forwyrnde and woruld-blissu 164
seftra setla and symbel-daga
swylce eac idelra eagena wynna
gierelan gielp-*lices . him wass godes egsa [*35 a.]
mara in gemyndum Iponne he menniscum 168
prjmme setter J>once f»egan wolde : 7 : — [140]
[in.]
/^OD wees guSlac, he in gaeste baer
" heofoncundne hyht hselu gereehte
ecan lifes x him waes engel neah 172
faele freotSu-weard jmm pe feara sum
mearc-lond gesa3t , peer he mongum weartS
bysen on brytene si]?J>an biorg gestah
eadig oretta and-wiges heard 176
gyrede hine georne mid gsestlicum waepnum ,
wong bletsade* t t
Him to eet-stselle asrest arserde • [I5°]
cristes rode feer se eempa oferwon 180
frecnessa fela frome wurduw monge
godes J?rowera ■ we J>ses guftlaee
deorwyrftne deel dryhtne cenna'5-
he him sige sealde and snyttru-crseft 184
mundbyrd meahta Iponne mengu cwom
feonda fser-scytum fsehtSe raeran )
ne meahton hy asfeste an forlsetan
ac to guftlaces gseste gelaeddun 188
frasunga fela him wses fultum neah J [160]
162. MS. serendS (i. e. aerendu). 169. One line space between the sections. 178. The scribe has evidently omitted half the line; there is no. indication of this in the MS. 18 1. MS. wurdum.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 115
the praises of the Lord. Oft he announced, 160
by word, God's errand, unto those who loved
the ways of martyrs, when the Spirit had revealed
life's wisdom unto him, so that he withheld
his body from delights and worldly joys, 164
from downy seats and festive days,
yea, from the idle pleasures of the eye,
and from all pompous garb; the fear of God
was too great in his mind for him to deign 168
to welcome human grandeur thankfully.
III.
Guthlac was good ; he bore within his soul the heavenly hope, and strove for the salvation of eternal life. Nigh him was an angel, 172
a faithful guardian of his peace, who, one of few, inhabited that march-land. There the blissful champion, the bold in fight, was an example
for many men in Britain, when he had 176
mounted that hill and had prepared him zealously with spiritual weapons. He blessed the plain; but first he raised aloft Christ's cross
to mark his station ; there the champion overcame 180
divers perils ; many of God's martyrs grew valiant there ; wherefore we ascribe (lutlilac's dearworth lot unto the Lord.
He gave him victory, and wisdom's craft, 184
and might's protection, when many foes came with their Hidden darts to raise up strife; th. v could not wholly leave their hate,
but led forth unto Guthlac's spirit «88
temptations many : support was nigh to him ;
I 2
116 It. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. I9O-223. [161-194.J
engel hine elne trymede Iponne hy him yrre hweopan »
frecne fyres wylme stodan him on feSe-hwearfura
cwaedon feet he on fam beorge byrnan sceolde 192
and his lic-homan lig forswelgan
faet his earfejm eal gelumpe
mod-cearu msegum gif he monna dream
of J?am orlege eft ne wolde 196
sylfa gesecan and his sibbe ryht
mid mon-cynne • *maran craefte [*35 &.]
willum bewitigan lsetan wreece stille ♦ [!7°]
Swa him yrsade se for ealle spraec 200
feonda mengu j no f>y forhtra waes
guSlaces gsest ac him god sealde
ellen wif J?am egsan fset fees eald-feondes
scyldigra scolu scome J>rowedon • . 204
waeron teon-smiSas tornes fulle ,
cwsedon pcet him gutSlac eac gode sylfum
earfefa meest ana gefremede • ^
sibjmn he for wlence on westenne 208
beorgas braece J?ser hy bidinge [l8°]
earme and-sacsm seror mostmi
aefter tintergum tidum brucan ■
ISoirne hy of wafum . . werge cwoman 212
restan ryne-J>ragum rowe gefegon
wses him seo gelyfed f>urh lytel faec ,
stod seo dygle stow dryhtne in gemyndum
idel and semen efel-riehte feor • 216
bad bissece betran hyrdes ,
to f>on eald-feondas ondan noman •
swa hi singales sorge dreogatS • [19°]
ne motun hi on eor]?an eardes brucan 220
ne hy lyft swefeft in leoma lsestum
ac hy hleo-lease hama folia's
in cearum cwifatS cwealmes wiscatS .
209. MS. he. 210. MS. mostum.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 117
the angel strengthened him with courage, when angrily they
threatened him ; when, audacious with fire's heat, they stood in crowds about him. They said that lie should burn upon that hill, 192
that flame should all devour his flesh, that all his troubles and his miseries should fall upon his kindred, if he himself
would not seek again the joys of men 196
away from that contention, and with good will and better craft discharge the claims of kin, in the midst of men, and let that strife alone.
Thus he who spake for all that host of foes 200
provoked him ; none the more adread was Guthlac's soul, but God granted him strength to meet that terror, so that the guilty shoal, the old adversary's host, suffered shame ; 204
the harm-contrivers were then full of wrath ; they said that, besides God, Guthlac, all alone there, had caused them greatest hardship,
ever since, in pride, he had penetrated 208
the hills in that waste-land, where formerly they, the vile apostates, could at times enjoy repose after their direful torments,
when, aweary of their wanderings, they came 21a
to rest there a short hour; they joyed in the rest that was granted to them for a little space.
The secret spot, far from all patrial rights, void and desolate, stood in the Lord's remembrance, 216
and awaited the coming of a better keeper. Therefore those ancient foes took umbrage, for they must now bear sorrow endlessly :
neither may they enjoy a dwelling on the earth, 220
nor doth air lull them for their limbs' repose, but shelterless they yearn for homes, and grievously lament, and wish for death ;
118 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 224-257. [195-228.]
willen f>eet him dryhten Jmrh deatSes cwealm 124
to hyra earfetSa ende geryme •
ne mostun hy gutSlaces gseste scef>f>an
ne Jmrh sar-slege sawle gedselan
wi(5 lic-homan ac hy lige-searwum 228
ahofun hearm-stafas • hleahtor alegdon • [200]
sorge seofedon j?a hi switSra oferstag
weard on wonge j sceoldon wrsec-maecgas
ofgiefan gnornende grene beorgas 1 23a
hwaefre hy f>a *gena godes andsacan [* 36 a.]
ssegdon sar-stafum svvife geheton
pest he deajm gedal dreogan sceolde
gif he leng bide la]?ran gemotes- 236
hwonne hy mid mengu maran cwome
jm pe for his life lyt sorgedon • ,
guSlac him ongean Jringode . cwfletS f>aet hy gielpan ne J?orftan [210]
dsedum witS dryhtnes meahtum « f>eah pe ge me deatS gehaten 240
mec wile wi5 J?am nijmm genergan se pe eowrum nydum wealdeft.
An is telmihtig god se mec meeg eatSe gescyldan
he min feorg freojmcS ic eow fela wille
sofa gesecgan . mseg ic f>is setl on eow 244
butan earfeftum ana ge^ringan •
Ne earn ic swa fealog swa ic eow fore stonde
monna weorudes ac me mara dsel
in godeundum gsest-gerynum 248
wunatS and weaxecS se me wraj?e healdetS - [220]
ic me anum her eatSe getimbre
hus and hleonatS me on heofonum sind
lare gelonge - mec p&s lyt tweoj? 252
J?a3t me engel to ealle gelsedeS
spowende sped spreca and dseda • t
gewita"S nu awyrgde werig-mode
from Jrissum earde pe ge her on stondaS j 256
fleotS on feor-weg , ic me fricS wille
245. MS. gedringan.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A, 119
fain would they that the Lord would make for them 224
an ending to their hardships by death's pang.
They might not injure Guthlac's spirit, nor, by any baleful wound, part soul
from body, but by their lying arts 228
they raised up mischiefs. They gave up laughter, they sighed with sorrow, when in that plain a stronger guardian had o'ercome them ; doomed were the wretched
outcasts then to leave those green hills, sorrowing the while ; 232
nathless still, in grievous wise, spake they, God's adversaries, and vehemently threatened, that he should bear the throes of many deaths, if he abode there longer for a sorrier meeting, 236
when they would come with mightier multitude, who would care little for his life.
Guthlac replied to them; he said, they need not vaunt their deeds against the power of the Lord; 'though ye have
promised death to me, 240
He who ordaineth your plight, will save me from your hate. There is one Almighty God who can easily shield me ; He will protect my life. Fain would I tell you many truths ; without trouble, all alone, 244
I can forcibly maintain this seat amidst you. I am not so destitute, as I stand before you, void o£ a host of men ; but in me a larger power, fraught with spiritual mysteries divine, 248
abideth and groweth, which keepeth me with its stay. I shall easily build for me here alone a house and resting-place; my instruction
is in heaven's gift; wherefore I doubt but little, 253
that an angel will bring to me, in word and deed, all prosperous success. Depart now, ye accursed, ye weary souls,
from this place whereon ye stand 156
flee far away; for myself f fain ileMiv
120 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 258-287. [229-258.]
eet gode gegyrnan . ne sceal min gaest mid eow gedwolan dreogan ac mec dryhtnes hond [230]
mundatS mid msegne . her sceal min wesan 260
eortSlic elpel . nales eower leng : 7
\ [iv.]
T\A weartS breahtm hsefen < beorg ymb-stodan
•U hwearfum wrsec-msecgas - woS up astag
cearfulra cirm . cleopedon • *monige [*36 b.~\ 264
feonda fore-sprecan • firenum vgulpon •
oft we ofersegon be seem tweonura
J?eoda J?eawas J^rsece modigra
)mra pe in gelimpe life weoldon • 268
no we oferhygdu anes monnes [24°]
geond middan-geard maran fundon «, ..
ou J>set gehatest £>8et "Su ham ontus
gegan wille eart Se godes yrming • *, 272
7 bi hwon scealt pu lifgari J?eah jm lond age •
ne pec mon hider mose fedetS • ;
beotS pe hungor and Jmrst hearde gewinnan
gif pn gewitest swa wilde aeor 276
ana from epele < nis Ipset onginn wiht • ,
geswic pisses setles) ne mseg pec sellan rsed
mon gelaeran ponne )?eos mengu eall • . [25°]
we pe beoS holde gif f>u us hyran wilt 280
oJ?f e J»ec ungearo eft gesecatS
maran msegne p2et pe mon ne J)earf
hondum hrinan ne J>in bra feallan
wsepna wundum • 1 we J>as wic magun 284
fotum afyllan folc in SricetS •
meara f>reatum • and mon-farum •
beotS J?a gebolgne ]m J?ec breodwiatS
261. -les eower leng : the only words on the line dividing the sections. 269. MS. J>e. 271. MS. hus. 285. MS. inSri ce% with an erasure between.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 121
peace with God. My soul shall not
endure error in your midst, but the Lord's hand
will protect me with its might; here shall be 260
my earthly home; it is yours no longer/
IV.
\
Then a noise was raised ; around the hill in crowds the outcasts stood ; a shout ascended,
the cry of the wretched ; there clamoured many a one, 264
spokesmen of the fiends ; wickedly they boasted : —
1 Oft have we observed the ways of folks between the seas, the boldness of the proud, of those who held their life in changeful state ; 268
we have not# found, throughout this middle-earth, greater arrogance in any single man. Thou that dost threaten that thou wilt win - a home among us — thou art God's starveling: 272
whereby art thou to live, though thou possess the land 1 Not any man will hither bring thee food; hunger and thirst will be hard foes for thee, if thou withdrawest, like the wild beasts do, 276
all solitary from thy home : that resolve is naught. Quit this abode ; not any one can teach thee better rede than all this multitude:
we will be kind to thee, if thou wilt hear us ; 280
else will we seek thee, unprepared, again, with greater force, so that none shall need touch thee with his hands, nor need thy carcass fall by wounds of weapons; with our feet shall we be able 284
to lay low this dwelling; folk shall press in with their troops of horse and moving bands of men. Then they who lay thee low will be enraged ;
122
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 288-322. [259-293.]
tredacS J?ec and tergal and hyra torn wrecaS 288
to-beratS pec blodgum lastum . gif f>u ure bidan f>encest • [260]
we pec nij?a gensegaS ongin pe generes wilnian,
far ]?8er &u freonda wene gif (5u }nnes feores recce •
gearo wses guSlac hine god fremede 292
on ondsware and on elne strong .
ne wond he for worde ac his wif>er-breocum
sorge gesaegde cutSe him sotS genog ■
wic£ is pes westen , wreec-setla fela 296
eardas onhgele earmra gsesta <
sindon Weer-logan pe p& *wic buga<5 • ■ [*37 a.]
f>eah ge pa ealle ut abanne [270]
and eow eac gewyrce widor-ssece 300
ge her ateotS in f>a torn-wrsece
sigeleasne siS* no ic eow sweord ongean
mid gebolgne hond oSberan f>ence
worulde waepen ne sceal J?es wong gode 304
f»urh blod-gyte gebuen weorSan •
ac ic minum criste cweman f>ence
leofran lace, *nu ic f>is lond gestag.
fela ge me ear da jmrh idel word 308
aboden habbacS . nis min breost-sefa [280]
forht ne ftege ac me friSe healdeS
ofer monna cyn se pe msegna gehwses
weorcum wealdecS • nis me wiht set eow 312
leofes gelong ne ge me laj>es wiht
gedon motun ic eom dryhtnes J^eow •
he mec Jmrh engel " oft afrefreft • ■
forfton mec longef>as lyt gegretatS 316
sorge sealdun x nu mec sawel-cund
hyrde bihealdeS' is min hyht mid god « y
ne ic me eor$-welan owiht sinne [29°]
ne me mid mode micles gyrne 320
ac me dogra gehwam dryhten send eft
}?urh monnes hond mine £>earfe •
296. MB. wiS. 299. MS. abunne.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 123
they will tread thee, and tear thee, and wreak their wrath, 288 and bear thee off with bloody tracks : if thou thinkest to await us, evilly shall we assail thee. Resolve to wish thy safety ; go where thou mayst hope for friends, if thou reck for thy life.'
G-uthlac was ready; God made him 292
strong for answering, and strong in courage ; he flinched not at their words, but uttered sorrows for his adversaries ; he knew truth well enough.
* Wide is this waste ; its exile-seats are many, 296
hidden homes of miserable sprites ; perfidious ones are they that hold these seats ; though ye call forth all of them to your aid, and make your warfare even more extended, 300
ye shall here, in your fierce vengeance, undertake a baffled enterprise. I purpose not to bear 'gainst you, with wrathful hand,
a sword, a worldly weapon, nor shall this plain 304
be consecrated unto God by bloodshed, but I purpose to please my Saviour
with a dearer gift. Now that I have reached this land, many dwelling-places, in idle words, 308
have ye offered unto me ; my breast is not afeard, nor faint, for He who holdeth active sway o'er every power, keepeth me in peace,
more than all mankind. No friendship is in me 312
towards you, nor can ye effect aught hostile against me ; I am a servant of the Lord, and by His angel He oft comforteth me ;
wherefore longings visit me but little, 316
sorrows seldom. Now a spiritual shepherd guardeth me ; my hope is with God. I care naught for earthly wealth,
nor earnestly desire I much for me, 320
but each day, by the hand of man, God sendeth me my need.'
124 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 323-358. [294-329.]
Swa modgade se wiS mongum stod
awrefted weorSlice wuldres cempa 324
engla meegne v gewat eal j?onan
feonda mengu ne wees se fyrst mioel
pe hi guftlace forgiefan J>ohtan •
He wees on elne and on eacS-medum » 328
bad on beorge wees him botles neod « [3co]
for-let longe]?as leenra dreama
no he hine wio* monna miltse gedeelde
ac gesynta beed sawla gehwylcre 332
porme he to eorSan on jmm anade
hleor *onhylde him of heofonum wearS [*37 &.]
onbryrded breost-sefa blitSe geeste •
oft eahtade I wees him engel neali 336
hu Jnsse worulde wynna porite
mid his lic-homan leesast brucan •,
no him fore egsan earmra geesta [310]
treow getweode . ne he tid forseet 340
j>ees pe he for his dryhtne dreogan sceolde
f>eet hine eereste elne binoman
sleepa sluman olplpe seene mod •
BWa sceal oretta a in his mode 344
gode compian and his geest beran
oft on ondan )?am pe eahtan wile
sawla gehwylcre pser he gesselan meeg »
Symle hy gutSlac in godes willan 348
fromne fundon porme flyge-reowe [320]
J?urh nihta genipu • neosan cwoman
pa, pe onheele eardas weredon •
hwee)?ere him )?ees wonges wyn swecSrade , 352
woldun £>eet him to mode fore mon-lufan
sorg gesohte j?eet he si)? tuge
eft to ef>le . ne wees ]?eet ongin swylc •
"Sonne hine engel on Jmm anade 356
geornast grette and him giefe sealde
j^eet hine ne meahte meotudes willan
II. SAINT GUTHLAC A. 125
Thus exulted he, the glorious champion, who stood 'gainst many, nobly sustained 324
by angels' might. Thence departed
all the multitude of foes, though the respite was not long, that they were purposing to grant to Guthlac.
He was in strength and in humility ; 328
he tarried on that mount ; he cherished that abode ; though he had renounced desire of transient joys, he severed not himself from kindness towards men, but prayed for the prosperity of every soul, 332
when in that solitude he bowed his face to earth : from heaven his inmost soul was stirred by a benignant spirit.
Oft he meditated, (an angel was near him), 336
how he might least enjoy with his body the pleasures of this world; his faith faltered not for dread
of wretched sprites ; ne'er deferred he the hour 340
wherein he was to suffer for his Lord, lest sleep's slumber or a sluggish mood might wrest from him his power of rising.
So must a champion ever, in his soul, 344
fight for God, and oft-times bear his spirit in hate 'gainst him who fain would harass every soul, whenever he may bind it.
Ever found they Guthlac steadfast 348
in God's will, when in flight those cruel ones, who inhabited the secret habitations, came through the clouds of night to learn
whether his delight in that plain had lessened. 352
They wished that a longing for human love would touch his mind, that he would journey unto his home again ; such was not his thought, when in that solitude an angel 356
greeted him full fervently and gave him grace, so that desire might not hinder him
126 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 359-388. [330-359.]
longatS gelettan ac he 011 j>ses lareowes [330]
wsere gewunade oft worde bicwaeft 160
huru )?aes bihofaft se t5e him halig gaest
wisaft on willan and his weorc trymatS
lafatS hine libum wordum gehateS him lifes raeste
)?aet he faes latteowes larum hyre- 364
ne lete him eald-feond eft oncyrran
mod from his meotude • , Hu sceal min cuman
gaest to geoce nemne ic gode sylle
hyrsumne hige baet him heortan gej?onc • ft 368
* aer oJ?}>e sitS ende geweorSe [* 38 a.] [340]
j^set ge mec to wundre wsegan motun ,
ne maeg min lic-homa witS f>as laenan gesceaft
deatS gedaelan ac he gedreosan sceal 372
swa J>eos eor<5e eall pe ic her on stonde •,
Sean ge minne flses[c]-homan fyres wylme
forgripen grom-hydge gifran lege •
naefre ge mec of J?issum wordum onwendacS J>endan mec min
gewit gelaestetS ¥ 376
f>eah pe ge hine sarum forsaecen ne motan ge mine sawle
gretan ac ge on betran gebringaS fortSan ic gebidan wille J333S pe me min dryhten demecS nis me pees deaj^es sorg • [350] (5eah min ban and blod butu geweorfen 380
eorj^an to eacan min se eca dael in gefean farecS peer he faegran botles brucetS , nis pisses beorges setl
meodumre ne mara ponne hit men duge 384
se pe in f»rowingum feodnes willan daeghwam dreogetS ne sceal se dryhtnes f>eow in his mod-sefan mare gelufian eorjmn aeht-welan f>onne his anes gemet 388
363. MS. reste (i.e. raeste). 368. A leaf apparently is wanting after
ge])onc ; judging by the strip of parchment still left, it must have been cut out by a very clumsy hand. 370. MS. wggan (i.e. waegan). 374. MS. flaes-
homan. 384. MS. buge.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 127
in the Creator's will ; but in his teacher s
covenant he abode, and oft by word addressed him. 360
1 Verily it behoveth him whom the holy Spirit leadeth into joy, and whose work He strengthened, whom He inviteth with kindly words, and whom He promiseth
life's rest, that he obey his guide's instructions, 364
and suffer not the ancient fiend to turn his mind from his Creator. How shall my soul come to salvation, save I give to God
a mind obedient, so that my heart's thoughts (please) Him 1 . . ' 368 . . . . 'that sooner or later there may be an end to your power to move me in this wondrous wise. My body, in face of all this frail creation,
cannot escape death, but it must fall, 372
as must all this earth that I here stand upon. Though, cruel-hearted, ye assail my flesh «#■
with fire's heat and with greedy flame, never shall ye turn me from these words, while my mind
availeth me; 376
though ye may sorely afflict that, ye cannot touch my soul, but ye will bring it to a better world ; wherefore I will
await whatsoe'er my Lord adjudgeth me; I have no grief at death; though my bones and blood both serve 380
for earth's increase, yet my eternal part shall journey into bliss, where it shall enjoy a fair abode. This mountain-dwelling
is neither lowlier nor more exalted than befitteth 384
a man who daily endureth his Sovereign's will 'mid suffering; nor must the servant of the Lord love in his soul more of earth's possessions than a sufficiency for himself alone, 388
128 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 389-418. [360-389.]
Jjset he his lic-homan lade hsebbe • , [360]
Da wses eft swa ser eald-feonda niS wroht onwylled • woti o)?er [peer]
ne lyt-hwon leoftode £onne in lyft astag 392
cear-gesta cirm • , syinle cristes lof -Ar in gu&laces godum mode
weox and wunade and hine weoruda god
freotSade on foldan swa he feora gehwyle 396
healdeS in hselo f>ser se hyra gsest
f>ihtS in J>eawuin. he wses ]?eara sum- .
ne won he * sefter worulde ac he in wuldre ahof [*38 &.]
modes Wynne N hwyle wses mara J>onne 400
se an oretta ussum tidum [372]
cempa gecyfted J?set him crist fore
woruldlicra ma wundra gecySde : 7
[V]
HE hine scilde wiS sceSf>en[dJra ■ 404
eglum onfengum earmra gsesta • wseron hy reowe to raesanne gifrura grapum • , no god wolde
j?set seo sawl J>ses sar f>rowade 408
in lic-homan. lyfde se feana [38°]
}?aet hy him mid hondum hrinan mosten and ]>cet fritS witS hy gefreojmd wsere •,
Hy hine J>a hofun on J?a hean lyft .412
sealdon him meahte ofer monna cynn j?set he fore eagum eall sceawode under haligra hyrda gewealdum
in mynsteruin monna gebseru • .416
]?ara fe hyra lifes J?urh lust brucan idlum sehtum and ofer-wlencum
391. MS. onwylleS. MS. soS. [peer] conjectural; added for metrical reasons. 402. MS. gecySeS. 403. gecySde, the only word on the line dividing the sections. 404. MS. sceSjjem-a. 405. MS. onfengum {i.e. um).
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 129
that he may have his body's sustenance/
Then again, as erewhile, the old fiends' hate and strife waxed hot : a second cry,
no feeble one, resounded, when the wail 392
of the troubled spirits rose aloft. In the goodly mind of Guthlac evermore Christ's praise waxed and abode, and him the God of hosts protected on earth, as He preserveth unto salvation 396
every soul wherein the higher life thriveth in virtue. Guthlac was one of these; he strove not for the world, but set his mind's delight on the glory above. What man was greater than he, 400
the one hero, the one champion, known in our times, so that, on his behalf, Christ showed forth more wonders in this world ?
V.
He shielded him against the dire designs 404
of all those hurtful miserable sprites ; fiercely eager were they to rush upon him violently with greedy clutches. God was not willing that the soul should suffer so much pain 408
within the body ; yet he permitted that they might touch him with their hands, and that His peace should nathless be maintained towards them. Then they raised him into the lofty air, 41a
and gave him might above the race of men, so that he beheld fully before his eyes the habits of those men in monasteries,
beneath the sway of holy guardians, 416
who spent tlieir life in pleasure, in vain possessions, and exceeding pomp,
K
130 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 4 1 9-452. [390-423.]
gierelum gielplicum swa bi5 geoguSe |?eaw [39°]
f>aer pses ealdres egsa ne styreS- v 420
No \>er J?a feondas gefeon forfton
ac j?aes blsedes hraSe gebrocen haefdon
J»e him alyfed wees lytle hwile
J?set hy his lic-homan leng ne mostan 424
witum weelan ne him wiht gescod
j?aes f>e hy him to teonan jmrh-togen haefdon- %
laeddun hine fa of lyfte to jram leofestan
earde on eorSan J?aet he eft gestag 428
beorg on bearwe ( bonan gnornedon [400]
maendon murnende \>&[t] hy monnes beam
fjream oferjwnge and swa f>earfendlic
him to earfetSum • *ana cwome [*39 a.] 432
gif hy him ne meahte maran sarum
gyldan gyrn-wraece- gutSlac sette
hyht in heofonas haelu getreowde
haefde feonda feng feore gedyged • 436
waes seo aereste earmra gaesta
costung ofercumen^ cempa wunade
blij>e on beorge waes his blaed mid god^ [410]
Suhte him on mode ]?aet se mon-cynnes 440
eadig waere sepe his anum her
feore gefreotSade J>aet him feondes hond
aet J?am ytmestan ende ne scode
J>onne him se dryhtnes dom wisade 444
to J>am nyhstan nyd-gedale • ,
hwaefre him f>a gena gyrna gemyndge *
edwit-sprecan ermjm geheton
tornum teon-cwidum ■ treow waes gecyfed 448
j?aette guolace god leanode [420]
ellen mid arum ]?aet he ana gewon • t
Him se werga gaest wordum saegde
no we f>e J?us swiSe swencan j?orftan 452
430. MS. pse.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 131
and proud array, as is the wont of youth,
when no fear of an elder checketh it. 420
Not at that time then might the fiends rejoice,
but quickly had they spent the bliss,
which was granted them for but a little while,
so that they might no longer wound his body 424
with torments, nor did aught injure him
of what they had accomplished for his vexation.
They led him then from the air to that dearest home
on earth, so that he reached again 428
the hill within the grove. The slayers groaned
and moaned, lamenting that a child of man
had direfully surpassed them, and, to their bale
had come, alone, though in such needy wise, 432
unless they might requite him with some greater pain,
with vengeance for their misery. Guthlac set
his hope heaven-wards, and trusted for salvation ;
he had escaped with life the fiends' embrace ; 436
the first temptation of those wretched sprites
was overcome ; the warrior abode
blithe on the mount, his glory was with God.
It seemed unto his mind, that he of all mankind 440
was indeed blessed, who protected
his one life here, so that the hand of the fiend
might not harm him at the final end,
when the Lord's decree directed him 444
to the last inevitable parting.
Yet, mindful still of harms, the scoffers
threatened him with dire afflictions
in angry words of insult. The truth was manifest, 448
that God had given as recompense to Guthlac
strength with honour, so that, all alone, he conquered.
Spake to him in words the accursed sprite: —
'We need not have plied thee thus severely, 45a
k 2
132 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 453-485. [424-456.]
f>ser ]>u fromlice freonda larum
hyran wolde pa pu heart and earm
on f>is orlege serest cwome •
$a f>u gehete J?set f>ec halig gaest 456
witS earfejmm ea$e gescilde
for fam myrcelse pe t monnes hond
from jrinre onsyne 8ef>elum ahwyrfde • [430]
in J>am mseg-wlite monge lifgaS 460
gyltum forgiefene* nales gode jngatS
ac hy lic-homan fore lufan cwematS
wista wynnum swa ge weorS-myndu
in dolum dreame dryhtne gieldatS » 464
fela ge fore monnum mifjatS pddB pe ge in mode gehycgaS-
ne beotS eowre * dseda dyrne J?eah pe ge hy in dygle gefremme •
[*39 b.] we J?ec in lyft gelseddun oftugon pe londes wynna • woldun pu pe sylfa gesawe Ipset we J?ec soft on-staeldun. 468 ealles pu. f>a?s wite awunne • for)?on pu hit onwendan ne meahtes 8a waes agongen j?aet him god wolde [44 1]
sefter f>rowinga J?onc gegyldan
pset he martyr-had mode gelufade , 472
sealde him snyttru on sefan gehygdum msegen-fseste gemynd he witS mongum stod eald-feonda elne gebylded • •
Ssegde him to sorge faet hy sigelease 476
"pone grenan wong of-giefan sceoldan • ge sind for-scadene on eow scyld sitetS
ne cunnon ge dryhten dugu]?e biddan [45°]
ne mid eaSmedum are secan 480
J?eah pe eow alyfde lytle hwile J?set ge min onwald agan mosten • ne ge f>aet gepjldnm jricgan woldan
ac mec yrringa up gelseddon 484
f>aet ic of lyfte londa getimbru
454. MS. heam. 458. MS. {>e J>ec. 482. MS. onweald (i.e. onwald).
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 133
if readily thou wouldst have hearkened
to the rede of friends, when first thou earnest,
lowly and forlorn, unto this place of strife,
when thou didst declare that the Holy Spirit 456
would easily shield thee 'gainst afflictions,
because of the sign, which warded
the hand of man from off thy noble face.
In that fair aspect many live, 460
given up to sin ; they live not agreeably to God,
but, for their body's sake, delight
in pleasures of the feast, for ye pay reverence
to the Lord in foolish revelry; 464
ye hide from men much that in your minds ye meditate ;
your deeds shall not be hidden, though in the dark ye do them.
We led thee in the air, withdrew from thee the land's delights ;
we wished that thou thyself shouldst see that we alleged the
truth 'gainst thee ; 468
for all this thou hast gained affliction ; verily, thou couldst not
avert it/ Then it befell that God desired to pay him thanks for all his sufferings,
for that he loved martyrdom with all his soul. 472
He gave him wisdom in his bosom's thoughts, a steadfast mind. He stood 'gainst many of those ancient foes, emboldened by his strength ; he said, to their sorrow, that ingloriously 476
they should give up that verdant plain : —
'Ye are scattered ! guilt sitteth on you ! Ye cannot ask a blessing of the Lord,
nor humbly seek compassion : 480
though He permitted you for but a little while, that ye might have dominion over me, yet would ye not maintain it measurably.
but angrily ye led me upon high, 484
that from aloft I might behold
134 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 486-519. [457-490.]
geseon meahte t was me swegles leoht
torht ontyned J?eah ic torn druge •
Setton me in edwit J>aet ic ea?Se forbeer 488
rume regulas and ref>e mod [460]
geongra monna in godes templum 1
woldan J>y gehyrwan haligra lof • ]
sohtun J?a saemran and J?a sellan no 492
demdan sefter dsedum ne beoS J)a dyrne swa f>eah •
to eow so(S sif>f>on secgan wille K
god scop geoguSe and gumena dream ;
ne magun )?a sefter-yld in J>am aerestan 496
blaede geberan ac hy blissiao1
worulde wynnum oStSaet wintra rim
gegaeS * in J>a geoguSe faet se gsest lufao1 [*40 a.] [470]
onsyn and aetwist yldran hades* 500
oe gemete monige geond middan-geard
^eowiao1 in f>eawum ■ feodum ywaf>
wisdom weras wlencu forleosaS
sitSoan geoguSe gea"S gsest afliho* • ( 504
j>aet ge ne sciratS ac ge scyldigra
synne secgatS soJ>faestra no •
mod and mon-J>eaw maeran willatS .
gefeoo1 in firenum frofre ne wenao1 508
Jpaet ge wraec-sitSa wyrpe gebiden* [480]
oft ge in gestalum stondatS , J^ass cymeo1 steor of heofonum ,
me J?onne sendetS se usic se mon waeg
se J?e lifa gehwaes lengu wealdeS- 512
Swa hleoJ?rade halig cempa ;
waes se martyre from mon-cynnes
synnum asundrad sceolde he sares j?a gen
dael adreogan Sean J?e dryhten his 516
witum wolde j hwaet j?aet wundra sum
monnum J?uhte j?aet he ma wolde
afrum onfengum earme gaestas [49°]
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 135
the structures of the land I Heaven's bright light
was then disclosed to me, though I endured affliction ;
ye set it to my shame that readily I brooked 488
the lax rules and the rough moods
of the youthful men in God's own temples ;
thereby would ye traduce the praises of the saints;
ye sought the worse and ye judged not 492
the better men according to their deeds ; yet shall they not be
hidden. But I will tell you now the truth ; God created youth and men's delight ;
they may not show maturity 496
in their first bloom, but they rejoice in the pleasures of the world, until a tale of years is added to their youth, when the spirit loveth the form and feature of a higher state, 500
which many o'er this middle-earth serve virtuously and fitly; men show forth wisdom unto folk and lay aside their pride, when the spirit putteth to flight youth's levity. 504
This ye discern not, but ye rehearse the sins of guilty men, and will nowise extol the mood and practices of the righteous ;
ye rejoice in crimes, ye have no hope of comfort, 508
that ye may find respite from your exile-tracks. Oft are ye engaged in theft; for this cometh chastisement from
heaven ; then He sendeth me, He who for our sakes moved as man, He who ordaineth the length of every life.' 51a
So spake aloud the holy champion : severed was the martyr from the sins of human kind, yet had he to endure
a portion of its pain, although his Lord 516
controlled his torments. Lo ! it seemed a wonder unto men that He should suffer any longer the wretched sprites to touch him
136 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 52O-549. [491-521.]
hrinan leton and \>cet hwaefre gelomp • 520
waes J?8et gen mara J>aet he middan-geard
sylfa gesohte and his swat ageat
on bonena hond . ahte bega geweald •
lifes and dea<5es J>a he lustum dreag 524
eaS-mod on eorSan ehtendra niS •
forfon is nu ar-lic j)aet we • as • faestra
daede demen secgen dryhtne lof
ealra j?ara bisena f>e us bee fore 528
J>urh his wundra geweorc wisdom cyjm'S : 7 [500]
* [VI.]
GEOFU waes mid gutSlac in godcundum maegne gemeted • g * micel is to secgan [*40&.] eall aefter orde j?aet he on elne adreag • 532
"Sone fore-gengan feeder aelmihtig witS onhaelum ealdor-gewinnum sylfa gesette,- p&r his sawl wearS
claene and gecostad , cu?S is wide 536
geond middan-geard \mt his mod gejmh in godes willan is }>aes gen fela
to secgenne f>ses J>e he sylfa adreag [510]
under nyS-gista nearwum clommuw • 540
he £>a sar forseah a J>aere sawle wel 1 1 J>aes mund-boran pe f>aet mofd geheold pcet him ne getweode treow in breostum
ne him gnornunga- gaeste scodun • 544
ac se hearda hyge halig wunade 6plp3dt he f>a bysgu oferbiden haefde , )?rea waeron )?earle J?egnas grimme
ealle hy f>am feore fyl gehehton • 548
no hy hine to deatS deman moston [521]
529. One-line space between the sections. 540. MS. originally niS gysta
altered to ny$. 541. There is an evident omission of one line here. 542. MS. mond.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 137
with their dire assaults, but yet it so befell : 520
yea, that was even a greater thing, that He Himself
sought middle-earth, and shed His blood
by murderers' hands ; He had command of both,
of life and death, when humbly He endured 524
on earth, of His own will, His persecutors' hate.
Verily 'tis now fitting that we proclaim the deeds of steadfast men, and declare our praises to the Lord for all the examples whereby books reveal wisdom 528
unto us through His works of wonder.
VI.
Grace was found with Guthlac in his strength divine. Much is it to recount, all from the beginning, that he bore with courage. 532
The Almighty Father Himself had placed him as an advance-guard against life's hidden adversaries ; there his soul grew
pure and tried. 'Tis widely known 536
throughout this middle-earth, that his spirit throve in the will of God, yet is there much to tell of all that he himself endured
'neath the close clutchings of those hateful guests; 540
he despised the pains ; (he) ever (trusted) well his Saviour (for) his soul's (protection), and He guarded his spirit, so that the faith within his breast misdoubted not, nor murmurings harmed his soul, 544
but his steadfast mind continued holy, until at length he had surmounted all those troubles.
Fierce were the torments ; grim the ministers ; they all threatened destruction to his life1, ms
yet might they not, those guardianB of sin, **■
138 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 55O-585. [522-557.]
synna hyrdas ac seo sawul bad •
in lic-homan leofran tide ,
georne hy ongeaton Ipcet hyne god wolde 552
nergan wift nijjum and hyra nyd-wrsece
deope deman swa dryhten mseg
ana aelmihtig eadigra gehwone
witS earfefmm eafte gescildan • 556
HwseSre hine gebrohton bolgen-mode
wratSe wrsec-msecgas wuldres cempan [53°]
halig husul-bearn set hel-dore
J?ser firen-fulra fsege gsestas 560
asfter swylt-cwale secan on-ginna'S
in-gong serest in \>cet atule hus
ni)?er under nsessas neole grundas ,
hy hine bregdon budon orlege 564
egsan and ondan ar-leas-lice
frecne fore, swa biS feonda )?eaw
poime hy * sotS-fsestra sawle willaS [*41 a.]
synnum beswican and searo-crseftum • 568
ongunnon grom-heorte godes orettan [54 1]
in sefan swencan swif>e geheton
f>aet he in J>one grimman gryre gongan sceolde
hweorfan gehyned to hel-warum 572
and peer in bendum bryne }?rowian •
woldun hy geteon mid torn-cwidura
earme aglsecan in or-wennysse
meotudes cempan hit ne meahte swa • 576
cwaedon cearftdle criste laSe
to guSlace mid grimnysse [55°]
ne eart $u gedefe ne dryhtnes J^eow
claene gecostad ne cempa god • 580
wordum and weorcum wel gecyf>ed
halig in heortan nu j?u in helle scealt
deope gedufan nales dryhtnes leoht
habban in heofonum heah-getimbru 584
seld on swegle forf>on pu synna to fela
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 189
doom him to death, for the soul within his body
waited for a happier time. Tf^
Well discerned they that God would save him 552
from their enmity and sternly judge
their violence, even as the Almighty Lord
alone can shield full easily
each blessed one against affliction. 556
Nathless the furious outlaws, swollen with rage,
brought him, glory's champion,
the holy housel-child, unto hell's door,
where the doomed spirits of the sinful, 560
after the pang of death, do first begin
to seek an entrance into that dire house,
those depths profound, down 'neath the nesses.
They terrified him, and impiously 564
they threatened him with warfare, terror, and enmity,
and a direful journey. Such is the wont of fiends,
when they desire to seduce with sins
and subtle wiles the souls of righteous men. 568
Cruel-hearted, they essayed to afflict in mind
God's champion, and vehemently threatened
that he should journey into that grim horror,
and pass, condemned, to hell's inhabitants, 57a
and there in bonds endure its burning heat.
The wretched monsters wished with bitter words
to draw the champion of the Lord
into despair; but so it might not be. 576
Filled with care, the foes of Christ spake
thus to Guthlac with grim fierceness : —
'Thou art not worthy, nor art thou fully proved a servant of the Lord, nor a goodly champion, 580
truly manifest by words and works, holy in heart : now shalt thou sink deep into hell, nowise shalt thou have
tin- Sovereign's light in heaven, nor the abodes on high, 584 nor a dwelling in the firmament, for in the flesh
140 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 586-6] 7. [558-589.]
facna gefremedes in flsesc-homan •
we pe nu willatS womma gehwylces
lean forgieldan f>ser pe la)?ast biS 588
in (Sam grimmestan gaest-gewinne • [561]
Him se eadga wer and-sw&rode
guSlac in gaeste mid godes msegne • ', -
doS efne swa gif eow dryhten crist 592
lifes leoht-fruma lyfan wylle
weoruda waldend f>aet ge his wer-gengan
in J?one latSan leg lsedan motan*
\>cet is in gewealdum wuldor-cyninges 596
se eow gehynde and in haeft bidraf
under nearone clom nergende crist • [57°]
eom ic eaS-mod his ombieht-hera
feow ge)?yldig; ic gej?afian sceal 600
aeghwaer ealles his anne dom j
and him geornlice gaest-gemyndum
wille *wide-ferh wesan underjryded, [*41 b.]
hyran holdlice minum haelende 604
j?eawum and geJ?ynctSum and him }>oncian
ealra ]mra giefena Ipe god gescop
englum aerest and eorS-warura
and ic bletsige- blitSe mode 608
lifes leoht-fruman and him lof singe [581]
Jmrh gedefne dom daeges and nihtes
herge in heortan heofon-rices weard •
£>set eow aefre ne bitS ufan alyfed 6] 2
leohtes lissum pat ge lof moten
dryhtne secgan ac ge deaSe sceolon
weallendne wean wope besingan
heal in helle nales herenisse 616
halge habban heofon-cyninges : 7
617. One-line space between the sections.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 141
thou hast wrought too many sins, too many treacheries. Now we will pay thee retribution
for every crime, in the bitterest torment 588
of the soul, where it shall be most grievous.'
To them made answer Guthlac, the blessed man, endowed in spirit with the power of God : —
'Do even so, if Christ the Sovereign, 592
life's bright Source, the Ruler of the hosts, will suffer you that ye may lead His follower into the hostile flame ;
'tis in the power of the King of glory, 596
who condemned you, who drave you into durance, under confining fetters, yea, the Saviour Christ. I am His minister, humble and obedient,
His patient servant ; everywhere and in all things 600
I must submit unto His doom alone ; and zealously, with all my spirit's thoughts, I will for evermore be subject unto Him,
and faithfully will I obey my Saviour 604
in duty and in worship, and give thanks to Him for all the gifts which God created first for angels and for earth's inhabitants.
And I will bless with joyful mind 608
the radiant Source of life, and night and day sing praises unto Him with befitting glory, and laud Him in my heart, the Warden of heaven's realm. Ne'er to you shall it be granted from above, 61a
by the grace of Light, that ye may declare praise unto the Lord, but in death ye shall bewail, with lamentation, surging torment ;
mourning shall ye have in hell, but nowise 616
the holy praise of heaven's King.'
142 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 6l 8-648. [590-620.]
[VII.]
IC J?one deman in dagum minum [590]
wille weorjrian wordum and deedura lufian in life swa is lar and ar 620
to spowendre sprsece gelaeded jmm J>e in his weorcum willan rsefnatS- Sindon ge wser-logan swa ge in wrsec-sioe longe lifdon, lege biscencte 624
swearte beswicene swegle benumene dreame bidrorene deatSe bifolene firenum bifongne feores orwenan
J?set ge blindnesse bote fundon , 628
ge }>a faegran gesceaft in fyrn-dagum [601]
gsestlicne god-dream gearo forsegon, }?a ge witS-hogdim halgum dryhtne •
ne mostun ge a wunian in wyn-dagum 632
ac mid scome scyldum scofene wurdon fore oferhygdum in ece fyr- tSaer ge sceolon dreogan deaS and J>ystro
wop to widan ealdre * nsefre ge f>aes wyrpe gebidaS [*42 a.] 636 and ic J?set gelyfe in lif-fruman
ecne onwealdan ealra gesceafta [6l°]
J>aet he mec for miltsum and msegen-spedum nitStSa nergend nsefre wille 640
Jmrh ellen-weorc an forlgetan f>am ic longe in lic-homan and in minum gseste gode campode
Jmrh monigfealdra msegna gerynu • , 644
foroon ic getrywe in pone torhtestan J?rynesse Iprjm se gef>eahtingum hafaS in hondum heofon and eorSan \>azt ge mec mid nijmm nsefre motan 648
631. wifthogdum.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 143
VII.
