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
So as we habeþ i seid of diuers wordles. þet god almichti dede
werkmen into his winyarde{;} so we mowe sigge of þo elde of
eueriche me{n}. {260} For godalmichti deþ werkm{en} into his
winyarde bi þe Morghen. Wanne ha clepeþ of swiche þer bieþ into
his seruise ine here childhede. Wanne hi of þis world wendeþ.
beswo þet hi ne be ine no diadlich senne. At undren ha se{n}t
men in to his winyarde. þet a turneþ into his s{er}uise. of age
of man. At Middai wanne þo dai is {265} alþer hotestd be tokned
þo men of .xxx^ti. wyntre. oþer of furti. for þe nat{ur}e of Man
is of greater stre{n}gþe and of greater hete ine þo age. Se euen
bi tockneþ. elde of Man. þet is se ende of þe liue. Vre lord deþ
werkmen into his winyarde a genes þo e[f. 133r²]uen{;} Wanne
fele ine here elde wendeþ ut of here senne i{n} to cristes
seruise. As so {270} solle hi habbe þo blisce of heuene{;} ase
þo þet ferst come{n} into þe winyyarde. Nocht for þan for þise
griate bunte þet ure iord yefþ ne solde no man targi for to
wende to godalmichti ne him to serui. for al so seid þet holi
writ þet now ne wot þane dai of his diaþe. for Man mai longe
liues wene and ofte him legheþ se wre{n}ch.
Nu gode men {275} ye habbeþ i herd þet godspel and þe forbisne.
Nu lokeþ yef ye bieþ with inne þo winyarde. þet is þet yef ye
bieþ ine godes seruise yef ye bieþ with ute diadliche senne yef
ye hatied þat he hateþ. yef ye luuieþ þet he luueþ. and doþ þet
he hot. and but ye do{;} ye bieþ hut of his winyarde. þe is ut
of his seruise. and ye doþ þet ure lord hóót, so ye {280} of
serueþ þane peni. þet `is´ heueriche blisce. ye of s{er}ueþ þet
good þet noon herte ne may i{}þenche ne noon yare i here ne
tunge telle. þo blisce þet god [f. 133v¹] halt alle þo þet hine
luuieþ. þider lord granti us to cumene. _Q{uo}d ipse pr{est}are
dignet{ur}. p{er}._
[Linenotes:
224. On margin, Multi s{un}t uocati{;} p{auci}. ||
235. _þan_] _þā_ MS. || 278. _he he_ MS.]
OXFORD
PRINTED AT THE CLARENDON PRESS
BY HORACE HART, M.A.
PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY
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[Design of the e-text:
Lines of prose have been shortened for readability. The original line
numbers are shown in {braces} within the text. Mid-line caesuras are
marked as in the original, with additional space.
Page numbers from the source MSS are shown as printed--inline in the
prose passages, marginal in verse--with their original brackets. Page
breaks in verse were marked with a simple line |.
In Linenotes and Collations, single | and double || lines have been
added by the transcriber where the original used extra space between
entries.
Several selections offer parallel readings from two or more MSS,
originally printed on facing pages. These parallel readings are shown
in sequence, with differing amounts of indentation; long prose passages
have been broken into smaller units for easier comparison.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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