God walkyd in erth as longe as he wolde, He had not in this erth but hong{er} & colde, And in this erth also his body was solde, Her{e} in this erth, whan þ{a}t he was xxx^ti ȝer{e} olde. _MS. Rawl. C._ v. 8. Now he þ{a}t erthe opon erthe ordande to go Graunt þ{a}t erthe vpon erthe may govern hym so, Þat when erthe vnto erthe shall{e} be taken to, Þat þe saule of þis erthe suffre no wo. God lytyd in erth, blyssed be that stou{n}de! He sauyd hijs herth w{i}t{h} many a scharpe wounde, Ffor to sawe erth owght of hell grou{n}de, He deyd in erth vpon þe rode w{i}t{h} many a blody vou{n}de. And God ros ovght of the est this erth for to spede, And went into hell as was gret nede, And toke erth from sorowe þ{i}s erth for to spede, The ryght wey to heuen blys I{esus} Cryst vs lede! _MS. Rawl. P._ vv. 31, 32. Lord God that erthe tokist in erthe, And suffredist paynes ful stille, Late neuer erthe for the erthe In dedly synne ne spille. But that erthe in this erthe Be doynge euer thi wille, So that erthe for the erthe Stye up to thi holi hille. (Cf. Harl. 4486, v. 8; Lamb. v. 12; Laud v. 12). It is therefore evident that the Cambridge text shows knowledge of both the A and the B versions, but the text in its existing form must represent either a corrupt copy of the original with frequent dislocation of lines, or, what is perhaps more likely from the instances of repetition of the same words or ideas which occur, a clumsy compilation from the two made by some one who perhaps had B before him and remembered portions of A imperfectly. Such repetitions occur in verses 2 and 18, the latter repeating three of the rime-words of the former verse, as well as the phrase _scharpe schowris_; and again in verses 4 and 19, and in verses 6, 7, and 13. In any case the text must be regarded as later than the A and B versions, and not as forming a link between them. The dialect is Northern, but not uniformly so. ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF THE POEM.