that every Hebrew male child should be put to death as soon as it was born. And ðat he weren redi bi-foren, Q_u_an ebru child ſuld be boren, 2572 [237] bi-ginneð? [238] king? [239] craftlike? THE BIRTH AND PRESERVATION OF MOSES. And ðe knapes to deade giuen, And leten ðe mayden childre liuen. [Fol. 50b.] The midwives saved the children's lives, Oc he it leten fro godeſ dred; Get ðo childre wexen in ſped, 2576 And q_u_ane he komen to ðe king, and lied to the king, saying, He wereden hem wið leſing; He ſeiden ðe childre weren boren that the children were born ere they arrived. Or he migten ben hem bi-foren. 2580 God it geald ðeſe wifes wel, On hom, on hagte, eddi ſel! Pharaoh then bad that every "knave child" should be drowned. Ðo bad ðis king al opelike, In alle burges modilike, 2584 Eu_er_ilc knape child of ðat kin ben a-non don ðe flod wið-in. By that time was Moses born. BI ðat time waſ moyſes boren, So het abrah_a_m dor[240] bi-foren; 2588 And his moder het Iacabeð, Ghe was for him dreful and bleð, His mother hid him for three months. wel is hire of bird[241] bi-tid. ðre moneð haueð ghe him hid, 2592 durſte ghe non lengere him for-helen, Ne ghe ne cuðe ðe wateres ſtelen; Then she made an ark, In an fetles, of rigeſſes wrogt, Terred, ðat water dered it nogt, 2596 placed the child in it, ðiſ child wunden ghe wulde don, and set it on the water. And ſetten it ſo ðe water on; Miriam was sent to watch what became of it. Ghe adde or hire dowter ſent, [Fol. 51.] To loken q_u_ider it ſulde ben went; 2600 Maria dowter ful feren ſtod, And ghe nam kep to-ward ðiſ flod.