1 In my clays would I fain reverence
the Judge, and by words and deeds
in my life cherish Him.' (Thus lore and grace 620
are added to persuasive eloquence,
for him who in his works performeth His will.)
1 Ye are faith-breakers ; thus in exile-tracks
have ye long lived, with flame proffered for drink, 624
darkly deluded, deprived of heaven,
bereft of joy, consigned to death,
surrounded with sin, without a hope of life,
that ye might ever find cure for your blindness. 628
In days of yore ye readily renounced
this fair creation and spiritual joy divine,
when ye meditated 'gainst the holy Lord ;
ye might not live for ever then in joyful days, 632
but ignominiously and guiltily were ye thrust
for overweening pride into eternal fire,
where ye must suffer death, and darkness,
and weeping, for evermore : never may ye gain relief therefrom ;
but I put my faith in the Source of life, 637
in the Eternal Lord of all created things,
that He, men's Saviour, in His mercy
and the fulness of His might will never 640
forsake me wholly, because of my deeds heroic,
wherewith, in body and in spirit,
I have long championed God,
through mysteries of powers manifold : 644
therefore I rely upon that brightest Glory
of the Trinity, who by His counsellinga
holdeth in His power the heaven and earth,
that ye may never, in your malice, 648
144 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 649-682. [621-654.]
torn-mode teon in tintergu [*>21]
mine myrSran and man-sceaf>an
swearte sigelease , eom ic softlice
leohte geleafan and mid lufan dryhtnes 652
fsegre gefylled in minum feorh-locan • .
breostum inbryrded to J>am betran ham
leomum inlyhted to )?am leofestan
ecan earde }>8er is efel-lond 656
faeger and gefealic in feeder wuldre •
Seer eow naefre fore nergende [630]
leohtes leoma ne lifes hyht
in godes rice agiefen weorJ>e"S 660
for faw oferhygdum J»e eow in mod astag
J?urh idel gylp ealles to swi(5e .
wendun ge and wolduw wif>er-hycgende
Ipcet ge scyppende sceoldan gelice 664
wesan in wuldre eow J>eer wyrs gelomp •
Sa eow se waldend wrafte bisencte
in pcet swearte susl }?33r eow sitSftan waes
ad inaeled attre geblonden 668
)?urh deopne dom dream afyrred [64JJ
engla gemana swa nu awa sceal
wesan wide-ferh Ipcet ge waernysse
bryne-wylm haebben nales bletsunga • 672
*ne J>urfun ge wenan wuldre biscyrede [*42 b.]
"pat ge mec synfulle mid searo-crseftum
under scaed sconde scufan motan
ne in beel-blaesan bregdon on hinder 676
in helle hus J?aer eow is ham sceapen
sweart sin-nehte sacu butan ende [650]
grim gaest-cwalu )?aer ge gnornende
deatS sceolon dreogan and ic dreama wyn 680
agan mid englum in J>am uplican
rodera rice * J>aer is ryht cyning
663. MS. woldum.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 145
draw me wrathfully into dire torments,
ye, my murderers, ye wicked spoilers,
swart and triumphless. Truly am I
gloriously filled, in the chamber of my soul, 653
with bright belief and with the Ruler's love;
in my bosom am I impelled unto that better home,
and lighted with His beams to the dearest
everlasting home, where is a fatherland, • 656
fair and joyous, yea, in the Father's glory :
never there, in presence of the Saviour,
in the realm of God, shall be granted unto you
a beam of light or any hope of life, 660
for the arrogance that in your minds arose,
through idle boasting, that was all too great.
Ye weened and wished, rebelliously,
that ye might be in glory 664
equal with the Creator : then fared it worse with you,
when wrathfully the Ruler cast you down
into that swart torment, where, thereafter,
a pyre was kindled for you, charged with venom ; 668
by stern decree joy was moved far from you,
yea, the fellowship of the angels ; wherefore it must be,
now and for evermore, that ye shall have
malediction and burning heat, but naught of blessing. 673
Ye may not hope, ye creatures bereft of glory,
that, with cunning craft, sinful as ye are,
ye may shamefully thrust me under shade,
or snatch me backward into the fiery blaze, 676
into hell's house, where there is made for you a home,
swart in livelong night, and endless strife,
and bitter torment of the soul, where, wailing,
ye shall suffer death, while I shall own, 680
'mid angels in the lofty kingdom of the skies,
the joy of joys : there is the righteous King ;
L
146 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 683-7 15. [655-687.]
help and heelu hselejm cynne
duguS and drohtatS- tJa cwom dryhtnes ar 684
halig of heofonum se f>urh hleo)?or ahead
ufan-cundne ege earmum gsestum •
het eft hratSe unscyldigne
of J>am wrsec-siSe wuldres cempan f>88
lsedan lim-halne \>cet se leofesta [661]
gsest gegearwad in godes wsere
on gefean ferde • $a wearS feonda J?reat
acol for 8am egsan ofer-maecga sprsec 692
dyre dryhtnes £>egn dseg hluttre scan .
hsefde gutSlaces gsest in gewealdum
modig mund-bora meahtum spedig .
feostra J?egnas J?rea-wiedlum bond 696
nyd onsette and geneahhe bibead •
Ne sy him banes bryce ne blodig wund [670]
lices lsela ne laf>es wiht
f>8es J?e ge him to dare gedon motan 700
ac ge hine gesundne asettaj? f>ser ge hine sylfne genoman ,
he sceal J>y wonge wealdan ne magon ge him J?a wic for-
stondan • ic eom se dema se mec dryhten heht
snude gesecgan ]>cet ge him sara gehwylc 704
honduw gehselde and him hearsume on his sylfes dom *si]?)?an wa^ron • [*43a.] ne sceal ic mine onsyn fore eowere
mengu mijmn ic eom meotudes Ipegn 708
eom ic )?ara twelfa sum f>e he getreoweste [68lJ
under monnes hiw mode gelufade • he mec of heofonum hider onsende ,
geseah J>set ge on eort5an fore 9ef[s]tum 712
on his wer-gengan wite legdon • Is j?set min brof>or mec his bysgu gehreaw ic J)set gefremme j?ser se freond wunaS
696. MS. medium. 712. MS. aeftum.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 147
there is help and salvation for the race of men,
and troops and retinues.' Then there came, holy from heaven,
a messenger of the Lord; in loud voice he announced 685
unto the wretched sprites terror from heaven above,
and bade them quickly lead back the guiltless one,
the champion of glory, whole of limb, 688
from that exile-track, so that, prepared aright,
that dearest soul might depart in joy
to God's protection. Then was the band of fiends
chilled at that portent ; the exalted spake, 69 a
the Lord's dear minister ; day brightly shone.
A high Protector, in might abounding,
held Guthlac's spirit in His sway;
He bound those ministers of darkness by dire need, 696
imposed upon them force, and firmly commanded them : —
'Let there be in him no break of bone, nor bloody wound, nor body's scar, nor aught of injury,
from all ye may have done unto his hurt ; 700
but do ye place him sound there whence ye took him : he shall have dominion o'er the plain; ye may not deny him
these dwellings; I am the judge ; the Lord commanded me
to declare anon, that ye heal with your hands 704
his every hurt, and be obedient unto him hereafter, according to His own decree. I must not conceal my countenance
before your multitude ; I am a minister of the Lord ; 70S
one of the twelve am I, whom He, whilst in human form, loved with His soul as His most faithful ones. He hath sent me down from heaven hither ; He saw that ye on earth, in envy, 71a
laid torment upon His follower. This is my brother ; his affliction hath grieved me ; I will achieve this thing, here where my friend abideth
l 2
148 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 7 1 6-747. [688-719.]
on J^uere socne J>e ic J>a sibbe wi$ hine 716
healdan wille nu ic his helpan mot
pcet ge min onsynn oft sceawiaS • , [690]
nu ic hie geneahhe neosan wille
eceal ic his word and his weorc in gewitnesse 720
dryhtne laedon he his daede conn : 7
[VIIL]
I\A waes gutSlaces goest geblissad
U si}>)mn bartholomeus aboden hgefde
godes gerendu . gearwe stodun • 724
hseftas hearsume J>a J>8es halgan word
]yt ofer-leordun • ongon )?a leofne sitS
dragan dom-eadig dryhtnes cempa
to Jam onwillan eorftan dsele • , 728
hy hine baeron and him bryce heoldon : [7QI]
hofon hine hondum and him hryre burgun .
waeron hyra gongas under godes egsan
smefe and gesefte .-, sige-hre(5ig cwom 732
bytla to J?am beorge hine bletsadon
monge mseg-wlitas ; meaglum reordura •
treo-fugla tuddor tacnum cy'Sdon
eadges eft-cyme oft he him sete heold 736
ponne hy him hungrige ymb bond flugon
grgedum gifre geoce *gefegon • , [*43 b.] [710]
swa f>aet milde mod wi5 mon-cynnes
dreamum gedselde dryhtne J>eowde ' 740
genom him to wildeorum wynne sij?jmn he f>as woruld forhogde
Smolt W3BS se sige-wong and sele niwe -
fasger fugla reord J folde geblowen
geacas gear budon* gu)riac moste 744
eadig ond onmod eardes brucan • ,
stod se grena wong in godes waere ;
haefde se heorde sej>e of heofonura cwom
721. conn : 7 the sole word on the line dividing the sections.
n. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 149
amid your persecution, (for towards him 716 I will fain preserve my friendship, now that I may help him), —
this thing to wit, that ye shall oft see here my countenance. Now will I visit him full frequently;
I must bring his words and works in witness 730 unto the Lord: He knoweth his deeds/
VIII.
Then was Guthlac's spirit gladdened, after Bartholomew had declared
God's message. Ready stood 724
the thralls obedient : little transgressed they the saint's behest. Then the Lord's famed champion began to go the welcome way
unto that spot of earth he longed for. 728
They bore him, and preserved him from all hurt; they raised him with their hands, and guarded him from fall : under fear of God, their onward march
was unimpaired and easy. Triumphant came 73a
the builder to the hill; many living kinds blessed him ; in voices strenuous,
and by signs, the bird-brood of the woods made known the blessed man's return : oft had he held them food, 736
when, hungry, yea, greedily voracious, they flew around his hand, and rejoiced in his succour. Thus that gentle spirit served the Lord,
sundered from the joys of human kin; 740
in the wild beasts he took delight, after he had renounced this world.
Bright was the glorious plain and his new home ; sweet the birds' song; earth blossomed forth; cuckoos heralded the year. Blessed and steadfast, 744
(luthluc might now enjoy his dwelling-place. The green plain rested in God's protection ; the guardian, who had come from heaveu,
150 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 748-780. [720-752.]
feondas afyrde ( hwylc wees feegerra 748
willa geworden in wera life [721]
fara fe yldran usse gemunde
of f e we selfe sif f an cuf en • .
hwaet we f issa wundra gewitan sindon • , 7= 2
eall fas ge-eodon in ussera
tida timan. forf on fees tweogan ne f earf
eenig ofer eortSan eelda cynnes •
Ac swilc god wyrcetS geesta lifes 756
to trumnafe fy lees fa tydran mod
fa gewitnesse wendan furfe [73°]
fonras hy in gesihfe sof es brucaf •
Swa se eelmihtiga ealle gesceafte 760
lufa"S under lyfte in lic-homan
monna meegfte geond middan-geard
wille se waldend feet we wisdom a
snyttrum swelgen f cet his sotS fore us 764
on his giefena gyld genge weorfte •
©a he us to are and to ondgiete
syletS and sendetS - sawlum rymetS
life lif-wegas leohte gereehte • 768
nis feet huru leesast feet seo lufu cyfetS [741]
f onne heo in monnes mode getimbretS
geestcunde *gife swa he guSlaces [*44 a.]
dagas and deede furh his ddm ahof , 772
wees se fruma feestlic feondum on 6ndan
geseted wi"S synnum ; feer he siff an lyt
weere gewonade . oft his word gode
furh eatS-medu up onsende 776
let his ben cuman in fa beorhtan gesceaft
foncade f eodne fees fe he in frowingum [750]
bidan moste hwonne him betre lif
furh godes willan agyfen worde* 780
1
751. MS. selfe: under the first e there is a small y by another land. 756. Swilc: under the i is a small y by another hand. 780. agyfen: originally agifen ; i altered to y.
il. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 151
had banned the foes afar. Was any nobler wish 748
ever accomplished in the life of men,
of all whom our ancestors have memorized,
or we ourselves have since known *?
Lo ! of these wonders we are witnesses ; 75 j
all these things happened in the time
of our own life- tides ; wherefore not anyone
of the race of men on earth dare doubt it.
Verily, God worketh thus to strengthen the spirit's life 756
in fortitude, that feeble minds
may pervert His testimony the less,
when they enjoy the truth with their own sight.
Thus the Almighty One loveth all created things 760
in fleshly covering 'neath the sky,
all the tribes of men o'er middle-earth ;
fain would He, the Supreme, that we, aye prudently,
imbibe wisdom, so that His truth may become 764
current among us in payment for the gifts,
which He granteth and sendeth us for our grace
and for our understanding ; for our souls He cleareth
smooth paths of life, adorned with light. 768
Verily, love doth not manifest its smallest gift,
when it establisheth spiritual grace
in the mind of man. So, in His might,
He exalted Guthlac's days and deeds. 77a
The noble man was firm in zeal against the fiends,
steadfast against sin ; thereafter
he bated little from his troth; oft in humility
he sent his words aloft to God, 776
and let his prayer reach to that bright creation,
and thanked the Lord therefore, that he, in suffering,
was allowed to bide the time, until, by God's will,
there should be granted him a better life. 780
152 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 781-815. [753-787.]
Swa wses guftlaces gsest geleeded •
engla fseftmum in up-rodor ;
fore onsyne eces deman
lseddon leoflice him wses lean geseald 784
setl on swegle J>8er he symle mot
awo to ealdre eard-fsest wesan
bliSe bidan is him beam godes
milde mund-bora , meahtig dryhten 788
halig hyrde heofon-rices weard • , [76lJ
Swa softfsestra sawla motun
in ecne geard up gestigan
rodera rice }>a J?e raefnaS her 79a
wordum and weorcum wuldor-cyninges
lare longsume on hyra lifes tid
earniatS on eorSan ecan lifes
hames in heah]?u ; ])cet beoS husel-weras 796
cempan gecorene criste leofe
beraS in breostum beorhtne geleafan [770]
haligne hyht heortan clsene
weorftia?) waldend habbaS wisne ge]>oht 800
fusne on for5-weg to fseder-eole
gearwe]? gsestes hus and mid gleawnesse
feond ofer-feohtatS and firen-lustas
for-beraft *in breostum •, bro)>or-sibbe [*44 b.] 804
georne bigongaS in godes willan
swencaft hi sylfe sawle frsetwatS
halgum gehygdum- heofon-cyninges bibod
fremmatS on foldan fsesten lufiatS . 808
beorgatS him bealo-nif and gebedu secaS [781]
swincatS wicS synnum healdaS sotS and ryht .
him J>aet ne hreowetS sefter hin-gonge •
Sonne hy hweorfaS in J>a halgan burg 81 a
gongatS gegnunga to hierusalem
J>ser hi to worulde wynnum motun
godes onsyne georne bihealdan
814. MS. motum.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. A. 153
Thus was Guthlac's spirit led, in the embrace of angels, to heaven above ; they led him lovingly before the face
of the Eternal Judge. To him reward was given, 784
a seat in heaven, where he might aye, to all eternity, be resident, and joyfully abide; the Child of God
is his benign Protector ; the Lord Almighty, 788
yea, the Warden of heaven's realm, is his holy Guardian.
So may the souls of righteous men ascend aloft to the eternal home,
the kingdom of the skies; those who here fulfil, 79a
in words and works, the long-enduring lessons of the King of Glory, during their life's career, shall earn on earth eternal life,
a home on high : these are the true communicants, 796
the chosen champions dear to Christ ; they bear within their bosoms bright belief, holy hope, a cleanly heart;
they worship the All-powerful; they have wise thought; 800 hastening on their onward way unto their Fatherland, they dight their spirit's house, and with wisdom overcome the fiend, and restrain all sinful lusts within their hearts; brotherly love 804
they foster eagerly, and to please God they mortify themselves, and adorn their souls with holy meditations ; they execute on earth the heavenly King's behest; they love fasting; 808
they secure themselves from wicked hate, and seek prayer; they toil 'gainst sin; they keep truth and justice. It shall not rue them, after their going hence, when they wend into the holy burgh, 81a
and straightway go unto Jerusalem, where joyfully they may for evermore freely behold the countenance of God,
154 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 816-843. [788-815.]
sibbe and gesiftSe peer heo sotS wunatS 816
wlitig wuldorfaest ealtne widan ferh
on lifgendra londes wynne : 7 : — [79°]
[SAINT GUTHLAC. B.]
m
DMT IS WIDE CVD WEra cneorissum . folcum gefraege J>aet-te frymj>a god 820
f>one aerestan aelda cynnes of J>aere claenestan cyning aelmihtig foldan geworhte • . oa waes fruma niwe
aelda tudres • onstael wynlic 824
faeger and gefealic , feeder wees acenned • adam aerest J>urh eft godes • on neorxna-wong j }?aer him naenges waes
willan onsyn. ne welan brosnung* 828
ne lifes lyre ne lices hryre [801]
ne dreames dryre ne deaftes cyme • ■ ac he on f>am lande lifgan moste
ealra leahtra leas longe neotan 832
niwra gefeana- J?aer he * no J?orfte- [*45 a.~\ lifes ne lissa in J?am leohtan ham J?urh aelda tid ende gebidan* ■
ac aefter fyrste to f>am fae[gr]restan 836
heofon-rices gefean hweorfan mostan
leomu lie somud and lifes gaest [810]
and J?aer sifjjmn a* in sin-dreamum
to widan feore wunian mostun 840
dryhtne on gesiMSe butan deatSe fortS gif hy halges word healdan woldun beorht in breostum and his bebodu laestan
817. MS. ealdne. 818. Three-line space between the sections. 821.
MS. $lda, (i. e. aelda). 836. MS. faerestan.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 155
in peace, with their own sight; there truly it abideth, 816
radiant and glorious, unto all eternity, in the joyous land of living men.
SAINT GUTHLAC. B.
'Tis widely known unto the generations of men, 'tis familiar unto folk, that Creation's God 820
wrought of purest earth the first one of the race of men,
He, the Almighty King. Then was the prime beginning of mankind's progeny; its portion was full pleasant, 824
fair and joyous. First, through grace of God, our father Adam was brought forth in Paradise ; there was no lack to him
of aught he wished ; neither wealth's decay, 828
nor loss of life, nor body's fall, nor joy's decline, nor death's approach ; but he in that land might live
void of all ill, and long enjoy 83a
those new delights; there had he no need, in that bright home, to await an ending of his life or of his joys, through all the ages ; but in the course of time, limbs and body both, 836
and the spirit of life, might have wended their way unto the fairest joy of heaven's realm, and might have dwelt there ever afterwards in endless bliss to all eternity, 840
in the presence of the Lord, aye, without death, had they but deigned to keep the word of the Holy One, bright in their breasts, and to perform His biddings,
156 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 844-877. [816-8^9.]
sefnan on ecSle t hy to ser aj?reat 844
J>set hy waldendes willan lsesten •
ac his wif genom wyrraes larum
blede forbodene and of beame ahneop
waestm biweredne ofer word godes* 848
wuldor-cyninges and hyre were sealde [821]
}>urh deofles searo deaft-berende gyfl
J>a?t Sa sin-hiwan to swylte geteah • .
sij^an se ej?el uS-genge wearcS 852
adame and euan eard-wica cyst
beorht otS-broden and hyra bearnura swa
eaferum sefter . J?a hy on un-cySSu •
scomum scudende scofene wurdon 856
on gewin-woruld weorces onguldon
deopra firena Jmrh deaSes cwealm [83°]
J?e hy unsnyttrum ser gefremedon
J»8ere syn-wrsece si]}f>an sceoldon 860
maegcS and msecgas morf>res on-gyldon
god-scyldge gyrn • fmrh gaest-gedal •
deopra firena » dea(5 in-gef>rong
fira cynne feond rixade 864
geond middan-geard nsenig monna wses
of f»am sige-tudre sif>)?an sefre
godes willan J>8es geor.n ne gyim- wised
)?aet he bibugan msege )?one bitran drync • 868
* Jxme eue fyrn adame geaf [* 45 &.] [84x]
byrelade bryd geong pcet him bam gescod
in J?am deoran ham , deatS ricsade
ofer fold-buend; J?eah j?e fela waere 872
gsest-haligra J>aer hi godes willan
on mislicum monna gebihj>um
sefter stede-wonga stowum fremedon
sume ser sume si$ sume in urra 876
sefter tael-mearce tida gemyndum
848. MS. wsesten with m written above the en. 867. MS. gynn wise©.
875. MS. stopum.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 157
to fulfil them in that home. Too soon it irked them 844
to execute the Sovereign's will,
but at the serpent's rede the woman took
forbidden produce, and from the tree plucked off
prohibited fruit, against the word of God, 848
the King of Glory, and through the devil's guile
gave to her consort that death-bearing food,
which drew them both, husband and wife, to death.
Then that bright land, the best of habitations, 853
became alienate to Adam and to Eve,
withdrawn from them and from their children too,
from all posterity ; then, in shame departing,
they were thrust into a foreign land, 856
into a world of toil ; by death's pang
they atoned their deed, the deep transgressions,
which they had erewhile wrought unwisely :
women and men, guilty against God, since then, 860
in retribution for their sin, their deadly crime,
their deep transgressions, must pay the penalty
by their souls' severance. Death pressed in
unto the race of men; the fiends prevailed 864
throughout mid-earth ; never since then
was any man of all that glorious race
so zealous for God's will or so impelled,
that he could escape the bitter drink 868
which Eve in days of yore gave Adam,
which that young bride poured forth : it ruined them both
in their dear home. Death prevailed
o'er earth's inhabitants; though there were many, 87a
holy in spirit, who here performed
the will of God, in the varied homes of men,
throughout the dwellings of the plains ;
some earlier, some later, some even in the memory 876
of our own times, according to our reckoning,
158 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 878-QO9. [850-881.]
sigor-lean sohtun , us secgatS bee • [850]
Hu guSlac wearcS J>urh godes willan
eadig on engle he him ece geceas 880
meaht and mund-byrd { msere wurdon
his wundra geweorc wide and side •
breme sefter burgum geond bryten innan
hu he monge oft* f>urh meaht godes 884
gehaelde hyge-geomre hefigra wita
J?e hine unsofte adle gebundne
sarge gesohtun of siS-wegum
freorig-mode symle frofre Ipser 888
set f>am godes cempan gearwe fundon [86x]
helpe and haelo nsenig hselefa is
J?e areccan ma?ge dp]>e rim wite
ealra J>ara wundra J?e he in worulde her 892
Jrnrh dryhtnes giefe duge)?um gefremede : — 17
[ii.]
>
OFT to Jxim wicum weorude cwomun deofla deaS-msegen dugufa byscyrede hlojmm )?ringan p&r se halga )?eow 896
elnes anhydig eard weardade
J?ser hy mislice mongum reordum [870]
on J?am westenne woSe hofun
hludne here-cirm hiwes binotene 900
dreamum * bidrorene dryhtnes cempa [*46 a.]
from folc-toga feonda f>reatum
wiSstod stronglice t nses seo stund latu
earmra gsesta ne J?set onbid long 904
J?aet fa wroht-smiSas wop ahofun J
hreopun hreS-lease hleoJ)rum brugdon ■
hwilum wedende swa wilde deor
cirmdon on cortSre hwilum cyrdon eft 908
minne man-scea]?an on mennisc hiw [881]
893. One line space between the sections.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B 159
have sought a glorious reward. Books tell us
how Guthlac became blessed in England
through the will of God : he chose for himself 880
eternal might and guardianship. Famed were
his works of wonder ; 'twas bruited far and wide,
from town to town, throughout all Britain,
how, through the power of God, he oft had healed 884
many wretched ones of heavy pains,
many who, oppressed with grievous malady,
sought him from distant ways,
sorrowful and sad in mind ; ever found they 888
comfort, and help, and healing, ready for them there
with him, God's champion. There is no man
that may recount or know the number
of all the wonders, that in the world here, 89 2
through favour of the Lord, he wrought for men.
II.
Oft to those dwellings came, thronging in troops, a deadly force of devils with their host,
cut off from glory, where the holy servant, _ 896
steadfast in courage, maintained his habitation. There in that wilderness, bereft of winsome aspect, of joys deprived, they raised on high
their varied shout in many tongues, 900
their war-whoop loud. The champion of the Lord, His captain bold, stoutly withstood the bands of foes. Time was not tardy
with those wretched sprites, nor was the respite long, 904
before the harm- contrivers raised their whoop; ignobly clamoured they ; oft varied they their strain ; now raging like wild beasts,
they howled in herds ; now the vile and wicked scathers 908 turned themselves again into human shape
160 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 9IO-943. [882-916.]
breahtma mseste. hwilum brugdon eft
awyrgde wser-logan on wyrmes bleo
earme adloman attre spiowdon • 91a
symle hy gutSlac gearene fundon
£>onces gleawne he gef>yldum bad
)?eah him feonda hloS feorh-cwealm bude •
Hwilum him to honda hungre gej>reatad 916
fleag fugla cyn • J?ser hy feorh-nere
witude fundon and hine weorSedon [89°]
meaglum stefnum hwilum mennisce
aras eaS-medum eft neosedon 920
and J>ser siS-frome on )?am sige-wonge
set j)am halgan peowan helpe gemetton
ferc5j>es frofre ( nsenig forjmm wses
J>set he se wise-mod eft siSade 924
hean hyhta leas ac se halga wer
selda gehwylces }?urh J?a sej>elan meaht
f>e hine seoslige sohtun on Searfe
hseleS hyge-geomre hselde butu 928
lie and sawle J^enden lifes weard [901]
ece selmihtig unnan wolde
])8dt he blsedes her brucan [moste]
worulde lifes wses gewinnes f>a 932
yrmj?a for eorSan ende-dogor
f>urh nyd-gedal neah ge-*J>rungen , [*46 ft.]
sij?(?an he on westenne wic-eard geceas
fiftynu gear J>a wses frofre gsest 936
eadgum 83-bodan ufan onsended
halig of heah}?u hre)?er innan born [910]
afysed on forcS-sitS • him fseringa
adl in-gewod • he on elne swa J?eah 940
ungeblyged bad beorhtra gehata
blif>e in burgum , wses J?am ban-cofan
sefter niht-glome neah gef>rungen
933. MS. }?eowon. 931. [moste] supplied by conjecture.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 161
with loudest clamour; now the accursed traitors,
the fire-maimed wretches, changed again
to the serpent's hue, and spat forth venom. 91a
Guthlac, the wise of thought, ever found they
ready ; patiently he waited,
though the band of fiends threatened him with death.
Sometimes to his hand, by hunger forced, 916
thither flew the race of birds; there found they
certain succour, and lauded him
with eager voices ; sometimes again,
human messengers approached him humbly, 920
and there, in that glorious plain, the travellers
found help and comfort for their spirits
with that holy servant. Verily there was none
that journeyed thence abashed, 924
humbled, or void of hope, but through his noble might,
the holy man healed both the body
and the soul of everyone of folk,
who, afflicted, sought him in their need, 928
men sad of spirit, whilst life's Guardian,
eternal and almighty, would vouchsafe
that he might enjoy existence here,
life in this world. Then the final day 93a
of all his strife and hardships upon earth,
through the inevitable parting, was come near ;
after he had chosen a dwelling in the waste
for fifteen years, then was the spirit of comfort 936
sent down unto that blessed godspeller,
holy from on high. His spirit burned within,
bent on departure ; suddenly disease
invaded him ; yet with courage 940
he awaited, undismayed, His bright behests,
blithe in that dwelling-place. In the gloom of night
pain pressed his body hard,
M
162 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 944-975. [917-948.]
breost-hord onboren waes se hlUpa gaest 944
ftis on forS-weg / nolde feeder engla
in . J>isse won-saelgan worulde life
leahtra leasne long-fyrst ofer f>aet [920]
wunian leton ]>e him on weorcum her 948
on his dagena tid daeduw gecwemde
elne unslawe • Sa se t aelmihtiga
let his bond cuman J>aer se halga £>eow
deormod on degle dom-eadig bad 95a
heard and hyge-rof . hyht waes geniwad
blis in breostum . waes se ban-cofa
adle onaeled in-bendum fsest .
lic-hord onlocen leomu hefegedon 956
sarum gesohte , he pcet soft gecneow [93°]
J?aet hine aelmihtig ufan neosade
meotud fore miltsum - he his mod-sefan
j
wicS J?am faer-hagan faeste trymede 96°
feonda gewinna ; nass he forht se-feah
ne seo adl-)?racu etgle on mode
ne deaft-gedal ac him dryhtnes lof
born in breostum brond-hat lufu 964
sigor-faest in sefan seo him sara gehwylc
symle forswiSde . naes him sorg-cearu
on fas laenan tid feah his lie and gaest [94°]
hyra som-wiste A sin-hiwan tii 968
deore ge—daele^ . dagas forcS scridun [* 47 a.]
niht-helma genipu . waes neah seo tid
J?eet he fyrn-gewyrht fyllan sceolde
J>urh deaSes cyme domes hleotan 972
efne J>aes ilean pe usse yldran fyrn
frecne onfengon swa him biforan worhton
J?a aerestan aelda cynnes : 7 : —
945. fseder, between se and d erasure of a letter in the MS. 950. MS. haelmihtiga. 962. MS. eagle. 966. MS. forswiSede, i. e. forswiSde.
969. MS. gedaeled. 975. Half -line space between the sections.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 163
his breast's treasure was enfeebled, the glad spirit 944
was eager for departure. The Father of the angels would not let him, void of all transgression, dwell any longer in this hapless
earthly life, for he, in his works here, 948
in the period of his days, had pleased Him by deeds and active courage. Then the Almighty Jet His hand come thither, where the holy vassal, beloved, glorious, constant, and brave-hearted, 952
abode in secret : hope was renewed, joy was in his breast. His body was inflamed with burning sickness, held fast by bonds within ; his frame relaxed, his limbs waxed heavy, 956
afflicted with sore pains. He recognised the truth, that, in His mercy, the Almighty Lord had visited him from above : his mind
he strengthened firmly 'gainst the sudden onset 960
of the fiends' attacks : yet was he not afeard, neither the disease's pang, nor death's severing, was trying to his soul, but God's praise
burned in his breast, triumphant in his soul 964
dwelt ardent love, which aye o'ercame his every pain. In that fading time, his was no anxious care, though his body and his spirit, dear wedded comrades twain, should part 968
their fellowship. Onward sped the days, the shades of curtained night ; the time was near that he should fulfil, through death's approach, that which was ordained of old, and gain 97a
the self-same doom that our parents long ago, the first of the race of men,
obtained full terribly, as they had erewhile earned it for them- selves.
M 2
164 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. Q^6-10o8. [949-981.]
[in.]
_T\A waes guftlace on pa geocran tid 976
MJ ma?gen gemetSgad mod swipe heard [950]
elnes anhydig wses seo adl pearl
hat and heoro-grim hreper innan weol
born ban-loca brypen waes ongunnen 980
paette a dame eue gebyrmde
aet fruman worulde% feond byrlade
aerest paere idese and Leo adame
hyre swaesum were sippan scencte 984
bittor baede-weg : pees pa byre sippan
grimme onguldon gaful-raedenne
purh asr-gewyrht paette aenig ne waes [960]
fyra cynnes from fruman siSSan 988
mon on moldan paette meahte him
gebeorgan and bibugan pone bleatan drync*
deopan deaS-weges ac him duru sylfa
on pa sliSnan tid sona ontynecS 993
in-gong geopenaft ; ne ma?g aenig pam
flaesce bifongen feore wiSstondan
ricra ne heanra ac hine raeseS on
gifrum grapum • Swa waes guSlace 996
enge anhoga aet-ryhte pa [970]
aefter niht-scuan neah gepyded
wiga wael-gifre hine wunade mid
an ombeht-pegn se hine aeghwylce 1000
daga neosade • Ongan Sa deop-hydig
gleaw-mod gongan to godes temple
peer he epel-bodan * inne wiste [* 47 &.]
pone leofestan lareow gecorenne 1004
and pa in-eode eadgum to spraece .
wolde hyrcnigan halges lara
mildes mepel-cwida, fonde pa his mon-dryhten [980]
adl-werigne , him tSset in-gefeol 1008
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 165
III.
Guthlac's strength then, at that grievous time, 976
was all impaired ; his mind was passing firm, steadfast in courage ; dire was that disease, hot and fiercely grim ; his heart was stirred within, his body burned ; the drink was ready, 980
which Eve had brewed for Adam at the world's beginning. The fiend first served the draught unto the woman, and she poured forth thereafter the bitter cup for Adam, 984
her own consort ; wherefore their children since have paid full bitterly the tax determined for that deed of old, so that there hath never been anyone of the race of men, any man on earth, 988
ever since that first beginning, that could secure himself, and 'scape the livid drink of Death's deep cup, but at that awful time the door anon unfasteneth of itself, 992
and showeth him the entrance. No one, with flesh invested, whether of the high or low, can with his life resist that foe, but he rusheth on him
with greedy clutchings. Thus that lonely wight, • 996
all -unremitting, that slaughter-loving warrior, after the shades of night, was nigh to Guthlac, yea, in close contact with him. £_With Guthlac dwelt one servant ; he was wont to visit him 1000
each day, a thoughtful man and prudent, and he went now to God's temple, wherein, as he knew, was the land's apostle, the chosen teacher and the best beloved; 1004
and he entered in for converse with that blessed man; he would fain hear the saint's instructions, the kind one's discourses; he found then his master wearied with sickness ; full heavily 1008
166 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. IOO9-IO42. [982-1015.]
hefig set heortan • hyge-sorge waeg cj
micle mod-ceare- ongan J>a his magii frignan •
hu gewearft )?e J>us wine-dryhten min
feeder freonda hleo fertS gebysgad 1012
nearwe genseged . ic naefre J?e
J?eoden leofesta )>yslicne aer
gemette f us meSne , meaht J>u meSel-cwidum
worda gewealdan , is me on wene ge)niht 10 16
pcet "pe untrymnes adle gongum • [990]
on )?isse nyhstan niht bysgade •
sar-bennum gesoht , ]>cel me sorgna is
hatost on hre]?re eer J>u hyge minne 1020
ferft afrefre ( \^ast ]>u freo-dryhten
hu )?eos adle scyle ende# gesettan • .
Him ]?a siS oncwsetS sona ne meahte
croft up geteon wees him in-bogen 1024
bittor ban-cofa beald reordade
eadig on elne andcwis ageaf ; _
ic wille secgan \ast me sar gehran ^tX>vi^«^- [IOO°]
wserc in-gewod in ftisse wonnan niht 1038
lic-hord onleac * leomu hefegiatS
sarum gesohte . sceal )?is sawel-hus
fasge fleesc-homa fold-aerne bij>eaht
leomu lames ge£>acan leger-bedde feest 1033
wunian wael-rseste , wiga nealasceS
unlaet laces ;ne bicS J>ses lengra swice
sawel-gedales Iponne seofon-niht
fyrst-gemearces ]>cet min feorh heonan 1036
on )?isse eahtej^an ende gesecetS [10 10]
daeg scrij^ende ! ponne dogor * beoS [* 48 a.]
on mold-wege min fortS scrij>en
sorg geswe#rad and ic si)?)?an mot 104c
fore meotudes cneowum meorda hleotan
gingra geafena and godes lomber
1013. MS. genfged (i.e. genaeged). 1040. MS. geswedrad.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 167
it fell upon his heart; he bore deep sorrow
and much anxious care. Asked then his servant : —
' How cometh it that thou, my friend and master, my father, and the bulwark of thy friends, art thus 1012
afflicted and hard pressed1? Never, my dearest lord, have I found thee in such plight before, thus feeble. Hast thou command of words for converse? To my mind it seemeth, 1016
that, during this latter night, infirmity hath overcome thee through onsets of disease, and hath attacked thee with sore wounds. Of all sorrows this is the hottest in my heart, until thou comfortest 1020
my mind and soul. Knowest thou, beloved master, how this sickness shall have ending 1 '
He answered him but tardily, he could not draw his breath at once, a bitter malady 1024
oppressed him ; bravely he spake, blest with fortitude he gave reply : —
1 1 would tell thee that pain hath seized me, suffering hath invaded me in this wan night, 1028
and hath relaxed my body ; my limbs wax heavy, sorely visited. This dwelling of the soul, this fated fleshly vesture, these limbs, coverings of clay, decked in an earthy chamber, held fast on a lowly bed, 1033 must keep a mortal resting-place. The warrior draweth near, not slow of fight : there will be no longer evasion of the soul's departing than seven nights,
according to appointed time, so that my life 1036
will hence and seek its end upon this eighth, this approaching day : then all my days upon this tract of earth will have departed, all my grief will be assuaged, and then may I, 1040
before the knees of my Creator, share in the rewards and in new gifts; then may I follow aye,
168 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. IO43-IO73. [1016-1046.]
in sin-dreamum si)?J>an awo
forS folgian • is nu fus Sider 1044
gsest sij>es georn , nu J>u gearwe const
leoma lif-gedal long is J>is onbid
worulde-lifes • ?Ja waes wop and heaf [1020]
geongum geocor sefa georarende hyge 1048
sij?)>an he gehyrde Ipset se halga waes
forS-styes fus ' he )>ees fser-spelles
fore his mon-dryhtne mod-sorge wseg
hefige aet heortan j hre)?er innan swearc 105 a
hyge hreow-cearig j^aes J>e [lie] his hlaford •
geseah ellor-fusne . he Ips&s onbseru
habban ne meahte ac he hate let
torn ]x>liende tearas geotan 1056
weallan waeg-dropan , wyrd ne meahte [1030]
in faegum leng feorg gehealdan
deore freetwe ))<mne him gedemed wses : — : 7
[IV.]
ON-geat gsesta halig geomor-modes 1060
drusend[n]e hyge • ongan J>a duguj>a hleo gleed-mod gode leof geongran retan wine leofestan wordum negan * —
ne beo J?u unrot tSeah Ipeos adl me 1064
innan sele • nis me earfeSe to geJ>olianne j^eodnes willan
dryhtnes mines ne ic J?aes deat5es hafu [io4°]
on fas seocnan tid sorge on mode 1068
ne ic me here-hloc5e helle-]?egna swifte onsitte ne maeg synne on me facnes frum-bearn fyrene gestselan
lices leahtor . * ac in lige sceolon [* 48 &.] 107a
sorg-wylmum soden sar wanian •
1053. [he] conjectural. I059- One-line space between the sections
1 06 1. MS. drusende.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 169
for ever afterwards, the Lamb of God,
'mid endless joys : now is my soul bound thither, 1044
yearning for its journey. Thou knowest now right well
my body's severance from life : long is this tarrying
of earthly life.' Then was there wailing and lament,
the spirit of the youth grew sad, his mind was troubled, 1048
when he heard that the holy man
was bound upon the journey hence ; at that sudden tiding
endured he heavy sorrow in his heart
for his liege lord; his soul grew dark within, 1053
his mind was all distressed, for he saw his master
departing otherwhere ; he was unable
to restrain therefrom, but woe-begone
he suffered burning tears to fall, 1056
wave-drops to overflow. Fate might not
keep the cherished treasure, life,
within the doomed, longer than was ordained for him.
IV.
The holy soul perceived the drooping spirit 1060
of the sad youth : then began he, the help of men and the beloved of God, in gladsome mood to cheer the youth, his dearest friend, and to address him thus : —
1 Be thou not sad, though this disease 1064
burneth within me; it is not hard for me to undergo the will of the Supreme, my Master, nor at this grievous time
have I in mind a care concerning death, 1068
nor am I much a-dread of all the multitude of hell's ministers, nor may deceit's first-born impute to me or sin or crime,
or body's deed of shame : but sodden in direful fires, 107J
they must themselves in flame sorely lament,
170 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. IO74-IIO7. [1017-1080.]
wraec-siS wepan wilna biscirede
in fara dea(5-sele duguSa gehwylcre
lufena and lissa min J?set leofe beam 1076
ne beo J?u on sefan to seoc . ic eom si^es fus [ 1050]
up-eard niman edleanan georn
in J>am ecan gefean aer-gewyrhtuni
gesecn sigora frean min pcet swaese beam 10S0
nis me wracu ne gewin \cet ic wuldres god
sece swegel-cyning J^aer is sib and blis
dom-faestra dream dryhten andwe&rd
J?am ic georne gaest-gerynum 1084
in J>as dreorgan tid daedura cwemde
mode and maegne ic J>a meorde wat
leahtor-lease lean unhwilen [1060]
halig on heah)?u . £>aer min hyht myneS 1088
to gesecenne sawul fundatS
of lie-fate to j?am longan gefean
in ead-welan nis )>es ej>el me
ne sar ne sorg > ic me sylfum wat 1093
sefter lices hryre lean unhwilen •
Da se wuldor-maga worda gestilde
rof riin-wita waes him raeste neod
reonig-modum rodor swamode 1096
ofer nicSfta beam niht-rim scridon [,07°]
deorc ofer dugecSum J>a se daeg bicwom
on J>am se lifgenda in lic-homan
ece aelmihtig aerist gefremede- 11 00
dryhten mid dreame • Sa he of deafte aras
onwald of eort5an in J>a eastor-tid
ealra J>rymma J>rym Areata maestne
to heofonum ahof« $a he from helle astag • t 11 04
Swa se eadga wer in J»a ae)?elan tid
on J?one beorhtan daeg blissum hremig
milde and gemet-faest maegen unsofte [ic8o]
1 091. MB. ingead (i. e. inead). 1098. J>a; originally \>e, changed to \>&.
1 102. MS. onweald (i e. onwald).
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 171
and wail their exile, cut off from all delights,
in that hall of death, from every goodly thing,
from love and mercy. My beloved son, 1076
be thou not too sad at heart ; I am hastening on my way
to take a dwelling-place on high, yearning for reward
in that eternal joy for all my former Avorks, —
to see the Lord of triumph. My beloved son, 1080
'tis no misery for me nor hardship, to seek
glory's God, heaven's King, where is peace and bliss,
joy of the exalted, and there the Lord is present,
whom I, with all the secret powers of my soul, 1084
with all my mind and strength, during this mournful tide,
have eagerly delighted with my deeds. I know that the reward
is faultless, a lasting recompense,
holy upon high ; my heart's desire 1088
is to seek that place ; my soul striveth
from its body's vessel to reach that lasting joy
'mid blissful happiness. This earthly home
hath neither pain for me nor sorrow; I know, for me, 1093
after my body's fall, there is an endless recompense.'
Then the glorious hero, that sage renowned, ceased from words; need had he of rest,
weary was his spirit.. The heavens floated 1096
over the sons of men; a term of nights had passed dark o'er mankind, when the day approached on which the Living God, in human form,
the Eternal Lord Almighty, wrought His resurrection 1100
amid joy, when in the Easter-tide Omnipotent He rose from earth, from death, when He, glory of all glories, raised to heaven a band innumerable, when He from hell ascended. 1104
Wherefore the blessed warrior, at that glorious tide, on that bright day, blissfully exultant, placid and tranquil, courageously exerted
172 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. H08-H38. [1081-llU.]
