Selections from Early Middle English, 1130-1250. Part 1: Texts
General
Selections from Early Middle English, 1130-1250. Part 1: Texts
English literature -- Middle English, 1100-1500
+W+it þe husbonde godes cunestable cleopeð warschipe [f. 73r]
forð. ⁊ makid hire durewart. þe warliche loki hwam ha leote in ⁊
ut. ⁊ of feor bihalde alle þe cuminde. hwuch beo wurðe {40}
inȝong{e} to habben{;} oðer beon bisteke{n} þrute. Strengðe
stont nest hire. þ̵ ȝef ei wule in{;} warschipes vn{}þonkes.
warni strengðe fore. þ̵ is hire suster{;} ⁊ heo hit ut warpe. þe
þridde sust{er} þ̵ is meað. hire he makeð meistre ou{er} his
willesfule hirð þ̵ we ear of speken. þ̵ ha leare ham mete . þ̵
me meosure hat. þe middel of twa uueles . for {45} þ̵ is þeaw in
euch stude ⁊ tuht forte halden. ⁊ hateð ham alle þ̵ nan of ham
aȝein hire{;} nohwer wid vnmeoð{;} ne ga ou{er} mete. þe feorðe
suster rihtwisnesse. sit on hest as deme . ⁊ beateð þeo þe
aȝulteð. ⁊ cruneð þeo þe wel doð. ⁊ demeð euchan his dom eft{er}
his rihte. for dret of hire nimeð his hirð euch eft{er} þ̵ he is
warde to witene . þe {50} ehnen hare. þe muð his. þe earen hare.
þe hondon hare. ⁊ euch alswa of þe oþre wit þ̵ onont him ne
schal nan un{}þeaw cumen iN.
++As þis is ido þus. ⁊ is al stille þrinne{;} warschipe þ̵ áá is
waker is offearet lest sum for{}truste him. ⁊ feole o{}slepe. ⁊
forȝeme his warde. ⁊ sent ham. in a sonde. þ̵ ha wel cnaweð. of
feorren icumen. forte {55} offearen þeo þe beoð [f. 73v] ou{er}
hardi. ⁊ þeo þe ȝemelese beoð{;} halden ham wakere. he is
underuon in. ⁊ swiðe bihalden of ha{m} alle. for lonc he is. ⁊
leane. ⁊ his leor deaðlich. ⁊ blac ⁊ elheowet. ⁊ euch her
þunc`h´eð þ̵ stont in his heaued up{;} warschipe hat hi{m}
tellen biuoren. hwet he beo ⁊ hweonene he co{m}me ⁊ hwet he þer
seche. Ne mei {60} ich he seið. nohwer speoken. bute ich habbe
god lust{;} lustnið me þenne. fearlac ich hatte. ant am deaðes
sonde. ⁊ deaðes munegunge. ⁊ am icumen biuore hire to warnin ow
of hire cume. warschipe þ̵ best con bisetten hire wordes. ⁊ ec
hire werkes{;} spekeð for ham alle. ⁊ freineð hweonene he cume.
⁊ hwuch hird ha leade. fearlac {65} hire ontswereð. Ich nat nawt
þe time{;} for ha ne seide hit me nawt. ah eau{er} lokið hwenne.
for hire wune is to cumen bi stale ferliche ⁊ unmundlunge hwen
me least weneð. of hire hird þ̵ tu easkest.
[Linenote:
58. Before _leane_, _feier_ erased.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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