_Mome Ellwis._ A, son, wat saystu? benedicite, Lift hup thi hand, and blis the. For it es boyt syn and scam, That thu on me hafs layt thys blam. For hic am an ald quyne and a lam. Y led my lyf wit Godis love. Wit my roc y me fede, Cani do non othir dede, Bot my pater noster and my crede, Tho say Crist for missedede, And my navy Mary, For my scynne hic am sory, And my de profundis, For al that yn sin lys. For cani me non othir think, That wot Crist, of heven kync. Ihesu Crist, of heven hey, Gef that hay may heng hey, And gef that by may se, That thay be henge on a tre, That this ley as leyit onne me. For aly wymam (_sic_) ami on. V TERENTIUS ET DELUSOR [I follow the text of P. de Winterfeld, _Hrotsvithae Opera_ (1902), xx; the piece was previously edited by C. Magnin in _Bibliothèque de l’École des Chartes_, i (1840), 517; A. de Montaiglon in _L’Amateur des Livres_ (1849); A. Riese, in _Zeits. f. d. österreich. Gymn._ xviii. 442; R. Sabbadini (1894). The only manuscript is _B. N. Lat. MS._ 8069 of the late tenth or early eleventh century. Various scholars have dated the poem from the seventh to the tenth century; Winterfeld declares for the ninth. It might have been intended as a prologue to a Terentian revival or to a mime. The homage paid to the _vetus poeta_ by the _delusor_ in his asides rather suggests the former; cf. Cloetta, i. 2; Creizenach, i. 8.] [DELUSOR.] Mitte recordari monimenta vetusta, Terenti; cesses ulterius: vade, poeta vetus. vade, poeta vetus, quia non tua carmina curo; iam retice fabulas, dico, vetus veteres. dico, vetus veteres iamiam depone camenas, quae nil, credo, iuvant, pedere ni doceant. tale decens carmen, quod sic volet ut valet istud; qui cupit exemplum, captet hic egregium. huc ego cum recubo, me taedia multa capescunt: an sit prosaicum, nescio, an metricum. dic mihi, dic, quid hoc est? an latras corde sinistro? dic, vetus auctor, in hoc quae iacet utilitas? _Nunc TERENTIUS exit foras audiens haec et ait_: quis fuit, hercle, pudens, rogo, qui mihi tela lacessens turbida contorsit? quis talia verba sonavit? hic quibus externis scelerosus venit ab oris, qui mihi tam durum iecit ridendo cachinnum? quam graviter iaculo mea viscera laesit acuto! hunc ubi repperiam, contemplor, et hunc ubi quaeram? si mihi cum tantis nunc se offerat obvius iris, debita iudicio persolvam dona librato. _Ecce persona DELUSORIS praesentatur et hoc audiens inquit_: quem rogitas ego sum: quid vis persolvere? cedo; huc praesens adero, non dona probare recuso. TERENTIUS. tunc, sceleste, meas conrodis dente Camenas? tu quis es? unde venis, temerarie latro? quid istis vocibus et dictis procerum me, a! perdite, caedis? tene, superbe, meas decuit corrumpere Musas? PERSONA DELUSORIS.