*elne gesefnde • Aras Sa eorla wynn [*49 a.] 1108
heard hyge-snottor swa he hraj^ost meahte
metSe for Sam miclan bysgum • « ongon )?a his mod sta)?elian
leohte geleafan lac on-ssegde
deop-hycgende dryhtne to willan • 1 1 1 2
gsest-gerynum in godes temple »
and his Ipegne ongon swa J>am J>eodne geras
J>urh gsestes giefe god-spel bodian
secgan sigor-tacnum and his sefan trymman 11 16
wundrum to wuldre in J?a wlitigan gesceaft [I09°]
to ead-welan swa he ser ne si5
sefre to ealdre ot5re swylce
on t5as lsenan tid lare gehyrde 11 30
ne swa deoplice dryhtne s geryne
)mrh menniscne muS areccan
on sidum sefan him wses so]?ra ge)>uht
])cet hit ufancundes engles wsere 11 24
of swegl-dreamum swi]x>r micle
msegen-fegnes word J)onne seniges monnes lar
wera ofer eorftan * him ]>cet wundra msest [1100]
gesewen J>uhte ]>cet swylc snyttru-creeft 1128
senges haeleSa her hrej>er weardade
dryhta bearna wses Ipses deoplic eall
word and wisdom and pses weres stihtung
mod and msegen-crseft )>e him meotud engla 11 32
gsesta geocend forgiefen hsefde : — : 7
[v.]
Walton feowere "5a fortS gewitene dagas on rime ]>ses se dryhtnes \pegn\ on elne bad adle gebysgad 11 36
saruwi geswenced; ne he sorge wseg [1IIOJ
geocorne sefan gaest-gedales
1 128. M S. snyttrS, i. e. snyttro corrected to snyttru. II33- Half-line
space between hsefde and W^Ron. 1 135. [fegn] supplied by conjecture.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 173
all his strength, despite the pain, and he rose then, 1108
the firm, the wise, the joy of men, as he quickest might, weary from his great afflictions : he began then to confirm his
mind with bright belief, and offered an oblation
to please his Lord, deeply meditating ma
in God's temple, with all his secret spiritual might; and then, as became the master, he began to preach the Gospel, through the Spirit's grace, unto his servant, and to speak in words triumphant, and to confirm his mind, n 16 wondrously, in the glory of that fair creation, and in its happiness, so that, ne'er before, nor since, never in this life, during this transient time, heard he another teaching like unto that, 11 20
nor heard he mysteries of the Lord explained so deeply by the mouth of any man of noble understanding : it seemed to him more truly that they were angel's words from heaven, 11 24
from the ethereal joys, words of some mighty servant (of the Lord), far rather than the lore of any man, of any mortal upon earth : it seemed to him the greatest wonder, that the breast of any 1128
of the sons of men could hold such power of wisdom, here in this world ; so deep were all the words, the wisdom, and the man's instruction, the mind and power, which the Lord of angels, 1132
the Saviour of souls, had granted unto him.
V.
Four days in number had then passed away, since first the servant of the Lord,
oppressed with sickness, direfully afflicted, 1136
waited courageously : he bore not sorrow, nor sad mood, nor troubled spirit,
174 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. II39-II72. [1112-1145.]
dreorigne hyge , deatS nealsecte
stop stal-gongum • * strong and hrefte [*49 6.] 1140
sohte sawel-hus , com se seofefta deeg
aeldum andwe&rd J?8es J»e him in-gesonc
hat heortan neah hilde-scurum
flacor flan-Ju-acu feorh-hord onleac 11 44
searo-caegum gesoht « ongon (5a snottor haele
ar onbeht-J»egn sej>eles neosan
to fam halgan hofe ; fond }?a hlingendne [1120J
fusne on fortS-si}> frean unwemne 1148
ggest-haligne in godes temple
soden sar-wylmum • , Waas J?a sihste tid
on midne dseg - wass his mon-dryhtne
ende-dogor set-ryhte J»a , 1152
nearwum genseged nyd-costingum
awrecen wsel-pilum wlo ne meahte
oro"S up geteon ellen-sprsece
hleoJ>or ahebban-^ Ongon tSa hyge-geomor n 56
freorig and fert5-werig fusne gretan [1130]
me(5ne mod-glasdne* bsed hine J>urh mihta scyppend
gif he his word-cwida weal dan meahte
spraece a-hebban J>a3t him on spellum gecycSde 11 60
onwrige worda gongum hu he his wisna truwade
drohtes on t5aere dimman adle serSon hine deatS onssegde •
Him se eadga wer ageaf emdsware
leof mon leofum J>eah he late meahte 1164
eorl ellen-heard orej:e gebredan- •
min ]>3dt swaese beam nis nu swij>e feor
)?am ytemestan ende-dogor [1140]
nyd-gedales- J>8et (5u f>a nyhstan scealt 11 68
in woruld-life worda minra
naefre leana biloren lare gehyran
noht longe ofer Jus laest ealle well
waere and winescype word *}>a wit spraecon [*50a.] 11 72
1 143. MS. scurun. 11 48. MS. unwenne.
II. SAINT GTJTHLAC. B. 175
for his soul's departing. Death drew nigh,
stepping with stealthy strides; strong and fierce 1140
he sought the soul-house. Came then the seventh day
to mortals' sight, since first the flickering arrows' force,
in hostile showers, sank hot within him,
nigh the heart, and had unlocked life's treasury, 1144
attacking it with guileful keys. Went then the prudent man,
his servant, his attendant, to visit the noble master
in that holy house : he found his blameless lord,
the holy spirit, lying on his bed there, 1148
in God's temple, bent on departure,
consumed with painful burning. 'Twas the sixth hour,
at noon-tide : his masters final day
had now approached its destined limit. 1152
Direful ly assailed with sore affliction,
struck by darts of death, he could scarce
draw his breath, or raise his voice,
his mighty utterance. Sad then in mind, chill and soul-weary,
the servant greeted his departing lord, 1157
faint, yet glad in spirit ; he prayed him, by the Creator of all might,
if he could command his utterance, if he were able
to summon speech, that he would make clear 11 60
and reveal, in discourse of words, ere death prostrated him,
how he confided in his conduct, his life's course, in that dark
malady. To him the blessed hero gave reply,
the beloved spake to the beloved, tho' the bold warrior 11 64 could but slowly draw his breath : —
'Mine own dear son, 'tis now not very far to the extreme and final hour
of life's sure parting, when, not long hereof t< 1, 1 168
never deprived of thy reward, thou shalt hear the last instruction from my words in this world's life. Fulfil well all
our covenant and friendship, the words we two have said to one another, 117a
176
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. H73-I208. [1146-1181. J
leofast manna nsefre ic Iufan sibbe
J>eoden 33 1 fearfe f>ine forlsete
asanian beo J>u on sicS gearu
si)?J)an lie and leorau and pes lifes gsest 1176
asundrien som-wist hyra Lu5°]
J)urh feorg-gedal , fyr aefter j?on
J?aet }>u gesecge sweostor minre
paere leofestan on longne weg 1180
to J?am fsegran gefean forS-sicS minne
on eene eard and hyre eac gecytS
wordum minum pat ic me warnade
hyre onsyne ealle f>rage 1184
in woruld-life forSy ic wilnode
pset wit unc eft in J)am ecan gefean
on swegl-wuldre geseon mostun [1160]
fore onsyne eces deman 11 88
leahtra lease "pser sceal lufu uncer
wserfsest wunian peer wit wilna a
in tSaare beorhtan byrig brucan motun
eades mid englum • ^ tSu hyre eac saga 119a
poet heo p\s ban-fa3t beorge bifeeste •
lame biluce lie orsawle •
in £>eostor-cofan J^aer hit prage sceal
in sond-hofe si^an wunian- ( 1196
$a wear (5 mod-geJ>anc miclum gebisgad [u7°]
fream for-J>rycced j^urh pses feodnes word
ombeht-J^egne j J>a he asdre oncneow
frean feorh-gedal patt hit feor ne wses iaoo
ende-dogor, ongon J>a ofostlice
to his wine-dryhtne wordum nisetSlan •
ic pec halsige haelefci leofost
gumena cynnes )?urh gsesta weard 1204
faet pu hyge-sorge heortan minre
geepe eorla wyn \ nis pe ende feor
j?aes pe ic on galdrum ongieten haebbe • . [1180]
oft mec geomor-sefa gehj?a gemanode 1208
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 177
dearest of men ! ' — ' Ne'er will I,
in thy need, my master, suffer friendship's love
to languish '. — ' Be thou ready for a journey,
so soon as body and limbs and this spirit of life 1 1 76
shall put their fellowship asunder
through life's severing. Hasten on the errand,
that thou tell unto my sister,
the most beloved, my departure hence 11 80
on a long journey, to that fair joy,
to an eternal home ; and eke to her make known,
in mine own words, that I denied myself
her presence, during all the space 11 84
of earthly life, for that I desired
that we two might again see one another
in the eternal joy, 'mid heavenly glory,
before the face of the Eternal Judge, * 1188
void of all sin ; there shall our love
continue constant; there may we evermore
enjoy our wishes, in that bright city,
happiness 'mid angels. Tell thou to her eke, 1192
that she commit this bone-case to the tomb,
and enclose in clay this soulless form
in a dark chamber, where for a while thereafter
it shall remain within its house of sand.' 1196
Then was that zealous servant's mind much troubled, and direfully oppressed, through his lord's words ; quickly then he knew that his master's death, his final hour, 1200
was not far off. In haste he then began to speak these words unto his friend and master : —
'I beseech thee, dearest of men, dearest of human kind, by the Guardian of spirits, 1204
that thou, delight of folk, alleviate the sorrow of ray heart ! The end is not far off, as I have learnt from thy divining words. Oft my sud spirit, oft sorrow hot at heart, uoS
N
178 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. IIO9-I24O. [1 182-1214.]
hat set heortan • *hyge gnornende [*50 &.]
nihtes nearwe and ic naefre J?e
feeder frofor min frignan dorste*
symle ic gehyrde J>onne heofones gim 121 2
wyn-condel wera west onhylde
swegl-beorht sunne setl-gonges fus
on t aefen-tid oJ>erne mid ]>ec •
J>egn aet gej>eahte ic J?ees feodnes word 1216
ares uncu)>es oft neosendes [Ir9°]
daeg-woman bitweon and )?aere deorcan niht \
me)>el-cwide maecges and on morgne swa •
ongeat geomor-mod gaestes spraece 1220
gleawes in geardum. huru ic giet ne wat
aer J>u me frea min furJ>or cyfte
Jmrh cwide Jrinne hwonan his cyme sindon :j
[vi.]
T\A se 6adga wer ageaf awdsware 1224
-■-' leofum aefter lougre hwile swa he late meahte
elnes oncytSig oreJ>e gewealdan . -
hwaet J>u me wine min wordum naegest [1200]
fusne frignest J>aes J>e ic furjmm aer 1228
aefre on ealdre aengum ne wolde
monna ofer moldan melda weoroan
J>egne on J»eode butan J>e nu tSa
J?y laes J>aet wundredan weras and idesa 1232
and on geatS gutan gieddum maenden •
bi me lifgendum; huru ic nolde sylf
J>urh gielp-cwide gaestes mines
frofre gelettan ne faeder mines • 1236
aefre geaefnan aebylg godes • r [1210]
Symle me onsende sige-dryhten min
folca feorh-giefa sij?}>an ic furjmm ongon
on }?one aefteran anseld bugan 1240
1 21 5. MS. hsefen. i223- One-line space beticeen sindon :j and Da.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 179
oft my mind mourning at night in anguish
hath admonished me, and never durst I
question thee, my father, my comfort !
Always have I heard, whenever heaven's gem, 12 12
the candle of men's joy, the bright heavenly sun,
declined at evening-tide unto the west,
hastening to its setting-place, another wight
in council with thee. Sad in mind, have I heard 1216
words of this warrior, of this unknown messenger,
visiting thee oft between the rush of day
and the dark night, the discourse of this friend;
yea, at morn, too, have I heard the speech of some wise guest
within this dwelling-place. But yet I know not, 1221
until thou, my master, explain it to me further
through thine own utterance, whence his comings are.'
VI.
Then the blessed man, after a long while, 1224
gave answer to his friend, as, void of strength, he was but slowly able to command his breath : —
'Lo, my friend, thou addressest me in words, thou askest me, bound hence, concerning that 1228
which ne'er in life before I would be teller of to any man upon this earth, to any mortal among folk, save now to thee, lest men and women should have wondered at it, 1232
and poured it out in folly, and told of it in songs, during my life-time : truly I was not willing to hinder, through boastful utterance,
my spirit's comfort, nor ever to excite 1236
the anger of my Father, of my God. My glorious Lord, Giver of life to folk, since first I did inhabit
this second hermitage, since that first year, 1240
N 2
180
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 124I-I274. [1215-1248.]
gear-gemearces gaest haligne
engel ufan-cundne se mec efna gehwam
meahtig meotudes J?egn and on morgne eft
sigor-*faest gesohte and me sara gehwylc [*51 a.] 1244
gehaelde hyge-sorge ; and me in hrej^re bileac
wuldres wil-boda wisdomes giefe [1220]
micle monig-fealdran Iponne aenig mon wite
in lifet her ]>e me alyfed nis 1248
to gecy}>enne cwicra aengum
on fold-wege lira cynnes
\wt me ne meahte monna aenig
bideaglian hwset he dearninga 125a
on hyge hogde heortan ge]x>ncum
si)>}?an he me fore eagum onsyne wearS j
a ic on mode matS monna gehwylcne
J>eodnes J?rym-cyme otS ]?isne daeg 1256
leofast monna nu ic for lufan J^inre [1231]
and gefer-scype J?aet wit fyrn mid unc
longe laestan nelle ic laetan ]>e
aefre unrotne sefter ealdor-lege 1260
mefSne mod-seocne. minre geweor&m
soden sorg-waelnium k ic sibbe wij> Ipe
healdan wille nu of hrefer-locan
to J>am soJ>an gefean sawel fundacS* 1264
nis seo tid latu tydraS J>is ban-fast
greot-hord gnornatS gaest bine fyseS [124°]
on ecne geard ut-sij>es georn
on sellan gesetu , nu ic swiSe eom - 1268
weorce gewergad • $a to fam wage gesag
heafelan onhylde* hyrde fa gena
ellen on innan orolS stundum teah •
msegne modig him of mutSe cwom • 1272
swecca swetast* swylce on sumeres tid
stincatS on stowum sta}>elum faeste
1 248. MS. lifes.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC B. 181
hath always sent to me a holy spirit,
an angel from above : mighty and glorious,
this servant of the Lord hath sought me every evening,
and again at morn, and healed my every pain 1244
and sorrow of mind; yea, that kindly messenger of glory
locked in my breast the gift of wisdom
more manifold by far than any man
may know of here in life, nor am I suffered 1248
to reveal to any living man
upon earth's ways, to any of mankind,
how it befell that not a man was able
to hide from me what secretly 1252
he pondered in his mind, in his heart's thoughts,
after he was visible before my eyes ;
ever concealed I in my soul from everyone
this angel's glorious coming until this day, 1256
0 thou dearest of men I Now I for love of thee,
and for the fellowship which long since
we two have borne each other, I will not suffer thee
to abide for ever cheerless and a-weary, 1260
sick at heart and vexed by burning cares,
after my life's . cessation, but for ever will I keep
friendship toward thee. From my breast's enclosure
my soul tendeth now unto the true delight; 1264
time doth not tarry; this bone-case groweth weak,
this dust-heap mourneth ; the spirit hasteneth
to an eternal dwelling, yearning for its exit hence
to nobler homes. I am all a-wearied now 1268
with pain.' Then sank he to the wall,
and bent his head, yet he maintained
his strength within ; from time to time he drew his breath,
mighty still in vigour; from his mouth there came 1-7;
sweetest of odours, sucli as, in summer- tide,
mellifluous plants, blossoming full joyously
182 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. I275-I304. [1249-1278.]
wynnum aefter wongura wyrta geblowene •
hunig-flowende • • swa J?aes halgan waes 1276
ond-longne daeg o]> aefen for5 [125T]
orotS up-hlaeclen , J>a se *aej>ela glaem [*51 &.]
setl-gong sohte . swearc norS-rodor
won under wolcnum woruld miste ofer-teah • 1 280
J?ystrum bij^eahte- Ipvong niht ofer tiht
londes frsetwa • • tSa cwom leohta maest
halig of heofonum haedre scinan
beorhte ofer burg-salu bad se J>e sceolde 1284
eadig on elne ende-dogor
awrecen wael-straelum^ wuldres scima [1260]
aej>ele ymb ae]?elne andlonge niht
scan scir-wered • scadu sweJ»redon 1288
to-lysed under lyfte^ waes se leohta glaem
ymb J>aet halge hus heofonlic condel
from aefen-glome o]?}?aet eastan cwom
ofer deop-gelad daegred-woma 1292
weder-tacen wearm , aras se wuldor-mago
eadig elnes gemyndig • sprsec to his onbeht-J>egne
torht to his treowum gesife' tid is Ipcet Ipu. fere
and J?a aerendu eal bif>ence 1296
ofestum laede swa ic J>e aer bibead [1271]
lac to leofre ■ nu of lice is
god-dreama georn gaest swifte fus •
Ahof J>a his honda husle gereorded 1300
eatS-mod ))y aej>elan gyfle swylce he his eagan ontynde*
halge heafdes gimmas biseah )?a to heofona rice
glaed-mod to geofona leanum and J>a his gaest onsende
weorcum wlitigne in wuldres dream: 7 i 1304
1 304. One-line space between dream :y and Da.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 183
throughout the plains, diffuse in places,
though firm -set in their stations ; so was that saint's breath 1276
drawn aloft throughout the livelong day
until evening. Then the noble radiance
sought its setting-place ; grey 'neath the clouds, 1279
the northern sky grew dark, and veiled the world with mist,
and covered it with gloom; night fell o'er the earth's expanse,
the land's adornments; then holy from the heavens
came the greatest of all lights serenely shining,
bright o'er the city-dwellings. The fated man awaited 1284
his final hour, happy in his courage,
though harassed by the darts of death. A noble gleam
shone the livelong night, with brightsome beams,
around the noble one; the shadows vanished, 1288
scattered beneath the sky. The radiant light,
the heavenly candle, was all around that holy house
from evening-gloom, until from out the east there came
o'er the deep way the rush of dawn, 1292
the genial weather-sign. Arose the glorious hero,
happy, mindful of fortitude; spake then the illustrious one
to his disciple, his faithful comrade : — ' Time is that thou go,
and remember aright thy errands, 1296
and take with all speed, as I bade thee erewhile,
the message to the dear maiden : now soul from body
is quickly hastening, yearning for the joys divine.'
Raised he then his hands, in humble mood, refreshed 1300 with that noble meal, the Eucharist, and he unclosed his eyes, the holy jewels of his head, and looked then gladsomely to heaven's realm, to the reward of grace, and sent his spirit
thence, all beauteous with its works, into the joy of glory. 1304
184
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. I.305-I335. [1279-1309.]
[VII.]
T\A wges guftlaces gaest gelaeded
" eadig on up-weg • englas feredun [1280]
to J>am longan gefean - lie colode
belifd under lyfte • , $a peer leolit ascan 1308
beama beorhtast • eal j^aefc beacen wses ymb Ipsdt halge bus heofonlic *leoma [*52 a.] from foldan up swylce fyren tor
rybt arsered otS rodera hrof ■ 131 2
gesewen under swegle sunnan beorbtra aej^el-tungla wlite t engla )>reatas sige-leoS sungon • sweg wses on lyfte
gehyred under heofonum haligra dream «s 131 6
swa se burg-stede wses blissum gefylled [l29*]
swetum stencum and swegl-wundrum eadges yrfe-stol engla hleoSres .
eal innanweard J>ser waes senlicra 1320
and wynsumra Iponne bit in worulde msege stefn areccan bu se stenc and se sweg heofonlic hleojwr and se balga song*
gehyred wses heah-J>rym godes 1324
breahtem sefter breahtme • beofode }?set ealond fold-wong on)?rong«. $a afyrhted wearS [1300]
ar elnes biloren gewat J?a ofestlice
beorn unhycSig J>set he bat gestag . 1328
wseg-hengest wrsec . wseter-J>isa for snel under sorgum swegl hate scan blac ofer burg-salo , brim-wudu scynde
leoht lade fus j lagu-mearg snyrede 1332
gehlsested to hy$e J>set se hsern-flota sefter sund-plegan sond-lond gespearn grond wi<S greote gnorn-sorge wseg
1306. MS. feredon (i. e. feredon altered to feredun). 1329, MS. |>iswa
(i. e. J>isa).
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 185
VII.
Then was Guthlac's spirit led, in bliss, upon the upward way; angels bore him unto that lasting joy; cold grew the body,
all lifeless 'neath the sky. Then shone there forth a light, 1308 the brightest of all beams ; that beacon, that heavenly gleam, circled the holy house, from the earth upward, even as a fiery tower, reared erect unto the heaven's roof; 131a
beneath the sky brighter than the sun it seemed, than the beauty of the noble stars. Hosts of angels sang a song of triumph ; music was heard
in the air 'neath heaven, the melody of saints. 13 16
Thus the house, the blessed one's dwelling-place, was filled with blissful joys, with sweet fragrance, and with heavenly angels' harmony:
all there within was too incomparable, 1333
too winsome, for any voice to tell, here in the world, what the fragrance was like, and how the melody, the heavenly strain and holy song, was heard, and God's exalted praise. 1324
Moment after moment the island quaked, the earth-plain crashed ; then was the messenger afeard, bereft of courage; with greatest speed then, the hapless warrior hastened to ascend a boat; 1328
he urged the wave-horse ; the water-courser sped, impelled beneath the sorrowing wight. The heaven shone hot, pale o'er the city-dwellings. Hastening lightly on its way, the ocean-wood drove on : the laden water-horse 1332
rushed to the hithc, so that, after its ocean-play, the floater of the surge contemned the sandy shore, and ground against the gravel. Sad sorrow bore he
186 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 1336-I369. [1310-1343.]
hate set heortan hyge geomurne 1336
metSne mod-sefan se ]>e his mon-dryhten t^11]
life bilidene last weardian •
wiste wine leofne( him J>aes wopes hring
torne gemonade • teagor ytSum weol • 1 340
hate hleor-dropan and on hrejre wseg
micle mod-ceare he J>sere meegetS sceolde
lace geleedan latS-spel * to soft . [* 52 &.]
Cwom J>a freorig-fer$ • J>ser seo fsenme wees 1 344
wuldres wyn-mseg • he J>a wyrd ne maiS
faeges for5-siS j fus-leotS agol [1320]
wine }>earfende and pcet word acweeS*
ellen bif> selast • J>am J>e oftost sceal 1 348
dreogan dryhten-bealu deope behycgan
J>roht J?eoden-gedal Tponne seo Jrag cymeS
wefen wyrd-stafura J?set wat se ]>e sceal
asweeman sarig-ferS •, wat his sinc-giefan • 1352
holdne biheledne ■ he sceal hean }?onan
geomor hweorfan . J>am bi5 gomenes wana •
$e J>a earfefta oftost dreogetS
on sargum sefan. huru ic swifte ne ]>earf 1356
hin-siS behlehhan r is hlaford min [1331]
beorna bealdor and broJ?or J>in
se selesta bi seem tweonum
J^ara J>e we on engle sefre gefrunen 1360
acennedne J?urh cildes had
gumena cynnes to godes dome
werigra wraj>u woruld-dreamum of
wine-msega wyn in wuldres J>rym 1364
gewiten wtm'ga hleo wica neosan
eardes on up-weg % nu se eorSan dsel [i34°]
ban-hus abrocen burgum in innan
wunaS wael-rseste and se wuldres dsel 1368
of lic-fsete in leoht godes
1365. MS. wunga.
II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. 187
hot within his heart, a mournful spirit, 1336
and a mind full weary, for he knew that his master,
his beloved friend, remained behind there,
void of life. Sadly his outburst of weeping
minded him thereof; his tears, hot cheek-drops, 1340
poured forth in waves, and in his breast he bore
a heavy care, — to the maiden he must
bring the message, the grievous tale too true.
Came he then, with trembling soul, where the maiden was, 1344 Glory's loved kinswoman; he concealed not the event, the fated one's departure; in dire need of his friend sang he the death- song, and these words spake: —
'Courage is best for him who must too oft 1348
experience sorrow at his master's bale, and deeply ponder o'er his grievous parting from his lord, when the season cometh, woven with fate's decrees; he knoweth it who must pine with sorrowing soul; he knoweth his generous dispenser 1352 to be hidden in the earth ; bowed down, lamenting, he must depart from thence. He lacketh all joy, who suffereth oftentimes afflictions such as these in his sad soul. I have no cause, forsooth, 1356
to be gladsome at his journey hence. My lord, the prince of warriors, thy brother, the noblest of all men 'twixt the seas
whom we in England have e'er had knowledge of, 1360
of all those born in child's condition of the race of men, the staff of the weary, his kinsmen's joy, his friends' protection,
by the doom of God hath fared from worldly joys 1364
to Glory's splendour, to visit the habitations and the home on high. Now earth's portion, t lie broken bone-house, resteth on a bed of death within the dwelling-place, and Glory's portion 1368
hath sought its recompense, forth from the body's vessel
188 II. SAINT GUTHLAC. B. I3/O-I379. [1 344-1353.]
sigor-lean solite • and )?e secgan het
J>aet git a mosten in J>am ecan gefean
mid J>a sib-gedryht somud eard niman 1372
weorca wuldor-lean willum neotan
blaedes and blissa-. eac Ipe abeodan het
sige-dryhten mm j?a he wszs sij>es fus
J>aet J?u his lic-homan leofast meegSa 1376
eorSan biSeahte nu J>u sedre const C^1]
sift-feet minne . ic sceal sarig-ferS
hean-mod hweorfan hyge drusendne
[III. AZARIAH.]
[I.]
# ~| T IM j?a azarias in-ge)>oncum [*53a.]
I I hleoJ>rede halig J>urh hatne lig
dreag daedum georn dryhten herede — ™ — ■— wis in weorcum and )>as word acwse'S 4
meotud all-wihta J>u eart meahtum swift ni)?as to nerganne is J?in noma ma3re wlitig and wuldorfsest ofer wer-feode
sindon J>ine domas on dseda gehwam 8
softe geswiftde and gesigefseste • eac Jrine willan in woruld-spedum ryhte mid raede rodera waldend
geoca us georne gsesta scyppend 12
and J>urh hyldo help halig dryhten nu we Ipec for Jjearfum and for )?rea-nyduin and fore eaft-medum arena biddaf
1375. 1£8. Ipses. 1379- drusendne the last word of the page. The upper
portion of leaf 53 has been cut off, whereby the concluding lines {three or four) of QtdhlaCy and II. 28-33 °f ^ie next poem {see below) are lost.
III. AZARIAH. 189
to the light of God; and he bade me say to thee
that ye two might ever keep one common home,
with all the kindred company, there in that endless bliss, 1372
as the glorious reward for works, and at will enjoy
prosperity and bliss. My noble master bade me eke
announce to thee, when he was hurrying on his way,
that thou, maiden most beloved, shouldst bedeck 1376
with earth his body. Now without delay thou understand'st
my journey. Sorrowing in soul, dejected,
I must wander forth ; my drooping spirit
III. AZARIAH.
Then the holy Azariah raised his voice full fervently, amid the burning flame; zealously he suffered; wise in his works, praised he the Lord, and spake these words : —
1 Lord of all creatures ! thou art strong in might to save mankind; thy name is great, beauteous and glorious, throughout the nations; thy judgments are, in every deed, confirmed as true, and proved triumphant; and eke thy will, in all the world's events, is righteous and full of rede. 0 Ruler of the skies ! fain preserve thou us, Creator of all spirits! and help us through thy grace, O holy Lord ! We now, in this our need and grievous plight, in humble mood, pray thee for mercy,
190 HI. AZARIAH. 16-44.
lege bilegde , we J>aes lifgende 16
worhton in worulde eac J>on worn dydon •
yldran usse in oferhygdum
Ipln bibodu brsecon burg-sittende
had ofer-hogedon halgan lifes 20
wurdon we towrecene geond widne grund
heapum tobworfne hylda lease
wses ure lif geond londa fela
fracuS and gefraege fold-buendum^ 24
nu J?u usic bewrsece in J>as wyrrestan
eortS-cyninges seht-gewealda
in hseft heoro-grimmes sceolon we J>ser hsefenra
prea-nyd [polian. pais pe pane sie • 28
ivereda wuldor cyning • pwt pu us pas wrace teodest •
ne forlet pu usic ana • ece drihten •
for pam miltsum • pe pec men Idigad •
and for pam treowum • pe pu tirum foist -
nida nergend • genumeri] *heefdes • [*53 &.]
to abrahame • and to isace •
and iacobe • gsesta scyppend
J>u him gehete furh hleoJ>or-cwidas 32
fast ]>vl hyra from-cynn on fyrn-dagum
yean wolde \at,t hit sefter him
on cyne-ryce cenned wurde
yced on eorJ>an J>set swa unrime 36
had to hebban swa heofon-steorran
buga'S bradne h wear ft oS brim-flodas •
swa warofa sond ymb sealt wseter
y]?e geond ear-grund j?8et swa unrime 40
ymb wintra hwearft weorcSan sceolde .
fyl nu J>a frum-spvasce }?eah Ipe user fea lifgen
wlitega Ipine word-cwidas and <5in wuldor us •
gecytS crseft and meant* nu J>ec caldeas 44
h
22. MS. toworfne. 28. J>rea-nyd, the last word o/5Za. The missing lines at the beginning of 53 b are supplied from the Ccedmon Daniel, with the change of the first ivord J>oliad to polian.
III. AZARIAH. 191
beset with flame. We have earned this in the world 16
during our life-time; our fathers, too,
in overweening pride wrought evil once ;
dwelling in their cities, they brake thy bidding ;
the state of holy living they despised ; 20
we are now scattered o'er the spacious earth,
dispersed in bands, deprived of gracious favour;
our life hath been, throughout many a land,
hateful and infamous to earth's inhabitants. 24
Now hast thou driven us into a tyranny, the direfullest of any earthly king's,
into the bondage of one fiercely cruel, where we must (bear) heathens' oppression. [Thanks be to thee for this, 28
bright King of hosts ! that thou decreedst for us this exile. Forsake us not, O sole Eternal Lord ! for thy pity's sake, for which men laud thee, and for the covenants, which thou, men's Saviour, fixed in glory, hadst made of yore] with Abraham and with Isaac and with Jacob. O thou Creator of all spirits ! by revelation thou didst promise them, • 32
that thou wouldst fain, in days far off, increase their progeny, that after them it should be brought forth in the realm,
so increased on earth, in order to raise their state, 36
that as numberless as the stars of heaven circle the broad expanse to the ocean-floods, as the sand of the shores around salt waters, as waves o'er ocean's bed, even so numberless 40
should it become in the course of years.
Fulfil thou now that speech of old ; though few of us be living, manifest thy utterance and thy glory unto us ; reveal thy power and might, that those Chaldeans, 44
192 111. AZARIAH. 45-76.
and eac fela folca gefregen habban
J>aet J?u ana eart ece dryhten
sige-rof settend and so"8 meotod
wuldres waldend and woruld-sceafta . 48
swa se halga wer hergende wees
meotudes miltse and his mod-sefan
rehte Jmrh reorde . fta of roderum wearcS
engel aal-beorhta ufon onsended 52
wlite-scyne wer in his wuldor-homan •
Cwom him J»a to are and to ealdor nere
Jmrh lufan and ]mrh lisse se ]x>ne lig tosceaf
halig and heofon-beorht hatan fyres 56
]xet se bittra bryne beorgan sceolde
for Ipses engles ege aefsestum frim«
Tosweop and *toswengde J>urh swipes meaht [*54 a.]
liges leoman swa hyra lice ne scod • 60
ac wees in J?am ofne ]m se engel cwom
windig and wynsum wedere onlicust
))Ojme on sumeres tid sended weorf'e'S
dropena dreorung mid dseges hwile» 64
se wees in J»am fire for frean meahtum
halgum to helpe , weartS se hata lig
todrifen and todwaesced J?asr J?a daed-hwatan
Ipry mid ge]x>ncum J>eoden heredon 68
baedon bletsige beam in worulde
ealle gesceafte ecne dryhten
J>eoda waldend . swa hi J>ry cwasdon
moduwi horsce Jmrh gemsene word : — : 7 72
pi.]
BLetsige J»ec bilwit faeder woruld-sceafta wuldor and weorca gehwylc heofonas and englas and hluttor waater and eal msegen eorJ>an gesceafta • 76
61. MS. hofne i. e. ofne. 69. MS. bletsunge. 72. Half-line space after word.
III. AZARIAH. 193
and many other folk withal, may have knowledge
that thou alone art Lord Eternal,
Victorious Disposer, True Sovran,
Ruler of Glory and of all the world's creations/ 48
Thus was the holy warrior praising then the grace of his Creator, and expressed in speech his mind's reflection. Then from the skies an all-bright angel was sent down, 52
a man of beauteous aspect, in his garb of glory; he came then for their aid, and for their life's salvation, through love and through compassion ; holy and heavenly bright, he cast abroad the flame of that hot fire, 56
so that, in terror of that angel, the bitter burning was forced to spare the pious three.
He swept and scattered, through the Strong One's might, the beams of flame, so that it injured not their bodies ; 60
but it was in the furnace, when the angel came, windy and winsome, to the air most like, when in the summer-tide a fall of drops
chances to be sent during some time of day ; 64
so was it in the fire, by the power of the Lord, for the help of those holy men. The hot flame was dispersed and quenched, where the zealous three praised the Lord with all their thoughts, 68
and prayed Him bless the children of the world, and all created things, the Eternal Lord, the Ruler of all folk. Thus spake they, the brave-hearted three, with words united : — 7a
II.
1 May the glory of the world's creations bless thee, benignant Father ! and thy every work, the heavens, the angels, and clear water,
and all the host of creatures of the earth. 76
O
194 III. AZARIAH. 77-IIO.
bletsige pec softfaest cyning sunne and monan
leohte leoman lifgende god
hsedre and hlutre and heofon-dreame
wsestem weortSian , ful oft )?u wuldor-cyning 80
f>urh lyft laetest leodum to freme
mildne morgen-ren monig sceal sij>)?an
wyrt onwaecnan eac )xm wudu-bearwas
tanum tydratS trymraatS eorS-welan 84
hleoS and hluttratS , nsefre hlisan ah
meotud J?an maran ponne he wi$ monna beam
wyrceS wel-dsedum . wis bitS se pe con v
ongytan fone geocend pe us eall good syleS 88
pe we habbatS j?enden we her beotS
and us milde meotod mare gehateS
gif we geearniatS elne willaS •
ISonne feran sceal * J>urh frean heese [* 54 ft.] 93
sundor anra gehwees sawl of lice •
and pec god dryhten gsestas hergen
byrnende fyr and beorht sumor
wearme weder-dagas waldend manna 96
frean on fertSe . fremest eorS-welan
J»urh monigne had milde dryhten
and pec da?g and niht domfsest cyning
lofigen and lwfigen • lux and tenebre 100
pe J?as wer-J>eoda weardum healdaS-
deop dryhtnes bibod dragon hi poet longe •
and f>ec crist cyning ceolas weorSian
feeder forst and snaw folca waldend 104
winter-bitera weder and wolcna genipu
and J>ec liexende ligetta hergen
blace breahtum hwate bryten-rices weard
dyrne dryhten a J>in dom sy 108
g6d and genge . p\x )?83s geornlice
wyrcest wuldor-cyning wsestmum herge
94. MS. gaestes. 100. MS. Hfigen.
III. AZARIAH. 195
May the sun and the moon's bright beams, serene and pure, bless thee, thou righteous King, thou living God ! and may they glorify the fruits of earth with joys of heaven. Full oft, O King of glory, 80
thou sendest through the air, for men's behoof, mild morning rain; many a plant must then awake to life, and eke the forest groves
teem then with branches; it strengthened earth's wealth, 84 fostereth and purifieth it. Never hath the Creator greater glory than when he worketh benignly for the sons of men. Wise is the man
that can recognise his Helper, who giveth us 88
all the good we have, while we are here, and who, our kindly Maker, promiseth us more, if we but merit and desire it fervently,
when, at the bidding of the Lord, sundered from each man, 93 the soul shall journey from the body. Eke may all spirits, burning fire, radiant summer, the warm season's days, praise thee,
Lord God, men's Ruler, as their Master, 96
with all their vital force. Thou shapest earthly wealth in many a form, 0 thou benignant Lord ! Yea, let these praise thee, too, O glorious King! and cherish thee, day and night, light and darkness, 100
that hold all folk in their dominion; the Lord's stern longsome bidding have they obeyed. Let cold winds adore thee, too, Christ King ! Father ! Sovereign of folk ! and frost and snow, 104
and bitter winter weathers, and the welkin's clouds, and the glittering lightnings, bright and quickly flashing, let them praise thee as their beloved Lord, Guardian of this varying realm ! Aye be thy power 108
mighty and prevailing. How zealously thou workest, King of glory! Let things praise thee with their produce,
o 2
196 III. AZA.MAH. III-I44.
bletsien bledum and J)in bleed wese
a fortS ece selmihtig god 1 1 2
wesatS and weaxao1 ealle wer-J>eode
lifgaS bi }>ani lissum J?e us se leofa cyning
ece dryhten aer gesette
sinura bearnura to brice bremen dryhten- 116
ond J>ec halga god hea duna
geond middan-geard niiltsum hergen
fseger folde and fseder-rice •
forSon waldend scop wudige moras • 1 20
lofe leanige leohtes hyrde •
bletsige J?ec soSfaest cyning sees and weetra
hea holmas haligne dryhten
domlice deop wseter and dryhtnes bibod 124
geofon-floda gehwylc georne bihealde'S
fponne mere-streamas meotudes rseswum ^
wseter onwealcao1 . witon eald-gecynd
]>cet aer gescop ece dryhten • 128
lagu-floda bigong leohtes hyrde •
on J?ara wuniatS wid-ferende
* siSe on sunde seldlicra fela • [* 55 a.]
bletsien J?ec J>a ealle ece dryhten 132
J?urh j?inne willan wwldorfaest cyning •
and ]>ec ealle ae'-sprynge ece dryhten
heanne hergen ful oft J>u hluttor laetest
waeter wynlico to woruld-hyhte ■ 1 36
of clife claenum \mt us se cyning gescop •
monnum to miltse and to maegen-eacan .
bletsien J>ec bil-wit feeder
fiscas and fuglas fela-meahtigne ( 140
ealle j?a ]>e onhrerao1 hreo waegas
on J»am bradan brime bremen dryhten
hergen haligne , and heofon-fuglas
j?a )?e lacende geond lyft fara'S 144
133. MS. woldorfsest. 143. MS. fugulas (i.e. fuglas).
III. AZARIAH. 197
and bless thee with their fruits, and let thy glory live
for evermore eternally, Almighty God! 112
All the tribes of men exist and wax;
they live by the blessings, which the beloved King,
the eternal Lord, hath erst bestowed on us,
His children, for our use; praise they the Lord! 116
Eke let the high downs, throughout mid-earth,
praise thee, holy God, for all thy mercies,
and the fair fields, and each fatherland ;
and may the woody moors, — for He, the Ruler, hath created them, — 1 20
repay with praise the Guardian of light.
May the seas and the rising sweeps of ocean,
and the deep waters, praise thee gloriously,
just King, as their holy Lord. Yea, each ocean-flood 124
gladly keepeth its Sovran's command,
when, through God's ministers, the sea-streams
make the waters roll. Old generations knew
that the Eternal Lord, Guardian of light, 128
created erst the course of ocean-floods,
in which there dwell, faring far and wide
in their journey in the deep, strange creatures many:
let all these bless thee, Lord Eternal, 132
Glorious King, after thine own desire ;
and may all the river-springs extol thee,
Lord Eternal, as their Supreme.* Full oft thou sendest
clear pleasant water, to rejoice the world, 136
from some pure cliff; our King created it for us,
in kindness towards men, and for our strength's increase.
O thou benignant Father 1 may fishes and birds
bless thee as their Almighty Lord ; 140
let all things that stir the stormy waves
in the spacious sea, glorify their Lord,
and praise the Holy One; yea, the birds of heaven, too,
that journey, hovering lightly, through the air, 144
198 III. AZARIAH. I45-178.
bletsien fee dryhten deor and nyten
meotud monna beam • miltsum hergen
and ecne god israhela cynn •
bletsien )>e }>ine sacerdas sotSfaest cyning 148
milde msesseras mserne dryhten
and Jrine }>as Seoda hyrde •
swylce haligra hluttre saule •
and ece god eatSinod-heorte • 15a
Nu pec ananias • and azarias •
and misahel meotud miltsum hergatS
nu we geonge • J?ry • god bletsiatS
fela-meahtigne feeder in heofonum 156
J?one sotSan sunu • and Jxme sige-faestan gsest •
forJ>on us onsende sigora waldend
engel to are sej>e us[«c] bearg
fyr and feondas and mid ftyrum bewreah 160
wi$ bryne-brogan breahtmum hwurfun
ymb Ipat hate hus heeftne leode •
Sa J?set ongeaton godes andsa,c&n
J?set hi ne meahtan ne meotod wolde 164
*acwellan cnyhta ce • ac hy crist scilde • [*55 6.]
hwearf ]?a to healle swa he hra]x>st meahte •
eorl acol-mod J>set he ofer his ealdre gestod •
Abead J>a" for J>sere duguc5e deop eerende 168
haligra gehyld r hlyst wees ]?8er-inne
grom-hydig gum a Ipset ic geare wiste
)>aet we »m. ha?fdon J?eoda wisan
geonge cniehtas for gsest-lufan 173
gebunden to bsele in byrnendes
fyres leoman • nu ic fser >iiil* men •
geseo to softe nales me sylfa gerad •
hweorfaS nu sefter heorfte nsengum hat scej?et5 176
ofnes seled ac him is engel mid
hafatS beorhtne blsed ne mseg him bryne sce)>)>an
149. MS. sacerdos; MS. saSfsest. 159. [ic] required by metre.
165. MS. acwelan. 175. MS. sende to sioe; geseo to soSe in the Ccedmon
version (Daniel, 1. 416).
III. AZARIAH. 199
and beasts and cattle, let them bless thee, Lord !
Let the sons of men praise their Creator for His mercies,
the race of Israel their Eternal God ;
let thy priests bless thee, righteous King ! 148
as their great Lord, yea, thy meek mass-priests,
and thy servants, too, 0 Guardian of all folk !
and eke the pure souls of the holy ones,
and the humble-hearted, 0 Eternal God ! 152
Now Ananiah, and Azariah,
and Mishael, praise thee for thy mercies, Lord !
We three young men now bless thee, God,
Father Omnipotent in heaven, 156
and the true Son, and the victorious Spirit,
for that the Lord of triumphs hath sent to us
an angel, for our help, who hath protected us
'gainst fire and foes, and with his wings hath covered us 160
'gainst the heat's terror.' With uproar then,
the heathen nation thronged 'round that hot house,
when they, God's adversaries, perceived
that they might not (nor would God suffer it), 164
destroy the young men's faith, but Christ shielded them.
