A PLAGUE SLAYS FOURTEEN THOUSAND PEOPLE.

Of ðo Reklefates for wurðing,
3788 Woren mad, and for muning,
Corunes at ðe alter of bras,
ðe at here tabernacle was.
Of the censers were made crowns for the altar of brass.
For al ðiſ, oðer day ðor waſ neſt,
3792 Agenes moyſes and iſ prest
Gan al ðiſ folc wið wreðe gon,
And wulden hem werpen ſtones on;
To ðe tabernacle he ben flogen,
3796 ðor [h]aueth a ſkie hem wel bi-togen;
On the morrow the people murmured against Moses and Aaron, who fled to the Tabernacle.
A fier magti ðat folc feſt on,
And haueð manige ðor for-don.
ðan bad moyſes aaron,
3800 wið hiſe Rekelefat, to ðat fir gon;
And he it dede[[360]] alſ he him b[e]ad,
 [Fol. 74.]
A fire slew many of the people.
Ran and ſtod tuen[[361]] liues and dead,
And ðiſ fier bleſſede and wið-drog,
3804 It [h]adde or ſlagen manige ynog;
Aaron stays the plague.
.xiiii. ðhusent it haueð ſlagen,
And .iiii. ſcore of liue dragen.
Ðog ðiſ folc miðe a ſtund for-dred,
Fourteen thousand and eighty were thus slain.
3808 ðog he ben get in ſunder red,
Get he aglen on here red(.) and wen
ðat it mai loked betre ben;
ðog ðiſe brende ben for-ſaken,
3812 ðog he wenen ðat god ſal taken
The Israelites do not recognise Aaron's authority,
Of ðo .xii. tribuz ſumme mo,
To ben ðor he for-hu-gede ðo,
Or ynog raðe of euerilc kin,
3816 He wile ðat ſumme ſerue ðor-in.
"Childre," quat moyſes, "gure ſtrif
but think that others are fitted for the service of God.
dereð ðe ſowle and greueð ðe lif;
Do we uſ alle in godes red,
Moses addresses the people,
3820 Vs ſal timen ðe betre ſped;
Ilc prince me take hiſe wond,
And do we us here in godes hond;
and directs each prince of the tribes to take a rod, and to write every man his name upon it.

[360]

MS. ðede.

[361]

MS. tiren.