The third poem, entitled “_Patience_,” is a paraphrase of the book of Jonah. The writer prefaces it with a few remarks of his own in order to show that “patience is a noble point though it displease oft.” The following extract contains a description of the sea-storm which overtook Jonah:-- Anon out of þe norþ est þe noys bigynes _Anon out of the north east the noise begins,_ When boþe breþes[20] con blowe vpon blo watteres _When both breezes did blow upon blue waters:_ Roȝ rakkes þer ros with rudnyng an-vnder _Rough clouds there arose with lightning there under,_ Þe see souȝed ful sore, gret selly to here _The sea sobbed full sore, great marvel to hear;_ Þe wyndes on þe wonne water so wrastel togeder, _The winds on the wan water so wrestle together,_ Þat þe wawes ful wode waltered so hiȝe _That the waves full wild rolled so high,_ & efte busched to þe abyme þat breed fyssches _And again bent to the abyss that bred fishes;_ Durst nowhere for roȝ arest at þe bothem. _Durst it nowhere for roughness rest at the bottom._ When þe breth & þe brok & þe bote metten _When the breeze and the brook and the boat met,_ Hit watȝ a ioyles gyn þat Ionas watȝ inne _It was a joyless engine that Jonah was in,_ For hit reled on round vpon þe roȝe yþes _For it reeled around upon the rough waves._ Þe bur ber to hit baft þat braste alle her gere _The bore (wave) bear to it abaft that burst all her gear,_ Þen hurled on a hepe þe helme & þe sterne _Then hurled on a heap the helm and the stern,_ Furste to murte[21] mony rop & þe mast after _First marred[21] many a rope and the mast after._ Þe sayl sweyed on þe see, þenne suppe bihoued _The sail swung on the sea, then sup behoved_ Þe coge of þe colde water, & þenne þe cry ryses _The boat of the cold water, and then the cry rises;_ Ȝet coruen þay þe cordes & kest al þer-oute _Yet cut they the cords and cast all there-out._ Mony ladde þer forth-lep to laue & to kest _Many a lad there forth leapt to lave and to cast,_ Scopen out þe scaþel water, þat fayn scape wolde _To scoop out the scathful water that fain escape would;_ For be monnes lode neuer so luþer, þe lyf is ay swete _For be man’s lot never so bad, the life is aye sweet._ --(p. 93.) The writer, in concluding the story of Jonah, exhorts his readers to be “patient in pain and in joy.” For he þat is to rakel to renden his cloþeȝ, Mot efte sitte with more vn-sounde to sewe hem togeder. _For he that is too rash to rend his clothes, Must afterwards sit with more unsound (worse ones) to sew them together._ (p. 104.) [Footnote 20: Eurus and Aquilo.] [Footnote 21: ? = to-marte.]