Then the chieftain in trembling mood returned to the hall as quickly as he might, so that he stood opposite his lord. He announced then before the nobles his awful errand, — 16S the preservation of the holy ones. Listening was within that place, (while) the fierce-minded man (thus spake) : — ' This I well knew, that we had bound to the pile,
in the burning fire's gleam, for their souls' love, 17J
three leaders of the folks, young striplings; now see I truly four men there ; nowise am I able to advise me. They pass along the hearth; the oven's hot fire 176
lmrtt th not one of them, for an ungel is with them; he hath bright splendour; the burning may not hurt
200 IV. THE PHOENIX. I-I4.
wlitigne wuldor-homan • $a fam wordura swealg
brego caldea gewat J?a to J>am bryne gongan 180
anhydig eorl Ipcet he ofer J?am ade gestod
het J>a of }?am lige lifgende beam •
nabocodonossor near set-gongan •
ne forhogodon "past }?a halgan sij>)?an hi hwaet-mode 184
woruld-cyninges weorn gehyrdon •
ac eodon of J>am fyre feorh unwemme
wuldre gewlitegad swa hyra waedum ne Bcod
gifre gleda[m'<f] ac hi mid gaest-lufan 188
synne geswencton and gesigefaeston
modum gleawe in mon-J>eawum
J?urh fore-J>oncas fyr gedygdon : y : y-
[IV. THE PHCENIX.]
[I-]
HjEBBE IC GEFRUGnen. fsette is feor heonan east-daelum on aej>elast londa firum gefraege . nis se foldan sceat ofer middan-geard mongum gefere folc-* agendra ac he afyrred is [*56 a.] )?urh meotudes meaht man-fremmendum • wlitig is se wong eall wynnum geblissad mid J?am faegrestum foldan stencum aenlic is }?aet iglond aej>ele se wyrhta modig meahtum spedig se J>a moldan gesette • ftaer bitS oft open eadgum to-geanes onhliden hleoJ>ra wyn heofon-rices duru , J^ast is wynsum wong - wealdas grene rume under roderum - ne maeg j?aer ren ne snaw
188. \ni$~\ supplied from Daniel, 1. 465.
19I. dygdon the only word on the line dividing the sections.
IV. THE PHGENIX. 201
his beauteous garb of glory.' When the prince of the Chaldeans
caught those words, then the stubborn chief departed and went 180
unto the fire, until he stood over against the blaze.
Then Nebuchadnezzar bade the living children
approach nearer from amid the flame :
the holy ones slighted not this behest, after they, bold in spirit,
had heard so many words from that imperial king ; 185
but they went forth from the fire, in life uninjured,
with glory beautified, so that the gleeds' greedy hate
hurt not their garments ; but with their souls' love 188
they out wearied sin, and triumphed,
wise of heart, in manful virtues ;
through forethought they escaped e'en fire.
IV. THE PHCENIX.
I have heard tell that there is far hence, in eastern parts, a land most noble, famed 'mong folk. That tract of earth is not accessible to many o'er mid-earth, 4
to many chieftains ; but it is far removed, through might of the Creator, from evil-doers. Beauteous is all the plain, blissful with delights, with all the fairest fragrances of earth; 8
that island is incomparable ; noble the Maker, lofty and in power abounding, who founded that land. There the door of heaven's realm is oft-times opened in sight of the happy, and the joy of its harmonies is revealed. 11 That is a winsomr plain; green wolds are there, spacious beneath the skies ; nor rain, nor snow,
202 IV. THE PHCENIX. 1 5-48.
ne forstes fnaest ne fyres blsest
ne hsegles hryre ne hrimes dryre 16
ne sunnan hsetu ne sin-caldu
ne wearm weder ne winter-scur
wihte gewyrdan ac se wong seomaS
eadig and onsund . is J>aet sef>ele lond 20
blostraum geblowen beorgas }?8er ne muntas
steape ne stondaS ne stan-clifu
heah hlifiat5 swa her mid us •
ne dene ne dalu ne dun-scrafu 24
hlsewas ne hlincas ne J>aer hleonaft • 60 •
unsmetSes wiht ac se sej?ela feld
wridatS under wolcnum wynnum geblowen .
is pcet torhte lond twelfum herra 28
folde faeSm-rimes swa us gefreogum • gleawe
witgan J?urh wisdom on gewritum cy)m5 •
ponne aenig J?ara beorga )?e her beorhte mid us
hea hlifiacS under heofon-tunglum • 32
smylte is se sige-wong ■ sun-bearo lixetS
wudu-holt wynlic wsestmas ne dreosatS
beorhte blede ac J>a beamas a-
grene stonda(5 swa him god bibead • 36
wintres and sumeres • wudu bicS gelice •
bledum gehongen nsefre brosnia'S •
*leaf under lyfte ne him lig sceJ^eS [*56 6.]
aefre to ealdre ser ]x>n edwenden 40
worulde geweorcSe . swa iu wsetres ]>rjm
ealne middan-geard mere-flod peahte
eorfan ymb-hwyrft J>a se sej?ela wong
seghwaes onsund wi5 yt5-fare 44
gehealden stod hreora wsega
eadig unwemme furh est godes .
bidetS swa geblowen otS baeles cyme
dryhtnes domes "ponne deaft-rseced 48
15. MS. fnseft; n written over an erased letter.
IV. THE PHCENIX. 203
nor breath of frost, nor fire's blast,
nor fall of hail, nor descent of rime, 16
nor sun's heat, nor endless cold,
nor warm weather, nor winter shower,
may there work any harm, but the plain abideth,
happy and healthful. The noble land ao
is all Deflowered with blossoms ; nor hills nor mountains
there stand steep, nor stony cliffs
tower there on high, as here with us;
nor dells nor dales, nor mountain-caves, 34
nor mounds, nor ridges, nor aught unsmooth,
abide there, but that noble plain
flourisheth 'neath the clouds, blossoming with delights.
This glorious land, this region, is higher 28
by twelve fathom-measures (as sages, wise with study,
reveal to us, through wisdom in their writings)
than any of the hills that brightly here, in our mids^t,
tower high, beneath the stars of heaven. 33
Serene is all that glorious plain ; sunny groves shine there,
and winsome woody holts; fruits fall not there,
nor bright blossoms, but the trees abide
for ever green, as God commanded them. 36
In winter and in summer the forest is alike
behung with fruits ; ne'er will the leaves
fade there beneath the sky, nor will flame injure them,
never, through all the ages, until a final change 40
befall the world. Lo, when once the water's rush,
the ocean's flood, o'erspread all middle-earth,
yea, all the world's career, yet that noble plain
secure 'gainst every chance, stood e'en then protected 44
'gainst the billowy course of those rough waves,
happy, inviolate, through the grace of God.
It shall abide thus blooming, until the coming of fire
and the judgment of the Lord, when the homes of death, 48
204 IV. THE PH(ENIX. 49-82.
haelefa heolstor-cofan onhliden weorJm'S •
nis pser on j?am londe lacS-geniSla
ne wop ne wracu wea-tacen nan
yldu ne yrm'Su ne se enga deaS 5 a
ne lifes lyre ne la]?es cyme
ne synn ne sacu ne sar-wracu ^
ne wsedle gewin ne welan onsyn
ne sorg ne sleep ne swar leger 56
ne winter-geweorp ne wedra gebregd
hreoh under heofonum ne se hearda forst
caldum cyle-gicelum cnyse# aenigne
paer ne haegl ne hrim hreosa(5 to foldan 60
ne windig wolcen ne J^ser waster fealle)?
lyfte gebysgad ac £33 r lagu-streamas
wundrura wrsetlice wyllan onspringaS
faegrum fold-wylmum foldan leccaj> 64
waster wynsumu of J?aes wuda midle •
J>a monJ?a gehwam of psere moldan tyrf
brim-cald brecatS bearo ealne geond-faraft
J?ragum )?rymlice . is J^aet J>eodnes gebod 68
Ipcette twelf si)?um ])cet tirfseste
lond geond-lace lagu-floda wynn ■
sindon pa, bearwas bledura gehongene
wlitigum waestmura , J»aer no waniatS -6- 72
halge * under heofonum holtes fraetwe [*57 a.~]
ne feallaft Ipg&v on foldan fealwe blostman
wudu-beama wlite ac ]?a3r wraetlice
on J>ara treowum symle telgan gehladene 76
ofett edniwe in ealle tid
on J?am graes-wonge grene stondaj)
gehroden hyhtlice haliges meahtum
beorhtast bearwa no gebrocen weorfeS 80
holt on hiwe J>ser se halga stenc
wunaj? geond wyn-lond Ipcet onwended ne bi$
59. MS. cnysed. 72. MS. wuniaS.
IV. THE PHCENIX. ^05
men's dark chambers, shall be opened.
In that land there is not hateful enmity,
nor wail, nor vengeance, nor any sign of woe,
nor old age, nor misery, nor narrow death, ?2
nor loss of life, nor harm's approach,
nor sin, nor strife, nor sorry exile,
nor poverty's toil, nor lack of wealth,
nor care, nor sleep, nor grievous sickness, 56
nor winter's darts, nor tempests' tossing
rough 'neath heaven, nor doth hard frost,
with cold chill icicles, crush any creature there.
Nor hail nor rime descendeth there to earth, 60
nor windy cloud ; nor falleth water there
driven by the wind, but limpid streams,
wondrous rare, spring freely forth;
with fair bubblings, from the forest's midst, 64
winsome waters irrigate the soil;
each month from the turf of the mould
sea-cold they burst, and traverse all the grove
at times full mightily. 'Tis the Lord's behest, 68
that twelve times o'er that glorious land
the joyous water-floods should sport.
The groves are all be-hung with blossoms,
with beauteous growths ; the holt's adornments, 73
hoiy 'neath heaven, fade never there,
nor do fallow blossoms, the beauty of the forest-trees,
fall there to earth ; but there, in wondrous wise,
the boughs upon the trees are ever laden, f6
the fruit is aye renewed, through all eternity.
On that grassy plain there standeth green,
decked gloriously, through power of the Holy One,
the fairest of all groves. The wood knoweth no breach 80
in all its beauty ; holy fragrance reateth there
throughout that land; ne'er shall it be chant."'!
206 IV. THE PHCENIX. H3-II3.
aefre to ealdre eer J>on endige
frod fyrn-geweorc se hit on frym)?e gescop : 7 84
[ii.]
JPwOne wudu weardaj? wundrum faeger
■*--' fugel fejmim strong se is fenix haten
J>aer se anhaga eard bihealde]?-
deormod drohtatS nsefre him deaf scefetS 88
on Jrnrn will-wonge )?enden woruld stonde)? •
Se sceal J^aere sunnan sitS bihealdan
and ongean cuman godes condelle
glaedum gimme georne bewitigan 92
hwonne up cyme ae)?elast tungla
ofer ytS-mere est an lixan
faeder fyrn-geweorc fraetwum blican
torht tacen godes , tungol beoj? ahyded 96
gewiten under wafeman west-daelas on
bideglad on daeg-red and seo deorce niht
won gewiteS Tponne wafum strong
fugel fe)?rum wlonc on firgen-stream 100
under lyft ofer lagu locatS georne
hwonne up cyme eastan glidan
ofer sidne sse swegles leoma •
swa se aej>ela fugel aet J?am ae-springe 104
wlitig-faest wunatS wylle-streamas
J>aer se tir-eadga twelf sijmm bine •
*bibaJ»atS in J?am burnan aer faes beacnes cyme [*57 b.]
swegl-condelle and symle swa oft 108
of J>am wilsuman wyll-gespryngum
brim-cald beorgetS aet batSa gehwylcum
SiJ>J>an hine sylfne aefter sund-plegan
heah-mod hefetS on heanne beam- 112
j)onan yjmst maeg on east-wegum
84. Half-line space between the sections. 103. MS. siCne.
IV. THE PHCENIX. 207
to all eternity, until He who first created it
shall end His ancient work of former days. 84
II.
A bird, of pinions strong, wondrously fair, inhabiteth this wood; Phoenix it is hight. The lonely bird holdeth its dwelling there,
its brave existence ; ne'er shall death scathe it 88
in that winsome plain, while the world standeth. 'Tis said it doth observe the sun's career, and goeth to meet that gladsome gem,
God's candle, and watcheth eagerly, 92
until the noblest of the stars, the Father's work of old, God's radiant token, doth rise up o'er the billowy main, shining from the east, gleaming in all its glory. The stars are hid, 96
sunk 'neath the ocean into western parts, obscured amid the dawn, and murky night darkling departeth ; then, strong in flight,
the bird, proud of plumage, looketh longingly 100
into the mountain- stream, o'er the waters 'neath the sky, until the light of heaven cometh up, gliding from the east, o'er the spacious sea. Thus the noble bird, resting in all its beauty 104
at the water-spring, haunteth the welling streams ; twelve times the glorious creature there batheth in the brook, ere the coming of that beacon, of the heaven's candle, and e'en as oft, at every bath, 108
cold as ocean's surge, it tasteth of those pleasant springs of welling water. After its watery play, it swingeth itself
proudly aloft unto a towering tree, ua
whence, most easily, it may observe
*08 IV. THE PHCKNIX. I I4-I47.
sitS bi-bealdan hwonne swegles tapur
ofer holm-y£raece hsedre blice
leohtes leoma . lond beoS gefraetwad u6
woruld gewlitegad si)))?an wuldres gim
ofer geofones gong grand gescine]?
geond middan-geard maerost tungla •
Sona swa seo sunne sealte streamas iao
hea ofer-hlifaS swa se haswa fugel •
beorht of J?ses bearwes beame gewitetS
fare"5 fefrum snell flyhte on lyfte
swinsatS and singetS swegle to-^eanes • 1 24
tSonne bi5 swa faeger fugles gebaeru
onbryrded breost-sefa blissum [Ajremig .
wrixleS wotS-craefte wundor-licor
beorhtan reorde Iponne aefre byre monnes 128
hyrde under beofonura sij?]?an beab-cyning
wuldres wyrbta woruld staJ>elode
beofon and eorfan . bij> J>aes bleotSres sweg
eallum song-craeftum swetra and wlitigra 132
and wynsumra wrenca gehwylcum .
ne magon J>am breabtme byman ne hornas
ne bearpan hlyn ne haele)?a stefn
aenges on eorJ>an ne organan sweg 136
[^]leo]?res geswin ne s wanes feftre
ne aenig J»ara dreama J>e drybten gescop
gumum to gliwe in j?as geomran woruld ,
singetS swa and swinsatS saelum geblissad 140
*oj))?aet seo sunne on suft-rodor [*58 a.]
saeged weorfetS Iponne swiatS be
and blyst gefetS heafde onbrygdeS
Jurist Jxmces gleaw and £>riwa ascaeceS 144
fe)?re flybt-bwate ; fugol bitS geswiged ,
symle be twelf si]?um tida gemearca'S
daeges and nihtes swa gedemed is
115. MS. wrsece. 124. MS. toheanes. 126. MS. remig.
133. MS. winsumra. 137. MS. leopves.
IV. THE P1KKXTX. 209
time's progress in the east, when heaven's taper, that beam of light, shall serenely shine
o'er the water's rush. Earth is adorned, 116
the world is made fair, as soon as glory's gem, the noblest of the stars, journeying o'er ocean's course, illumineth the ground throughout mid-earth. Forthwith, soon as the sun mounteth on high 120
o'er the salt-streams, joyously the radiant bird departeth from that forest-tree, and, swift of wing, it goeth aloft in flight ; it warbleth and singeth towards the ethereal sky. 124
Then is the bearing of the bird so fair, its spirit so exalted, buoyant with delight ; it varyeth its song with clearest note
more wonderfully than any child of man 128
hath ever heard 'neath heaven, since first the King Supreme, glory's Creator, established the world, heaven and earth. The music of its voice
is sweeter and more beauteous than any craft of song, 132
winsomer than any melody ; nor trumpets, nor horns, may equal that sound, nor strain of harp, nor the voice of man,
of any man on earth, nor organ's tone, 136
nor harmonious lay, nor feather of swan, nor any of the sounds that the Lord hath created for men's delight in this sad world.
It singeth and warbleth thus, blissful with joy, 140
till in the southern sky the sun is sunk again ; 'tis silent then, and taketh to listening; it raiseth its head, so bold, so wise in thought, and thrice it shaketli then 144
its plumage, bent on flight; then the bird is hushed. It marketli aye the hours twelve times, by <l;iy and Dlgbt, I vcn as it II nrdaiiu'd
l*
210 IV. THE PHCENIX. I48-181.
bearwes bigenga pset he J?ser brucan mot 148
wonges mid willum and welan neotan
lifes and lissa londes frsetwa
ot5-)?8et he fusende j?isses lifes
wudu-bearwes weard wintra gebidej>- 15*2
^Sonne bi(5 gehefgad haswig-feftra
gomol gearum frod . [#]rene eortSan
aflyh'S fugla [wyn] foldan geblowene
and Jxmne gesecetS side rice 156
middan-geardes peer no men bugacS
eard and epel Ipser he ealdordom
onfeh(5 fore-mihtig ofer fugla cynn.
gej?ungen on feode and J?rage mid him 160
westen weardatS • ponne wajmru strong
west gewiteS wintrum gebysgad
fleogan fej>rum snel . fuglas JmngaS
utan ymbe aej»elne - seghwylc wille 164
wesan J>egn and J>eow J^eodne mserum
o)?J)a3t hy gesecatS s^rwara lond
corSra mseste . him se clgena J?a?r
ocSscufetS scearplice \czt he in scade weardaS 1^8
on wudu-bearwe weste stowe
biholene and bihydde haelejm monegum •
ftser he heanne beam on holt-wuda
wuna(5 and weardaS wyrtum fsestne 172
under heoftm-hrofe • bone hatatS men
) r fenix on foldan of }?ses fugles noraan •
hafacS ))am treowe forgiefen tir-meahtig *cyning [*58 b.]
meotud mon-cynnes mine gefra?ge 176
Ipset se ana is ealra beam a
on eorS-wege up-lsedendra
beorhtast geblowen ' ne maeg him bitres wiht
scyldum scecSSan ac gescylded a* 180
wunacS ungewyrded J^enden woruld stondeS:- vj
154. MS. rene. 155. \icyn~], conjectural. 156. MS. siSe, corrected to side. 166. MS. fyrwara. 171. wuda, corrected from wudu. 173. MS. heofum. 181. One-line space between the sections.
IV. THE PHOENIX. 211
that the grove's habitant may there enjoy 148
the plain at will, and may partake of bliss,
of life and happiness, and of the land's delights,
until it, warder of that woody grove,
reacheth a thousand years of this life. 153
Then the grey-plumed bird waxeth heavy,
aged, stricken with years; the glory of all birds
fleeth from the verdant earth and flowering soil,
and seeketh then a spacious tract 156
of middle-earth, where men inhabit not,
as its dwelling-place and home ; there, excelling all in might,
it gaineth lordship o'er the race of birds,
and is exalted in their midst, and for a season 160
inhabiteth with tliem the waste ; then, strong in motion,
it hieth westwards, flying on swift pinions,
tho' stricken down by years. The birds throng
all around their noble lord ; each would fain be 164
servant and minister to the glorious chief,
until it seeketh the Syrians' land
with train innumerable. There the pure bird
quickly driveth them from him, so that it may hold 168
a lone spot in the shadow of some woody grove,
concealed and hidden from the crowd of men.
In that holt- wood it keepeth and inhabiteth
a lofty tree, full firmly rooted 172
'neath heaven's roof; men call the tree
' J?hcenix ' on earth, from this bird's name.
The gloriously mighty King, Lord of all mankind,
hath granted to that tree, as I have learned, 176
that of all the trees upon earth's tract
that rear on high their branches,
this one tree blossometh brightest; naught bitter
may cruelly scathe it, but shielded ever 180
it shall continue unimpaired, while tin- wold itandeth,
!• j.
212 t IV. THK PH(KNIX. 18^-213.
[ill.]
JPvONne wind HgetS weder bitS fapger
•*-' hluttor heofones gim halig scineS
beoS wolcen towegen waetra ]>rj]>e 184
stille stondaS h'ip storma gehwylc
aswefed under swegle su]mn blicetS
weder-condel wearm weorodum lyhte'S'
iSonne on J»am telgum timbran onginnecS 188
nest gearwian bi(5 him neod micel
pcet he J>a yldu ofestum mote
J>urh gewittes wylm wendan to life
feorg geong onfon . Jxmne feor and neah 19 j
J>a swetestan somnatS and g9edra"S
wyrta wynsume and wudu-bleda
to J>am eard-stede . se)?el-stenca gehwone
wyrta wynsumra }?e wuldor-cyning 196
feeder frymSa gehwses ofer foldan gescop
to indryhtum aslda cynne
swetesp] under swegle J>a?r he sylf biereS
in ]>cet treow innan torhte fraetwe 200
J?a?r se wilda fugel in fam westenne
ofer heanne beam bus getimbreft
wlitig and wynsum and gewicaS J?a?r
sylf in Jam solere and ymb-setecS utan 204
in J>am leaf-sceade lie and fefre
on healfa gehware halgum stencura
and J>am se)?elestura eorjban bledum
siteS styes fus Ipomie swegles gim 208
on sumeres *tid sunne hatost [*59 a.]
ofer sceadu scinetS and gesceapu dreogetS
woruld geond-wlite'S • ]xmne weorcSecS his
1ms onhseted ]?urh hador swegl ■ 212
wyrta wearmiatS will-sele stymetS
197. MS. gehwses ; there are traces of a small h abore the line ; it has been erased or become obliterated. 199. MS. swetes.
IV. THE PIICENIX. 213
III.
When the wind is still, and the weather is fair, and heaven's holy gem serenely shineth,
when the clouds are scattered, and the water-floods 184
rest silent, when every storm is hushed 'neath heaven, and from the south shineth the season's genial lamp, and giveth light to multitudes, then it beginneth to build upon the branches, 188
and to prepare its nest. Great is its desire then, through impulse of knowledge, that it may change, with greatest speed, old age for life,
and obtain fresh youth. Then far and near 192
it gathereth and collecteth choicest spoil, winsome herbs and foliage of the wood, for its homestead ; yea, every noble fragrance of goodly herbs, which glory's King, 196
Father of all beginnings, created o'er the earth, sweetest 'neath heaven, as blessings for the race of men. These radiant treasures it beartth by itself to the hollow of that tree, 200
and on its lofty branches, there in that wilderness, the wild bird buildeth up its habitation, fair and winsome, and dwelleth all alone
within its sunny chamber, and in the leafy shade 204
surroundeth its body and its wings, on either side, and all about, with holy fragrances, and with the noblest blossoms of the earth ; its itteth ready for its journey hence. When in summer-tide, 208 heaven's gem, the sun, shineth most hot, high o'er the shade, and, surveying all the world, fulfilleth fate's decree, then the bird's house }>ecometh heated through the heaven serene; an
Hi," beHbfl grow warm, and the goodly chamber rccketh
214 IV. THE PH(ENIX. 2 1 A~^Al -
swetuwi swseccum Tponne on swole byrneS
"jpurh fyres feng fugel mid neste.
bael bi(5 onaeled ]>onne brond J>ece<5 216
heore-dreorges hus hreoh onettetS
fealo lig feormatS and fenix byrneS
fyrn-gearum frod ponne fyr jbigetS
laenne lic-homan , lif biS on si'Se 220
faeges feorh-hord ponne flaesc and ban
ad-leg seletS hwsefre him eft cymeS
aefter fyrst-mearce feorh edniwe
sij>)?an p& yslan eft onginnacS 224
aefter lig-J>raece lucan togsedere
geclungne to cleowenne . J>onne claene bi(5
beorhtast nesta baele forgrunden
heafo-rofes hof hra biS acolad 228
ban-fast gebrocen and se bryne swej?ra(S ,
bonne of J>am ade aeples gelicnes
on J>aere ascan biS eft gemeted
of ])am weaxecS wyrm wundrum faeger 232
swylce he of aegerum ut-alaede
scir of scylle j?onne on sceade weaxe<5
pact he aerest bitS swylce earnes brid
faeger fugel-timber • Sonne fur)x>r gin 236
wridatS on wynnum poet he biS waestmum gelic
ealdum earne and aefter pom.
feprum gefraetwad swylc he aet frymcSe waes
beorht geblowen • ponne braed weorjbecS 240
eal edniwe eft acenned
synnum asundrad j sumes onlice
swa mon to aiidleofne eor&an waes[<]mas
on haerfeste ham gelaedetS 244
wiste *wynsume aer wintres cyme [*59 &.]
on rypes timan pj laes hi renes scur
awyrde under wolcnum J>aer hi wrafte raetatS
225. There is a very faint dot between lig and ^rasce. 243. MS. wceama^
IV. THE PIKENIX. 215
with the sweet scents, and in that glowing heat,
in the fire's grip, bird and nest are burnt together.
The pile is kindled; then fire enwrappeth 216
that sad creature's house 3 hurrying fiercely
the yellow flame devoureth, and the Phoenix,
stricken with by-gone years, burneth then; fire devoureth
its frail body ; its life, the doomed one's spirit, 22Q
is journeying forth ; the pyre's flame scorcheth
flesh and bone ; yet, after appointed time,
new life again returneth unto it,
when the ashes once again begin, 224
after the flame's force, to combine together,
shrunk up into a ball. When that brightest nest,
the warrior-bird's abode, becometh clean,
pulverized by fire, its corpse is grown cold, 228
its bone-case is broken, and the burning ceaseth.
Then, after that conflagration, an apple's likeness
will be found once more amid the ashes,
from which waxeth a worm, wondrously fair, 232
as if it had been brought forth from eggs,
pure from the shell. Then in the shade it waxeth,
so that at first it is like an eagle's young,
a fair fledgeling ; then further yet 236
it thriveth joyfully, till it becometh like in form
to an old eagle, and thereafter it is
fichly dight with plumage, as it was at first,
radiantly adorned ; then its flesh 240
becometh all renewed, born again,
sundered from sin ; much in the same way
as men bring home, for their sustenance,
the fruits of earth, pleasant food, 244
at the harvest, at reaping-time,
ere winter's coming, lest the rain-shower
destroy them 'neuth the clouds; thus find they protection,
216 IV. THE PHCENIX. 248-279.
fodor-}?ege gefean ]>onne forst and snaw 248
mid ofer-maegne eorJ>an fecca'S
winter-gewaedunu of J>am waestmum sceal
eorla ead-welaf eft alaedan
J?urh conies gecynd )>e aer claene bitS 252
bsed onsawen Jxmne sunnan glsem
on lenctenne lifes tacen
wecetS woruld-gestreon )?aet fa vvaestinas beotS
J>urh agne gecynd eft acende 2;,6
foldan frsetwe. swa se fugel weor}>etS
gomel sefter gearum geong edniwe
flaesce bifongen , no he foddor JrigetS
mete on moldan nemne mele-deawes 260
dael gebyrge ■ se dreoseS oft
set middre nihte j bi }>on se modga his
feorh afedeS o)?]}aet fyrn-gesetu
agenne eard eft geseceS : - : 7 264
[IV.]
PQnne bitS aweaxen wyrtum in gemonge fugel fej?rum deal feorh biS niwe geong geofona ful J>onne he of greote his
lie leo)?u-craeftig )?aet aer lig fornom • 268
somnaft swoles lafe searwum gegsedraft ban gebrosnad sefter bsel-]?rsece and "ponne gebringe'S ban and yslan
ades lafe eft setsomne 272
and Iponne ]?set wsel-reaf wyrtum biteldeS faegre gefrsetwed • Sonne afysed bitS agenne eard eft to secan •
Jxmne fotum ymb-fehtS fyres lafe 276
clam biclyppe'S and his cy]?)?u eft sun-beorht gesetu seceS on wynnum eadig eJ?el-lond * eall bicS geniwad [*60 a.~\
248. MS. gefeon. 251. MS. ead-welan. 264. One-line space "between
the sections.
IV. THE PHCEXIX. 217
the delights of food, when frost and snow, 248
with overpowering might, cover earth
with winter-weeds. From those fruits
men's riches shall again come forth,
through grain's nature, which is sown at first 252
as a mere seed ; then the sun's gleam
in spring-tide awakeneth the signs of life,
the world's great wealth, so that the fruits,
earth's adornments, through their own kind, 256
are again produced. Thus the bird,
old in the course of years, becometh young again,
with flesh invested. Food it toucheth not,
nor meat on earth, save that it tasteth a little 260
of the honey-dew, which often falleth
at midnight; thereby the noble bird
maintaineth its life, till it seeketh again
its ancient dwelling-place, its own abode. 264
IV
When the bird of proud plumage is grown up among the herbage, when its life is new,
young, and full of grace, then from the dust, with active limbs, it collecteth its body, that the flame devoured before, 268
the leavings of the fire ; skilfully it gathereth the perished bones, after the fire's force, and bringeth then the bones and ashes,
the relics of the pyre, again together, 372
and covereth then witli herbs that spoil of death, adorned ko richly. 'Twill then be impelled to seek again its own abode.
It graspeth then with its feet, it seizeth with its claws, 276 the fire's leavings, and Beeketh joyously its home again, its sun-bright habitation, its happy native land. All hhall be renew* <l.
218 IV. THE PIKENIX. 280-314.
feorh and fef>er-homa swa he aet frymj?e waes 280
)?a Line serest god on J»one sej>elan wong sigor-faest sette , he his sylfes }?aer ban gebringecS J>a aer brondes wylm •
on beorh-stede bsele forbylmde 284
ascan to eacan , ]><mne eal geador bebyrgecS beadu-craeftig ban and yslan on J>am ealonde . bi5 him edniwe •
)?aere sunnan segn • "ponne swegles leoht 288
gimma gladost ofer garsecg up • aej^el-tungla wyn eastan lixetS . Is se fugel faeger forweard hiwe
bleo-brygdum fag ymb J>a breost foran. 292
is him )>cet heafod hindan grene wraetlice wrixled wurman geblonden ■ ponne is se finta faegre gedaeled
sum brun sum basu sum blacum splottum 296
searolice beseted . sindon J»a fifru hwit hindan-weard and se hals grene nio]x>-weard and ufe-weard and poet nebb lixeS swa glass oJ>J^e gim - geaflas scyne 300
innan and utan . is seo eag-gebyrd stearc and hiwe stane gelicast gladum gimme ponne in gold-fate
smijm orjxmcuw biseted weorJ?e"S • 304
is ymb Jxme sweoran swylce sunnan hring beaga beorhtast bregden feSrum ; wraetlic is seo womb neoJ>an wundrum faeger scir and scyne • is se scyld ufan 308
fraetwum gefeged ofer J?ses fugles baec • Sindon J?a scancan scyllum biweaxen fealwe fotas ■ se fugel is on hiwe
aeghwaes aenlic onlicost pean 312
wynnum geweax'en J>aes gewritu secgaS • nis he hinder-weard • * ne hyge-gaelsa [*60 b.]
288. MS. pegn. 294. MS. wrixleft.
IV. THE PHOENIX. 219
its life and plumage, as it was at the beginning, 280
when God first set it all triumphant
in that noble plain. It bringeth there the bones
of its very self, which the fire's rage had erewhile
encompassed on the mound with burning flame, 284
yea, and its ashes too. Then the warrior-bird
burieth all together there, its bones and ashes,
in that island. Full new again for it
is the sign of the sun, when heaven's light, 288
of gems the most joyous, the winsomest of all the noble stars,
(journeying) up o'er ocean, shineth from the east.
The bird is fair of hue to look upon,
bright with varied colours about its breast, in front ; 292
its head is green behind,
curiously variegated, blent with scarlet ;
thereto, its tail is beauteously divided,
part brown, part purple, part studded cunningly 296
with pale spots; the wings
are hindward white, and the neck green,
downward and upward, and the beak glisteneth
like glass or gem ; its jaws are bright, 300
both within and without; its eye's faculty
is strong, and 'tis in aspect likest to a stone,
a sparkling gem, when in a golden vessel
it hath been set by smiths' artifice. 304
Around its neck there is, like to the sun's orb,
the brightest of all rings, with feathers woven ;
marvellous is its belly beneath, wondrously fair,
bright and beauteous ; the shield above, 308
over the bird's back, is richly put together ;
its legs, and fallow feet, are all o'crgrown
with scales. The bird is altogether
nniqne in aspect; most like unto a peacock, 31a
wiiiKomely grown up, that writings tell of.
It i not sluggish, n"r dilatory of mood,
220 TV. THE PHCENIX. 3 1 5-349.
swar ne swongor swa sume fuglas
J>a Ipe late furh lyft lacaS fifrum • 316
ac he is snel and swift and swife leoht
wlitig and wynsum wuldre gemearcad •
Ece is se aefeling se pe him ]>ait ead gefetS •
Tpomie he gewiteS wongas secan 320
his ealdne eard of J>isse e}>el-tyrf •
swa se fugel fleoge'S folcum o<5-eaweS
monguwi monna geond middan-geard •
]>onne somna'S suj?an and norJ?an 324
eastan and westan eored-ciestura
faraS feorran and nean folca J>ry}>um
J>ger hi sceawiaj) scyppendes giefe
fsegre on J>am fugle swa him set fruman sette 328
sigora soS-cyning sellicran gecynd
frsetwe fcegran ofer fugla cyn •
tSonne wundria(5 weras ofer eor)?an
wlite and wsestma and gewritu cyJ'a'S 332
munduwi mearciatS on marm-stane
hwonne se daeg and seo tid dryhtum geeawe
fraetwe flyht-hwates • Donne fugla cynn •
on healfa gehwowe heapura Jmnga'S 336
sigatS sid-wegum songe lofiaS
mseraS modigne meaglum reordum •
and swa ]xme halgan hringe betelda<5
flyhte on lyfte fenix bij> on middum 340
)?reatum bifrungen , J>eoda wlitatS
wundrum. wafiaS hu seo wil-gedryht
wildne weorJdaS worn sefter o]>rum
craeftum cytpatS and for cyning mseraS 344
leofne leod-fruman IsedaS mid wynnuw
sefelne to earde oJ>]?83t se anhoga
otSfleogetS fej>rum snel \a>,t him gefylgan ne maeg
drymendra gedryht . Iponne duguSa wyn • 348
of fisse eor]?an tyrf ej>el sece^iy
333. MS. mearm (i.e. marm), r written over an erasure. 336. MS.
gehvvore. 342. MS, wefiatS.
IV. THE PHCENIX. 221
not heavy nor indolent, as some birds are,
that slowly on their pinions sport through air, 316
but it is promjDt and swift, and very light,
beauteous and winsome, and gloriously adorned.
Eternal is the Sovran, who granteth it that bliss !
It departeth then to seek the plains, 320
its ancient dwelling-place, from this tract of earth ; and as the bird flieth, it is manifest to folk, to many men o'er middle-earth ;
and they assemble then, from south and north, 324
from east and west; in banded hosts, in crowds of people, from far and near they come, that they may there behold the Maker's grace nobly revealed in that bird, even as, at the beginning 328
victory's true King assigned to it a noble nature, and adornments fair, excelling all the race of birds.' Then mortals throughout earth admire
its beauty and its form, and their writings reveal it, 332
with their hands they design it in marble-stone, whenever day and hour sheweth to multitudes that bird's splendour, so swift of flight. Then the race of birds throng in crowds, on every side, 336
descending from the distant ways ; they praise in song and glorify in powerful strains that noble creature ; and in a ring they thus surround that holy bird, while in flight in the air ; the Phoenix is in the midst, 340
pressed by the multitudes. The people view, they are moved with wonder, how the devoted band, flock after flock, honoureth that wild bird, and powerfully announceth it, and extolleth it as their king, 344 as their beloved chief, and leadeth joyfully their noble lord unto its dwelling-place, till that the lone bird, swift of wing, doth fly away, so that the joyous band can no more follow it. Tims the delight of multitudes 348
■eeketh it- native land, won thii trad of earth,
222 IV. THE PHfENIX. 350-38 1 .
[v.]
*rjWA se gesseliga setter swylt-hwile [*G1 a.]
U his eald-cyttye eft geneosatS faegre foldan , fugelas cyrracS 352
from Ip&m gu5-frecan geomor-mode eft to earde , ])onne se sej?eling biS giong in geardum god ana wat
cyning selmihtig hu his gecynde bi"5 356
wif-hades )?e weres . Ipcet ne wat senig monna cynnes butan meotod ana hu J»a wisan sind wundorlice
fa3ger fyrn-gesceap ymb fses fugles gebyrd . 360
)?8er se eadga mot eardes neotan wylle-streama wudu-holtum in • wunian in wonge oj^aet wintra biS
J>usend urnen ponne him weor)?e(5 364
ende lifes • hine ad J>ece(5 • J^urhaeled-fyr hwsej^re eft cymetS aweaht wraetlice wundrum to life .
forJ>on he drusende deatS ne bisorgaft 368
sare swylt-cwale J?e him symle wat setter lig-frsece lif edniwe feorh setter fylle ponne fromlice
J?urh briddes had gebreadad weortJetS 372
eft of ascan edgeong wesetS under swegles hleo . biS him self gehwaefter sunu and swses fseder and symle eac
eft yrfe-weard ealdre lafe. 376
forgeaf him' se meahta inon-cynnes fruma ]>cet he swa wrsetlice weorJ>an sceolde eft )?aet ilce J>aet he aer J>on waes
fej>rum bifongen J>eah hine fyr nime • t 380
Swa ]?apt ece lif eadigra gehwylc
371. MS. fille.
IV. THE PIKENTX. 223
V.
Tims the blessed bird, after its time of death, visiteth again its old country,
that fair field. The birds return, 352
sad in spirit, to their native lands, leaving their bold warrior. Then the noble creature, young again, dwelleth in its home. God alone knoweth, the Almighty King, what its sex is, 356
female or male ; no one knoweth, none of the race of men, save the Creator alone, how wondrous the conditions are,
the fair decrees of old, concerning this bird's birth ! 360
There may the blessed one enjoy its home, the welling streams, and in the woody holts may dwell, and in the plain, until a thousand years have run their course ; then cometh to pass 364
its life's ending; the pile covereth it with kindled fire ; yet again it cometh wondrously to life, awakened strangely.
Wherefore, though drooping, it hath no fear of death, 368
of death's dire pangs, for it knoweth aye that life is renewed after the flame's force, tlyit there is a new existence after its destruction, when from its own ashes, it becometh speedily restored, 372 l>orn again as bird, and groweth young again, 'neath heaven's shelter. To itself 'tis all in all, both son and tender father, and ever also, in due course, the inheritor of its old relics. 376
The Almighty, mankind's Creator, hath granted it, that it should again become, in wondrous wise, the MOM tiling that it was before,
1 -hid with feathers, though fire consume it. 3R0
Tims each bl. -. ,| m !i for himself
224 IV. THE PHffiNTX. 382-415.
setter sar-wrsece sylf geceoseS
]?urh deorcne deatS ]>cct he dryhtnes mot
sefter gear-dagum geofona neotan 384
on sin-dreamum *and si)>}>an a • [*G1 b.~\
wunian in worulde weorca to leane •
Jjisses fugles gecynd fela gelices
bi J>am gecornum cristes J^egnum 388
beacnaS in burgum hu hi beorhtne gefean
J>urh feeder fultum on J>as frecnan tid
healdaj) under heofonum and him heanne blsed
in J>am uplican ecSle gestryna))- 392
habbaj) we geascad Ipcet se selmihtiga
worhte wer and wif )?urh his wundra sped
and hi )>a gesette on J?one selestan
foldan sceata J>one fira beam 396
nemnatS neorxna-wong . J>ser him nsenges wses
eades onsyn J>enden eces word
halges hleof>or-cwide healdan woldan
on J>am niwan gefean , J?ser him nif> gescod 400
eald-feondes sefest se him set gebead
beanies blede j^set hi bu J>egun
seppel unrsedum • ofer est godes •
byrgdon forbodene . J^ser him bitter weaiS 404
yrmfm sefter sete and hyra eaferum swa .
sarlic symbel sunum and dohtrum.
wurdon teonlice tojms idge .
ageald sefter gylte hsefdon godes yrre 408
bittre bealo-sorge j^ses J?a byre sif>)>an
gyrne onguldon J>e hi f>set gyfl ]?egun
ofer eces word , forf>on hy eSles wyn
geomor-mode ofgiefan sceoldon 412
fmrh nsedran nij^ • Jm heo nearwe biswac
yldran usse in ser-dagum
Jrnrh fsecne fer<5 pcet hi feor Jxrnan
393. MS. geascad, corrected from geascaft. 396. HIS. sceates. 407. MS. wurdon, i.e. wurdon.
IV. THE PHCENIX. 225
the life eternal, after sore tribulation here,
through dark death, that he may enjoy,
after his past days, the gifts of the Lord, 384
in everlasting revelry, and thenceforth evermore
dwell in that world, in recompense for his works.
This bird's nature is much like to the chosen ones, Christ's servants ; 388
it betokeneth to folk, how they, through the Father's aid, may possess bright joy 'neath heaven, e'en in this perilous time, and may eke gain exalted happiness in the celestial home. 392
We have learnt that the Almighty
wrought man and woman through his wondrous might, and set them then in the choicest
of earth's regions, which the sons of men 396
call Paradise; there had they no lack of happiness, while they were willing to preserve the Eternal's word, the Holy One's decree, in that new joy. But hatred scathed them there, 400
the old fiend's envy, who proffered them food, fruit of the tree, so that they both tasted the apple thoughtlessly ; against God's pleasure, they ate what was forbidden. There had they 404
bitter misery after the eating, they and their children too ; 'tw^s a sorry feasting for their sons and daughters ; their greedy teeth became their bane;
it requited them according to their guilt. They had God's anger, 408 bitter baleful sorrow, and their children since have dearly paid, because they ate that fruit against the Eternal's word. Therefore were they doomed, sad in spirit, to forsake that land's delight, 41a
through the serpent's envy; it cunningly deceived our parents then, in those days of yore, by its guileful spirit, M that they, far from thence,
Q
226 IV. THE PHCEN1X. 41 6-447.
in f>as deaS-dene drohta'S sohton- 416
Borgfulran gesetu him wear's selle lif
heolstre bihyded and se halga wong
)?urh feondes searo fseste bityned*
wintra mengu • * offset wuldor-cyning [* 62 a.] 420
J>urh his hider-cyme halgum to-greanes
mon-cynnes gefea me]?ra frefrend
and se anga hyht eft on-tynde7
[VI.]
TS )>on gelicast f>ses ]>e us leorneras 424
-*- wtordum secgatS and writu cyjmtS
j?isses fugles gefaer ponne frod ofgiefeft
eard and elpel and geealdad bitS-
gewitetS werig-mod wintrum gebysgad 428
fser he holtes hleo heah gemeteS
in j?am he getimbreS tanum and wyrtum
}?am sej?elestum eard-wie niwe
nest on bear we bitS him neod micel 433
pat he feorh-geong eft onfon mote
Jjurh liges blsest lif setter deaj?e
edgeong wesan and his eald-cyttyu
sun-beorht gesetu secan mote 436
sefter fyr-baSe , swa tSa fore-gengan
yldran usse an-forleton
j>one wlitigan wong and wuldres setl
leoflic on laste tugon longne siS 440
in hearmra hond J>3er him hettende
earme aglsecan oft gescodan •
weeron hwae)?re monge • fa f>e meotude we[/]
gehyrdun under heofonum halgum Seawum 444
dsedum domlicum Ipwt him dryhten wear©
heofona heah-cyning hold on mode •
Sset is se hea beam in J?am halge nu
421. MS. to-heanes. 423. tynde, on a line by itself, divides the sections. 425. MS. weordum. 443. MS. we.
IV. THE PHCENIX. 227
in this vale of death, sought a sojourn, 416
sorrowful abodes. For them the better life
was hidden in darkness, and the holy plain,
through the fiend's artifice, was fast closed
for many winters, until the King of glory, 420
mankind's Joy, the Comfort of the weak,
our only Hope, through His advent hither
unto the holy, opened it again.
