No More Learning

Page 71
522
? Ac al myn hope is y-lore,
Now ? ou list ded me by-fore,
And with me ne my? t speke. 525
'Lord crist, ich bidde ? yn ore,
Ne let ? ou me lyue namore,
Ac let myn herte breke. "' 528
? Hy wrang here hond, and si? te sore,
To-tar here shroud, here lokkes hore,
As hy were wod. 531
'Leue sone, by-seche ich ? e,
? ou lete me deye now byfore ? e,
? e lyf me nis no? t guod. '
Page 72
534
? Sone ? er-after com his wyf,
? at louede him more ? an here lyf,
In-to ? ulke house. 537
So sone so hy com him to,
Be-twixe here armes hy gan him fo,
And keste him with mou? e; 540
? "A-wey! my lef, what hastow y-do?
Why hastow ? e y-heled so,
In ? yn owene house, 543
? at ? ou ne woldest come me to,
So frend o? te to o? er do,
Ne ich ? at was ? y spouse?
Page 73
546
[folio 77a] ? A-wey, ? at ich was woman y-bore,
Now ich haue ? e for-lore,
My leman so hende. 549
Sorweful is me y-di? t,
Now ? ou with me speke ne my? t,
Ne reiche ich whyder to wende. " 552
? Of hy stod by-fore hem alle,
To-drou? here her, and here calle,
As hy were vei? e. 555
Bytere teres hy let falle,
ffor hire were sory alle,
? at here wepe y-sei? e.
Page 74
558
? So moche sorwe ? er was,
Bote who-so hadde a tonge of bras,
Ne my? te he it telle. 561
? e day him was al-mest y-do,
? e Pope and ? e emperour al-so
Ne my? te lenger dwelle. 564
? ? at lich hy lete by-wake, and shrude
With palle and with o? er prude,
? at hy founde ? ere. 567
With mochel li? t, and mochel song,
? at holy cors hem alle among,
Bischoppis to cherche bere. 570
? Amyddes ri? t ? e he? e strete,
So moche folk hy gonne mete,
? at hy resten a stounde. 573
Alle ? e sike ? at to him come,
I-heled were swi? e sone,
Of fet and ek of honde.
Page 75
576
? ? e blynde come to har si? t,
? e crokede gonne sone ri? t,
? e lame for to go; 579
? at dombe were fenge speche,
? e? herede god, ? e so? e leche,
And ? at halwe al-so. 582
? ? e day ? ede, and drou? to-ny? t,
No lenger dwelle hy ne my? t,
To cherche hy moste wende; 585
? e bellen hy gonne to rynge,
? e clerkes he? e to synge,
Euerich in his ende. 588
? ? o ? e cors to cherche com,
Glad hy were euerichon,
? at ? er-ynne were. 591
? e Pope and ? e emperour,
By-fore an auter of seint sauour,
? ? er sette by ? e bere.
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594
A-boute ? e bere was moche li? t;
With proude palle was be-di? t,
I-beten al with golde. 597
ffor to worschipe ? is man,
Al ? at lond folk ? uder cam,
? at cors by-wake wolde. 600
? Alle ? e sike ? at ? er were,
As sone as hy touchede ? e bere,
Hol hy were anon 603
Of ? e euel ? at hy hadde,
? if hy in ? e name badde
Of ? is holy man.
Page 77
606
? To cherche come ? onge & olde,
? at holy cors to by-holde
? at ? uder was y-bro? t. 609
A wel gentel marbel ston,
To louke in his holy bon,
Sone was by-so? t. 612
? ? e ? ridde day was y-come,
So it is ? e londis wone,
Me dude ? e seruyse; 615
? uder come more and lasse,
? e Pope self song ? e masse,
With herte wel bly? e.
Page 78
618
? ? o ? e masse was y-do,
? e Pope and ? e emperour al-so,
? at holy cors hy kiste. 621
Hy nome ? e holy man, [folio 77b]
And leyde him in ? e marbel ston,
By-loke in one chiste. 624
? Alle ? ulke ? at ? er were,
Herede god with loude bere,
And cride him mercy,
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627
Of ? e wondres ? at he dude
? o in ? at ilke holy stude,
ffor loue of allexi. 630
? By-seche we ? anne, ? erne & ofte,
Crist self ? at vs dere bo? te,
? at his grace vs sende, 633
? at we mote him seruy,
And for ? e loue of allexi,
To his blesse wende. Amen.
Page [80]
636
Page 81
King Solomon's Book of Wisdom,

A BOOK OF MORAL PRECEPTS AND PRACTICAL ADVICE (lines 1-105),

Taken from the Laud MS. 622's headless rymed Bible Story, and followd by the end of that Story, an account of

