“Seyoms ore entour cerveyse, Pur fere gens ben à eyse. Alumet, amy, cele lefrenole,[17] {48} E kaunt averas manges de brakole, En une cuwe[18] large e leez, Cel orge là enfoundrez; E kaunt sera enfoundré, E le ewe seyt escouloé, Mountez cel haut soler, Si le festes nette baler,[19] E là cochet votre blée, Taunke seyt ben germée, De cele houre appelleras, Brès, ke blée avant nomas. Le brès de vostre mayn muez En mounceus ou en rengeés;[20] Pus le portez en un corbel, Pur ensechier au toral.[21] Le corbel e le corbiloun Vous serviront au fusoyn. Kaunt vostre brez est molu, E de ewe chaude ben enbeu, Des bertiz[22] ver cervoyse Par art contrové teise. Ky fet miracles e merveyles, De une chaundelie deus chandelis, De homme lay fet bon clerc, A homme desconu doune merk, Homme fort fet chatoner, {49} E homme à roye haut juper,[23] Taunt de vertu de la grees De servoyse fet de brès, Ke la coyfe[24] de un bricoun Teyndre seet sanz vermilloun. Ceste matyre cy repose, Parlom ore de autre chose.” [17] Some old Englishman has written in the MS. over difficult words his interpretation of them; an interpretation frequently of great assistance, but occasionally in itself not a little puzzling. This word _lefrenole_, however, he much elucidates by annotating it “kex;” in Gloucestershire and in other parts of the country the word is still used to signify the hemlock, and may be found in many old writers. Lygones, in _A King and No King_, refers to his legs as “withered kexes.” The word was probably occasionally used to denote a candle, and this is the meaning assigned to it here. Langland, in the _Vision of Piers Ploughman_, says that glowing embers do not serve the workman’s purpose so well, “As dooth a kex or a candle That caught hath fire and blazeth.” Allusion is also made to the use of stalks of hemlock as candles in _Turn. of Tottenham_, 201. [18] Our annotator says “a mikel fat.” The word “kive” is found in later English for the same utensil. [19] Suepet klene. [20] “On hepe other on rowe” is the quaint gloss. [21] _Toral_ is noted “kulne.” [22] _Bertiz_ is probably a form of _bertzissa_, which seems to be a barbarous rendering of _wort_. [23] _Juper_ is annotated _houten_, _i.e._, to hoot or shout. [24] The word _coyfe_ here seems to signify not _cap_, but _head_ or _face_; another such use of the word is to be found in the _Chron. de Nangis_ (1377), and is mentioned in Sainte-Palaye’s _Hist. Dict. of the French Language_. It is believed that no translation of this curious old poem has been published, and a rendering is accordingly added in which literal accuracy rather than poetical elegance has been aimed at.