VI.
Most like thereto is this bird's course, 434
(from what doctors declare to us in words, and writings reveal,) when aged it forsaketh its home and country, and is become old.
It depart eth, weary in spirit, oppressed with years, 438
to where it findeth the lofty shelter of the holt, wherein it buildeth, with twigs and plants, with noblest plants, a new abode, —
a nest within that grove. Great is its desire, 433
that it may again receive, through blast of flame, renewed youth, life after death, and be young again, and seek again
its old country, its sun-bright habitations, 4|6
after the fire-bath. So those fore-goers, our ancestors, left behind them that beauteous plain and seat of glory,
in all its loveliuess, and went a long journey 440
into the power of the evil ones, where their enemies, the wretched monsters, oft-times injured them. Yet were there many, who well 'neath heaven obeyed their Maker with holy rites, 444
with glorious deeds, so that the Lord, heaven's high King, was graciously inclined to them. That is the lofty tree, wherein His holy ones
Q a
228 IV. THE PHCENIX. 448-48 1.
wic weardiatS j?ser him wihte ne maeg 448
eald-feonda nan atre sceJ?J>an •
facnes tacne on ]m frecnan tid ,
faer him nest wyrceS witS ni)?a gehwam
dsedum domlicum dryhtnes cempa 452
"ponne he selmessan * earmum dseleS [* 62 &.]
auge)>a leasum and him dryhten gecygtS
feeder on fultum forS onetteS
laenan lifes , leahtras dwaesce}? 456
mirce man-dsede healdeS meotudes se •
beald in breostum and gebedu secetS
clsenuw gehygdum and his cneo bigetS
»e)>ele to eorfan flyhtS yfla gehwylc 460
grimme gieltas for godes egsan
glsedmod gyrnetS J>aet he godra msest
daeda gefremme . fam bij> dryhten scyld
in sij>a gehwane sigora waldend /y ^ 464
weoruda wil-giefa , J>is j?a wyrta sind
waestma blede )?a se wilda fugel
somnatS under swegle side and wide
to his wic-stowe J>ser he wundrum faest 468
wiS nij?a gehwam nest gewyrcetS •
Swa nu in J>am wicum willan fremma'S
mode and maegne meotudes cempan
maerSa tilgatJ. )?aes him meorde wile 47a
ece aelmihtig eadge forgildan .
beoS him of J?am wyrtum wic gestaj>elad
in wuldres by rig weorca to leane
J?83S J>e hi geheoldan halge lare 476
hate set [XJeortan hige weallende
daeges and nihtes - dryhten lufiaS
leohte geleafan leofne ceosatS
ofer woruld-welan . ne bi]? him Wynne hyht 480
]>cet hy }>is laene lif long gewunien
477. MS. eortan.
IV. THE PHCENIX. 229
hold now their habitation ; none of their ancient foes 448
may injure them in aught with venom there,
with specious guile, in this time of peril.
There the champion of the Lord maketh for himself a nest,
by glorious deeds, against each enmity, 452
when he dealeth alms unto the poor,
unto those void of blessings, and invoketh the Lord,
the Father, to his aid, hasteneth forth
from this frail life, blotteth out transgressions, 456
dark wicked deeds, holdeth the Creator's law
boldly in his breast, and seeketh prayer
with pure meditations, boweth his knee
piously to earth, fleeth each evil thing, 460
all horrid sins, in dread of God,
and fain desireth that he may perform
the greatest number of good deeds ; the Sovran,
the Lord of victory, the Kuler of hosts, is his shield, 464
at every season. These are the plants,
the blossoming fruits, that the wild bird
gathereth far and wide 'neath heaven,
unto its dwelling-place, where, wondrously secure 468
gainst all enmity, it maketh a nest.
Thus do the champions of the Lord fulfil His will
with mind and main, in their habitations now,
and practise virtue; for this the Eternal Almighty 473
will requite them with a blessed recompense.
A habitation shall be formed for them,
in glory's city, from those plants, as their works' reward,
because they have held the holy lore 476
fervently in their hearts, with ardent soul,
both day and night ; they love the Lord
with bright belief, and choose the Beloved
before all worldly wealth ; no joy find they in the hope 480
that they may long maintain this transitory life.
230 IV. THE PH(ENIX. 482-514.
pus eadig eorl ecan drearaes
heofona hames mid heah-cyning
earnat$ on elne offset ende cymeft • 484
dogor-rimes ponne deaS nimetS
wiga wsel-gifre wsepnum ge)?ry]?ed
ealdor anra gehwa?s and in eor)?an fsetSm
snude • *senda'S sawlura binumene [* 63 a.] 488
lsene lic-homan pser hi longe beo$
otS fyres cyme foldan btyeahte •
Donne monge beotS on gemot laedad
fyra cynnes wile fseder engla . 493
sigora sotS-cyning seonoJ> gehegan
duguSa dryhten deman mid ryhte
\>onne seriste ealle gefremmaf)
men on moldan swa se mihtiga cyning 496
beodeft brego engla by man stefne
ofer sidne grand sawla nergend
bit5 se deorca dea$ dryhtnes meahtum
eadgum geendad j se&ele hweorfatS 500
j^reatuni f>ringa(5 fponne f»eos woruld
scyld-wyrcende in scorn e byrneS
ade onseled . weorJ^e'S anra gehwylc
forht on ferf>J>e ponne fyr brice'S 504
lasne lond-welan lig eal f>ige8
eorjrnn seht-gestreon eepplede gold
gifre forgripeS grsedig swelgetS
londes frsetwe . ponne on leolit cymetS • 508
seldum pisses in )?a openan titl
faeger and gefealic fugles tacen
poiane anwald eal up astellatS
on byrgenum ban gegsedraS 512
leomu lie somod and liges gsest
fore cristes cneo . cyning prymlice
488. MS. sawlu. 491. MS. laedaj). 512. There is an erasure between ge and gsedraft ; a small vertical stroke divides ge/rom ban ; a dot and two hyphens, by another hand, after ge.
IV. THE PH(ENIX. 231
Thus may a happy mortal bravely earn eternal joy, a heavenly home,
with the High King, till the end cometh 484
of the number of his days, when death, the blood-thirsty warrior, with weapons armed, seizeth the life of everyone, and quickly sendeth into earth's bosom the frail bodies, 488
deprived of souls ; there shall they long abide, covered with earth, until the fire's coming. Many of the race of men shall then be led unto the meeting, and the Father of the angels, 49 a
the true King of victory, the Lord of hosts, will hold a synod then, and will judge aright. All men on earth shall then achieve
their resurrection, even as the Almighty King, 496
the Prince of angels, the Saviour of souls, shall by the trumpet's voice proclaim o'er the wide waste. By the Sovran's might, dark death shall then be ended for the blessed ones ; nobly shall they go ; 500
in crowds shall they press on, when this world, working iniquity, shall burn ignominiously, consumed with conflagration. Each one shall then become fearful in spirit, when the fire breaketh 504
the land's frail wealth, and flame devoureth wholly earth's possessions, and eagerly graspeth apple-shaped gold, and greedily swalloweth the treasures of the world. Then, at that all-disclosing time, 508 this bird's betokening, bo fair and joyous, shall be revealed to men in the light of day, when the Supreme Power shall raise up all in their sepulchres, and shall gather their Ixmes, 51a
their limbs and body, and the flame's guest, before Christ's knee ; the King in all His majesty,
232 IV. THE PHCENIX. ^SSAl-
of his heah-setle halgura scineS
wlitig wuldres gim wel bij? }?am \>e mot 516
in j?a geomran tid gode lician : 7
[VII.]
TA.ffiR j?a lic-homan leahtra claene
-*-^ gongaS glaed-mode gaestas hweorfaS
in ban-fatu )?onn« bryne stigeS 520
heah to heofonum . hat biS monegum
eges-lic aeled • * pomie anra gehwylc [* 63 b.]
soS-faest ge synnig sawel mid lice
from mold-grafum secetS meotudes dom 524
forht afaered. fyr biS on tihte
aeleS uncyste , faer J>a eadgan beo$
aefter wraec-hwile weorcum bifongen
agnum daedum • j?aet ]?a ae]?elan sind 528
wyrta wynsume mid ]>am se wilda fugel
his sylfes nest biseteft utan
\>cet hit faeringa fyre byrneS
for-swjeleS under sunnan and he sylfa mid • 532
and \>orme aefter lige Iff eft onfehtS
edniwinga , swa bi$ anra gehwylc
flaesce bifongen fira cynnes
aenlic and edgeong se \>q his agnum her 536
willum gewyrcetS Ipwt him wuldor-cyning
meahtig set ]?am maefle milde geweor}?e$
ponne hleoJ>ria'S halge gaestas
sawla sotS-faeste song ahebbaS 540
clsene and gecorene hergaS cyninges J?rym v
stefn aefter stefne stigaS to wuldre •
wlitige gewyrtad mid hyra wel-daedum •
beotS ponne amerede monna gaestas 544
beorhte abywde J>urh bryne fyres •
ne wene J?aes aenig aelda cynnes
]>cet ic lyge-wordura leo"5 somnige
517. One-line space between the sections.
IV.
THE PHCENIX. 233
from His high throne, shall shine upon the holy,
a beauteous gem of glory. Well will it be with them, 516
who at that awful time may please their God.
VII.
Then all flesh, clean of base iniquity, shall wend in gladsome mood, and the souls shall pass into the bodies, when the burning riseth 520
high to heaven. Hot for many a one shall be that dreadful fire, when every mortal, both the just and sinful, soul and body,
from earthy graves shall seek the Creator's doom, 524
fearfully appalled ; the fire shall be on its way, and shall burn men's transgressions. There shall the blessed with their works, with their own deeds, be encircled, after their wretched time on earth. These are the noble 528 and the pleasant plants, wherewith the wild bird suiToundeth its own nest without, so that it suddenly burneth with fire,
and kindleth under the sun, and itself within it, 533
and then, after the flame, receiveth life anew.
So every one of the race of men, with flesh invested, shall be beauteous
and young again, whosoever achieveth, 536
by his own will here, that the King of glory, the Almighty, will be gentle with him at that meeting, when holy spirits shall lift up their voices, and righteous souls shall raise a song, 540
and the pure and chosen shall praise their Sovran's majesty ; strain on strain shall mount to glory, sweetly perfumed with their goodly deeds.
The souIh of men shall then be proved, 544
brightly re-edified by fire's heat.
Let none of human kind imaging that I of lying words compose my laj
^34 IV. THE PHOENIX. 548-583.
write woft-crsefte J gehyraS witedom 54S
iobes gieddinga- J^urh gsestes blsed
breostum onbryrded beald reordade
wuldre geweor<5ad he pcet word gecwseS' ' Ic fset ne for-hycge heortan ge)?oncum 55a
)?8et ic in minum neste neo-bed ceose
hsele hra-werig gewite hean j?onan
on longne si(5 lame * bitolden [* 64 a.] — geomor gu-dseda in greotes fseSm 556
and )xmne sefter de&pe furh dryhtnes giefe
swa se fugel fenix feorh edniwe
sefter seriate agan mote •
dreamas mid dryhten }>ser seo deore scolu 560
leofne lofia'S . ic J>ses lifes ne mseg
sefre to ealdre ende gebidan
leohtes and lissa f>eah min lie scyle
on mold-serne molsnad weorf>an 564
wyrmura to wyllan swa J>eah weoruda god
sefter swylt-hwile sawle alysetS
and in wuldor awecetS | me J>ses wen nsefre
forbirstecS in breostum (5e ic in brego engla ' 568
forS-weardne gefean fseste hsebbe •
this frod guma on fyrn-dagum
gieddade gleaw-mod godes spel-boda
ymb his seriste in ece lif 57a
pcet we J?y geornor ongietan meahten
tir-fsest tacen fset se torhta fugel
J?urh bryne beacnatS ■ bana lafe
ascan and yslan ealle gesomnatS 576
sefter lig-bryne • lsedef> sif>}>an
fugel on fotum to frean geardum
sunnan to-geanes fser hi sij>)?an for$
wuniaS wintra fela wsestmum geniwad 580
ealle s edgiong ■ J^ser senig ne mseg
in J>am leod-scype lsej»f>um hwopan .
swa nu sefter deatSe ]?urh dryhtnes miht
IV. THE PHCENIX. 235
or write my verse ! Hear ye the wisdom 548
of Job's songs ; through the spirit's gift, in his breast inspired, gloriously honoured, he boldly spake, and said these words : —
1 1 repine not in my heart's thoughts, 55a
that I must choose my death-bed in my nest, that I, a man wearied to death, go abject hence on a long journey, covered with clay,
into dust's embrace, lamenting my former deeds ; 556
and then may I, through the Lord's grace, after death, after resurrection, even as the bird PhcEnix, be able to possess new life,
delights with the Lord, where the dear concourse 560
praise Him, the Beloved. Of that life need I never expect an ending unto all eternity, nor of its light, nor of its joys. Although my body shall become corrupted in its earthy home, 564
a prey to worms, yet the God of hosts, after the hour of death, will redeem my soul, and awaken it to glory; hope of this
never faileth in my breast, for in the Lord of angels 5*8
my abiding joy have I firmly fixed.'
Thus the wise man, of soul sagacious, God's prophet, sang in ancient days
about his resurrection into eternal life, 57a
that we might the better understand the glorious sign that the radiant bird betokeneth by its burning. Its bones' remnants, ashes and cinders, it gathereth all together, 576
after the flaming fire ; these the bird carrieth then, with its feet, to the courts of the Lord, towards the sun ; there thenceforth
abide they many years, in form renewed, 580
quite young again; there in that realm no one may threaten them with injury.
So now, after death, through the Lord's might,
236 IV. THE PHCENIX. 584-6 1 6.
somod si)?iaj? sawla mid lice 584
fsegre gefrsetwed fugle gelicast
in ead-welum se]?elum stencum
)>mr seo sojj-faeste sunne lihteft
wlitig ofer weoredum in wuldres byrig : 7 588
D
[VIII.]
Oune sotS-fsestum sawlum seined [* 64 &.]
him folgiaS fuglas scyne
beorhte gebredade blissum hremige 592
in j)am gladan ham gsestas gecorene ece to ealdre . £>8er him yfle ne mseg fah feond gemah facne scej>)?an
ac j?aer lifgatS a • leohte werede • 596
swa se fugel fenix in freojm dryhtnes wlitige in wuldre > weorc anra gehwses beorhte blicetJ in j?am bli]?an ham
fore on-syne ecan dryhtnes • 60c
symle in sibbe sunnan gelice . J?ser se beorhta beag brogden wundrum • eorcnan-stanum eadigra gehwam
hlifatS ofer heafde v heafelan lixacS 604
J?rymme bij>eahte . tSeodnes cyne-gold sotS-faestra gehwone sellic glengetS leohte in life J>ser se longa gefea
ece and ed-geong a?fre ne swej?rat5 • 608
ac hy in wlite wuniaft wuldre bitolden fsegrum frsetwum mid fseder engla • ne bitS him on J»am wicum wiht to sorge
wroht ne wej?el ne gewin-dagas 612
hungor se hat a ne se hearde Jmrst yrmfm ne yldo . him se 8e)?ela cyning forgifeS goda gehwyle , J>ser gsesta gedryht
hselend hergaS and beofon-cyninges 616
584. MS. sijnan corrected to sijjia^. 588. One-line space between the sections. 599. MS. blij)am.
IV. THE PH(ENIX. 237
souls shall journey together with the body, 584
richly adorned, (most like to that bird,)
in blessedness, 'mid sweetest fragrance,
where the true and constant sun doth shine
beauteous o'er multitudes in glory's city. 588
VIII.
Then o'er the righteous souls, high o'er the vaults of heaven, shineth the Saviour Christ : Him follow resplendent birds,
radiantly restored, blissfully exulting 592
in that glad home, spirits chosen unto all eternity ; there the foul impious fiend may not basely injure them by guile,
but they live there aye, begirt with light, 596
as the bird Phoenix, in the Lord's peace, beauteous in glory. The works of everyone shall brightly shine in that blithe home
before the face of the Eternal Lord, 600
in endless bliss, like to the sun. There the bright crown of each blessed one, wondrously bewrought with precious stones, towereth o'er the head ; their brows shine bright 604
with majesty bedecked; the Sovran's diadem gloriously adorneth each righteous man with light in that life, where lasting joy,
eternal and ever young, never abateth ; 608
but they dwell in beauty, gloriously clad in fair adornments, with the Father of the angels.
In those homes there is naught to cause them grief, nor crime, nor poverty, nor days of strife, 61 a
nor hot hunger, nor cruel thirst, nor misery, nor age; to them the noble King giveth every good. There the hosts of spirits praise the Saviour, and celebrate the power 616
^38 IV. THE PHCENIX. 6 1 7-649.
meahte msersiatS singaS metude lof .
swinsaS sib-gedryht swega mseste
hsedre ymb faet halge heah-seld godes
blij?e bletsiaft bregu selestan 620
eadge mid englum efen-hleofre fus •
Sib si Ipe soft god and snyttru-crseft
and ]>e J>onc B^ • * frym-sittendum [* 65 a.]
geongra gyfena goda gehwylces '. 624
micel unmaete msegnes strenfgrJ'Su
heali and halig • heofonas sindon
faegre gefylled feeder selmihtig
ealra frymma J>rym fines wuldres 628
uppe mid englum and on eorSan somod \
gefreofa usic frym}>a scyppend )?u eart faeder selmihtig
in hean-nesse heofuna waldend • ''
$us reordiatS ryht-fremmende 632
manes amerede in fsere maeran byrig .
cyne-J»rym cyfaS caseres lof
singa<? on swegle soS-fsestra gedryht
J?am anum is ece weortS-mynd • 636
for$ butan ende , naes his frymS sefre
eades ongyn ]?eah he on eorfan her
J?urh cildes had cenned wsere
in middan-geard - hwaefre his meahta sped 640
heah ofer heofonum halig wunade
dom unbryce J?eah he deafes cwealm
on rode-treow[e] rsefnan sceolde
fear-lie wite , he ]>j J?riddan daege 644
sefter lices hryre lif eft onfeng
furh faeder fultum, swa fenix beacnatS
geong in geardum god-bearnes meaht
*ponne he of ascan eft onwaecne^ 648
in lifes lif leomum gefungen
625. MS. stren$u. 635. MS. singad. 643. MS. treow. 648. MS. onwaecned.
IV. THE PHCENIX. 239
of heaven's King, and sing praise to the Creator;
the blissful hosts hymn sweetly,
with loudest melody, around the holy throne of God ;
blithely the happy ones, together with the angels, 620
bless the Sovran Prince, with one voice, thus : —
1 Peace be thine, true God, and wisdom's power, and thanks to thee, sitting in majesty,
for thy recent gifts, and for every good ! 624
Great and immeasurable is thy might's strength, high and holy ; the heavens are filled in wondrous wise, Father Almighty,
Majesty of all majesties, with thy glory, 628
above 'mid angels, and eke on earth.
Protect us, Creator of all causes ! Thou art Father Almighty, in the realm on high, Ruler of heaven I '
Thus declare they, workers of righteousness, 632
proved 'gainst guilt, in that glorious city; the concourse of the just proclaim His regal majesty and sing their Sovran's praise in heaven,
for to Him alone is eternal honour, 636
ever without end. Never had He origin,
nor was there a beginning of His bliss, tho' He on earth here, on middle-earth, in child's condition,
was brought forth ; yet the fulness of His might 640
continued holy, high o'er heaven, His glory was inviolate, though He was doomed to suffer death's pang, dire tribulation,
on the rood-tree. On the third day, 644
after His body's fall, He received life once again, through the Father's aid. Thus the Phcenix, young in its home, betokeneth the power of the Child Divine,
when it riseth again from its ashes 648
into the life of life, with limbs complete.
240 IV. THE PHCENIX. 6^0 -6 J "J.
swa se haelend us [AJelpe gefremede
j?ui h his lices gedal lif butan ende •
swa se fugel swetum his ftyru tu 652
and wynsumum wyrtum gefylle'S
feegrum fold-waastmum pcrnne afysed bi5*
J>set sindon J?a word swa us gewritu secgaS
hleofor * haligra J?e him to heofonum biS [* 65 b.] 656
to f>am mildan gode mod afysed
in dreama dream faer hi dryhtne to giefe
worda and weorca wynsumne stenc •
in J>a mseran gesceaft meotude bringaS- 660
in )>cet leohte lif ( sy him lof symle
J>urh woruld worulda and wuldres bleed
ar and onwald in J?am up-lican
rodera rice . he is on ryht cyning 664
middan-geardes and msegen-frymraes
wuldre biwunden in fsere wlitigan byrig.
HafatS us alyfed • lucis auctor •
pcet we motun her merueri 668
god-dsedum begietan • gaudia in celo •
fser we motuw • maxima regna •
secan and gesittan sedibus altis •
lifgan in lisse lucis et pacis 672
agan eardinga alma letitise •
brucan blsed-daga blandem et mitem •
geseon sigora frean • sine fine •
and him lof singan laude perenne • 676
eadge mid englum • alleluia \j : — : j
650. MS. elpe. 667. MS. a&tor. 668. MS. motum. 672. MS. er, partly corrected to et. 673. MS. letitie. 677. Two-line space
between this and the next section.
IV. THE PH(ENIX. 241
Thus the Saviour effected help for us,
life without end, through His body's death.
And as for the sweet and winsome herbs, 652
the fair fruits of earth, wherewith the bird filleth its two wings, and is then impelled away, these are the words and utterances of saints, (as Scripture telleth us,) whereby their spirits 656
are impelled to heaven, to the benignant God, unto the joy of joys ; there, unto the Lord, the Creator, tliey bring as a gift the pleasant fragrance of their words and works into that glorious creation, 660
that radiant life. Praise be to Him ever, throughout all ages, and fulness of glory, honour and sovereignty, in the exalted
kingdom of the skies ! He is the rightful King 664
of middle-earth and of the majestic hosts, wrapt in glory in that beauteous city !
Us hath permitted the Author of light, that we may here rightly merit, 668
with good deeds obtain, delights in the sky, where we may seek most glorious realms, and may sit in heavenly seats,
live in the bliss of light and of peace, 672
possess genial abodes of joy, own blissful days, gentle and mild see the Lord of triumph ever, without ending, and sing to Him praise, with praise perennial, 676
happy 'mid angels. Alleluia !
iue^
242 V. SAINT JULIANA. I-30.
[V. SAINT JULIANA.]
P.]
HWJET we qmt hykdon • hseletS eahtian denian daed-hwate ]>cette in dagum gelamp maximianes se geond middan-geard arleas cyning eahtnysse ahof 4
cwealde cristne men circan fylde geat on graes-wong god-hergend[r]a haej>en hild-fruma haligra blod
ryht-fremmendra t wees his rice * brad [* 66 a,] 8
wid and weorolic ofer wer-J>eode lytesna ofer ealne yrmenne grund • foron aefter burgum swa he biboden ha3fde J>egnas JrySfulle - of[t] hi J>raece raerdon 12
daedum gedvvolene )?a J>e dryhtnes • se • feodon J>urh firen-craeft feondscype rserdon • hofon hae}>en-gield halge cwelmdon
breotun boc-craeftge baer[V]don gecorene 16
gaeston godes cempan gare and lige • . Sum waes aeht-welig ae}>eles cynnes rice gerefa • rond-burgum weold
eard weardade oftast symle - 20
in faere ceastre commedia • heold hord-gestreon , oft he hae}>en-gield ofer word godes weoh gesohte
neode geneahhe , waes him noma cenned 24
heliseus haefde ealdordom micelne and maerne • tSa his mod ongon faemnan lufian hine fyrwet brsec ,
iulianan • hio in gaeste baer aS
halge treowe hogde georne
a^crti' lpa>t hire maeg'S-had mana gehwylces ■
6. MS. hergenda. 12. MS. of. 16. MS. bterdon.
V. SAINT JULIANA. 243
V. SAINT JULIANA.
I.
o ! this thing heard we warriors laud, -■-* brave men extol ; it came to pass in Maximian's day, the impious king
who raised up persecution throughout mid-earth, 4
slew Christian men, and overthrew the church ; the heathen war-chief shed on grassy plain the blood of the holy, praisers of God,
workers of righteousness. His empire was far-spread, 8
spacious and exalted o'er mankind, but little less than o'er the whole wide world. From town to town, as he had bidden,
went his tyrannic ministers ; oft roused they violence, 1 2
deed-deluded men, who in their wickedness hated the law of God, raised up enmity, exalted heathen idols, tortured the holy,
destroyed the learned, burned the chosen, 16
racked God's champions with dart and flame.
There was a wealthy man of noble race, a powerful count; he ruled o'er frontier towns; he defended the land repeatedly; 20
in the city of Nicomedia kept he his treasure-hoard. Oft sought he, zealously withal, heathen idols, heathen temples, against the word of God. Heliseus 14
was the name he bore; his power was great and mighty. Now his heart began to love a damsel, Juliana, to wit ;
desire subdued him; but she had holy faith 28
within her spirit, and earnestly resolved, that she would keep her maidenhood
R 2
244 V. SAINT JULIANA. 3I-64.
fore cristes lufan clsene geheolde.
$a wses sio fsemne mid hyre fajder willan 3a
welegum biweddad , wyrd ne ful cuf>e
freond-rsedenne hu heo from-hogde
geong on gseste . hire wses godes egsa
mara in gemyndura ponne eall J?set maj?f>um-gesteald 36
pe in j?ses se)?elinges aehtum wunade •.
pa wses se weliga peera wif-gifta
gold-spedig guma georn on mode
pcet him mon fromlicast fsemnan gegyrede 40
brycl to bolde heo J>ses beornes lufan
fseste wifthogde J>eah pe feoh-gestreon
* under hord-locan hyrsta unrim [* 66 b.\
selite ofer eor]?anj heo Jset eal forseah * 44
and fset word acwseS on wera mengu • • __
Ic pe mseg gesecgan • )?set pu pee sylfne ne J>earft
swij^or swencan , gif J?u so(Sne god
lufast and gelyfest and his lof rserest; 48
ongietest gsesta hleo ic beo gearo sona
unwaclice willan fines .
swylce ic pe secge gif J>u to ssemran gode
J>urh deofol-gield daede bi]?encest 5 a
hsetstS hseJ>en-weoh ne meaht p\x habban mec
ne ge}>reatian pe to gesingan .
nsefre pu pses swiSlic sar gegearwast
]mrh hsestne 111S heardra wita 56
J>set pu mec onwende worda J>issa •
Sa se seeding wearS yrre gebolgen
firen-dseduwi fah •, gehyrde )?sere fsemnan word •
het (Sa gefetigan ferend snelle 60
hreoh and hyge-blind haligre fseder
recene to rune ■ reord up astag
sij»]?an hy togsedre garas hlsendon
hilde-fremman .hsetme wseron begen 64
38. MS. }>*re.
V. SAINT JULIANA. 245
clean of every blemish, for love of Christ.
Then was the damsel, with her father's will, 32
betrothed unto the rich one. He knew not fully what was fated, how the young maiden loathed his friendship with all her soul. In her mind the fear of God was greater than all the treasured wealth, 36
that dwelt in the possession of that prince.
Then was the wealthy wight, so rich in gold, desirous in his mind for the espousals,
that the damsel should be made ready for him with all speed, 40 a bride in his abode. She firmly withstood the chieftain's love, tho' he possessed on earth rich store of treasure 'neath his coffer-locks, jewels unnumbered ; all that she despised, 44
and in the midst of many men, she spake these words : —
1 I can tell thee that thou need'st not afflict thyself more ; if thou lovest and believest the true God, and exaltest His praise, 48
and recognisest the Protection of all spirits, I am forthwith resolutely ready for thy will.
Likewise I say to thee, if thou wilt indeed confide, through devilry, in a worse god, 52
and vowest heathen offerings, thou may'st not have me, nor force me to be thy bride. Never shalt thou, through vehement hate,
pain so violent prepare, pain of cruel torments, 56
that thou shalt turn me from these words/
Then was the prince, the crime-stained one, inflamed with anger; he heard the damsel's words; cruel and blind of soul, he bade swift messengers 60
quickly fetch the holy maiden's father to counsel with him. Their voices rose, as soon as the bold warriors had inclined their spears together. Heathens were they both, 64
246
V. SAINT JULIANA. 65-97,
Y V
-^£^'
l/^n-
<• A-£-
synnuw eeoce Bweor aW a}mm •
Sa reordode rices hyrde
wi(5 J?aere fsemnan faeder frecne mode
daraS haebbende ; me Ipin dohtor hafaS
geywed orwyrSu, heo me on an sagaS
\>oet heo mseg-lufan minre ne gyme
freond-raedenne me J?a fracecSu sind
on mod-sefan maeste weorce Q<w 1
pcet heo mec swa tome taele gerahte
fore J>issum folce ; het me fremdue god
ofer J>a oJ»re ]>e we aer cuf»on
welum weorf>ian wordum lofian
* on hyge hergan oJ>J>e hi nabban • [* 67 a.]
geswearc f>a swicS-fercS swor aefter worde, ^
J?aere faemnan faeder . ferS-locan onspeon ,
ic \cet geswerge furh so(S godu
swa ic are aet him aefre finde •
olplpe J^eoden set J>e J?ine hyldu
win-burgum in gif J>as word sind so]?
monna leofast be J?u me sagast
Ipcet ic hy ne sparige ac on spild giefe
feoden maera J>e to gewealdjY]
dem )?u hi to dea)?e gif "pe gedafen J)ince
swa to life last swa ]>e leofre sy«
eode ]?a fromlice fsemnan to spraece
anraed and yre-J>weorg yrre gebolgen
}>aer he glaed-mod geonge wiste
wic weardian > he j?a worde cwaeS •
Su eart dohtor min seo dyreste
and seo sweteste in sefan minum
ange for eorJ>an minra eagna leoht •
Iuliana J>u on geaj>e hafast
J>urh J>in orlegu unbijjyrfe
68
7*
So
84
88
92
96
2. MS. si fan ; si written over an erasure.
over an erasure.
$6. MS. ge weald.
74. fremdne; n written
V. SAINT JULIANA. 247
sick with sins, father and son-in-law.
Then spake the guardian of that realm with the damsel's father, in rugged mood,
raising his spear : — * Me hath thy daughter $8
shown indignity; she saith to me outright, that she careth not for my affection, nor for my friendship ; her insults cause me greatest grief within my heart, 72
for she hath angrily reproved me thus before this folk ; a strange God
she bade me worship with wealth, praise with words, and magnify in thought, above the others 76
that we knew erst, or else not have her.'
At these words the damsel's father swore; he grew dark with anger ; he disclosed his mind : '— { I swear by the true gods, 80
so may I ever find honour with them, or thy favour, my lord, with thee, in our joyous cities, if these words be true, dearest of men, that thou sayest unto me, s^
that I will not spare her, but to perdition give her, great lord, into thy power.
Judge thou her to death, if it seem good to thee, or let her live, as to thee is liefer ! ' 88
Then went he forthwith thither to speak with the damsel, resolved and crossed with ire, inflamed with wrath, where he knew the young maid abode in gladsome mood. He spake then in these words : — 93
1 Thou art my daughter, the dearest and the sweetest in my heart, my only one on earth, the light of mine eyes, Juliana! Thou hast foolishly taken, 96
through thy hostility, a fruitless course,
248 V. SAINT JULIANA. 98-I 29.
ofer witena dom wisan gefongen •
wiSsaecest pu. to swi}>e sylfre rsedes •
j?inum bryd-guman . se is betra jx>ime j?u • <y[.A ,0°
sej>elra for eor]?an seht-spedigra
feoh-gestreona /lie is to freonde god- ,
forfon is fses wyrj>e fset }>u J>aes weres frige
ece ead-lufan an ne forlsete-:/ 104
pi.]
TTIM fa seo eadge ageaf andsware
-■"■• iuliana hio to gode haefde
fieond-rsedenne fseste gestaj?elad .
nsefre ic f>ses f>eodnes J>afian wille 108
mseg-rsedenne nemne he msegna god
geornor bigonge Iponne he gen dyde
lufige mid lacum * Jxrne f>e leoht gescop [* 67 b.]
heofon and eorcSan and holma bigong 112
eodera ymb-hwyrft ne maeg he elles mec
bringan to bolde he J>a bryd-lufan
sceal ■ to ojjerre eeht-gestealdum
idese secan nafaS he senig her* 116
hyre J>a J>urh yrre • ageaf andsvr&re
feeder feondlice nales frsetwe onheht*
ic Ipsdt gefremme gif min feorh leofatS
gif J>u unrsedes ser ne geswicest 120
and J>u fremdu godu fortS bigongest
and J>a forlaetest ]>e us leofran sind
J>e j)issum folce to freme stondacS
J?aet J?u ungeara ealdre scyldig 124
J?urh deora gripe deaj>e sweltest
gif }>u gej>afian nelt Jnng-raedenne
modges gemanan \ micel is pcet ongin
and J)rea-medlic J>inre gelican 128
Ipcet J>u forhycge hlaford urne •
104. MS. anne-forlsete, the hyphen somewhat paler than the letters ; one- line space "between the sections.
V. SAINT JULIANA. 249
against the judgment of wise men;
thou dost reject too stubbornly thy suitor,
through thy self-will. He is better than thou, ioo
nobler before the world, richer in possessions,
in money and in wealth ; he as a friend is good ;
wherefore 'tis worth much that thou abandon not
this man's affection, his lasting love.' 104
II.
To him the blessed maiden, Juliana, then gave answer; firmly had she strengthened her bond of friendship with God : —
* Ne'er will I endure this lord's 108
espousal, save he worship the God of might more zealously than he yet hath done, and adore Him with offerings, who created the light, heaven and earth and the seas' expanse, 112
the circuit of the zones; he may not otherwise bring me to his dwelling ; he must seek a bride's affection in another woman with his vast treasures; naught hath he here.' 116
To her in anger her father then gave answer hostilely; precious gifts he promised not: — ' This will I do, as my soul liveth,
if thou cease not from thy folly, iao
if thou still wilt worship strange gods, and forsake those which are dearer to us, which stand ready to help this folk, —
thou shalt forthwith forfeit thy life, 124
and shalt die the death by the grip of beasts, ii thou wilt not accept his plighted troth, tliis proud lord's wooing! 'Tis a mighty task, fraught with dire misery, for the like of thee 138
thus to despise our lord.'
250 V. SAINT JULIANA. I3O-165.
Him J?a seo eadge ageaf andsw&re ,
gleaw and gode leof iuliana-
ic ]>e to sotSe secgan wille 132
bi me lifgendre nelle ic lyge fremniun
naefre ic me ondraede domas pme
ne me weorce sind wite-brogan
hilde-woman J>e J?u haestlice 136
man-fremmende to me beotast
ne J>u naefre gedest ]?urh gedwolan finne
J>aet ]>\x mec acyrre from cristes lofe •
tSa waes ellen-wod yrre and relpe 1 140
frecne and fertS-grim feeder wiS dehter •
het hi J>a swingan susle Jreagan
witum wsegan and J>aet word acwaeS j -
onwend J)ec in gewitte and ]?a word oncyr 144
J>e J>u unsnyttrum aer gesprsece
J?a J?u goda ussa gield forhogdest •
Him seo unforhte ageaf cmdsware
Jmrh gaest-gehygd iuliana ; - 148
naefre ]>\i gelaerest ]>cet ic * leasingum [* 08 a.]
dumbum <md deafwm deofol-gieldum
gaeste genial um gaful onhate
J?am wyrrestum wites )?egnum- 152
ac ic weorSige wuldres ealdor
middan-geardes and maegen-frymraes >
and h:m anum to eal bi]?ence
)?aet he mund-bora min geweorJ>e 156
helpend and haelend wiS hell-scea)>um •,
hy J>a Jjurh yrre affricanus •
faeder faemnan ageaf on feonda geweald •
heliseo he in seringe 160
gelaedan het aefter leohtes cyme
to his dom-setle , duguS wafade
on J?aere faemnan wlite folc eal geador-
hy )?a se aecSeling aerest grette 164
hyre bryd-guma bli)>um wordum* _
V. SAINT JULIANA. 251
To him then made reply the blessed maid, wise and dear to God, Juliana : —
'This will I declare in all truth; 13a
while I live, I will not lie ; I will never dread thy dooms, nor am I troubled by the terrors of torture, the alarms of battle, wherewith hastily 136
thou threatenest me in thy wickedness, nor shalt thou e'er effect, through thy error, to turn me from my love of Christ ! '
Then was the father furious with his daughter, 140
fiercely wroth, terribly grim ;
he bade men scourge her, afflict her with torments, o'erwhelm her with tortures, and spake these words : —
1 Return to thy senses, and disclaim the words 144
that thou spakest foolishly erewhile, when thou didst despise the worship of our gods.'
The fearless Juliana gave him then, through her soul's resolve, this answer : — 148
'Never shalt thou induce me to promise tribute to false deceptions, dumb and deaf, to devilish idols, to these soul-destroyers,
the vilest ministers of hell's perdition; 152
for I worship the Prince of glory, of middle-earth, and of the hosts sublime ; in Him alone I wholly put my trust,
that He will become my Protector, 156
my Helper and my Saviour, 'gainst hellish fiends.'
Angrily then Africanus, her father, gave the maiden into the power of her foes, unto Heliseus. He at early dawn, 160
after the coming of light, bade her be led to his judgment-seat. His followers, all his folk, were a-wondered at the maiden's beauty.
The chieftain, her bridegroom, at first then 164
ed her with kindly words: —
uAvA A*-
252 V. SAINT JULIANA. 1 66-1 99.
min se swetcsta sunnan scima
iuliana- hwaet J»u glsem hafast
ginfseste giefe geoguS-hades bleed 168
gif J>u godum ussum gen gecwemest
and ]>e to swa mildum mundbyrd secest
[A]yldo to halgum beotS pe ahylded frain
wraj>e geworhtra wita unrim 172
grimra gyrna J?e Ipe gegearwad sind
gif J»u onsecgan nelt so]?um gielduni •
Him seo sej>ele ma3g ageaf cmdsware
naefre ]>i\ gej>reatast J?inum beotum 176
ne wita J>ses fela wraftra gegearwast
J?aet ic }>eodscype finne lufie •
buton J?u forlsete J?a leasinga
weoh-weor&inga and wuldres god 180
ongyte gleawlice geesta scyppend
meotud mon-cynnes in pees meahtum sind
a butan ende ealle gesceafta.
Sa for fara folce frecne mode 184
beot-wordum sprsec bealg hine swife
folc-agende and J>a fsemnan Let
Jjurh nift-wrsece * nacode fennan [* 68 b.~]
and mid sweopum swingan synna lease • 188
Ahlog )?a se here-rinc hosp-wordum spraec
J?is is ealdordom uncres gewynnes •
on fruman gefongen gen ic feores f>e
unnan wille j?eah J>u ser fela 192
unwaerlicra worda gesprsece
onsoce to swij?e J?set f>u socS godu
lufian wolde ]>q J>a lean sceolan
wij?er-hycgend[r]e wite-brogan 196
eefter weorjmn butan J>u aer wi£> hi
gej>ingige and him J>onc-wyrf>e
sefter leahtor-cwidura lac onsecge
iJl.M8.yldo. 196. MS. hycgende.
V. SAINT JULIANA. 253
c Mine own, my sweetest sunshine, Juliana! ah, thou hast radiant beauty,
never-fading grace, the flower of youth ! 168
If thou wilt e'en yet propitiate our gods, and from them, so merciful, seek protection for thyself, favour from these holy ones, from thee shall be averted torments numberless, direfully dight, 172
cruel afflictions, which are prepared for thee, if thou wilt not sacrifice to true divinities/
To him the noble maiden gave reply : — * Ne'er shalt thou so compel me by thy threats, 176
nor prepare so many direful torments, as to make me love thy fellowship, unless thou forsake these false beliefs,
this idol-worship, and wilt wisely recognise 180
the God of glory, the Creator of spirits, the Lord of mankind, in whose power, ever without end, are all created things.'
Then before the folk, in savage mood, — ^184
in threatening words, spake the people's lord; he was fiercely angered; in cruel vengeance, he ordered the damsel to be stretched naked, the sinless maid to be scourged with whips. 188
Laughed then the warrior, and spake in words of mockery: —
'Lo, the victory of our strife, gained at the outset! yet life will I
grant thee, though thou hast already 192
spoken many reckless words, and hast too fiercely refused to cherish the true gods; retribution,
terrible torments, shall befall thee, stubborn soul, 196
hereafter, unless thou be reconciled with them ere long, and, for thy blasphemies, offer them gifts, worthy of their thanks,
254 V. SAINT JULIANA. 200-23 1.
sibbe gesette t laet f>a sace restan 200
la"S leod-gewin • gif j>u leng ofer )>is
j?urh J?in dol-willen gedwolan fylgest*
Iponne ic nyde sceal nij?a gebaeded
on f>aere grimmestan god-scyld wrecan 204
torne teon-cwide J»e J?u ta3lnissum w^uJU,,
wij» )?a selestan sacan ongunne •
and J?a mildestan j?ara ]?e men witen
\>e }>es leodscype mid him longe bieode • 208
him }?aet aefele mod tinforht oncwaeS
ne ondraede ic me domas J>ine
awyrged wom-sceafra ne J>inra wita bealo \
haebbe ic me to hyhte heofon-rices weard 212
mildne mund-boran msegna waldend
se mec gescyldetS wicS Jrinum scinlace
of gromra gripe J?e fu to godum tiohhast*
Sa sind geasne goda gehwylces 216
idle orfeorme unbi}?yrfe
ne )?aer freme mete# fira aenig
soSe sibbe J>eah Ipe sece to him
freond-raedenne he ne findetS J>aer 220
duguf>e mid deoflum ic to dryhtne min
mod sta]?elige se ofer maegna gehwylc
waldeS • * wide-ferh wuldres agend [* 69 a.]
sigora gehwylces \>cet is soft cyning :y 224
[in.]
DA J>am folc-togan fracu'olic J>uhte Ipcet he ne meahte mod oncyrran fsemnan fore-Jxmc , he bi feaxe het
ahon and ahebban on heanne beam 228
J?aer seo sun-sciene siege frowade sace sin-grimme siex tida daeges • and he aedre het eft asettan
218. MS. metet. 224. One-line space betireen the sections.
V. SAINT JULIANA. 255
and establish peace with them. Let our contention rest, 200
this hateful strife ! If after this thou followest
error any longer, through thy wilful folly,
then must I needs, constrained by thy hate,
avenge this guilt against the gods, this angry blasphemy, 204
on thee, their fiercest adversary, who, with insults,
hast thus begun to strive against the best
and gentlest beings whom men know,
whom this people hath long reverenced in their midst/ 208
Him that noble spirit fearlessly addressed : — ' 1 stand not in dread of thy dooms, cursed foul ruffian, nor the bale of thy torments ! I place my hope in the Guardian of the heavenly realm, 212 the merciful Protector, the Sovran of all powers; He will shield me, despite thy delusion, from those fiends' clutches, whom thou thinkest gods ; they are void of every good, a 16
empty, worthless, unavailing ; no man findeth profit there, nor true peace, although he seek
their friendship; not there, among the devils, 220
findeth he blessing. In the Lord I fix ray spirit, in Him who o'er-ruleth every power through all eternity, the Prince of glory, the Lord of all triumph ; He is the true King.' 224
III.
