No More Learning

? o lay ? e kyng sore seek; & ? o it was hym ysed,
Elye tolde his messagers; ? at he schulde be ded. 176
He hete his men wende after hym; ? at ? ai sparen ne scholde;
He wende, ? if he mi? th hym haue hadd; ? at he hym hele wolde.
? ei wenten for? & comen to Elye; "goddes man" ? ai seide:
"? e kyng hete ? e come & speke with hym; ? if ? ou cou? est hym rede. " 180
Elie seide "? if ich am goddes man; I. bid god al-one,
? at wilde fire come fram heuen adoun; & brenne ? ou vchone. "
Amyd ? is word onon; fire fram heuen com,
And brent ? ise men al to dust; ? ere was an hard dom. 184
Sore alonged was ? e kyng; after hym ylome;
Tueie he sent of o? er men; ? o ? ai nou? [th] ne come.
? ai seiden as ? e o? er deden; ? o ? ai Elye seie;
And as ? e o? er ? ai weren serued; ibrou? th on li? th leie. 188
? o ? ai ne comen nou? th a? ein; ? e kyng ? ou? th longe,
And lete sende after hym; wise men & stronge.
// ? erne ? ai crieden mercie; ? o ? ai Elye sei? e:
"Haue mercy on ? e kyng; or elles he schal di? e. " 192
? erof seide Elye; "Siker he may be.
Ac, forto paye his corage; ich wil hym ones see. "
Elye went for? to ? e kyng; & seide he schulde be ded;
And sone he died ? erafter-ward; as he had ysed. 196
Elie & Elisee in ? e londe; wide aboute went,
For to tellen of prophecie; as oure lorde hem sent.
As ? ai precheden goddes lawe; from heuen ? ere ali? th
A fyry hors & a cart;--bo? e ? ai weren wel bri? th;--
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200
Elye ? erinne went; ? at hors hym drou? vp on hei? 201
In ? e cart to heuen; ? at men neuer eft hym ne sei? .
// Ri? th to heuen ne segge ich nou? th; ? at he euer come,
For he schal haue fleschlich lyf; forto a? eins ? e day of dome.
We rede nou? th bot of two Men; ? at hennes alyue went, 205
Enok & Elye; as god hem after sent.
Bo? e ? ai wonen in paradys; & bo? e ? ai schullen ali? th
A? eins ? e day of dome; & wi? antecrist fi? th. 208
Anticrist hem schal bo? e sle; & si? ? en ? ai schullen wende
To ? e blisse of heuen; & wonen ? ere wi? outen ende.
? O Ely in ? is fair cart; to heuen was ylad, [folio 70b] *. [Elye]
Elisee his felawe; was sory, & nou? th glad. 212
He ? ede to don his prophecie; in ? e londe of Ierico:
? ere he fonde a li? er welle; ? at many man dude wo,
ffor it wolde wex & sprede; wide & brode ilome,
Ne mi? th ? e er? e bere no fruyt; ? ere ? e water come. 216
? e prophete blissed salt; & in ? e watere cast;
? e li? erhede ? at ? erinne was; mi? th no lengere last;
It bicom ? e best watere; ? at euer mi? th ben;
Al ? at it come? -nei? ; ? e bettere schal ? een. 220
ffor ? e miracle ? at men ? o say; ? at white salt had ydo,
Whan ? e preest make? haliwater; salt he do? ? erto.
A Womman cried on Elisee; as sche hym mette,*. [Eliseus]
& seide, men took al hir good; for hire hosebonde dette,
& ? at sche nadd nomore good; bot Oile alite. 225
Elisee bad hire take ? erof; & in vche vessel it pite
? at sche had in al hire hous; & ? o sche had ydo ? is,
Euerich vessel was ful; of good oyle Iwis. 228
? is womman had ? er ? orou? ; ynou? of al good
fforto ? elde her dettes; & to hire lyues food.
It bifel ? at men of Babiloyne; weren of li? er bileue:
? ai honoureden a fals god; a morewe & ek an eue. 232
A Wise prophete was in ? at londe; ? at hi? th Danyel. *. [? Danyel. ]
He com & told ? e kyng 'fore; his men bileueden no? t wel.
? iue me power ouer hem; & ich hem wil bringe of dawe. '
? an seide ? e kyng to hym; "? at were no wise lawe. "
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236
? at folk ? o ? ai herden ? is; ? e kyng ? ai comen to:
"? iue vs" ? ai seiden "Danyel; oure will with hym to do,
Oi? er we schullen ? e sle; er we hennes gon. "
?
e kyng was of hem sore adrad; & graunted hem onon. 240
Onon ? ai token Danyel ? o; & casten hym in-to a pytte,
? ere seuen hungri lyouns weren; ? ereinne all ydytte,
ffor ? ai hym strangli scholden; ac ? ai deden hym non harme;
Bot whan ? at he was sett adoun; ? ai leneden in-to his barme.
A Man ? ere was ? at hi? th Abacuc; in-to ? e felde he went,*. [? Abacuk. ]
Repmen forto bere mete; sone he hym ? ider sent.
? e Aungel hym bad abide; & to Danyel it bere. 247
Sone he seide 'he nolde'; & ? af hym li? th ansuere.
? e aungel took hym by ? e top; & bare hym for? ? er myde,--
Hym had ben bettere to haue ygo; ? an so fer to haue iryde,--
& so hym he bare to Danyel; & ? o he com hym to, 251
He ? af hym ? e mete ? at he bare; & lete Abacuc go.
? o Danyel had seueni? th; ibe in ? e dep pytt,
? e kyng loked to his lyouns; & lete hem vndytt. 254
? Alyue he fond Danyel; gret wonder he hadde.
Wi? gret ioye he took hym vp; & to his fon hym lad.
? e men ? at brou? tten hym ? ere; he lete nyme fast,
And euerych after o? ere; amonge ? e lyouns cast. 258
Sone hadden ? e Lyouns; forswelewed hem vchone;
And so oure lorde euer among; take? wreche of his fon.
? apostles, forto ? ai weren yslawe; precheden cristendom;
And many man after hem; good prechour bycom. 262
And now ? ise freres don also; prechen aboute ylome,
ffor of prechyng it wor? e nede; er ? e day of dome.
? E first signe ? er a? eins; as oure lord hym-self sede,
Hungere schal on er? e be; treccherie & falshede, 266
Batailes & litel loue; sekenesse & haterede;
& ? e er? e schal quaken; ? at vche man schal drede;
? e mone schal turne to blood; ? e sunne to derkhede;
Antecrist schal on er? e gon; & prechen his li er hede.
He schal go bot in ? e holy londe; ? ere oure lord ? ede,
& his deciples in-to al ? e werlde; his yuel wordes wil bede.
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As ? ai speken, ? ai schullen do; miracles grete & ryue;
Bot we ne fynde nou? th ? ai mowe; arere ? e ded to lyue. 274
Bot in-to cursed gostes; fendes wille? go,
fforto bere hem witnesse; of al ? at he sei? hem to.
? ise grete clerkes & wise; a? ein hym schullen speke,
fforto holden vp cristendom; ? at men it nou? th ne breke. 278
Bot many of ? ise foles siggen; in her hastite,
? at clerkes schullen fordo ? is werld; bot so schal it no? t be,
Bot ? e fals clergie; ? at antecrist schal of preche; 281
& fele ? at in godenesse schulden be; li? er he wil hem teche.
Ac so wys clerk ne wor? ? er non; ? at ne schal haue to don ynou?
fforto disputen a? eins hym; ? ei? he haue ? e wou? .
Many men schullen turne; to yuel, men may drede, 285
ffor on er? e men may se; to li? er, stedfast hede.
Oure lord let hym on er? e gon; for ? at he wil fonde
Whiche men of stedfastnesse be? ; & cristendom vnderstonde.
Tueie men ben in paradys; Enok & Elye; 289
? ai ne suffreden neuer de? ; as we han seid twie.
A? eins ? e day of dome; ? ai schullen on er? e ali? th,
And her ei? er after o? er; a? eins Antecrist fi? th.
Anticrist hem schal bo? e sle; & fele Men willen ? erfore 293
Turne to her bileue; & make her soules forlore.
Atte last schal come ? e holi gost; in fourme of swerd al[i]? t,
& Anticrist to de? smyte; ? orou? his swete mi? t. 296
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St. Jeremie's 15 Tokens before Doomsday. WITH LAMENTACIO ANIMARUM, WHAT OUR LORD SHALL DO AND SAY ON THAT DOOMSDAY; AND A SONG OF JOY AND BLISS, TO PRAISE THAT SWEET DEW, CHRIST.