1 King SOLOMON'S love of Lechery, p. 85, l. 107-111. (For his Coronation, his Judgment on the Child claimd by 2 Mothers, and his Wisdom, &c. , see p. 96-8);
2 of his son REHOBOAM, l. 113-131; and the separation of the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel, 132-146; p. 85-86;
3 legends of the prophet ELIJAH, 150; his raising the prophet Jonah*. [That Jonah was the son of the widow of Zarephath is in the Midrash Yalqut (a legendary Commentary on the Old Testament, called Yalqut) to the book Jonah, quoted from the Talmud of Jerusalem. --A. Neubauer. ] (the widow of Zarephath's son, 1 Kings xvii. 17) to life, 156-65; going to Horeb, 166-73; his choosing Elisha, 174-7; burning up king Ahaziah's messengers (2 Kings i. 10-12), 178-199; and going to heaven in a fiery horse and cart (2 Kings ii. 11), 200-213; p. 86-88;
4 of ELISHA, his purifying a well with salt, 214-225 (2 Kings ii. 19-22); and multiplying a poor woman's oil, 226-233 (2 Kings iv. 1-3); p.
88;
5 of DANIEL in the lions' den, fed with Abacue's food, 234-263; and of Apostles and Friars preaching Christianity, 264-7; p. 88-89;
6 of the Day of Doom, 268; and herein, p. 89-90;
7 of ANTICHRIST, 272; how he shall go into the Holy Land, 274; slay Enoch and Eli, who have come to earth from Paradise to fight him, 292-6; and shall then himself be smitten to death by the Holy Ghost in the form of a sword.
All in alternate fours and threes*. [A few fours, as 183, 202, 207, are but three measures; while a few threes, as 234 and 244, are fours. ], the latter ryming. In the rymes the equiva|lence of final '? th' with '? t' is to be noted*. [Cp. Havelok, fiht, rith, 2716; with, knith = wiht, knight, 2720. --Skeat. ],--l. 52, 51, 71-2; (but see 57-8, 7-8, 19-24, 33-4, &c. ),--and these forms and rymes: prep. mytte (with), wytte, 43-4; but 'myde', iryde (ridden), 249-50; er? e, fier? e (fourth), 99-100; mesure, here, 89-90; consaile (obl. ), availe (inf. ), 115-16; but conseil (obj. ), israel, 141-2; sei? e (3 pl. perf. saw), di? e (inf. die), 191-2; but 'sei? ', on hei? (high), 201-2; pite (put,? inf. , imp. , or subj. ), a 'lite' (little), 225-6; ydytte (pp. of dihtan, see 254) 'pytte' (pit), 241-2; vchone, fon, 262-3. The ie is right: folie, wrie (inf. ), 79-80; Elye, prophecie, 152-3, &c. The final e can hardly be allowd to ? ing (obl. ) to match springe (inf. ), 3-4 (see 59-60); cp. telle, wel, 55-6. Mowe, abou? e, 27-8, seem to show the silence of ? . There are two 'longe' s probably of the same mean|ing ryming, 91-2. The ryming of 'ysed' (pp. ) with 'ded' (dead, pp. ), 195-6; of 'sede' (perf. ) with 'falshede', 266, and the six '-ede' words in 267-272 (drede among them); of 'seide' with 'rede', 179-180, shows that the Elizabethan and our 'sed' is not, as has been asserted, a mere late slurring of the broad 'said', tho' that form or spelling has won in the fight for the survival of the fittest.
Page 82
[Laud MS. 622, leaf 69, back. ]

SO mychel wisdom neuer y-herd was; as kyng salamon cou? e:
Vche word wyt & wisdom was; ? at com out of his mou? e.
? e kynde he cou? e of vche beest; & of vche quik ? ing,
And ? e vertu of vche herbe; ? at do? on er? e spr[i]nge; 4
And ? orou? queintise in book ywrite; ? e fende to ouer-come,
? at ? ise clerkes ? utt to ? is day; in priuete habbe? some.
A Book he made of wisdom; ? orou? his owen ? ou? th;
Sum ich wil ? erof telle; for al ne may I nou? th. 8
? e book bigan in ? is manere; euerich wyt & wisdom,
Euer with oure lord it is; & fro hym first it com.
Who schulde ? e rein-dropes telle; oi? er ? e grauel in ? e Cee,
Oi? er ? e dayes ? at euere were; bot ? if it were he? 12
To douten god almi? tty; of vche wisdom it is rote.
On er? e & at ? ine endyngday; of alle bales he is bote.
? if ? ou louest wisdom; look ? ou ri? th loue;
Vnbuxum ne be ? ou nou? th; to ? em ? at ben ? e aboue. 16
Helpe ? e man ? at nedeful is; be a? eins hym ? at is vnmylde.
Be ? ou merciable to widewe; & to faderles childe.
Ne hide nou? th ? i wisdom; ne wi? seie nou? th ? e ri? th.
A? ein stronge men & ireful; look ? at ? ou ne fi? th. 20
Answere ? e pouere myldelich; to longe abid ? ou nou? th
Forto turne a? ein to god; ? if ? ou be in synne brou? th.
// Ne bileue ? ou nou? th to trauaile; oi? er to de? [e] fi? th,
For Iesu cristes swete loue; to susteyne ? e ri? th. 24
Wi? ? e fole ne wone ? ou nou? th; ? if ? ou wilt good lerne.
? ou wisse hym ? at litel good can; ? e vnwise teche ? erne.
Ne wilne nou? th Iustise to be; bot ? if ? ou cunne & mowe.
? e vnbuxum, chastise wi? ri? th law? e; & make ? e proude abou? e.
Page 83
? ei? ? ou haue a . M. frendes; take on ? at be good & priuee,
? at ? ou mowe ? i conseil telle; lest ? e o? er failen ? e. 30
For summe ben at ? i borde ? i frende; ac at ? i nede bihynde.
Best tresore is ? ine elde frende; ? at men on er? e may fynde;
? i trewe frende emfor? ? i-self; ? ou mi? th telle ? i ? ou? th; 33
Michel solas he wil ? e don; ? if ? ou art in baret brou? th.
? To Newfangel ne be ? ou nou? th; lest ? ou finde vntrewe.
?