A heinous thing it seemed to the chieftain, that he could not convert the mind,
the resolution of that damsel. He bade her by the locks be hanged, and raised on a high tree, 228
where the sun-bright maiden suffered blows, fierce unceasing torments, six hours of the day ; and then her hated foe bade her anon
256 V. SATNT JULIANA. 232-265.
la$ geniSla and gelsedan bibead 232
to carcerne hyre wses cristes lof in ferS-locan fseste biwunden milde mod-sefan irieegen unbrice*
Sa waes mid clustre carcernes duru 236
behliden homra geweorc halig faer-inne waerfsest wunade symle heo wuldor-cyning herede set heortan heofon-rices god in J>am nyd-clafan nergend fira 240
heolstre bihelmad hyre wses halig gaest singal gesitS • tSa cwom semnioga in Ipcet hlin-rseced hsele&a gewinna
yfeles andwis hsefde engles hiw 244
gleaw gyrn-stafa gaest-geniSla helle haeftling to }>8ere halgan spraec hwaet dreogest J>u seo dyreste
and seo weorJ>este wuldor-cyninge 248
dryhtne ussum Se J>es dema hafatS J»a wyrrestan witu gegearwad sar ende-leas gif ]>u onsecgan nelt
gleaw-hycgende and his godura cweman , 252
wes Ipu 6ri ofeste swa he J>ec ut heonan laedan hate \azt J>u lac hra]?e
onsecge sigor-tifre * ser ]?ec swylt nime [* 69 &.] deatS fore duguSe. ]>j J>u J>ses deman scealt 256
y<^ ' ead-hreSig ma?g yrre gedygan •
fraBgn ]?a fromlice seo pe forht ne wses
criste gecweme hwonan his cyme wsere •
hyre se wraec-meecga witS Jmigade 260
ic eom engel godes ufan sij>ende
J>egn gej>ungen and to J?e sended
halig of heahj>u ]>e sind heardlicu
wundrum wcel-grim witu geteohhad 264
to gring-wrasce , het J?e god beodan
264. MS. wel, e for se, not an uncommon error of the MS., though often corrected into §.
V. SAIxVT JULIANA. 257
be taken down again, and commanded her 232
to be led to prison. In her soul's recess
praise of Christ was fast entwined,
in her gentle spirit dwelt strength indomitable.
The prison door, the work of many hammers, 236
was then closed with a bar, the holy maid within ; firm in faith remained she; ever praised she, with all her heart, the King of glory, the God of heaven's realm, the Saviour of men, in that place of durance, 240
though enwrapt with gloom. To her was the Holy Spirit a constant companion. Then came suddenly into that grated cell the foe of men,
expert in evil ; an angel's form had he, 244
the foe of souls, versed in cruel trickery, the thrall of hell : he spake to the holy maid : —
' Why suffer thus, thou that art dearest and most precious unto the King of glory, 248
unto our Lord ! For thee hath this judge prepared the most grievous torments, endless pain, unless thou, wisely considering, wilt offer sacrifice, and appease his gods. 252
Hasten, as soon as he command thee to be led from hence, quickly to offer gifts, a sacrifice for victory, ere destruction seize thee, death in the sight of multitudes. Thereby shalt thou, 256
blessed maiden, escape this judge's anger.'
Boldly then asked him the fearless maid, acceptable to Christ, from whence his coming was.. To her the wretched creature thus replied : — 260
' I am an angel of God, journeying from above, a trusty minister, and I am sent to thee, holy from heaven. Grievous torments,
wondrously deadly, arc prepared for thee, ^64
for thy cruel punislmiciit. God, the Lord's Son,
8
258
V. SAINT JULIANA. 266-298.
lUL
beam waldendes feet j?e burge j?a«
Sa wees seo feemne for j?am feer-spelle
egsan geaclad pe hyre se agleeca 268
wuldres wi]?er-breca wordum seegde .
ongan J»a feestlice fer5 staj>elian
geong grondorleas to [</ocfe] cleopian ; -
nu ic pec beorna hleo biddan wille 272
ece eelmihtig J>urh )?eet eej>ele gesceap
pe }>u feeder engla eet fruman settest
J>eet pu me ne leete of lofe hweorfan
finre ead-gife swa me J>es ar bodatS 276
frecne feer-spell pe me fore stondeft*
swa ic pe bilwitne biddan wille
J>eet J>u me gecytSe cyninga wuldor
Jrymraes hyrde hweet pes pegn. sy 280
lyft-lacende pe mec leeretS from pe
on stearcne weg hyre • stefn oncweeft
wlitig of wolcnum word hleofrade •
forfoli Jxme freetgan and feeste geheald 284
o]?J>8et he his sitS-faet secge mid ryhte
ealne from orde hweet his eej>elu syn •
Sa wees ]?eere feemnan fer(S geblissad
dom-eadigre heo J»eet deofol genom 1 1 t 288
* ealra cyninga cyning to cwale syllan. [* 70 a.]
Sa gen ic gecroeffce poet se cempa ongon
waldend wundian weorud to-segon
j?eet J>eer blod and weeter butu eet-geedre 292
eorJ?an sohtun . (5a gen ic herode
in hyge bisweop J?eet he iohannes bibead
heafde biheawan • Sa se halga wer
J^eere wif-lufan wordum styrde 296
unryhtre ee • eac ic geleerde
simon searo-f>oncum poet he Eacan ongon
271, 272. MS. to cleopian ne. 286. MS. ealdne, i.e. ealne. 288. MS.
eadigra. After genom a leaf of the MS. is evidently missing, though there is no trace of its having been cut out of the MS.
V. SAINT JULIANA. 259
bade me announce to thee that thou protect thyself therefrom.'
Then was the damsel struck with terror at the sudden tidings, which the wretched monster, 268
Glory's adversary, declared to her in words. The young and guileless maid began then firmly to strengthen her soul and to call on God : —
1 Thee, Refuge of mortals, Eternal Almighty, 272
will I now beseech, by the noble creation,
which Thou, Father of the angels, didst in the beginning ordain, tli at thou suffer me not to turn from the praise of thy blessed grace, according to the impious sudden message that this messenger announceth, who standeth before me. 277 Wherefore I will beseech thee, merciful Lord, that Thou, Glory of kings, Lord of majesty, reveal to me, what this minister is, 280
this floater through the air, who directeth me to a rugged way, far from thee/ To her spake a sweet voice from the clouds, and uttered these words : —
1 Seize the proud fiend, and hold him fast, 284
till he rightly recount his whole career, from the beginning, what his origin is.'
Then was the noble damsel's soul
rejoiced ; she seized the devil 288
' The King of all kings (I contrived) to betray to death ; moreover I effected that the soldier resolved to wound the Lord, while the multitude looked on, so that blood and water, both together, 29a
woght the earth there. Herod's mind, too, I incited, so that he commanded John's ln-ad t<> be cut off, when the holy man reproved by words his love for the woman, his unlawful marriage Also I instructed Si in. n by my cunning, so that he began to strive
8 2
260 V. SAINT JULIANA. 299-332.
wif> \>a gecorenan cristcs pegnas
and }?a halgan vveras hospe gerahte 300
J>urh deopne gedwolan ssegde hy dryas wseron •
nejxle ic nearo-bregduw J?ser ic neron bisweac
Ipcet he acwellan liet cristes f>egnas.
petrus • and paulus • . pilatus ser 304
on rode aheng rodera waldend
meotud meahtigne minum larura
swylce ic egias eac gelserde
\cet he unsnytrum andreas het« 3°8
ahon haligne on heanne beam
\>cet he of galgan his gsest onsende
in wuldres wlite , J»us ic wraf>ra fela
mid minum brof>rum bealwa gefremede 312
sweartra synna J»e ic asecgan ne maeg
rume areccan ne gerim witan
heardra hete-J>onca- him seo halge oncwseS
J>urh gsestes giefe iuliana* 316
J>u scealt furJ>or gen feond mon-cynnes
sij>-fset secgan hwa J>ec sende to me-
hyre se aglaeca ageaf andsw&re
forht afongen frizes orwena. 320
hwset mec min feeder on pas fore to ]>e
hell-warena cyning hider onsende
of J?am engan ham se is yfla * gehwaes [*70 b.]
in )?am grorn-hofe geornfulra Ipoime ic « 324
\>onne he usic sendeS ]>cet we sotSfaestra
J>urh misgedwield mod oncyrren
ahwyrfen from halor we beotS hyge-geomre
forhte on ferSpe . ne bij» us frea milde 328
egesful ealdor gif we yfles noht
gedon habbaj) ne durran we siJ?J>an
for his onsyne ower geferan v
ponne he onsendeS geond sidne grand 332
307. MS. swylc. 313. MS. asengan. 322. MS. werena. 325. MS.se.
V. SAINT JULIANA. 261
against the chosen ministers of Christ,
and those holy men with contumely reproached, 300
in deep folly, and said they were sorcerers.
I ventured on cunning wiles when I deceived Nero,
so that he bade men slay Christ's servants,
Peter and Paul. Pilate ere while 304
had hanged on the rood the Ruler of the skies,
the mighty Lord, through my devices.
I, too, in like manner, instigated Hegias,
that he unwisely bade Andrew, 308
the holy Saint, to be hung on a high tree.
so that from the gallows he sent forth his soul
unto beauteous glory. Thus have I, with my brethren,
perpetrated many dire atrocities, 312
many swart sins, which I cannot tell,
nor fully relate, nor can I know the number
of my cruel evil plans.' Him the holy maid,
Juliana, through the Spirit's grace, addressed-: — 316
1 Thou shalt still further, foe of mankind, explain thy journey, who hath sent thee to me,'
To her the wretch gave answer, seized with fear, hopeless of peace: — 320
* Lo ! me, my father, the King of hell's inhabitants, hath sent hither on this journey unto thee, from that narrow home; he, in that sad home, is more zealous e'en than I for every evil. 334
"When he sendeth us forth to pervert, by delusion, the minds of the righteous, to turn them from salvation, we are sad of mind, afeared in soul. No kind master to us 328
is our dreadful Lord. If we naught evil have achieved, we venture not thereafter to go anywhere in his presence. Then he sendeth o'er the wide world, 332
262 V. SAINT JULIANA. M3S62.
fegnas of fystruni hatetS frsece raeran
gif we geinete sin on mold-wege
o)>J)e feor olppe neah fundne weorjjen
]>ast hi usic binden and in bsel-wylme 336
suslura swingen . gif sooTsestra
J>urh myrrelsan mod ne ofcyrreS
haligra hyge we J?a heardestan
and pa, wyrrestan witu gef'ola'S 340
jmrh sar- siege . nu J»u sylfa meaht
on sefan Jnnum soS gecnawan
\wt ic fisse noJ>e wses nyde gebseded c\-«
frag mselum ge)?read J?set ic Ipe sohte-:/- 344
[IV.]
Pa gen seo halge ongon hselefa gewinnan wrohtes wyrlitan wordum frignan fyrn-synna fruman Ipu me furfor scealt
secgan sawla feond hu J>u sotSfaestum 348
J>urh synna slide swifast scej>f>e facne bifongen • hyre se feond oncwseS wrsecca waerleas wordum mselde
ic ]>e ead-mseg yfla gehwylces 352
or gecySe otS ende fortS J>ara J>e ic gefremede- nalaes feam si&um synna wundum J?aet J>u Ipy sweotolicor
sylf gecnawe- *fset J?is is sotS nales leas- [*71 a.~\ 356
ic J>a3t wende and witod tealde friste geponcge Ipcet ic Ipe meahte but an earfefum anes craefte
ahwyrfan from lialor feet J>u heofon-cyninge 360
wi&soce sigora frean and to ssemran gebuge- onssegde synna fruman . J>us ic soSfeestum
338. MS. need cyrreft. 340. MS. gepoliaft, i.e. geJ>ola3. 344. One-
line space between the sections. 350. One or tico letters erased after hyre.
354. MS. sindon.
V. SAINT JULIANA. 263
his ministers forth from darkness; he biddeth them prepare
violence for us; if we be met upon earth's ways, or should be found far or near,
that they bind us and scourge us with torments 336
in the fire's heat. If the minds of the righteous, the thoughts of the holy, through stumbling-blocks, turn not aside, we suffer torments,
the cruellest and the most grievous, 340
by painful blows. Now thou thyself may'st know the truth within thy mind, that I was needs constrained to this adventure, from time to time tormented, that I should seek thee.' 344
IV.
Then yet the holy maid resolved to question with words the foe of men, the worker of wickedness, the beginner of sin in days of yore :— ' Thou shalt yet further tell me, thou enemy of souls ! how thou the righteous 348
dost chiefly injure, through their lapse into sin, ensnared by thy guile.' Her the fiend addressed ; the perfidious wretch spake in these words : —
* I will reveal to thee, blessed maiden, 352
from the beginning to the end, the cause of every evil, which I by wounds of sin have furthered, no few times, so that thou thyself may'st
Um more clearly know, that this is true and not false. 356
I weened and reckoned it as certain, in my daring thought, that I, by my craft alone, without difficulty, might turn thee away
from salvation, that thou wouldst deny 360
li mil's King, the Lord of triumph, wouldst Ik>w to a worse Ood, wouldst sacrifice to the author of sin. Thus do I pervert,
264 V. SAINT JULIANA. 363-398.
J>urh mislic bleo mod oncyrre.
pser ic hine finde ferS sta)?elian 364
to godes willan ic beo gearo sona
past ic him monigfealde modes gselsan iv^^twmju
ongean bere grimra gej^onca
dyrnra gedwilda J>urh gedwolena rim . 368
ic him geswete synna lustas
msene mod-lufan pcet he minum hrafe
leahtrum gelenge larum hyratS,
ic hine pses swij^e synnum onsele 372
pcet he byrnende from gebede swiceS
stepetS stronglice ■ stajxdfasst ne mseg
fore leahtra lufan lenge gewunian
in gebed-stowe . swa ic brogan to 376
lacSne gelsede fam pe ic lifes of-6nn
leohtes geleafan , and he larum wile M,
J>urh modes myne minum hyran
synne fremman he sij»)>an sceal 380
godra gum-cysta geasne hweorfan.
gif ic senigne ellen-rofne
gemete modigne metodes cempan
wiS flan-J>rsece nele feor Jxman 384
bugan from beaduwe ac he bord ongean
hefetS hyge-snottor haligne scyld
gaestlic gutS-reaf nele gode swican
ac he beald in gebede bid-steal gife<5 388
feeste on fetSan ic sceal feor Jxman
hean-mod hweorfan hroJ>ra bidseled •
*in gleda gripe gehtSu msenan [*71&.]
J>a3t ic ne meahte msegnes crsefte 392
gutSe wiSgongan ac ic geomor sceal
secan oJ>erne ellenleasran
under cumbol-hagan cempan sasnran
pa ic onbryrdan maege beorman mine 396
agselan set gufe , J>eah he godes hwaet
onginne gaestlice ic beo gearo sona*
V. SAINT JULIANA. 265
by various pretexts, the mind of the righteous.
When I find him strengthening his soul 304
to God's will, I am straight prepared
to bear unto him wantonness of spirit,
full manifold grim thoughts,
dark errors, through numerous delusions. 368
I sweeten for him the delights of sin,
the vicious desires of the heart, so that he,
allured to vice, quickly obeyeth my teachings.
Him so greatly do I inflame with sin, 372
that he, burning, shrinketh from prayer;
he steppeth forth boldly; for love of iniquity,
he can no longer remain firm
in the place of prayer. Thus bring I hateful terror 376
unto him whom I begrudge his life,
his bright belief. If he my doctrines
with full purpose of heart is willing to obey,
and to perpetrate sin, thenceforth must he live 380
wanting in all noble virtues.
But if I find a man courageous,
a valiant champion of the Lord,
resisting mine arrow's force, one who will not flee 384
far thence from the contest, but, wise in soul,
raiseth up against me a holy shield,
his ghostly armour, one who will not forsake God,
but, bold in prayer, maketh a stand 388
firmly in battle, then must I abashed
far from thence depart, bereft of comfort.
In gleeds' embrace must I bemoan my cares,
for that I might not, by dint of power, , 392
prosper in my warfare ; saddened
must I seek another, less courageous,
a worse warrior, in the ranks of battle,
whom with my barm I may induce
to be slack in warfare. Though lie uught of good
may resolve in spirit, I am forthwith ready
266
V. SAINT JULIANA. 399-434.
pcet ic in-gehygd eal geond-wlite
hu gefsestnad sy ferS innanweard
wi5-steall geworht , ic pees wealles geat
ontyne furh teonan biS se torr fyrel
in-gong geopenad Iporme ic aerest liim
furh eargfare in onsende
in 'breost-sefan bitre gefoncas
furh mislice modes willan
faet him sylfum selle fyncetS
leahtras to fremman ofer lof godes
lices lustas k ic beo lareow georn
\(2t he mon-feawum minum lifge
acyrred cuftlice from cristes se
mod gemyrred me to gewealde
in syrma seaft^ ic fasre sawle ma
geornor gyme ymb fees gaestes forwyrd
Iponne J»ses lic-homan sef e on legre sceal
weortSan in worulde wyrme to hrof or
bifolen in foldan . Da gien seo faemne sprsec •
saga earm-sceapen unclaene gsest
hu fu fee gefyde fystra stihtend
on claenra gemong f u wit5 criste geo
wasrleas wunne and gewin tuge
hogdes wif halgum , f e weartS helle seatS
nifer gedolfen faer fu nyd-bysig
fore oferhygdum eard gesohtes .
wende ic fast f u fy waerra weorfan sceolde
*wi5 soffsestum swylces gemotes L*72«]
and fy unbealdra f e fe oft witSstod
f urh wuldor-cyning willan fines ,
Hyre fa se werga witS-fingade
earm aglseca J>o me aerest saga,
hu Jw gedyrstig furh deop gehygd
wurde fus wig-frist ofer eall wifa cyn
feet f u mec f us faeste fetrurn gebunde
aeghwaes orwigne - fu in ecne god
400
404
408
412
416
420
424
428
432
. V. SAINT JULIANA. 267
to pry through all his inmost thoughts,
howe'er secured the soul may be within, 400
arrayed as a bulwark. The rampart's gate
with malice open I; when the tower is pierced,
an entrance forced, then at first, /t^u^fe^.^6^? ?2*sl.
through mine archery, I send forth 404
into his bosom bitter thoughts,
through various desires of the heart,
so that it seemeth to him a better thing
to perpetrate iniquity, bodily lusts, 408
than to praise God. I become his diligent instructor,
that in mine evil habits he may live,
manifestly turned from the law of Christ,
his mind seduced into my power, 412
into the abyss of sin. I care more zealously
for the soul's, for the spirit's utter ruin,
than for the body's, which in the grave,
here in this world, committed to earth, 416
shall become a prey to worms.' Then yet the damsel spake : —
'Say, wretched creature, spirit unclean, dispenser of darkness, how couldst thou press into the company of the pure! Thou thyself, traitor, 420
didst once strive 'gainst Christ, didst wage war, and didst plot against the Holy One. For thee was the pit of hell dug beneath, where thou, worried with woes, for thine overweening pride, sough test a home. 424
I trowed that thou wouldst be the more wary of all such meetings with the righteous, tad the less bold, for they have oft, through the King of glory, withstood thy will.' 428
To her the accursed, the miserable wretch, made rejoinder thus : — ' Do thou first tell me how thou, daring one, becamest through thy deep thought thus bold in strife, beyond all womankind, 432
that thou hast bound me fast with fetters thus, wholly defenceless! Thou in thine Eternal God,
268 V. SAINT JULIANA. 435-466.
j?rym-sittendne Jnnne getreowdes
meotud mon-cynnes swa ic in minne focder 436
hell-warena cyning hyht staj>elie
jxnme ic beom onsended wi5 soSfaestum
\>ait ic in man-weorcum mod oncyrre
hyge from halor . me hwilum bij) 440
forwyrned J?urh wifci-steall willan mines
hyhtes set halgum swa me her gelamp
sorg on sipe . ic J?set sylf gecneow
to late micles t sceal nu lange ofer J>is 444
scyld-wyrcende scame j?rowian •
forjxm ic J?ec halsige )mrh J>ees hyhstan meant
rodor-cyninges giefe se J>e on rode-treo
geJ?rowade fyrmraes ealdor 448
"past pu. miltsige me fearfendum
fset unsaelig eall ne forweorfe
peah ic J?ec gedyrstig and J>us dol-willen
sij?e gesohte J?eer ic swif>e me 452
J?yslicre ser frage ne gewende:/
[V.]
TPva seo wlite-scyne wuldres condel
-*-^ to fawi wser-logan wordum maelde •
Du scealt ancZdettan yfel-dseda ma 456
hean helle ggest 8er \>u heonan mote
bwset pu *to teonan J>urh-togen haebbe [*72 6.]
micelra man-weorca manna tudre
deorcum gedwildum hyre J>aet deofol oncwaeS 460
nu ic pset gehyre Jmrh J>inne hleo]x>r-cwide
pcet ic nyde sceal ntya gebaeded
mod meldian swa j^u me beodest
J>rea-ned J?olian . is J>eos frag ful strong 464
Jneat ormaete.ic sceal j?inga gehwylc
folian and fafian on ]?inne dom
437. MS. werena.
V. SAINT JULIANA. 269
sitting in majesty, hast placed thy trust,
in mankind's Maker, e'en as I in my father, 436
the King of hell's inhabitants, repose my hope,
when I am sent against the righteous,
that I in wicked deeds may turn their minds,
their spirits, from salvation. Sometimes 440
through their opposition I am denied my will,
my hope with the holy, as to me hath here befallen
sorrow in my journey ! This perceive I myself,
much too late. Now must I long, sin-working, 444
endure shame, on account of this ;
wherefore I beseech thee, through the might of the Supreme,
through the grace of heaven's King, the Prince of majesty,
who on the rood-tree suffered, 448
that thou pity me, miserable one,
that all unblessed I perish not,
though I daringly and thus foolishly
sought thee in this journey, where verily I expected not 452
such a time as this for myself.'
V.
Then the beauteous lamp of glory spake in words to the perfidious fiend : —
'Thou shalt confess more evil deeds, 4^6
vile spirit of hell ! ere thou mayst hence, yea, all the mighty works of wickedness thou hast accomplished, to harm the race of men by dark delusions.' Her the devil thus addressed : — 46o
'Now hear I in thine utterance that I must needs, by hate constrained, tell all my mind, and must suffer this pang, as thou commandest me. This course is too severe, 464
tlii < ii 1 tisement too great. Each thing must I iimnder end uibmii unto fchy doom.
270 V. SAINT JULIANA. 467-500.
wom-dseda onwreon J?y ic wide-ferg
sweartra gesyrede . of[<] ic syne ofteah 468
ableude bealo-f>oncum beorna unrim y
monna cynnes mist-helme forbrsegd
J>urh attres ord eagna leoman
sweartura scurum and ic sumra fet 472
forbrsec bealo-searwum surae in bryne sende
in liges locan ]>cet him lasta wear's
sifast gesyne eac ic sume gedyde
Ipcet him ban-locan blode spiowedan 476
]>cet hi fseringa feorh aleton
J>urh gedra wylm , sume on ytS-fare
wurdon on weg wsetrum bisencte
on mere-flode minum crseftura 480
under reone stream sume ic rode bifealh
Ipcet hi hyra dreorge on bean galgan
lif aletan sume ic larum geteah
to geflite fremede \>cet hy fseringa 484
eald-setyoncan edniwedan
beore dru[w]cne ; ic him byrlade
wroht of wege J>set hi in win-sele
J?urh sweord-gripe sawle forletan 488
of flsesc-homan fsege scyndan
sarum gesohte sume J>a ic funde •
butan *godes tacne gymelease [*73 a.]
ungebletsade J?eah ic bealdlice 492
Jmrh mislic cwealm minum hondum
searo-Jxmcum slog , ic asecgan ne maeg
J>eah ic gesitte sumer-longne dseg
eal J>a earfej>u pe ic ser and sij> 496
gefremede to facne si]))?an furf>um wabs
rodor arsered and ryne tungla
folde gefasstnad and fa forman men ■
adam and aeue. J>am ic ealdor ottyrong 5°°
468. MS. of. 486. MS. drucne.
V. SAINT JULIANA. 271
each black crime must I reveal, that I have ever
cunningly devised. I have oft withdrawn men's sight; 468
with baleful thoughts have I blinded folk innumerable
of human kind; with a mist-veil, with dark showers,
with poisoned arrows, have I reft
the light of their eyes. Of some have I broken the feet 472
by wicked snares ; some into fire have I sent,
into flame's embrace, so that no trace of them
was visible thereafter. And some have I afflicted,
that their bodies spouted blood, 476
so that suddenly they let forth life
through their veins' fount. Some on the billowy waves,
while on their way, were by my devices
submerged by the waters into the ocean-flood, 480
below the raging stream. Some to the cross have I consigned,
so that sadly they their life resigned
on the vile gallows. Some have I led on by my teachings,
and have urged to strife, so that they suddenly 484
have renewed old grudges,
drunken with beer ; for them poured I forth
discord from the cup, so that in the guest-hall,
through clutch of sword, they let forth the soul 488
from the body; dying they hastened forth,
beset with wounds. Some whom I found
without God's token, heedless
and unblessed, these nevertheless I boldly 492
by various deaths, by crafty devices,
slew with my hands. I may not declare,
though I sit here a summer-long day,
all the miseries which I early and late 496
have guilefully achieved, since first
the firmament was upreared and the course of the stars,
since earth was established and the first folk,
Adam and Kve, whom I deprived of life, 500
272 V. SAINT JULIANA. 5OI-534.
and hy gelserdc ]>cet hi In fan dryhtnes
ece ead-giefe an forleton
beorhtne bold-welan ])cet him beem gewear$
yrmj>u to ealdre and hyra eaferum swa 504
mircast man-weorca . hwaet sceal ic ma riman
yfel ende-leas ic eall gebser
wraj>e wrohtas geond wer-J>eode
J>a J»e gewordun widan feore 508
from frnman worulde fira cynne
eorlum on eorfan . ne waes senig J>ara
fpcet me ]?us Jjiiste swa J>u nu)m
halig mid hondum hrinan dorste . 512
nses aanig f>ses modig mon ofer eorf>an
)?urh lialge meaht heah-faedera nan
ne witgena J>eah J>e him weornda god
onwrige wuldres cyning wisdomes gaest ci6
giefe unmsete hwae]?re ic gong to J>am
agan moste naes aenig }?ara
past mec J>us bealdlice bennum bilegde ♦
J>ream for}>rycte aer f>u nu}>a 520
J?a miclaw meaht min ofer-swiSdest
faeste forfenge }>e me feeder sealde
feond mon-cynnes J>a he mec feran het
peoden of J>ystrum Ipcet ic J>e sceolde 524
synne swetan . J?aer mec sorg bi-*cwom [*73 6.]
hefig hond-gewinn ic bihlyhhan ne J>earf
aefter sar-wraece siS-faet }>isne
magum in gemonge \>onne ic mine sceal 528
agiefan gnorn-cearig gaful-raedenne
in J?am reongan ham Da se gerefa het
gealg-mod guma iulianan
of fam engan hofe ut gelaedan 532
on hyge halge hgejmum to spraece
to his dom-setle heo J?aat deofol teah
521. MS. iniclam. 533. MS. halige, i.e. halge.
V. SAINT JULIANA. 273
and so instructed them, that they forsook
love of the Lord, eternal happiness,
bright bliss of paradise ; that darkest wicked deed
to both of them and to their offspring too 504
brought misery for ever. "Why should I further enumerate
endless evil ? I have begotten
all hateful crimes throughout mankind,
which have come to pass among mortal folk, 508
among men on earth, through all the ages,
from the world's beginning. There was not one of them
that boldly thus durst touch me
with their hands as thou dost now, O holy maid ! 512
No man on earth was ever thus courageous,
through holy might, none of the patriarchs,
none of the prophets ; though the God of hosts, the King of glory,
had revealed to them the spirit of wisdom, 516
infinite grace, yet I access to them
might gain ; there was not one of them
that thus boldly loaded me with chains,
overwhelmed me with distress, until now at last 520
thou hast overcome, thou hast firmly arrested,
my great power, which my father, mankind's foe,
gave me, when he, my lord, bade me
depart from the gloom, that I should sweeten 524
sin for thee; thence sorrow hath befallen me,
a heavy struggle. After thy sore revenge,
I may not he-laugh 'mong my comrades
this expedition, when I, oppressed with care, 528
must render my fixed tribute
in that sad home.' Then the count,
the fierce-minded wight, commanded Juliana,
holy of soul, to be led forth 532
from that narrow house, for converse with the heathen
at his judgment-Feat. Animated in her spirit,
T
J
C*-fv-t
274 V. SAINT JULIANA. S^SS^^
breostum inbryrded bendum fsestne
halig haej>enne , ongan J>a hreow-cearig 536
sitS-feet seofian sar cwanian
wyrd wanian wordum maelde •
ic J>ec halsige hlsefdige min-
iuliana fore godes sibbum 540
J>set ]?u furj>ur me fracefu ne wyrce
edwit for eorlum fonne J)u ser dydest
J>a pu oferswiJ?dest J>one snotrestan
under hlin-scuan hel-warena cyning 544
in feonda byrig \cet tis feeder user
morJ>res man-frea • . hwset )?u mec J>reades
J>urh sar-slege ic to soJ>e wat
\>ast ic ser ne sij> senig ne mette 548
in woruld-rice wij? J>e gelic
J?ristran geJ>ohtes ne J»weorh-timbran
msegj»a cynnes . is on me sweotul
J>aet }>u unscamge aeghwses wurde , ■ ■ . 552
on ferfe frod- Da hine seo feemne forlet
sefter ]?ra3c-hwile )?ystra neosan
in sweartne grund sawla gewinna[n]
on wita forwyrd wiste he J?i gearwor 556
manes melda magum to secgan
susles J»egnum hu him on sitSe gelonip:^:/
[VI.]
*georne ser [*74 a.]
heredon on heahj»u« and his halig \wuldor\ 560
ssegdon soolice ])cet he sigora gehwaes
ofer ealle gesceaft ana wolde
ecra ead-giefa- Da cwom engel godes
frsetwum blican and Ipcet fft tosceaf 564
544. MS. werena. 545. MS. his. 555. MS. gewinna.
559. A page of MS. is missing between gelomp, the last word of 73 b., and georne, the first of 74 a. The substance of the missing passage may be in- ferred from the Latin original {see Notes). 560. A word is omitted after halig: there is no hiatus in the MS.
V. SAINT JULIANA. 275
she drew the devil along with her, fast in bonds ;
the holy maiden drew the heathenish fiend. . Sad then 536
began he to lament his errand, to bewail his pain,
to deplore his fate ; thus spake he in words :
'I beseech thee, lady mine,
Juliana, by God's peace, 540
put not upon me fresh indignity,
reproach before men, as thou didst before,
when thou overcamest under the prison roof
the most cunning, the king of hell's inhabitants, 544
in the city of thy foes ; that is our father, .
the impious lord of sin. Yea ! thou hast chastised me
by painful stroke; I truly know
that I have never met, early or late, 548
in the world's realm, any like unto thee
in daring thought, nor more intractable,
among all womankind. To me 'tis manifest
that thou art become wholly blameless, 552
full wise of soul.' Then the damsel dismissed him,
the foe of souls, after his forced stay,
to visit darkness down in the swart abyss,
in hell's perdition; the better knew he then, 556
the announcer of wickedness, to narrate unto his mates,
the ministers of torment, how it befell him on his journey.
VI.
erewhile eagerly
they lauded Him on high and His holy glory; 560
they said that truly He alone ordained
each victory, each lasting gift of happiness,
through all creation. Then came God's angel,
shining resplendently, and scattered the fire; 564
T 2
276 V. SAINT JULIANA. 565-598.
gefreode and gefreoo^ade facnes clsene
leahtra lease and J>one lig towearp •
heoro-giferne J>ser seo hal^e stod*
msegj?a bealdor on J>am midle gesund , 568
J>set J>am weligan waes weorc to J>olianne
J>aer he hit for worulde wendan [ne] meahte !
sohte synnum fah hu he sarlicast
Jrnrh }>a wyrrestau witu meahte 572
feorh-cwale findan Naes se feond to laet •
se hine gelaerde J>aet he laemen faet
biwyrcan het wundor-craefte
wiges womum and wudu-beamura 576
holte bi[/i]laenan • t5a se [hearda] bibead
]>cet mon j?aet lam-faet leades gefylde
and ]?a onbaernan het bael-fira maest
ad onaelan se waes aeghwonan 580
ymb-boren mid brondum haeS hate weol .
het J?a ofestlice yrre gebolgen
leahtra lease in }>aes leades wylm
scufan butan scyldum* }?a toscaden wearS 584
lig tolysed lead wide sprong
hat heoro-gifre [^JseleS wurdon acle
arasad for J?y raese J>aer on rime forborn
J>urh )?83S fires fnaest fif and hund-seofontig 588
haeones herges Da gen sio halge stod
ungewemde wlite naes hyre wloh ne hraegl
ne feax ne fel fyre gemaeled
ne lie ne leoJ>u heo in lige stod 592
aeghwaes onsund saegde ealles J>onc
dryhtna *dryhtne . J>a se dema wearS [* 74 b.]
hreoh and hyge-grim ongon his hraegl teran
swylce he grennade and gristbitade 596
w6dde on gewitte swa wilde deor
grymetade gealg-mod and his godu taelde
567. MS. halie. 570. MS. wendeu meahte. 577. MS. bilaenan.
There is no hiatus in MS. between se an d bibead; hearda is conjectural. 586. MS. sele©.
V. SAINT JULIANA. 277
freed and protected the guileless maid
and sinless ; he cast aside the flame,
fiercely-raging, where in the midst the holy damsel,
chief of women, stood safe and sound. 568
It was a hard thing for the rich lord to endure,
as he might not change it before all the world ;
sin-stained sought he then, how he might most grievously,
by the direfullest torments, compass 572
her destruction. The fiend was not too slow ;
he so instructed him, that he commanded men to make
an earthen vessel with wondrous artifice,
with war-horrors, and to beset it with forest trees, 576
with wood. Then the cruel one bade,
that they should fill with lead that earthen vessel,
and ordered them to kindle then a vast bale-fire,
to light the pile. It was surrounded 580
with brands on every side ; the bath boiled hotly.
Chafed with anger, he bade them with all speed
to thrust the innocent, the guiltless maid,
into the surging lead. Then was the flame scattered 584
and dissolved; the lead spread far and wide,
hot, fiercely raging. The men were horror-stricken
at its torrent: there were burnt,
by the fire's breath, seventy-five in number 588
of the heathen host. But yet the holy damsel stood there
with spotless beauty; nor her hem nor her robe,
nor locks nor skin, nor body nor limbs,
were marked by the fire ; she Btood there in the flame 59a
wholly inviolate, and spake her thauks for all
unto the King of kings. Then was the judge
fierce and furious; he began to tear his robe,
and grimly grinned, and gnashed his teeth ; 596
he was maddened in mind, like a wild beast;
savagely he raged, and blasphemed his gods,
278
V. SAINT JULIANA. 599~6^0.
fees fe hy ne meahtuw msegne wifstondan wifes willan waes seo wuldres maeg anrsed and unforht eafooa gemyndig dryhtnes willan , fa se dema het aswebban sorg-cearig f urh sweord-bite on hyge halge heafde bineotan criste gecorene hine se cwealm ne f eah sif fan he f one fintan furf or cuf e : — :y
600
604
d:
[VII.]
a wearS feere halgan hyht geniwad and faes maegdnes mod miclum geblissacl sif fan heo gehyrde hseleS eahtian inwit-rune ]>cet hyre ende-stsef of gewin-dagum weorf an sceolde lif alysed , het fa leahtra ful claene and gecorene to cwale lsedan synna lease Da cwom semninga hean helle gsest hearm-leoS agol earm and unleed fone heo ser gebond awyrgedne and mid witum swong • cleopade fa for corf re cear-gealdra full gyldatS nu mid gyrne f set heo goda ussa meaht forhogd[e] and mec swifast geminsade \>cet ic to meldan wearSs leetatS hy lafra leana hleotan f urh waepnes spor v wrecatS ealdne nitS synne gesohte , ic fa sorge gemon • hu ic bendum faest bisga unrim on anre niht earfefa dreag yfel ormaetu • * fa seo eadge biseah ongean gramuin iulianat gehyrde heo hearm galan helle deofol feond mon-cynnes ongon fa on flean sceacan
[* 75 «.]
608
61
616
620
624
628
599. MS. hyne meahtum. 620. MS. forhogd 628. MS. iulianan.
V. SAINT JULIANA. 279
because they could not with might and main
withstand a woman's will. Aye was the maid of glory 600
resolved and fearless, mindful of her strength,
of the Lord's will. Then the judge, sorely worried,
commanded them by bite of sword to put to death
the holy-hearted one, to deprive of head 604
Christ's chosen maid ; her death profited him naught,
when he further knew the sequel.
VII.
Then was the holy damsel's hope renewed, the maiden's mind was greatly cheered, 608
when she heard the men pursuing their evil counsel, that there should be a final ending of her days of trouble,
her life set free. Then the sinful one commanded them 612 to lead to death the pure and chosen maid, so sinless. There came then suddenly hell's vile sprite; a baleful song sang he,
the hapless wretch, the accursed fiend, 616
whom she had erewhile bound and sorely scourged; full of dire enchantments, before the multitude he cried :: — 1 Requite now with evil that she hath despised our gods' might, and me most grievously 6 jo
humbled, so that I became a traitor. Let her now receive hateful recompense, through the weapon's wound ! Avenge your ancient grudge, ye sin-sick mortals ! My sore plight bear T in mind, 6.24
how I, fast in bonds, during one night, endured afflictions numberless, dire woes, evils immeasurable.' Then the blessed Juliana looked up towards the hateful sprite; 6i8
she heard hell's devil, mankind's foe, singing harm ; then began he to depart in flight,
280 V. SAINT JULIANA. 63 1 -664.
wita ueosan and J?aet word acwaetS
wa me forworhtum nu is wen micel 632
J>aet heo mec eft wille earmne gehynan
yflum yrmfum swa heo mec aer dyde*
Da waes gelaeded lond-mearce neah
and to J?aere stowe }>8er hi stearc-fer]>e 636
J>urh cumbol-hete cwellan J?ohtun •
ongon heo j?a laeran and to lofe trymman
folc of firenum and him frofre gehet
weg to wuldre and faet word acwaetS' 640
gemunatS wigena wyn and wuldres J>rymra
haligra hyht heofon-engla god
he is J>ses wyrSe \azt hine wer-J?eode
and eal engla cynn up on roderum 644
hergen heah-maegen J>aer is help gelong
ece to ealdre J>am Ipe agan sceal •
forfon ic leof weonid laeran wille
ae-fremmende \azt ge eower hus 648
gefsestnige J>y lees hit fer-blaedum
windas toweorpan • weal sceal J?y trumra
strong wi)>stondan storma scurum
leahtra gehygdum . ge mid lufan sibbe 652
leohte geleafan to J>am lifgendan
stane stiS-hy#de staJ?ol faestniatS :
sotSe treowe and sibbe mid eow
healdatS aet heortan halge rune 656
Jmrh modes myne \>onne eow miltse giefetS
feeder aelmihtig J>aer ge [frofre] agun
aet maegna gode maeste fearfe •
* aefter sorg-stafum , for)?on ge sylfe neton [* 75 6.] 660
ut-gong heonan ende lifes
waerlic me Jrince'S J>aet ge waeccende
witS hettendra hilde-woman
wearde healden py laes eow wiJ>er-feohtend 664
640. MS. acweft, i.e. acwseS. 654. MS. hydge.
658. frofre. conjectural.
V. SAINT JULIANA. 281
to visit hell's torments, and these words exclaimed : —
1 Woe is me, undone ! now ween I indeed 632
that she again will humble me, poor wretch,
by evil miseries, as she did before.'
Then the maid was led near to the land-march, unto the place where the hard-hearted men, 636
in their warlike hate, resolved to slay her. Then began she to instruct the folk, and to exhort them from sin to the praise of God, and promised them comfort, the way to glory, and spake these words: — 640
'Remember ye the Delight of warriors, the Glory of glories, the Hope of the holy, the heavenly angels' God. He deserveth that mankind should praise Him, and all the angelic race in the skies above, 644
the host on high, where help abideth for him, to all eternity, who is destined to possess it. Wherefore, dear people, I would fain exhort you, who keep His laws, that ye make firm 648
your house, lest the winds o'erthrow it - with sudden blasts; the firmer then will be the wall, stoutly will it withstand tempestuous storms, thoughts of wickedness. Do ye, with love's goodwill, 65a
with bright belief, firm in spirit, fix your foundation on the living Rock ; true faith and peace among yourselves
hold ye in your hearts, and the holy mysteries, 656
with the soul's full purpose; then will the Almighty Father grant you grace, when ye have greatest need of comfort from God Omnipotent,
after your afflictions. Verily, ye yourselves know not 660
your exit hence, your life's ending; prudent then methinketh it, that ye watch 'gainst the war-whoop of your enemies, and hold ward, lest, fighting 'gainst you, 664
282
V. SAINT JULIANA. 665-698.
weges forwyrnen to wuldres byrig
biddatS beam godes Ipcet me brego engla
meotud mon-cynnes milde geweorf>e
sigora sellend sibb sy mid eowic
symle sotS lufu- Da hyre sawl wearS
alseded of lice to J>am langan gefean
}mrh sweord-slege J?a se syn-sca]?a
to scipe sceoh-mod sceafena J>reate
heliseus eh-stream sohte
leolc ofer lagu-flod longe hwile
on swon-rade swylt ealle fornom
secga hloJ>e and bine sylfne mid
ser J»on hy to lande geliden hsefdon
J>urh J>earlic ]?rea J^aer »xxx« wees
and feowere eac feores onsohte
J?urh wseges wylm wigena cynnes
beane mid hlaford broJ>ra bidseled
hyhta lease belle sObton
ne forftan }>a J>egnas • in Jam Systran bam •
seo geneat-scolu in J?am neolan scrsefe
to fam frum-gare feob-gestealda •
witedra wenan J>set hy in win-sele
ofer beor-se[*]le beagas J»egon»
sepplede gold . ungelice waes
lseded lof-songum lie baligre
micle msegne to mold-graefe .
]?ast by bit gebrohton burgum in innan
sid folc mi eel • J?aer sit>(5an wses
geara gongum godes lof hafen
)?rymme micle 6\> Jdsne daeg
mid }>eodscipe , Is me }>earf micel •
*J>set seo balge me helpe gefremme [* 76 «.]
Iponne me gedselatS deorast ealra
sibbe toslita'S sin-biwan tu
668
672
676
6S0
684
688
692
696
685. MS. gestealde.
687. MS. sele.
698. MS: hiwan.
V. SAINT JULIANA. 283
they hinder your way unto glory's city.