(See other englisht copies of these '15 Tokens' attributed to St. Jerome, in my Early English Poems (Philolog. Soc. 1862), p. 7-12, and p. 162-4 (from Metrical Homilies, ed. Small, before publication); my Hymns to the Virgin and Christ (E. E. T. S. , 1867), p. 118-125; Dr Morris's 'Hampole's Pricke of Conscience' (Philolog. Soc. ), p. 135, l. 4738, &c, and Cursor Mundi (E. E. T. Soc. ), p. 1282-1298, Part IV, and p. 1616-18 (from the Edinburgh MS), in the Appendix, Part V; Mr T. Wright's Chester Plays (copid by Geo. Bellin in 1592), vol. ii. 147-9; and in the same vol. , p. 219-21 (from Harl. MS. 913, ab. 1309 A. D. ), and p. 222-4 (from Harl. 2255); Mr Small's Northern 'Metrical Homilies', p. 25-6, given also in Morris and Skeat's Speci|mens of Early English, 1298-1393, p. 83-5; Sir David Lyndesay's Monarche, book iv, l. 5462 (in Skeat's Specimens, 1394-1579, p. 254-6), &c, &c, &c. Old Friesic has a version of these 15 Tokens, says Mr Skeat: see Richtofen, Friesische Rechtsquellen, p. 130. Mr Small says that 'no copy of the original is to be found in the Benedictine edition of Jerome's Works'; and Mr Wright states that 'others say they are first found in the Prognosticon futuri seculi of Julianus Pomerius, a theologian, who died in the year 690'. )

The Song that follows the Signs here, has pretty bits and good words in it.

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[Laud MS. 622, leaf 70, back, col. 2. ]

? ffiftene toknes. ? Ieremie.
SEint Ieremie telle? in his book; of xv. tokenyng
? at god wil a? eins domesdai; here on er? e bring:
? e first day ? e Cee schal arise; & as a wal stonde,
Wel hei?