Early English Alliterative Poems: in the West-Midland Dialect of the Fourteenth Century
Religion
Early English Alliterative Poems: in the West-Midland Dialect of the Fourteenth Century
English poetry -- Middle English, 1100-1500
[Sidenote: Repentance must be sought by prayer with sorrow and
affliction. The guilty may be saved by contrition.]
Grace i{n}-nogh þe mon may haue,
Þat sy{n}neȝ þe{n}ne new, ȝif hy{m} repente,
Bot w{i}t{h} sorȝ & syt he mot hit craue,
& byde þe payne þer-to is bent, 664
Bot resou{n} of ryȝt þat con not raue,
Saueȝ eu{er} more þe i{n}nosse{n}t;
Hit is a dom þ{a}t neu{er} god gaue,
Þat eu{er} þe gyltleȝ schulde be schente. 668
Þe gyltyf may contryssyou{n} hente
& be þurȝ mercy to grace þryȝt;
Bot he to gyle þat neu{er} glente,
At i{n}-oscente is saf & ryȝte. 672
[Headnote: INNOCENTS ARE SAVED BY RIGHT.]
[Sidenote: Two sorts of people are saved, the _righteous_ and
the _innocent_. The words of David. The innocent is saved by
right.]
Ryȝt þ{us}[26] I knaw wel i{n} þis cas,
Two men to saue is god by skylle;
Þe ryȝt-wys man schal se hys face,[27]
Þe harmleȝ haþel schal com hym tylle, 676
Þe saut{er} hyt satȝ þ{us} i{n} a pace:
“Lorde quo schal klymbe þy hyȝ hylleȝ
Oþ{er} rest w{i}t{h}-i{n}ne þy holy place?”
Hymself to on-sware he is not dylle; 680
“Hondely{n}geȝ harme þat dyt not ille,
Þat is of hert boþe clene & lyȝt,
Þer schal hys step stable stylle,”
Þe i{n}nosent is ay saf by ryȝt. 684
[Sidenote 26: MS. þ{us} þ{us}.]
[Sidenote 27: MS. _fate_.]
[Sidenote: [Fol. 48b.]]
[Sidenote: The words of Solomon.]
The ryȝtwys man also sertayn
Aproche he schal þ{a}t proper pyle,
Þat takeȝ not her lyf in vayne
Ne glauereȝ her nieȝbor wyth no gyle; 688
Of þys ryȝt-wys saȝ[28] salamon playn,
How kyntly oure con aquyle
By wayeȝ ful streȝt he con hym strayn,
& scheued hy{m} þe rengne of god a whyle, 692
As quo says “lo ȝon louely yle,
Þ{o}u may hit wy{n}ne if þ{o}u be wyȝte,”
Bot hardyly w{i}t{h}-oute peryle,
Þe i{n}nosent is ay saue by ryȝte! 696
[Sidenote 28: _satȝ_ (?).]
[Sidenote: David says no man living is justified.
Pray to be saved by innocence and not by right.]
An-ende ryȝtwys men, ȝet saytȝ a gome
Dauid in sauter, if eu{er} ȝe seȝ hit,
“Lorde þy seruau{n}t draȝ neuer to dome,
For[29] non lyuyunde to þe is Iustyfyet.” 700
For-þy to corte quen þ{o}u schal com,
Þer alle oure causeȝ schal be tryed,
Alegge þe ryȝt þ{o}u may be i{n}-nome,
By þys ilke spech I haue asspyed; 704
Bot he on rode þat blody dyed,
Delfully þurȝ hondeȝ þryȝt
Gyue þe to passe when þ{o}u arte tryed
By in{n}ocens & not by ryȝte. 708
[Sidenote 29: MS. _sor._]
[Headnote: CHRIST BLESSED LITTLE CHILDREN.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account