6 Lo erthe opon erthe consider{e} well thow may How erthe co{m}meth to erthe nakyd alway. Why shuld erthe than opon erthe go stout and gay Seth erthe in-to erthe shall passe in a pore aray? 24 7 I counsell erthe opon erthe that wykkyd hath wrought, Whyle erthe ys opon erthe to torne vp hys thought, And pray God opon erthe that all erthe hath wrought, That erthe out of erthe to blysse may be brought. Amen. 28 Memorare nouissima. #B# VERSION 20. MS. TRINITY COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE B. 15. 39. [fol. 170.] This text (in MS. not written in metrical lines) preserves 9 stanzas of the 12-stanza version in MSS. Lambeth and Laud, and appears to represent a distinct and perhaps older copy of the original of these two. The mistake in v. 8 precludes its being the original. De terra plasmasti me, _etc._ 1 [1]Erþe out of erþe is wondirli wrouȝt, Erþe of erþe haþ gete a dignite of nouȝt, Erþe vpon erþe haþ sett al his þouȝt, Howe þat erþe vpon erþe may be hiȝ brouȝt. 4 2 Erþe vpon erþe wolde ben a king; But how erþe schal to erþe þenkiþ he no þing; Whanne þan erþe biddiþ erþe hise rentis hoom bring, Þanne schal erþe out of erþe haue a piteuous p{ar}tinge. 8 3 Erþe vpon erþe wy{n}neþ castels and tours, Þanne seiþ erþe to erþe: ‘þis is all ouris.’ Whanne erþe vpon[2] erþe [haþ biggid][3] up his bouris, Þan schal erþe for erþe for[4] suffre scharpe schouris. 12 4 Erþe gooþ upon erþe as molde upon moolde, So gooþ erþe upon erþe al glitiringe in golde, Lijk as erþe vnto erþe neu{er}e go scholde, And ȝit schal erþe vnto erþe raþir þan he wolde. 16 5 O þou [fol. 170, v^o] wrecchid erþe þat in þe erþe trauellist niȝt & day, To florische þe erþe, to peinte þe erþe wiþ wantowne aray, Ȝit schalt þou erþe for al þi erþe, make þou it neu{er}e so queinte or gay, Out of þis erþe in-to þe erþe, þere to klinge as a clot of clay. 20 6 O wrecchid man whi art þou proud þat art of erþe makid? Hidir brouȝtist þou no schroud, but pore come þou and nakid. Whanne þi soule is went out & þi bodi in[5] erþe rakid, Þan bi [bodi][6] þat was rank & bilouid of al men is bihatid. 24 7 Out of þis erþe cam to þis erþe þis wantinge grarnement[7]; To hide þis erþe, to happe þis erþe, to him was cloþing lent; But now[8] gooþ erþe upon erþe, ruli raggid & rent, Þerfore schal erþe vndir þe erþe haue hidous turment. 28 8 Þ{er}fore þ{o}u erþe vpon erþe þat wikkidli hast wrouȝt, While þat erþe is upon erþe turne aȝen þi þouȝt, & pray to God vpon erthe þat [al þe erþe haþ][9] wrouȝt, Þat erþe vpon erþe to blis may be brouȝt. 32