Pray ye the Child of God, that the Prince of angels,
the Lord of mankind, the Giver of victories,
be merciful to me. Peace be with you, 668
true love for ever!' Then was her soul
led from her body unto the lasting joy,
through stroke of sword. Then the miscreant,
affrighted, took to ship ; with his band of ruffians, 672
Heliseus sought the ocean-stream;
long tossed he o'er the water-flood,
upon the swan-road. Death destroyed them all,
his band of men and himself with them, 676
through terrible distress, before they
had sailed unto land. There were
four and thirty of the race of warriors
bereft of life through the wave's rage, 680
servants together with their lord; comfortless,
hopeless, they sought hell.
His thanes, his retinue, had no need there,
in that dark home, in that nether cave, 684
to expect from their chieftain the rich possessions
promised, nor (might they hope) to receive,
in the guest-hall, across the beer-bench,
rings and golden bosses! How differently 688
was the holy maiden's corse led to its grave,
with songs of praise, with a mighty concourse!
A great multitude from far and wide brought it
within the city-boundaries. Thereafter, 69a
in the course of years, God's praise was there exalted,
with glorious pomp, until this day,
in the midst of folk. Mjlreat is my need,
that the saint afford me help, 696
when the dearest of all comrades part from me,
when the two consorts sever their kinship,
284 V. SAINT JULIANA. 699-73 1.
micle mod-lufan min sceal of lice
sawul 011 sitS-fset nat ic sylfa hwider 700
eardes uncy$J>u . of sceal i[c] J>issum
secan oJ>erne aer-gewyrhtum
gongan iu-daedum geomor hweorfeS-
C • Y • and • N • cyning bi}> re}>e 704
sigora syllend porme synnum fall
E- . W. and U- acle bidaS
hwaet him aefter daedum deman wille
lifes to leane. L« F- beofatS 708
seomatS sorg-cearig f sar eal gemon
synna wunde pe ic sip oppe aer
geworhte in worulde pcet ic wopig sceal
tearum msenan , waes an tid to laet 712
pcet ic yfel-daeda aer gescomede
fenden gaest and lie geador sij>edan
onsund on earde pemne arna bifearf
J?aet me seo halge wiS }>one hyhstan cyning 716
gepiugige mec J>aes fearf monaJ>
micel modes sorg bidde ic monna gehwone
gumena . cynnes pe J?is gied wraece
pcet he mec neodful bi noman minum 720
gemyne modig and meotud bidde
pcet me heofona helm helpe gefremme
meahta waldend on J>am miclan daege
feeder frofre gaest in J>a frecnan tid 724
daeda demend and se deora sunu
ponne seo J>rynis frymra-sittende
in annesse aelda cynne
Jmrh fa sciran gesceaft scrifetS bi gewyrhtum 728
meorde monna gehwam forgif us maegua god
pcet we J>ine onsyne aej>elinga wyn
milde gemeten on J>a maeran tid : — Amen :y
70T. i[c}, a letter erased after i.
V. SAINT JULIANA. 285
their mighty love, and my soul shall journey
forth from my body, I know not whither, 700
to an unknown dwelling-place. Hence from this place,
shall I seek another, according to my former works, -
my deeds of old. Sad shall depart
C, Y, and N; the King, the Giver of victory, 704
shall then be wroth, when, sin-stained,
E, W, and U, trembling shall await
what He will adjudge to them according to their deeds,
as life's reward ; L, F, shall quake, 708
and linger sorrowful. All the pain shall I remember,
the wounds of sin, which I, early or late,
wrought in the world ; weeping, shall I with tears
bewail it. I was too slow at the proper time, 712
in feeling shame before, for my evil deeds,
while soul and body, safe in their dwelling-place,
journeyed together. Help shall I then need,
that the saint should intercede for me 716
with the Sovran King. My sorry plight presageth this,
my soul's great grief. I pray every man
of human kind, who may recite this song,
that he earnestly and fervently remember me, 720
by my name, and pray the Creator,
that heavens' Chief, the Lord of all might,
the Father, the Spirit of Comfort, the Judge of deeds,
and the dear Son, may grant me help, 724
on that mighty day, at that perilous time,
when the Trinity, sitting in majesty,
in unity, prescribeth for human kind,
throughout the bright creation, each man's reward, 728
according to his works. Grant thou us, God of hosts,
that we, O Joy of men, may find
thy countenance benign at that great hour! Amen.
28C VI. THE WANDERER. I-29.
[VI. THE WANDERER]
OFT him anhaga are gebideS [* 76 b.] metudes miltse J^eah J>e he mod-cearig geond lagu-lade longe sceolde hreran mid hondum hrim-cealde sse 4
wadan wra3C-lastas wyrd bi$ ful araed • Swa cwsetS eard-stapa earfefa gemyndig wraj>ra wsel-sleahta wine-ma3ga hryre-
Oft ic sceolde ana uhtna gehwylce 8
mine ceare cwi}>an nis nu cwicra nan J»e ic him mod-sefan minne durre sweotule asecgan ic to soc5e wat
pcet brS in eorle indryhten ]?eaw 12
Ipstt he his ferS-locan fseste binde- healdf e his hord-cofan hycge swa he wille • Ne mseg werig-mod wyrde wi5-stondan
ne se hreo hyge helpe gefremman • 1 6
forfton dom-georne dreorigne oft in hyra breost-cofan bindaft faeste.% swa ic mod-sefan minne sceolde.
oft earm-cearig e<51e bidseled 20
freo-maegum feor feterum sselan siJ>J>an geara iu gold- wine min[n]e hrusan heolster biwrah and ic hean Jxman wod winter-cearig ofer waj»ema gebind • 24
sohte sele dreorig sinces bryttan hwaar ic feor oJ>J>e neah findan meahte J>one J?e in meodu-healle min[W]e wisse
oJ>J?e mec freondleas[^]e frefran wolde 28
wem'an mid wynnum . wat se J?e cunnaS
5. MS. ared, i.e. arsed. 14. MS. healdne. 22. MS. mine. 23. MS. heolstre. 24. MS. wa)>ena. 27. MS. mine. 28. MS. freondlease.
29. MS. weman.
VI. THE WANDERER. 287
VI. THE WANDERER.
'Oft a solitary mortal wisheth for grace, his Maker's mercy, though sick at heart he must long traverse the watery ways,
with his hands must stir the rime-cold sea, 4
and tread the paths of exile. Fate is full stubborn ! '
So spake a wanderer, mindful of miseries, of hostile slaughters, of dear kinsmen's fall: —
1 Oft must I alone each early morn 8
bewail my woes; there is none now living to whom I dare openly reveal mine inmost thoughts. Verily know I,
it is a noble virtue in a man 12
to bind fast the mind's enclosure,
to guard his treasure-chamber, whatever he may think. A weary mind cannot resist fate, '
nor can a sad soul afford help: 16
wherefore they who yearn for glory oft bind fast in their bosoms a troubled heart. So must I often bind in fetters
my soul's thoughts, miserably wretched, 20
deprived of country, far from my noble kin, since the day, now long ago, when earth's darkness covered my bounteous friend, and I went abject thence, stricken with winters, over the frozen waves ; 24
sad sought I the hall of some giver of treasure, some place, far or near, where one I might find, who in the mead-hall would show me love, would comfort mo in my friendlessness, 28
mid cheer me with delights. He knowoth who trietli,
288 VI. THE WANDERER. 3O-63.
hu slij^en biS sorg to geferan
J^am \>q him lyt hafaft leofra geholena
wara8 hine wraec-last nales wunden gold 5a
ferS-loca freorig *nalaes foldan bleed • [* 77 a. J
gemon he sele-secgas and sinc-)?ege
hu hine on geoguSe his gold- wine
wenede to wiste wyn eal gedreas • 36
forjxm wat se }>e sceal his wine-dryhtnes
leofes lar-cwidum longe forJ?olian»
Donne sorg and sleep somod setgaedre
earmne anhogan oft gebindaS* 40
JjincetS him on mode J>aet he his mon-dryhten
clyppe and cysse and on cneo lecge
honda and heafod swa he hwilum aer
in gear-dagum gief-stol^s breac • 44
Donne onwaecnetS eft wineleas guma
gesibS him biforan fealwe wegas
banian brim-fuglas braedan fefra
hreosan hrim and snaw hagle gemenged • 48
]>onne beotJ J>y hefigran heortan benne
sare aefter swaesne sorg bitS geniwad
]>onne maga gemynd mod geond-hweorfeS
grete"5 gliw-stafum georne geond-sceawacS 52
secga geseldan swimmatS eft on-weg
fleotendra fertS • no J>aer fela bringeS
cuSra cwide-giedda cearo biS geniwad
J>am pe sendan sceal swif>e geneahhe 56
ofer waj»ema gebind werigne sefan.
forJ>on ic gej>encan ne maeg geond }?as woruld
for hwan mod-sefat min ne gesweorce
]>onne ic eorla lif eal geond-f>ence 60
hu hi faerlice flet ofgeafon
modge magu-J?egnas swa f>es middan-geard
ealra dogra gehwam dreoseS and feallej? •
44. MS. giefstolas. 53. MS. oft. 59. MS. modeefan minne.
VI. THE WAXDEREI*. 289
how dire is care as comrade to him who has few trusty friends.
His portion is the exile's track, not twisted gold ; 32
a body chilled with frost, nought of earth's bliss; he remembers the retainers and the receipt of treasure, how in his youth his generous lord
regaled him at the feast ; but all delight has fallen away ! 36 For this knows he who must long forego the wise counsels of his dear lord and friend, that often when sorrow and sleep, both together, hind him, poor solitary wretch, 40
it seems to him in fancy as though he clasps and kisses his great lord, and on his knee lays hand and head, e'en as when erewhile,
in former days, he shared the gift-stool's bounty. 44
Then wakes again the friendless wight, sees before him the fallow ways, sea-birds bathing and spreading their wings, falling hoar-frost and snow mingled with hail. 48
Then the wounds of his heart become the heavier, in grief for the loved one; hrs sorrow is renewed, when the memory of kinsmen passes through his mind; he greets them with snatches of song, he scans them eagerly, 52 comrades of heroes : soon they swim away ; the sailor-souls do not bring thither many old familiar songs ; his grief is renewed, who must too often send forth 56
his weary spirit o'er the frozen waves. Verily I cannot imagine, as I survey this world, why my mind should not be saddened,
when I fully consider the life of earl.-. 60
how tliey have suddenly resigned their bftUf, brave-hearted fellows! So day by day tIiU middie-earth declines and falls,
( u
290 VI. THE WANDERER. 64-95.
forfon ne mseg weorf>an wis wer eer he age 64
wintra doel in woruld-rice * wita sceal gepyldig* [* 77 6.] Ne sceal no to hat-heort ne to hrsed-wyrde • ne to wac wiga ne to wanhydig-
ne to forht • ne to fsegen • ne to feoh-gifre • 68
ne nsefre gielpes to georn ser he geare cunne • beorn sceal gebidan poime he beot spricetS offset collen-fercS cunne gearwe
hwider hrefra gehygd hweorfan wille • 72
Ongietan sceal gleaw hsele hu gsestlic bi(5 fonne eallt pisse worulde wela weste stondecS • swa nu missenlice geond fisne middan-geard winde biwawne weallas stondap 76
hrime bihrorene hrySge pa ederas woria(5 fa win-sal 0 waldend licgacS dreame bidrorene dugup eal gecrong
wlonc bi wealle sume wig fornom 80
ferede in forS-wege sumne fugel opbser ofer heanne holm sumne se hara wulf deafte gedselde sumne dreorig-hleor
in eorS-scraefe eorl gehydde 84
ypde swa pisne eard-geard eelda scyppend offset burg-wara breahtma lease eald enta geweorc idlu stodon
Se Iponne pisne weal-steal wise gepohte 88
and J>is deorfce lif deope geond-pencecS frod in fertSe feor oft gemon wsel-sleahta worn and fas word acwitS •
hwser cwom mearg • hweer cwom mago • hwser cwom mappum- gyfa • 92
hwser cwom symbla gesetu • hwser sindon sele-dreamas • Eala beorht bune • Eala byrn-wiga • Eala peodnes prym hu seo prag gewat
64. MS. wear]>an. 69. An erasure of tivo letters in MS. after georn.
74. MS. ealle. 76. MS. biwaune. 78. MS. woniaS ; an erasure after w. 89. MS. deornce.
VI. THE WANDEBEK. 291
for mortal cannot grow wise until he gain 64
his years' portion in the world. A wise man must be patient ;
he must not be too passionate, not too hasty of speech,
not too timid a warrior, neither too rash,
not too afeared, nor too exultant, nor too greedy of money, 68
never too ready to boast ere he know full well.
A man must pause when he utters a boast,
until, for all his magnanimity, he really know
whither his heart's meditation will tend. 72
A wise man must grasp how ghastly it will be,
when all the wealth of this world stands waste,
even as now throughout this middle-earth
many a wall stands wind-beaten, 76
covered with rime, the hedges uprooted.
The guest-halls crumble; the masters lie
bereft of joy ; the warrior-band has all fallen,
once so stately at the rampart; war seized some 80
and carried them on their way hence; one a bird bore off
over the deep sea; another the grey wolf
apportioned unto death ; a third a sad-faced lord
imprisoned within an earth-cave. 84
Thus did the Creator of men lay waste this abode,
until, deprived of the noise of its inhabitants,
the ancient buildings of the giants stood empty.
Wherefore he who reflects well^ with wise contemplation, 88
on this walled ]>lnce and this dark life,
icious of spirit, oft calls back to mind many a fatal fight, and breaks forth in these words: — 'Where is gone the horse? where is gone the hero? where is gone the giver of treasure? 92
Where are gone the seats of the feast ? Where are the joys of the hall ? Ah, thou bright cup I Ah, thou mailed warrior! Ah the prince's pride! how has the time passed away,
292 VII. THE ENDOWMENTS OF MEN. I-TO.
genap under niht-helm swa heo no wsere • ^ 96
StondetS nu on laste leofre duguf>e y*£r
weal * wundrum heah wyrm-licum fah • [* 78 a.]
Eorlas fornoman asca J>ryJ>e
wsepen wsel-gifru wyrd seo maere 100
and J?as stan-hleofu stormas cnyssaS
hritS hreosende hrusan bindetS
wintres woma Iponnk won cyme's
nipetS niht-scua nor])an onsendetS 104
hreo hsegl-fare haelej>um on andan •
Eall is earfoolic eorfan rice
onwendeS wyrda gesceaft weoruld under heofonura •
her bitS feoh lsene • her bitS freond lsene • 108
her bi§ mon lsene • her biS mseg lsene
eal J>is eor)?an gesteal idel weor^etS •
Swa cwseft snottor on mode gesset him sundor set rune
til bij» se J»e his treowe gehealdej) ne sceal nsefre his torn
to rycene 112
beorn of his breostum acyj»an nemf>e he ser }>a bote cunne eorl mid elne gefremman wel bitS )?am J?e him are secetS frofre to feeder on heofonwra J>eer us eal seo fsestnung
stondetS : — :j
[VII. THE ENDOWMENTS OF MEN.]
FELA BitS on FOLDan • fortS-gesynra geongra geofona ]?a J>a gsest-berend wegatS in gewitte swa her weoruda god meotud meahtum swift monnum d letS 4
syletS sundor-giefe sendecS wide agne spede J>ara seghwylc mot dryht-wuniendra dael onfon
ne biS *senig J>ses earfotS-saelig [*78 b.] 8
mon on moldan ne J>ses med-spedig lytel-hydig ne J>ses lset-hydig
102. MS. hruee. 115. Two-line space behveen the sections.
VII. THE ENDOWMENTS OF MEN. 293
has darkened 'neath the veil of night, as if it had not been ! 96
Where once loved warriors trod, now stands
a wondrous high wall, glistening with worm-shapes;
the might of the spears, slaughter-loving weapons,
has swept off the nobles, — theirs was a glorious fate, — 100
but storms lash the rocky slopes,
and falling snow-drift binds the earth,
all winter's terror, when night's wan shadow
coms^darkling, and summons from the north 104
fierce hail-storms, to the grievance of men.
All the realm of earth is full of hardships ;
fate's decree changes the world beneath the heavens.
Here wealth passes away, here friend passes away, 108
here man passes away, here woman passes away,
all this earth's structure becomes empty.'
So spake the wise of heart; he sat apart in thought. Worthy is he who keeps his faith; a man must never too rashly 11a divulge his bosom's grief, unless he know beforehand bravely to find its cure. Well is it with him who seeks grace, solace of the Father in Heaven, with whom resteth all our security !
VII. THE ENDOWMENTS OF MEN.
Many arc the new gifts ever visible on earth, which men, soul-endowed, bear in their minds, e'en as here the God of hosts, the Lord strong in might, dealeth and distributrth 4
His several gifts to mortals, and sendeth tin in, l»v His own power, far and wide, and every dwell* r among folk may receive his share thereof.
is not any man on earth 8
so unblessed, nor so meanly endow el, bo weak of intellect, nor so sluggish of thought,
294 VII. THE ENDOWMENTS OF MEN. I I-45.
pcet hine se ar-gifa ealles biscyrge •
modes crsefta oJ>J>e msegen-dseda 12
wis on gewitte olppe on word-cwidum
J>y lses ormod sy ealra Jnnga
j?ara j?e he geworhte in woruld-life
geofona gehwylcre naefre god demeS 16
\>cet senig eft fees earm geweorSe •
nsenig eft J?ses swi}?e J>urh snyttru-crseft
in }>eode J>rym fisses lifes
for<5 gestigeS pset him folca weard 20
J>urh his halige giefe hider onsende
wise geJ>ohtas and woruld-crseftas
under anes meant ealle forlsete
J>y lses he for wlence wuldor-geofona ful* 24
mon mode switS of gemete hweorfe
and Ipomie forhycge hean-spedigran .
ac he gedseletS se ]>e ah domes geweald
missenlice geond J>isne middan-geard 28
leoda leoJ>o-crseftas lond-buendum .
sum[wm] her ofer eor]?an sehta onlih'S
woruld-gestreona sum bitS won-spedig
heard-sselig hsele bi$ hwse^re gleaw 32
modes crsefta sum meegen-strengo
furJ>or onfehtS- sum freolic bi(5
wlitig on wsestmum • sum bi)? wotS-bora
giedda giffsest • sum bij> gearu-wyrdig • 36
sum biS on hunto)?e hrecS-eadigra
deora drsefend* sum dyre bitS
woruld-ricum men • sum bi5 wiges heard
beado-crseftig beorn )?ser bord *stunat5- [*79a.] 40
sum in mseSle mseg mod-snottera
folc-rsedenne forS gehycgan
j?ser witena bij? worn setsomne
sum mseg wrsetliee weorc ahyggan 44
heah-timbra gehwses hond blS gelaered
30. MS. sum.
VII. THE ENDOWMENTS OE MEN. 295
that the Giver of Grace would cut him wholly off
from crafts of mind or strenuous deed*, 12
though feeble of wit or weak in utterance,
lest he despair of everything
which He hath wrought, of every gift,
during his life on earth; God never decreeth 16
that any man should become so abject.
Nor again shall any man so greatly advance
among folk the fame of his life here,
through power of wisdom, that the Guardian of men, 20
through His holy grace, will send unto him hither,
and leave 'neath his sole dominion,
all wise thoughts and all worldly crafts,
lest he, for pride, full of glorious gifts, 24
arrogantly turn from moderation,
and despise the more humbly endowed;
but He who possesseth the power of doom,
distributeth diversely o'er this mid-earth ?8
human faculties unto the world's inhabitants.
To one he granteth possessions here on earth,
worldly treasures. One is hapless,
a luckless wight, yet is he skilled 3a
in crafts of the mind. One receiveth in greater measure
bodily strength. One is comely,
beauteous of form. One is a poet,
gifted with song. One is eloquent. 36
One goeth a-hunting, a pursuer
<>f P rocious beasts. One is dear
to the man of worldly power. One is stout-hearted in battle,
a martial hero, when the shields clash. 40
One in the council of sagacious men
may deliberate on a nation's law,
when in, 11 v sages meet together.
One cunningly mny <l<vise the plea 44
of any lofty structure: his hand is leaned,
296 VII. THE ENDOWMENTS OF MEN. 46-80.
wis and gewealden swa biS wyrhtaii ryht
sele asettan con he sidne reeced
faeste gefegan wij? faer-dryrum- 48
sum mid hondum maeg hearpan gretan
ah he gleo-bearnes gearo-brygda list*
sum bitS rynig sum ryht-scytte •
sum leotSa gleaw • sum on londe snel 5 2
fej>e-spedig sum fealone waeg
stefnan steoretS stream-rade con
weorudes wisa ofer widne holm •
]>onne sae-rofe snelle maegne 56
arum bregdatS y<5-borde neah •
sum bitS syndig sum searo-crseftig
goldes and gimina Iponne him gumena weard
hateS him to maerfmm maj)|mm renian • 60
sum maeg waepen-fraece wige to nytte
mod-craeftig smitS monige gefremman
J>onne he gewyrceft to wera hilde
helm o]>]>e hup-seax otStSe heajm-byrnan 64
scirne mece otStSe scyldes rond
fasste gefegan witS flyge gares*
sum bitS arfsest and aelmes-georn
£>eawum gej>yde • sum bi$ J>egn gehweorf 68
on meodu-healle • sum bitS meares gleaw
wic-craefta wis* sum gewealden-mod
J?afatS in ge)?ylde \<xi he fonne sceal •
sum domas con £>aer dryht-guman 72
rsed eahtiatS • sum bitS hraed-taefle ■
*sum bi(S gewittig set win-J>ege [* 79 6.]
beor-hyrde god • sum bi(5 bylda til
ham to hebbanne • stun bitS here-toga 76
fyrd-wisa from • sum bij> folc-wita •
sum bif> aet J>earf[e] frist-hydigra
J?egn mid his J>eodne • sum gej^yld hafacS
fsest-gongel feitS- sum bi5 fugel-bona 80
76. MS. habbenne. 78. MS. J>earf.
VII. THE ENDOWMENTS OF MEN. 297
wise and powerful, as befitteth a craftsman,
in the fixing of a hall : he can firmly frame
the spacious dwelling 'gainst sudden fall. 48
One with his hands can greet the harp :
he hath skill in the glee-beam's prompt pulsations.
One is a runner ; one a sure archer ;
one skilled in songs; one is swift on land, 52
speedy of foot. One o'er the dusky wave
steereth the prow; the stream-road knoweth he,
guider of a host o'er the wide deep,
when bold seamen, quick of strength, 56
tug at their oars near the vessel's side.
One is a great swimmer. One is cunning
in gold and gems, whensoever a prince of men
biddeth him prepare a jewel for his adornment. 60
One, a skilful smith, is able to prepare
many a weapon-terror for use in war,
when he maketh, for men's strife,
helmet, or dagger, or martial burnie, 64
falchion bright, or shield's disk,
joining it firmly 'gainst the javelin's flight.
One is pious, diligent in alms,
virtuously good. One is a well-known thane 68
in the mead-hall. One is skilled in managing the steed,
wise in all horse-craft. One, self-controlled,
suffereth in patience whatsoever he must.
One understandeth the laws, when people 73
seek counsel. One is expert at dice.
One is witty at wine-bibbing,
a good beer-keeper. One is a builder,
good at raising a house. One is a general, 76
a bold leader of the host. One is a senator.
One is at the service of bold-hearted men,
a thane accompanying his lord. One hath patience,
a constant soul. One is a fowler, 80
298 VII. THE ENDOWMENTS OF MEN. 8 1 -II 3.
hafeces crseftig • sum biS to horse hwset •
sum bi<5 swiS-snel hafaS searolic gomen
gleo-dseda gife for gum-]?egnum
leolit and leo)m-wac sum bitS leofwende 84
hafaS mod and word raonnum gefnvaere •
sum her geornlice geestes }?earfe
mode bewinde]? and him metudes est
ofer eorS-welan ealne geceoseS • 88
sum bitS deor-mod deofles gewinnes
bitS a wicS firenum in gefeoht gearo*
sum crseft hafatS circ-nytta fela
mseg on lof-songum lifes waldend 92
hlude hergan hafacS healice
beorhte stefne • sum bi(5 boca gleaw
larum leoj^u-fsest • sum bij? list-hendig
to awritanne word-geryno* 96
nis nu ofer eor]mn senig monna
mode J^ses crseftig ne jpses mgegen-eacen
£>8et hi[ra] sefre anum ealle weorf>en
gegearwade }?y laas him gilp scecSSe 100
olppe fore J>sere mserlpe mod astige
gif he hafa)> ana ofer ealle men
wlite and wisdom and weorca blsed
ac he missenlice monna cynne 104
gielpes styreS and his giefe bryttatS-
sumfum on cystum • sumum on crseftum •
Bumuw on wlite • sumum on wige •
sumum he syleS monna *milde heortan [*80a.] 108
J>eaw-fa3stne geJ?oht • sum bij> J?eodne hold .
swa weorftlice wide to-sawe(5
dryhten his duguj^e. a J>8es dom age
leoht-bsere lof se us }?is lif giefetS 112
arid his milde mod monnum cype^iy
87. MS, eft. 95. leo)>u, erasure of one letter beticeen o and \>.
99. MS. hi. 106. MS. Bummum on cystum. in. MS. J>§3, i.e. \>ves.
113. cy])eS, the only word on the blank line between the sections.
VII. THE ENDOWMENTS OF MEN. 299
skilful with the hawk. One is bold on horseback.
One is very agile ; he hath cunning tricks,
the gift of merry pranks before the multitude;
he is light, and lithe of limb. One is lovable ; 84
he hath mind and words agreeable to men.
One diligently wrappeth here in his heart
his spirit's need, and chooseth his Maker's grace
before all the wealth of the world. 88
One is fond of warfare with the devil ;
he is ever ready to fight 'gainst iniquity.
One hath skill in many functions of the church ;
he can loudly glorify with songs of praise 92
the Lord of life; he hath in rich degree
a clear-resounding voice. One is skilled in books,
devoted to learning. One is cunning of hand
in writing down the mysteries of words. 96
There is not now on earth any man
so mighty of soul, nor so powerfully endowed,
that to him alone all gifts should be
assigned, lest arrogance should injure him, 100
or, for that greatness, his pride should rise,
if he singularly, beyond all other men,
hath beauty, and wisdom, and the glory of works;
but He variously correcteth the pride 104
of human kind; variously distributeth His gifts;
to one virtues, to another crafts,
to another beauty, to another warfare;
to one man He giveth a tender heart, 108
a well-ordered mind : one is faithful to his lord
Thus excellently the Lord soweth far and wide
His bounty. Wherefore may He aye have glory,
i< splendent praise, who giveth us life, 112
and rcvealeth unto men His gentle spirit I
300 VIII. a father's instruction, i -3 1,
[VIII. A FATHER'S INSTRUCTION.]
DVS frod feeder freo-bearn lserde mod-snottor [mow] maga-cystum eald wordura wis-fsestum ])cet he wel funge • Do a fsette duge deag Jrin gewyrhtu 4
god pe h\p symle goda gehwylces frea and fultum feond psan ofrum wyrsan gewyrhta wene pec J>y betran
efn elne J?is a fenden pxx lifge 8
feeder and modor freo Ipu mid heortan maga gehwylcne gif him sy meotud on lufan • wes Ipu ]?inum yldrum arfsest symle
fseger-wyrde and pe in fercSe lset u
fine lareowas leofe in mode fa fee geornast to gode trymmen* feeder eft his sunu frod gegrette
of re sif e heald elne f is • 16
ne freme firene ne neefre freonde f inum meege man ne gefafa fy lees fee meotud oncunne feet f u sy wommes gewita he f e mid wite gieldecS swylce f am of rum mid ead-welan • 20
Driddan syfe f onc-snottor guma breost-gehygdum his beam laerde Ne gewuna wyrsa widan feore
sengum eahta ac f u pe anne genim 24
to gesprecan symle spella and lara reed-hycgende sy ymb rice swa hit msege • feorfan sife feeder eft leerde
mod-leofne magan "past he gemunde *fis* [*80 b.~\ 2S
ne aswic sundor-wine ac a symle geheald ryhtum gerisnum • reefn elne fis fast fu naefre faecne weortS[e] freonde finum-
2. [Mon] conjectural. 31. MS. weorS.
VIII. A father's instruction. 301
VIII. A FATHER'S INSTRUCTION.
Thus an experienced father, wise of heart, old in manly virtues, taught his dear son, with sagacious words, that he might grow up goodly :—
1 Do always what is worthy ; if thy works be worthy, 4
God will ever be thy patron and support in each good thing, but a foe unto any other worse of works. Accustom thyself to the better ! Practise this zealously as long as ever thou livest ! 8
Father and mother love thou with all thy heart, and each of thy kindred, if the Lord be held in love by them. Be thou to thy parents ever dutiful,
fair of speech, and let thy teachers 12
be dear to thee in thy heart and soul, who most diligently confirm thee in goodness.'
The wise father addressed his son again, a second time: — 'Observe steadfastly this: 16
neither do thou commit evil, nor approve thou ever wickedness in thy friend or kinsman, lest the Creator accuse
thee, that thou art accessory to the crime : He will requite thee with
punishment, as He rewardeth the others with joyous bliss/ 20
A third time the man, so wise of thought, instructed his child with his bosom's thoughts :— 'Associate not, throughout life, with anyone of worse counsels, but take to thyself always 24
as thy counsellor one prudent in discourse and in doctrine ; as regards his power, be it as it may.'
A fourth time the father again instructed his beloved child, that lie should remember this: — 28
'Deceive not thy familiar friend, but always protect bin li-lit fittingly! Strive zealously for this, that thou be never treacherous to thy friend ! '
302 vm. a father's instruction. 32-65.
fiftan si)?e feeder eft ongon 32
breost-gejxmcum his beam laeran
druncen beorg J>e and dollic word
man on mode and in mufe lyge
yrre and sefeste and idese lufan 36
forSon sceal sewisc-mod oft simian
se J>e gewiteS in wifes lufan
fremdre meowlan J?ser bitS a firena wen
latSlicre scome long niS wicS god 40
geotende gielp wes J?u a giedda wis •
waer wiS willan worda hyrde •
siextan sif>e swass eft ongon
Jrnrh blitme gefoht his beam lseran 44
ongiet georne hwset sy god olplpe yfel
and toscead simle scearpe mode
in sefan j>inum and )>e a }?8et selle geceos •
a J>e bi5 gedaeled gif J>e deah hyge 48
wunaS wisdom in and j?us wast geare
andgit yfles heald Ipe elne wi(5
feorma J?u symle in £inum ferSe god •
seofeJ>an si$e his sunu lserde 52
feeder frod guma ssegde fela geo[w]gum •
seldan snottor guma sorg-leas blissatS
swylce dol seldon drymecS sorg-ful-
ymb his forS-gesceaft nefne he fa?hj>e wite • 56
wser-wyrde sceal wisfaest hsele
breostum hycgan nales breahtme hlud •
eahtoJ>an silpe eald feeder ongon
his mago monian mildum wordum 60
leorna lare lser-gedefe
wene J»ec in wisdom weoruda scyppend
hafa Ipe to hyhte haligra gemynd
and a sotS to syge Iponne * J>u secge hwaet- [*S1 a.] 64
nigej>an sij>e nsegde se gomola
37. MS. forSon, Son above the line. 53. MS. geogum.
viii. a father's instruction. 303
A fifth time the father then began 32
with his breast's thoughts to teach his child : — ' Guard thyself from drunkenness and foolish words, from evil in thy heart, and from lying in thy mouth, from anger and envy, and from woman's love; 36
for he must often wander forth abased in miud, who yieldeth to the love of woman,
to a strange damsel's love ; thence is always expectation of sin, and loathly shame, long enmity with God, 40
excessive vaunt. Be thou ever wise of speech, wary 'gainst lust, a guardian of thy words ! '
A sixth time the dear father again began, through kind thought, to teach his son : — 44
1 Distinguish carefully what is good or evil, and separate them ever, with clear discernment, in thy mind, and aye choose for thyself the better thing : it shall aye be allotted thee. If thy spirit be good, 48
if wisdom dwell therein, and thus thou knowest well the sense of evil, withstand it boldly! Cherish thou constantly goodness in thy soul ! '
A seventh time the father, the wise man, 52
instructed his son; much said he to the youth: — 1 Seldom is a wise man's rejoicing free from care ; e'en as seldom is a fool's revelry troubled with care concerning the future, unless he experience adversity. 56
Cautious of speech, a prudent mortal must ponder in his breast, not loud with noise.'
An eighth time the old father began to admonish thus his son in kindly words :— 60
'Learn thou such lore, as is fitting to be learnt; accustom thyself to wisdom; the Creator of hosts have thou as thy hope, and the memory of saints ; and truth ever be thy triumph, when thou aught sayest.' 64
A ninth time spake the aged mm.
304 vin. a father's instruction. 66-94.
eald uS-wita ssegde eaforan worn
nis. nu fela folca pcette fyrn-gewritu
healdan wille ac him hyge brosnatS 68
ellen cola's idla<5 J>eod-scype
ne habbaS wiht for pcet )?eah hi worn don
ofer meotudes bibod monig sceal ongieldan
sawel-susles ac Iset )?inne sefan healdan 72
fortS fyrn-gewritu and frean domas
Ipa J?e her on msegcSe gehweere men forlaeta]?
swiJ>or asigan Iponne him sy sylfum ryht •
Teofan si]?e torn-sorgna ful 76
eald eft ongon eaforan Iseran
snyttra bruce)? ]?e fore sawle lufan
WarnatS him wommas worda and da?da
on sefan symle and so)) freme<5 80
biS him geofona gehwylc gode geyced
meahtum spedig • ])onne he mdn flyhtS
yrre ne last J>e sefre gewealdan
heah in hre]?re heoro-worda grand 84
wylme bismitan ac him warna(5 \at
on geheorfcum hyge haele sceal wisfaest
and gemetlice modes snottor
gleaw in gehygdum georn wisdomes 88
swa he witS selda maeg eades hleotan •
ne beo J>u no to tselende ne to tweo-spraece
ne J»e on mode lset men to fraco)>e
ac beo leofwende leoht on gehygdum 92
ber breost-cofan swa J>u min beam gemyne
frode feeder lare and J>ec a witS firenum geheald : — :j
73. M S. fyrn forff gewritu. 83. MS. m<5n.
VIII. a father's instruction. 305
the ancient sage ; said he many things unto his offspring : —
' There are not now many folk, who fain observe the writings of old, but their minds grow corrupt, 68
their ardour cooleth, discipline cometh to nought ; they reck not thereof a whit, though they commit guilt against the Lord's command; many a one shall pay with their soul's torment ; but do thou let thy heart ever observe 72
the writings of old, and the Lord's decrees, which here, in every tribe, men suffer to decline, more than is right for them.
A tenth time, full of grievous cares, 76
the old man again began to teach his son : — • He useth wisdom, who, for his soul's sake, guardeth himself in his heart ever
from sins of word and deed, and promoteth truth j 80
to him each gift shall be in-creased by God, he shall abound in might, when he fleeth from vice. Let not anger, the abyss of fierce words,
surging within thy breast, ever overpower thee, 84
defile thee with its welling waves ; but a man must guard himself
therefrom in his courageous soul, if he be wise and temperate, of mind sagacious,
prudent in thoughts, and desirous of wisdom : 88
so may he gain happiness throughout the ages. Be not too prone to blame, nor too equivocal, nor admit unto thy mind men too worthless; but be thou lovable, and blithe of soul ; 92
so bear thou thy heart, that thou, my son, remember thy father's prudent teaching, and hold thee ever against sin !
Original and Extra Series Bool's, 1893-6. 3
Junt 1893. For this year the Original-Series Texts were issue! in 1892, and so was one of the Extra-Series Texts ; while the other went out early in 1893. The Texts of Loth Series 394 (except The Prymcr, which is nearly ready) are now issued, with one of the Original Series for 1895 (the other is promist for July). The Extra Series Texts for 1895 are almost sure to be issued in 1893, as well as some Texts for L396. Members are askt to send their two- or three-years' subscriptions for both Series at once in advance.
The Original-Series Texts for 1S93 are : — Xo. 100, Capgrave's Life of St. Katharine, the text edited by Dr. (J. Ilorstmann, with Forewords, side-notes, and a discussion of Chaucer's gh and Shakspere's long i, by Dr. F. J. Furnivall ; and No. 101, the Cursor Mundi, Part VII and last, an Essay on the MSS. of the Poem, their Dialects and Relation, &c, by Dr. H. Hupe.
The Extra-Series Texts for 1S93 are — Xo. LXIII. Thomas a Kempis's Dc Imitation* Christi, englisht : the first three books from the MS in Trinity College Dublin, about 1440 A.D., and from Dr. Wm. Atkynson's version, printed by "Wynkyn de Worde in 1502; and the fourth book by Margaret, Countess of Richmond and Derby, Mother of Henry VII ; the whole edited by Prof. J. K. Ingram, LL.D. ; and Xo. LXIV. Dr. Mary X. Colvims edition of Caxton's Godfrey of Boloyne, or Last Siege of Jerusalem, A.D. 1481.
The Original Series Texts for 1894 are— Xo. 102. Part I of Dr. R. von Fleischhacker's edition of the englisht Lanfranc's Cirurgie, about 1100 a.d., a treatise perhaps more valuable for Dictionary purposes than any yet issued by the Society; which takes up to Chaucer's death the whole class of surgical and medical words (besides many others of common speech) which we before had only" from the black-letters of Queen Elizabeth's time. (Dr. von hhaeker is now in England, and hopes soon to finish Part II). Xo. 103. The Prymer or Lay Folk's Prayer-look, edited by Mr. Henry Littlehales. and his friend Mr. A. R. Clark.
The Extra Series Texts for 1894 are Xo. LXV, the 3rd and last Part of Sir Ben's of ffamton, edited by Prof. Kolbing, Ph.D., and Xo. LXVI, Lydgate'a and Burgh's Secrets of Philisoffres, edited by Robert Steele, P. A.
For 1895, the first Text of the Original Series is Xo. 104, Part I of Mr. Gollancz's re- edition of The Exeter Book, from the unique MS. The second, Xo. 105, will be Prof. Napier's edition of a 12th-century Homily on the Legend of the Cross, with an Introduction on the different Legends about it, together with an incomplete Chester J/ //nut /<> the Virgin of the 18th century, and a short Paper on the soft and hard gfa of the Ormylum MS., with a facsimile.
During 1892. two unexpected sources of help to the Society sprang up. First, Mr. Henry Littlehales of Bexley Heath, who had printed a MS of the English Prymer, ab. 1400 a.d., kindly offerd ?<> copy, and pay for the setting, not only of the Cambridge University MS of the Prymer, ab. 1425 a.d., but also of a series of extracts from the Rochester Diocesan Reg- illustrating the religious condition and social life of the dies ese. The Prymer or Lay Prayer-book is all in typo, and will form a valuable portion of the Society's Pre- matura vernacular Liturgr undertaken en the recommendation of the late The E x fraet> from the Rochester Diocesan Registersare nearly half copied, and will go to press soon. Mr. Littlehales has also put himself generally at the Society's . , and h s copied half of the Salisbury Cathedral MS of that very quaint treatise,
■ Well, about the middle of the 15th century. Mr. Littlehales has likewise copied, and
sty the very interesting scl of Accounts of Prior Moore of Worcester,
Caitiff, &c, &c. of help comes, mosl gratifyingly, from the University of Chicago, Two a the English Departmenl t her-. .Mr. MacClintock and Mr. Oscar Triggs— with the • of their Principal. Dr. Harper agreed to edit and print at the Chicago University . two Early English Texts to be issued jointly by the IJnivi raity and the E. E. T. Bo
i its electrotypes. Prof. MacClintock chose the theological collection of John L . A.n. 1434 (see p. 10 below), and Prof. Triggs chose Lydgate's
hlyoftlu Gods. They hope that, notwithstanding their great World's Fair, these Texts will be issued in '
the E. B. '! . from the above-named helpers will be devoted to its
ating fund. The out-of-prini 1 reatly wanted by members and
■ rs to complete their sots of the ■ ■
An argent appeal i hereby made to Members to increase the lisl of Subscribers to the nothing less than a crying -caudal that the Hellenic S 9 10 members, while the Early English T<
'ind-Seii, 16 and 1897 will be chosen from b iv at
; 1 18 1 and 1 '
edited by Rol I [ I ol 1 1
■ lit, .1 by Dr. I'. J. I'm niv.ill ; Mr. Ool Saxon from the unique MS. in I. of the
•I Texts preparing. Extra Series Texts, 1894-6. Deguilleville.
fragments of Queen Elizabeth's englishings (in the Record Office) from Boetkius, Plutarch, &c. ; Dr. Furnivall's edition of tlie Lichfield Gilds is also all printed, and waits only for the Introduction, which Prof. E. C. K. Gonner lias kindly undertaken to write for the hook. Prof. Mead has sent to press the completion of the prose Merlin, for which the Society has been looking in vain from its Treasurer since 1870. Miss Mary Bateson has at press George Asliliy's Active "Policy of a Prince, &c, from the unique MS, a.d. 1463. Prof. Ingram's edition of the englisht Expugnacio Eibemica of Giraldus Cambrensis, with interesting dia- lectic features, is also at press. Mr. Utley is home from Roumania, and promises to finish Lyndeaay's Works this year. Dr. G. Herzfeld's re-edition of the Anglo-Si xon Martyrology is all in type. Part II of Dr. Holthausen's Vices and Virtues needs only its Glossary.
Mr. Steele has in type two prose englishings of the Sccreta Sccretorum from MSS. at Lambeth, the second of which is very rich in new words. A version by .lames Yonge in 1428, made for the Earl of Ormonde, will be copied from its Rawlinson MS. at Oxford, and collated with the later Lambeth MS. All three versions differ widely in contents and words.
The Texts for the Extra Series in 1S95 and 1896 will be chosen from the prose Romance of Melusinc, edited from the unique MS. by Mr. A. Iv. Donald (text all printed) ; The Time Kings' Sons, edited from its unique MS. by Dr. Leon Kellner (at press) ; The Towneley Plays, re-edited from the unique MS. by Mr. George England and A. W. Pollard, M.A. ; Part II of The Clicstcr Plays, re-edited from the MSS., with a full collation of the formerly missing Devon- shire MS., by Mr. G. England (at press) ; the Parallel-Text of the only two MSS. of the Owl and Nightingale, edited by Mr. G. F. H. Sykes (at press) ; Hoecleve's englishing of ])e Re- giminc Principum, 1411-12, edited by Dr. Eurnivall ; Deguilleville's Pilgrimage of the Life of Man, three prose versions — two English, one French — edited by G. N. Currie, M.A. Some of these Texts will be ready in 1893. Members are therefore askt to send Advance Sub- scriptions in 1893, for 1894, 1895 and 1896, in order that the 1894-6 books may be issued to them as soon as the editions are finisht. The Society's experience has shown that Editors must be taken when they are in the humour for work. All real Students and furtherers of the Society's purpose will be ready to push-on the issue of Texts. Those Members who care only a guinea a year (or can afford only that sum) for the history of our language and our nation's thought, will not be hurt by those who care more, getting their books in advance ; on the contrary, they will be benefited, as each successive year's work will then be ready for issue on New Year's Day. Members are askt to realise the fact that the Society has now 50 years' work on its Lists, — at its present rate of production, — and that there is from 100 to 200 more years' work to come after that. The year 2000 will not see finisht all the Texts that the Society ought to print.
Mr. G. N. Currie is preparing an edition of the 15th and 16th century Prose Versions of Guillaume de Deguilleville's Pilgrimage of the Life of Man, with the French prose version by Jean Gallopes,- from Mr. Henry Hucks Gibbs's MS., Mr. Gibbs having generously promist to pay the extra cost of printing the French text, and engraving one or two of the illuminations in his MS.
