Famine drove him to Egypt. feger ut in to egipte lond; 764 ðor he ſeide ðat ſarrai To save his life he said that Sarai was his sister. waſ hiſ ſiſter, al for-ði for he dredde him to leten iſ lif If he wiſten ghe wore iſ wif; 768 Sarai was fair and Egypt's folk were lecherous. for ghe waſ fai[ge]r witter-like, And ðat folc luuede lecherlike. Quan ab_ra_m was to egipte cumen, [123] werldes? PHARAOH TAKES AWAY SARAI, AND IS PUNISHED BY A PLAGUE. Soon was Sarai taken from Abram, and brought to king Pharaoh. Sone him waſ ſarrai binumen; 772 Sone him waſ ſarray bi-lagt, And [124]pharaon ðe kinge bi-tagt; God plagued the king with sickness. God ſente on him ſekeneſſe & care, And lettede al his lecher-fare. 776 Sarray liuede in clene lif, Pharaoh at last became aware that all this strife was on account of Sarai, And ðe king ðholede ſorges ſtrif Til he wiſte al ðat ſtrif Cam him on for ab_ra_m wif; 780 so he restored her to her husband, ðo ſente he after abram, And bi-tagte he him iſ leman, [Fol. 16.] and gave Abram land and cattle. And gaf him lond, and agte, and fe, And leue, ðor q_u_iles his wille be, 784 To wune egipte folc among, And friðen him wel fro eu_er_ilc wro_n_g, Bad him to god hiſ erdne beren, In Egypt the patriarch abode in security. ðat ywel him ſulde nu_n_mor deren. 788 ðor wunede abra_m_ in welðe and i_n_ frið, Egypt's clerks held him in high honour. Egipte clerkes woren him wið, And hem lerede, witt_er_like, Aſtronomige and arſmetike; 792 He was hem lef, he woren him hold. God greatly increased his riches. God gaf him ðor ſiluer and gold, And hird, and orf, and ſrud, and ſat, Vn-achteled welðe he ðor bi-gat. 796