Guillaume de Deguilleville, monk of the Cistercian abbey of Chaalis, in the diocese cf Senlis, wrote his first verse Pelerinaige cle V Homme in 1330-1 when he was 36. 1 Twenty-live (or six) years after, in 1355, he revised his poem, and issued a second version of it, and this is the only one that has been printed. Of the prose representative of the first version, 13301, a prose Englishing, about 1430 A.D., was edited by Mr. Aldis Wright for the Roxbnrghe Club in 1869, from MS. Ff. 5. 30 in the Cambridge University Library. Other copies of this prose English are in the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow, Q. 2. 25 ; Univ. Coll. and Corpus Christi, Oxford- ; and the Laud Collection in the Bodleian, no. 740. A copy in the Northern dialect is MS. G. 21, in St. John's Coll., Cambridge, and this is the MS. which will be edited by Mr. Sidney J. Heirtage for the E. E. Text Society. The Laud MS. 740 was somewhat condenst and modernised, in the 17th century, into MS. Ff. 6. 30, in the Cambridge University Lib- rary:3 "The Pilgrime or the Pilgrimage of Man in this World," copied by Will. Baspoole, whose copy "was verbatim written by Walter Parker, 1645, and from thence transcribed by G. G. 1649 ; and from thence by W. A. 1655." This last copy may have been read by, or its story reported to, Bunyan, and may have been the groundwork of his Pilgrim's Progress. It will be edited by Mr. Currie for the E. E. T. Soc, its text running under the earlier English, as in Mr. Heritage's edition of the Gcsta llomanorum for the Society. In February 1464,4 Jean Gallopes — a clerk of Angers, afterwards chaplain to John, Duke of Bedford, Regent of France — turned Deguilleville's first-verse Pelerinaige into a prose Pelcrinage de la vie humainc.5 By the kindness of Mr. Hy. Hucks Gibbs. as above mentiond, Gallopes's French text will be printed opposite the early prose northern Englishing in the Society's edition.
1 He was born about 1205. See Abbe Goujet's Bibliotheque francaixe, Vol. IX, p. 73-4.— 1\ M.
2 These 3 MSS. have not yet been collated, but are believed to be all of the same version.
« Another MS. is in the Pepys Library. 4 According to Mr. Hy. Hucks Gibbs's MS.
5 These were printed in France, lato in the 15th or early in the 16th century.
Anglo-Saxon Psalters. More Money wanted. Saints' Lives. 5
The Second Version of DeguiWeyiYle's Pelerinaige de V Homme, a.d. 1355 or -6, was englisht in verse by Lydgate in 1426. Of Lydgate's poem, the larger part is in the Cotton MS. Vitellins C. xiii (leaves 2-308). This MS. leaves out Chaucer's englishing of Deguilleville's A B C or Prayer to the Virgin, of which the successive stanzas start with A, B, C, and run all thro' the alphabet ; and it has 2 gaps, of which most of the second can be fild up from the end of the other imperfect MS. Cotton, Tiberius A vii. The rest of the stopgaps must be got from the original French in Harleian 4399,1 and Additional 22,9372 and 25,5943 in the British Museum. Lydgate's version will be edited in due course for the Society.
Besides his first Pelerinaige de Vhomme in its two versions, Deguilleville wrote a second, "de 1'anie separee du corps, "and a third, "de nostre seigneur Iesus." Of theseeond, aprose Englishing of 1413, The Pilgrimage of the Sowle (perhaps in part by Lydgate), exists in the Egerton MS. 615,4 at Hatfield, Cambridge (Univ. Kk. 1. 7, Cains), Oxford (Univ. Coll. and Corpus), and in Caxton's edition of 1483. This version has ' somewhat of addicions ' as Caxton says, and some shortenings too, as the maker of both, the first translator, tells us in the MSS. Caxton leaves out the e;ir]ier englisher's interesting Epilog in the Egerton MS. This prose englishing of the Sowle will be edited for the Society after that of the Man is finisht, and will have Gallopes's French opposite it, from Mr. Gibbs's MS., as his gift to the Society. Of the Pilgrimage of Jesus, no englishing is known.
As to the MS. Anglo-Saxon Psalters, Dr. Hy. Sweet has edited the oldest MS., the Vespasian, in his Oldest English Texts for the Society, and Mr. Harsley has edited the latest, c. 1150, Eadwine's Canterbury Psalter. Dr. Logeman then raised the question of how the other MSS. should be treated ; and he was authorised to prepare a Parallel- Text edition of the first ten Psalms from all the MSS., to test whether the best way of printing them would be in one group, or in two — in each case giving parts of all the MSS. on one page — under their respective Roman and Gallican Latin originals. If collation mores that all the MSS. cannot go together on successive pages, there will be two Parallel -Texts, one of the A. Sax. MSS. following the Roman version, and the other, of those glossing the Gallican ; but every effort will be made to get the whole into one Parallel-Text. This Text will be an extravagance ; but as the Society has not yet committed one in Anglo-Saxon, it will indulge in one now ; and every student will rejoice at having the whole Psalter material before him in the most convenient form. Dr. Logeman and Mr. Harsley will be joint editors of the Parallel-Text. The Early English Psalters are all independent versions, and will follow separately in due course.
Through the good offices of the Examiners, some of the books for the Early-English Ex- aminations of the University of London will be chosen from the Society's publications, the ' 'ouiinittee having undertaken to supply such books to students at a large reduction in price. The profits from these sales will be applied to the Society's Reprints. Five of its 1866 Texts, and one of its 1867, still need reproducing. Donations for this purpose will be welcome. They should be paid to the Hon. Sec, Mr. W. A. Dalziel, 67 Victoria Kd., Finshuiy Park, London, X.
M.-mbers are reminded that fresh Subscribers are ///ways Wanted, and that the Committee can at any time, on short notice, send to press an additional Thousand Pounds' worth of work.
The Subscribers to the Original Series must be prepared for the issue of the whole of the Early English Lives of Saints, sooner or later. The Society cannot leave out any of them. even though some are dull. The Sinners would doubtless he much more interesting. Bui in many Saints' Lives will be found valuable incidental details of our forefathers' social state, and all are worth fill for the history of our language. The Lives may be lookt on as the religions romances or story-books of their period.
The Standard Collection <>f Saints' Lives in the Corpus r,nd Ashmole MSS., the Harleian MS. 8277, fcc. will repeal the Land set, our STo. 87, with additions, ami in right order. (The foundation MS. (Laud 108) had to be printed first, to prevent quite unwieldy collations.) The Supplementary Lives from the Vernon and other MSS. will form one or two separate volumes, lea the Saints' Lives, Trevisa'i enghshing of Bartkofoni&us sU Fraprietatibu* fisrttnt, the mediteval Cyclopaedia of Science, fcc*, will be the Society's oexl big undertaking. Dr. l,\ von Fleischb acker will edit it. Prof. Rapier of Oxford, wishing to have tie whole of our MS. Anglo-Saxon in type, and accessible to itudents, will edit for the Society nil the imprinted and other Anglo-Saxon Homilies which are not included in Thorpe'* edition of JJlfric'i prose, Dr. Morri I Blickling Homilies, and Prof. Skeat'n of JSlfHc's Metrical
i i. *.tli <**- j 1 1 . . oontainin rmlj the fiekumafm.
- i:.fii .-. nt., .-..lit dining ••!! ■ the 3rd being Jssua Chri I
: i in, .-. nt . containing the I - I m and the 2nd I oth lncon.pl
4 ai. Hth lUnralnatlons of nloe little dotili red,
uid datnnd I <•
lit Inn. writ h collations of all tin M88, M l by tin' .1 II
Of the YerotUl Homilies, the 8
6 The Original Series of the "Early English Ted Society?
Homilies. Prof. Kolbing lias also undertaken for the Society's Extra Series a Parallel-Text of all the six MSS. of the Ancrcn Riwle, one of the most important foundation-document* of Early English. Mr. Harvey, too, means to prepare an edition of the three MSS. of lha Earliest English Metrical Psalter, one of which was edited by the late Mr. Stevenson for the
Surtees Society.
In case more Texts are ready at any time than can be paid for by the current year's in- come, they will be dated the next year, and issued in advance to such Members as will pay advance subscriptions. The 1886-7 delay in getting out Texts must not occur again, if it can possibly be avoided. The Director has in hand for future volunteer Editors copies of 2 or 3 M SS.
Members of the Society will learn with pleasure that its example has been followed, not only by the Old French Text Society which has done such admirable work under its founders Profs. Paul Meyer and Gaston Paris, but also by the Early Russian Text Society, which was set on foot in 1877, and has since issued many excellent editions of old MS. Chronicles &c.
Members will also note with pleasure the annexation of large tracts of our Early English territory by the important German contingent under General Zupitza, Colonels Kolbing and Horstmann, volunteers Hausknecht, Einenkel, Haenisch, Kaluza, Hupe, Adam, Holthausen, &c. &c. Scandinavia has also sent us Dr. Erdmann ; Holland, Dr. H. Logeman ; France, Prof. Paul Meyer — with Gaston Paris as adviser; — Italy, Prof. Lattanzi; while America is represented by Prof. Child, Dr. Mary Noyes Colvin, Prof. Mead, Prof. Perrin, &c. The sym- pathy, the ready help, which the Society's work has cald forth from the Continent and the United States, have been among the pleasantest experiences of the Society's life, a real aid and cheer amid all troubles and discouragements. All our Members are grateful for it, and recognise that the bond their work has woven between them and the lovers of language and antiquity across the seas is one of the most welcome results of the Society's efforts.
ORIGINAL SERIES.
Half the Publications for 1866 (13, 14, 15, 22) are out of print, but will be gradually reprinted. Subscribers who desire the issue for 1866 should send their guineas at once to the Hon. Secretary, in order that other Texts for 1866 may be sent to press.
The Publications for 1S64-1894 (one guinea each year, save those for 1866 now half out of print, two guineas) arc : —
1 . Early English Alliterative Poems, ab. 1360 a.d., ed. Rev. Dr. It. Morris. 1<5*. 1 S64
2. Arthur, ab. 1440, ed. F. J. Furnivall, M.A. 4s. ,, 8. Lauder on the Dewtie of Kyngis, &c, 1656, eil. F. Hall, D.C.L. 4*. ,,
** 4. Sir Gawayne and the Green Knight, ab. 1360, ed. Rev. Dr. R. Morris. 10s. ,,
5. Hume's Orthographie and Congruitie of the Britan Tongue, ab. 1617, ed. H. B. Wheatley. 4s. 1865
6. Lancelot of the Laik, ab. 1500, ed. Rev. W. W. Skeat. 8s. „ ^-7. Genesis & Exodus, ab. 1250, ed. Rev. Dr. R. Morris. 8s. ,,
S. Morte Arthure, ab. 1440, ed. E. Brock. 7s. ,,
0. Thynne on Speght's ed. of Chaucer, a.d. 1590, ed. Dr. G. Kingsley and Dr. F. J. Furnivall. 10s. ,,
10. Merlin, ab. 1440, Part I., ed. H. B. Wheatley. 2s. 0d.
11. Lyndesay's Monarche, &c, 1552, Part I., ed. J. Small, M.A. 3s. ,,
12. Wright's Chaste Wife, ab. 1462, ed. F. J. Furnivall, M.A. Is.
13. Seinte Marherete, 1200-1330, ed. Bev. O. Cockayne : to be re-edited by Prof. Herford, M.A., Ph.D. 1866 11. Kyng Horn, Floris and Blancheflour, &c, ed. Rev. J. R. Luniby, B.D. ,,
15. Political. Religious, and Love Poems, ed. F. J. Furnivall. ,,
16. The Book of Quinte Essence, nb. 1400-70, ed. F. J. Furnivall. Is. [In print.] ,,
17. Parallel Extracts from 45 MSS. of Piers the Plowman, ed. Rev. W. W. Skeat. Is. [/» print.] , ,
18. Hali Meidenhad, ab. 1200, ed. Rev. O. Cockayne. [/« print.] ,,
19. Lyndesay's Monarche, &c, Part II., ed. J. Small, M.A. 3s. (id. [In print.] ,,
20. Hampole's English Prose Treatises, ed. Rev. G. G. Perry. Is. [In print.] . ,,
21. Merlin, Part II., ed. H. B. Wheatley. 4s. [In x>rint.]
22. Partenay or Lusignen, ed. Rev. W. W. Skeat. 5>
23. Dan Michel's Ayenbite of Inwyt, 1340, ed. Rev. Dr. R. Morris. 10s. 6d. [In print.]
24. Hymns to the Virgin and Christ ; the Parliament of Devils, &c. , ab. 1430, ed. F. J. Furnivall. [At Prw. 1 867
25. The Stacions of Rome, the Pilgrims' Sea-voyage, with Clene Maydenhod, ed. P. J. Furnivall. 1 1. ,,
26. Religious Pieces in Prose and Verse, from R. Thornton's MS. (ab. 1440), ed. Rev. G. G. Perry. 2s. ,,
27. Levins's Manipulus Vocabulorum, aryming Dictionary, 1570, ed. H. B. Wheatley. 12s. ,.
28. William's Vision of Piers the Plowman, 1362 a.d. ; Text A, Part I., ed. Rev. W. W. Skeat. 6s.
29. Old English Homilies (ab. 1220-30 *.».}• Part I. Edited by Rev. Dr. R. Morris. 7s.
30. Pierce the Ploughmans Crede, ed. Rev. W. W. Skeat. 2s. ,,
The Original Series of the "Early English Text Society." 7
31. Myrc's Duties of a Parish Priest, in Vsrss, ab. 1410 a.d., ed. E. Peacock. 4*. 1888
35. Early English Meals and Manners : the Boke of Hortuxe of John Russell, ths Bokes of Xeruynge,
Curtasye, and Demeanor, the Babees Book, TJrbanitatis, &c, ed. F. J. Fumivall. 1J«. ,,
33. The Bmightde la Tour Landry, ab. 1440 a.d. A Book for Daughters, ed. T. Wright, M. A. 8*. ,,
34. Old English Homilies (before 1300 a.d.). Part II., ed. R. Morris, LL.D. 8*. , ,
35. Lyndesay's Works, Part III. : The Historic and Testament of Squyer Meldrum, ed. F. Hall. 2*. ,,
36. Merlin, Part III. Ed. H. B. Wheatley. On Arthurian Localities, by J. S. Stuart Glennie. 12*. 1^69
37. Sir David Lyndesay's Works, Part IV., Ane Satyre of the Three Estaits. Ed. F. Hall, D.C.L. 4*. ,,
38. William's Vision of Piers the Plowman, Part II. Text B. Ed. Rev. W. W. Skeat, M.A. 10*. Cd. ,, :>9. Alliterative Romance of the Destruction of Troy. Ed. D. Donaldson & G. A. Panton. Pt. I. 10*. fid. ,,
40. English Gilds, their Statutes and Customs, 1389 a.d. Edit. Toulmin Smith and Lucy T. Smith,
with an Essay on Gilds and Trades-Unions, by Dr. L. Brentano. 21*. 1S70
41. William Lauder's Minor Poems. Ed. F. J. Fumivall. 3*. ,,
42. Bernardus De Cura Rei Famuliaris, Early Scottish Prophecies, <fee. Ed. J. R. Lumby, M.A. 2*. ,,
43. Ratis Raving, and other Moral and Religious Pieces. Ed. J. R. Lumby, M.A. 3a. ,,
44. The Alliterative Romance of Joseph of Arimathie, or The Holy Grail : from the Vernon MS. ;
0with W. de Wbrde'a and Pynson's Lives of Joseph : ed. Rev. W. W. Skeat, M.A. 5*. 1S71
King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care, edited from 2 MSS., with an English translation, by Henry Sweet, Esq., B. A., Balliol College, Oxford. Parti. 10*. ,,
46. Legends of the Holy Rood, Symbols of the Passion and Cross Poems, ed. Rev. Dr. R. Morris. 10*. ,,
47. Sir David Lyndesay's Works, Part V., ed. Dr. J. A. H. Murray. 3s. „
48. The Times' Whistle, and other Poems, by R. C, 1616 ; ed. by J. M. Cowper, Esq. 6*. ,, (J^PAn Old English Miscellany, containing a Bestiary, Kentish Sermons, Proverbs of Alfred, and
Religious Poems of the 13th cent, ed. from the MSS. by the Rev. R. Morris, LL.D. 10*. 1872
-iij. King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care, ed. H. Sweet, M. A. Part II. 10*. ,,
(^oU The Life of St Juliana, 2 versions, a.d. 1230, with translations ; ed. T. O. Cockayne <fe E. Brock. 2*. ,, :> 2. Palladius on Husbondrie, englisht (ab. 1420 a.d. ), ed. Rev. Barton Lodge, M.A. Parti. 10*. ,,
53. Old-English Homilies, Series II., and three Hymns to the Virgin and God, 13th-century, with
the music to two of them, in old and modern notation ; ed. Rev. R. Morris, LL.D. S*. 1STS
34. The Vision of Piers Plowman, Text C : Richard the Redeles by William; the author of the Vision)
and The Crowned King ; Part III., ed. Rev. W. W. Skeat, M.A. 18*. ,,
b->. Generydes, a Romance, ab. 1440 a.d., ed. W. Aldis "Wright, M.A. Tart I. 3*. ,,
56. The Gest Hystoriale of the Destruction of Troy, in alliterative verse ; ed. by D. Donaldson, Esq., f — -^ and the late Rev. G. A. Panton. Part II. 10*. 6rf. 1874
[hT^/Che Early English Version of the " Cursor Mundi " ; in four Texts, edited by the Rev. R. Morris,
M. A., LL.D. Part I, with 2 photolithographic facsimiles. 10*. 6d. ,,
"•*. The Blickling Homilies, 971 a.d., ed. Rev. R. Morris, LL.D. Part I. 8*.
■ r The " Cursor Mundi," in four Texts, ed. Rev. Dr. R. Morris. Part II. 15*. 1875
iff, Meditacyuns on the Soper of our Lorde 'by Robert of Brunne), edited by J. M. Cowper. 2*. 6d. ,,
81. The Romance and Prophecies of Thomas of Erceldoune. from 5 MSS. ; ed. Dr. J. A. n. Murray. 10*. Cd. ,, 0S, The "Cursor Mundi," in four Texts, cd. Rev. Dr. R. Morris. Part III. 15*. 1S76"
o.\ The Blickling Homilies, 971 a.d.. ed. Rev. Dr. R. Morris. Tart II. 7*. <". I. Francis Thynne's Embleames and Epigrams, a.i». 1600, ed. F. J. Furnivall. 7*. 6.*.. Be Domes Daege Bede'l 1>< VUJudicii , fee., ed. J. EL I.iunby, B.D. 2*.
M. The " Cursor Mundi," in four Texts, cd. Rev. Dr. R. Morris. Part IV., with 2 autotypes. 10*. 1S77
»»7. Notes on Piers Plowman, by the Rev. W, W. Skeat, M.A. Part I. 21*.
•: "Cursor Mundi," in 4 Texts, ed. Rev. Dr. U. Morris. Part V. 25*. 1878
Adam Davie's 5 Dreams about Edward II., &c, ed. P. -1. Furnivall, M.A. 5*. To. Generydes. a Romance, ed W. Aldis Wright, M.A. Part II. 4*.
71. The Lay Folks Mass-Book, four texts, ed. Rev. Canon Simmons. 25*. 187©,
72. Palladius on Husbondrie, englisht (ab. 1420 a.d.). Part II. Ed. S. J. Heritage, B.A. 15*.
7.:. The Blickling Homilies. !<7I a.i... ed. R.v. Dr. R. Morris. Part III. 10*. |g|Q
74. English Works of Wyclif, htlK-rto mi]. rintfd. <d. V. D. Matthew, Ksq. -JO*.
:>. Catholicon Anglicum, an early English Dictionary, from Lord Mosaoil'f MS. a.d. 14$9, ed., with ^_ Introduction k Notes, by s. J. Heritage, H.A. ; and with a Prelhoe by n. n. Wheatky. 10*. 1881
fajAelfric's Metrical Lives of Saints, in MS. <',,tt. .Inl. V. :.. , ,|. i:,v. Prof. Bl sat, M. \. Part I. 10*.
:;. Beowulf, the unique MS. sntotyped and traaslltetated, edited by Proft Eopitsa, PhJ), tea, IMS
75. The Fifty Earliest English Wills, in the CojBii Ol . I !;•.-. ,.!. l,v K. .1. Kninivnll, M.A. 7*.
ng Alfred's Orosius, from Lord ToUetnacheVi 9th cantory MB., Part !.«.]. n. Bweet, m.a. 13*. IM
me. Facsimile of the Epinal Glossary, sth ci-nt., ed. u. Sw. . t. M. \. | ... is Early-English Life of 8t Katherinc atid Its Latin Original, ed. Dr. Elnenkel. Its, IM|
M. Piers Plowman: Not. s, (, |,., | • ,, t IV, rom]d( t lag thf u 01 I, , .1. |,\ v . |',,,i. m , ,t. m. \. 1 ,.
S2. Aelfric's Metrical Lives of Saints. MS. < !ott Jul. K7...d. Ret, !'i,f. Skrat. M.A. I I l>. pari II. . The Oldest English Texts. Charters, ftc.i-d. II. Bwtet, M.A. "jo*.
I Additional Analogs to 'The Wright's Chaste Wif«\' V Baton. 1*. iSfctf
Tho Three Kings of Cologne. 3 English Ttxta, and 1 ] ' * 1 1 r. I .11- vatmanit. 17*. M. Prose Lives of Women 8aints. ab. 1010 *.j... sd, from! I loiMinnnn. 12*.
17, Early English Verse Lives of Saints (-mi; I'M tOMUm, 'J0a
88. Hy. Brsdshaw's Life of St. Wsrburg he n I i f
8 The Extra Series of the " Early English Text Society?
S9. Vices and Virtues, from the unique MS., ab. 1200 a.d., ed. Dr. F. Holthausen. Tart I. 8*. 1888
90. Anglo-Saxon and Latin Rule of St. Benet, interlinear Glosses, ed. Dr. H. Logeman. 12*. ,,
91. Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books, ab. 1430-1450, edited by Mr. T. Austin. 10*. ,,
92. Eadwine's Canterbury Psalter, from the Trim Cambr. MS., ab, 1150 a. p., ed. P. Ilarsley, B.A. Tt. I. 12*. 1R£9
93. Defensor's Liber Scintillarum, edited from the MSS. by Ernest Rhodes, B.A. 12*. ,,
94. Aelfric's Metrical Lives of Saints, MS. Cott, Jul. B 7, Tart III., ed. Prof. Skeat, Litt.D., LL.D. 12*. 1S90 86. The Old-English version of Bede's Ecclesiastical History, re-edited by Dr. Thomas Miller. Fart I. 18*. ,, (With Reprints of No. 16, The Book of Quinte Essence, and No. 26, Religious Pieces, from R. Thornton' I MS.) H. The Old-English version of Bede's Ecclesiastical History, re-edited by Dr. Thomas Miller. Ft. II. 15*. 1891 97. The Earliest English Prose Psalter, edited from its 2 MSS. by Dr. K. D. Buelbring. Part I. 15*. ,, '.'S. Minor Poems of the Vernon MS., Fart I., ed. Dr. C. llorstmann. 20*. 1892
99. Cursor Mundi. Fart VI. Preface, Notes, and Glossary, ed. Rev. Dr. R. Morris. 10*. ,,
100. Capgrave's Life of St. Katharine, ed. Dr. C. llorstmann, with Forewords by Dr. Furnivall. 20*. 1896
101. Cursor Mundi. Fart VII. Essay on the MSS., their Dialects, &c, by Dr. II. Hupe. 10*. ,,
102. Lanfranc's Cirurgie, ab. 1400 a.d., ed. Dr. R. von Fleischhackcr. Fart I. 20*. 1K94
103. The Prymer or Lay-Folk's Prayer-Book, Camb. Univ. MS., ab. 1420, ed. Henry Littlehales. 10*
104. The Exeter Book (Anglo-Saxon Poems), re-edited from the unique MS. by I. Gollancz, M.A. Furt 1. 20*. 1805
105. The Legend of the Cross, from a 12th century MS., ed, Prof. A. S. Napier, M.A., Ph.D.
106. 1890 107.
EXTRA SERIES.
The Publications for 1867-1893 {one guinea each year) are: —
I. William of Palerne ; or, William and the Werwolf. Re-edited by Rev. W. W. Skeat, M.A. 18*. 1S'7
II. Early English Pronunciation with especial Reference to Shakspere and Chaucer, by A. J. Ellis, F.R.S. Fart I. 10*. „
III. Caxton's Book of Curtesye, in Three Versions. Ed. F. J. Furnivall. 5*. 1868
IV. Havelok the Dane. Re-edited by the Rev. W. W. Skeat, M.A. 10*. „ ^'. Chaucer's Boethius. Edited from the two best MSS. by Rev. Dr. R. Morris 12*. ,,
VI. Chevelere Assigne. Re-edited from the unique MS. by H. II. Gibbs, Esq., M.A. 3*. ,,
VII. Early English Pronunciation, by A. J. Ellis, F.R.S. Fart II. 10*. 1869
VIII. Queene Elizabethes Achademy, &c. Ed. F. J. Furnivall. Essays on early Italian and German Books of Courtesy, by W. M. Rossetti and Dr. E. Oswald. IS*. ,,
IX. A wdeley's Fraternity e of Vacahondes, Harman's Caveat, &c. Ed. E. Viles it F. J. Furnivall. 7*. 6(7. ,,
X. Andrew Boorde's Introduction of Knowledge, 1547, Dyetary of Helth, 1542, Barnes in Defence of the Berde, 1542-3. Ed. F. J. Furnivall. IS*. 1*70
\IvBarbour's Bruce, Part I. Ed. from MSS. and editions, by Rev. W. W. Skeat, M.A. 12*. ,,
XII. England in Henry VIII. 's Time : a Dialogue between Cardinal Pole <fc Lupset, by Thorn. Starkey, Chaplain to Henry VIII. Ed. J. M. Cowper. Part II. 12*. (Part I. is No. XXXII, 1878, 8a.) 1S71
XIII. A Supplicacyon of the Beggers, by Simon Fish, 152S-9 a.d., ed. F. J. Furnivall ; with A Suppli- cation to our Moste Soueraigne Lorde ; A Supplication of the Poore Commons ; and The Decaye of England by the Great Multitude of Sheep, ed. by J. If. Cowper, Esq. 6*. ,,
XIV. Early English Pronunciation, by A. J. Ellis, Esq., F.R.S. Fait III. 10*. ,,
XV. Robert Crowley's Thirty-One Epigrams, Voyce of the Last Trumpet, Way to Wealth, &c, a. v. 1550-1, edited by J. M. Cowper, Esq. 12*. 1S72
XVI. Chaucer's Treatise on the Astrolabe. Ed. Rev. W. W, Skeat, M.A. 6*. „
XVII. The Complaynt of Scotlande, 1549 a.d., with 4 Tracts (1642-48), ed. Dr. Murray. Fart I. 10*. ,,
XVIII. The Complaynt of Scotlande, 1549 a.d., ed. Dr. Murray. Part II. S*. 1S73
XIX. Oure Ladyes Myroure, a.d. 1530, ed. Rev. J. H. Blunt, M.A. 24*. ,,
XX. Lonelich's History of the Holy Grail (ab. 1450 a.d.), ed. F. J. Furnivall, M.A., Ph.D. Part I. S*. 1574
XXI. Barbour's Bruce, Tart II., ed. Rev. W. W. Skeat, M.A. 4*. „
XXII. Henry Brinklow's Complaynt of Roderyck Mors (ab. 1542) : and The Lamentacion of a Christian against the Citie of London, made by Roderigo Mors, a.d. 1545. Ed. J. M. Cowper. 9*. , ,
XXIII. Early English Pronunciation, by A. J. Ellis, F.R.S. Part IV. 10s. „
XXIV. Lonelich's History of the Holy Grail, ed. F. J. Furnivall, M.A., Ph.D. Part II. 10*. 1S75
XXV. Guy of Warwick, 15th-century Version, ed. Prof. Zupitza. Fart I. 20*.
XXVI. Guy of Warwick, 15th-century Version, ed. Prof. Zupitza. Part II. 14*. 1S76
XXVII. Bp. Fisher's English Works (died 1535), ed. by Prof. J. E. B. Mayor. Part I, the Text. 16*.
XXVIII. Lonelich's Holy Grail, ed. F. J. Furnivall, M.A., PhD. Part III. 10*. 1S77
XXIX. Barbour's Bruce. Part III., ed. Rev. W. W. Skeat, M.A. 21*.
XXX. Lonelich's Holy Grail, ed. F. J. Furnivall, M.A., Ph.D. Part IV. 15*. 187S
XXXI. The Alliterative Romance of Alexander and Dindimus, ed. Rev. W. W. Skeat. 6*. , ,
XXXII. Starkey' s" England in Henry VIII' s time." Ft. I. Starkey's Life and Letters, ed. S. J. Heritage. 8*. ,,
XXXIII. Gesta Romanorum (englishtab. 1440), ed. S. J. Herrtage, B.A. 15*. 1S79
XXXIV. The Charlemagne Romances:-!. Sir Ferumbras, from Ashm. MS. 33, ed. S. J. Herrtage. 15*. ,,
Works jweparing fur the " Early English Text Society" 9
XXXV. Charlemagne Romances :— 2. The Sege off Melayne, Sir Otuell, ftc, ed. S. J. Herrtage. 12*. 1SS0
XXXVI. Charlemagne Romances:— 3. Lyf of Charles the Grete, Pt. I., ed. S. J. Herrtage. 16s. ,,
XXXVII. Charlemagne Romances :— 4. Lyf of Charles the Grete, Pt. II., ed. S. J. Herrtage. 15*. 18bl
XXXVIII. Charlemagne Romances :— 5. The Sowdone of Babylone, ed. Dr. Hausknecht. 15*. ,,
XXXIX. Charlemagns Romances :— 6. Rauf Colyear, Roland, Otuel, <fcc, ed. S. J. Herrtage, B.A. 15*. 1S82 XL. Charlemagne Romances:— 7. Huon of Burdeux, by Lord Berners, ed. S. L. Lee, B. A. Tart I. 15*. ,, XLI. Charlemagne Romances :— 8. Huon of Burdeux, by Lord Berners, ed. S. L. Lee, B.A. Pt. II. 15*. is 88 XLII. Guy of "Warwick: 2 texts (Auchinleck MS. and Cuius tt8.), ed. Prof. Zupitza. Parti. 15*. ,, XLIII. Charlemagne Romances:— 9. Huon of Burdeux, by Lord Berners, ed. S. L. Lee, B.A. Pt. III. 15*. lbS4 XLI V. Charlemagne Romances :— 10. The Four Sons of Aymon, ed. Miss Octavia Richardson. Pt. I. 15*. ,, XLV. Charlemagne Romances :— 11. The Four Sons of Aymon, ed. Miss O. Richardson. Pt. II. 20*. I8&S XLVI. Sir Bevis of Hamton, from the Auchinleck and other MSS., ed. Prof. E. Kulbing, Ph.D. Part I. 10*. ,, XLVII. The Wars of Alexander, ed. Rev. Prof. Skeat, Litt.D., LL.D. 20*. 1S86 XLVIII. Sir Bevis of Hamton, ed. Prof. E. Kolbing, Ph.D. Part II. 10*.
XLIX. Guy of Warwick, 2 texts (Auchinleck and Cains MSS.), Pt. II., ed. Prof. J. Zupitza, Ph.D. 154. lbS7 L. Charlemagne Romances :— 12. Huon of Burdeux, by Lord Berners, ed. S. L. Lee, B.A. Part IV. 5*. „ LI. Torrent of Portyngale, from the unique MS. in the Chetham Library, ed. E. Adam, Ph.D. 10*. ,,
LII. Bullein's Dialogue againstthe Feuer Pestilence, 1578 (ed. 1, 1564). Ed. M. <fc A. II. Bullen. 10*. IStS LIII. Vicary's Anatomie of the Body of Man, 1548, ed. 1577, ed. F. J. «fc Percy Furnivall. Part I. 15*. ,,
LIV. Caxton's Englishing of Alain Charter's Curial, ed. Dr. F. J. Furnivall & Prof. P. Meyer. 5*. ,,
LV. Barbour's Bruce, ed. Rev. Prof. Skeat, Litt.D., LL.D. Part IV. 5*. Is89
LVI. Early English Pronunciation, by A. J. Ellis, Esq., F.R.S. Pt. V., the present English Dialects. 25*. ,, LVII. Caxton's Eneydos, A.r<. 1490, coll. with its French, ed. M. T. Culley, M. A. & Dr. F. J. Furnivall. 1 8*. 1S<>0 LVIII. Caxton's Blanchardyn & Eglantine, c. 14S9, extracts from ed. 1595, & French, ed. Dr. L. Kellner. 17*. ,, LIX. Guy of Warwick, 2 texts (Auchinleck and Cains MSS.), Part III., ed. Prof. J. Zupitza, Ph.D. 1.".*. 1891 LX. Lydgate's Temple of Glass, re-edited from the MSS. by Dr. J. Schick. 15*. ,,
LXI. Hoccleve's Minor Poems, I., from the Phillipps and Durham MSS., ed. F. J. Furnivall, Ph.D. 15*. 1892 LXII. The Chester Plays, re-edited from the MSS. by the late Dr. Hermann Dei tiding. Tart I. 15*. LXIII. Thomas a Kempis's De Imitatione Christi, englisht ab. 1440, & 1502, ed. Prof. J. K. Ingram. 15*. 1893 LXIV. Caxton's Godfrey of Boloyne. or Last Siege of Jerusalem, 1481, ed. Dr. Mary N. Colvin. 15*. „
LXV. Sir Bevis of Hamton, ed. Prot E. Koll.ing, Ph.D. Part III. 15*. 1S94
l.XVI. Lydgate's and Burgh's Secrees of Philisoffrea. ab. 1445—50, ed. R. Steele, B.A. 15*. „
LXVII. 1895
LXVIII.
EARLY ENGLISH TEXT SOCIETY TEXTS PREPARING.
idea the Texts named as at press on p. 12 of the Cover of the Early English Text Society's last books, the following Texts are also slowly preparing for the Society : —
ORIGINAL SERIES.
Thomas Robinson's Life and Death of Mary Magdalene, from the 2 MSS., ab. 1(520 A.D. {Text in type.)
The Earliest English Prose Psalter, ed. Dr. K. I). Biulbriug. Part II.
Anglo-Saxon Poems, from the Vercelli .MS., re-edited by I. (iollaiicz, M.A.w^
Anglo-Saxon Glosses to Latin Prayers and Hymns, edited by Dr. !•'. llolthnuseii.
Aelfrics Metrical Lives of Saints, .MS. Cotfc Jul. K 7. 1'arl IV, ed. ftfOf. Skeat, Litt.D., LL.D.
All the Anglo-Saxon Homilies and Lives of Saints not accessible in Bsglitfa editions, Including those of the
fereeM ms. *c, edited by Prof. Napier, M.A., PhJD.
The Anglo-Saxon Psalms ; all the MSS. in Parallel Texts, ed. Dr. II. LogeHMH :ind i'. Hartley, B.A.
Beowulf, a critical Text, kC, ed. l'rof. Zupitza, I'll. D.
Byrhtferth's Handboc, edited by Prot <:. Il.nijd.
The 8ecret of Secrets, SprOM versions from MSS , •_' at Land., tli, Hid one l.y .las. Yniuige, It-1'1, ed. K. Btei le.P.A.
The Rule of St. Benet: 5 Texts, Aiurlo-Suxon. Parly Kmrlish, Caxtnn. Ac. ed Be*. \>v li. Morris.
The 8even Sages, in the Northern Dialect, from | ( \,t ton MS. ed |;.\.|>r II. Morris.
The Master of the Game, n Book of Huntynge for Hen. V. when Prince of Wales, ed. .Mr. T. Austin.
Ailred's Rule of Nuns, &c, edited from t 1m- Vernon MS., by the U,\. (anon ||. |{. |{i.<,ml. y, M.A
Lonelich's Merlin (vers.), from the nnii|ne M<. e. I. h\ Miss Maiy Kates, ,n and IV-.f. K KoHiinc, Ph.D
Merlin (prose), Part IV., coiitainimr Pn >f*C -. Index, and (.n.ssary. Edited l.y Prot. \\ . p. Mead, Ph.D.
E*rly English Verse Lives of Saints, Standard Collection, from the Marl. Ms.
Early English Confessionals, edited l.y Dr. B fOU PleNcl. Lacker
A Lapidary, from Lord Tollnnai lie MS \e , edited l.y Dr. I{ von Pleiscldmekcr.
Eirly English Deeds and Documents, fmm Unique MSS , cd. |>r. Lorenx Morsl.nch.
Gilbert Banastre's Poems, ami other Boccaccio cngliahings, edited by Prof. J. lufttta, Ph.D.
iO [Torfa preparing for the i; Early English Text Society"
Lanfranc's Cirurgie, al>. 1400 k.w, ed. Dr. R. toii Fltiischhacker, Part IT.
William of Hassington's Mirror of Life, from Jn. of Waldby. (Editor Wanted.)
A Chronicle of England to 1327 A.D., Northern verse (42,000 lines), ab. 1400 A.D., ed. M. L. Perrin, I?. A.
More Early English Wills from the Probate Registry at Somerset House. (Editor Wanted.)
Early Lincoln Wills and Documents from the Bishops' Registers, 4c, edited by Dr. P. J. Furnivall.
Early Canterbury Wills, edited by William Cowper, B.A., and J. Meadows Cowper.
Early Norwich Wills, edited by Walter Rye, and F. J. Furnivall.
The Cartularies of Oseney Abbey and Godstow Nunnery, englisht ab. 1450, ed. Rev. A. Clark, M. A.
The Macro Moralities, edited from Mr. Gurney's unique MS., by Alfred W, Pollard, M.A.
A Troy-Book, edited from the unique Laud MS. 595, by Dr. E. "Wulfing.
Alliterative Prophecies, edited from the MSS. by Prof. Brandl, Ph. D.
Miscellaneous Alliterative Poems, edited from the MSS. by Dr. L. Morsbacb.
Bird and Beast Poems, a collection from MSS., edited by Dr. K. D. Buelbring.
Scire Mori, &c, from the Lichfield MS. 16, ed. Miss Rosa Elverson, LL.A., and Miss Florence Gilbert.
Nicholas Trivet's French Chronicle, from Sir A. Acland-Hood's unique MS., cd. by Miss Mary Batcson.
De Guilleville's Pilgrimage of the Sowle, edited by G. N. Currie, M.A.
Stories for Sermons, edited from the Addit. MS. 25,719 by Dr. "Wieck of Ooblentz.
A 15th Century Treatise on Arithmetic, edited by Robert Steele, B.A.
Extracts from the Registers of Boughton, ed. Hy. Littlehales, Esq.
Jacob's Well, from a Salisbury Cathedral MS., ed. Hy. Littlolmlf s, Esq.
The Diary of Prior Moore of Worcester, a.d. 1518-35, from the unique MS., ed. II y. Littlehales, Esq.
The pore Caitiff, from its MSS., ed. Henry Littleliales, Esq. v
Early English Homilies in Harl. 2276 Ac, c. 1400, ed. J. Friedlander.
Promptorium Parvulorum, c. 1440, from the Winchester MS., ed. Rev. A. L. May hew, M.A.
EXTRA SERIES.
Vicary's Anatomie, 1548, ed. 1577, edited by F. J. & Percy Furnivall. Part II. [At Press.
Bp. Fisher's English Works, Pt. II., with his Life and Letters, ed. Rev. Ronald Bayne, B.A. [At Press.
William Staunton's St. Patrick's Purgatory, &c, ed. J. T. Herbert, M.A.
A Parallel-text of the 6 MSS. of the Ancren Riwle, ed. Prof. Dr. E. Kolbing.
Trevisa'sBartholomseus de Proprietatibus Rerum, re-editedjby Dr. R. von Fleischhacker.
Bullein'a Dialogue against the Feuer Pestilence, 1564, 157;$, 1578. Ed. A. H. and M. Bullen. Pt. II.
The Romance of Boctus and Sidrac, edited from the MSS. by Dr. K. D. Buelbring.
The Romance of Clariodus, re-edited by Dr. K. D. Buelbring.
Sir Amadas, re-edited from the MSS. by Dr. K. D. Buelbring.
Sir Degrevant, edited from the MSS. by Dr. K. Luick.
Robert of Brunne's Chronicle of England, from the Inner Temple MS., ed. by Prof. W. E. Mead, Ph.D.
Maundeville's Voiage and Travaile, re-edited from the Cotton MS. Titus C. 16, &c, by Miss M. Batcson.
Arthour and Merlin, re-edited from the unique MS. by Dr. K. D. Buelbring.
Guy of Warwick, Copland's version, edited by Prof. Zupitza, Ph.D.
The Sege of Jerusalem, Text A, edited from the MSS. by Dr. F. Kopka.
Liber Fundacionis Ecclesie Sancti Bartholomei Londoniarum : englisht ab. 1425, cd. Norman Moore, M.D.
Awdelay's Poems, re-edited from the unique MS. Douce 302, by Dr. E. Wulfing.
William of Shoreham's Works, re-edited by Professor Konrath, Ph.D.
The Wyae Chylde and other early Treatises on Education, Northwich School, narl. 2099 &c, ed. G. Collar, B.A.
Caxton's Dictes and Sayengis of Philosophirs, 1477, with Lord Tollemaehe's MS. version, ed. S. I. Butler, Esq.
Caxton's Book of the Ordre of Chyualry, collated with Loutfut's Scotch copy, ed. F. S. Ellis, Esq.
Lydgate's Court of Sapience, edited by Dr. Borsdorf.
Lydgate's Lyfe of oure Lady, ed. by Prof. Georg Fiedler, Ph.D.
Lydgate's Reason and Sensuality, edited by Dr. J. Schick.
Lydgate's Life of St. Edmund, edited from the MBS. by Dr. Axel Erdmann.
Jn. Hart's Orthographie, MS. 1551 ; black and fonetic letters, 1569, ed. Dr. Otto Jespersen.
Richard Coer de Lion, re-edited from Harl. MS. 4690, by Prof. Hausknecht, Ph.D.
The Romance of Athelstan, re-edited by Prof. J. Zupitza, Ph.D.
The Romance of Sir Dagare, re-edited by Dr. Breul .
Mulcaster's Positions 1681, and Elementarie 1582, ed. Dr. Th. Klaehr, Dresden.
Caxton's Recuyell of the Histories of Troye, edited by H. Halliday Sparling.
The Society is anxious to hear of more early Dialect MSS. Misyn's englisliings, in the Lincoln dialect, 1434-5, of two of Hampole's Tracts, are in type. John Lacy's copy, in the Newcastle-on-Tyne dialect, 1434, of some theological tracts in MS. 94 of St. John's College, Oxford, is to be edited by Prof. McClintock. Prof. Napier will reprint his copy of a bit of a Hymn in the Chester dialect late in the 13th century. More Hampoles in the Yorkshire dialect will follow. The Lincoln and Norfolk Wills, already copied by or for Dr. Furnivall, unluckily show but little traces of dialect.
More members (to bring money) and Editors (to bring brains) are wanted by the Society.
PR Early English Text
1119 Society A2 c Publications 3
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