ABIMELECH COVENANTS WITH ABRAHAM,

Ghe leide ðe child under a tre,
1236 fer ðeðen ghe gede, ſo it gan be,
ðe child ne mai ghe for ſorge ſen;
Bi al-ſo fer ſo a boge mai ten,
Hagar placed her child under a tree,
ðor ſat hiſ moder in ſik and ſor,
and sat as far as a bow-shot off.
1240 wende ghe it coueren neuere mor.
Goddeſ merci dede hire reed,
She thought it could not recover.
An angel meðede hire ðat ned,
Tagte hire ðor a welle ſpring,
1244 ðat waſ hire ðor ſeli timing;
An angel showed her a well-spring,
ðor ghe gan fremen yſmael
Wið watreſ drinc and bredeſ mel,
and she gave the lad drink and bread.
filt hire feteleſ, and nam fro ðan
1248 forð to ðe deſert of [[150]]pharan;
Forth they went and dwelt in Paran.
ðor wunede yſmael and agar.
Ghe cheſ him a wif ðe childre bar;
Ishmael married an Egyptian woman.
.xii. ſuneſ he auede bi hiſ wif,
1252 Of him cam kinde mikil and rif.
Nabachot waſ hiſ firſt ſune,
 [Fol. 25.]
Twelve sons he had, of whom sprang great nations.
In arabie hiſ kinde wune
fro ðe riche flod eufrate,
1256 Wid and fer to ðe rede ſe;
In Arabia they dwelt.
Of hiſ oðer ſune cedar,
A ku[n]griche hiſ name bar;
Kedar gave name to a kingdom.
And of duma hiſ ſexte ſune,
1260 A ku[n]gdom dirima ðu mune;
Hiſ .ix. waſ tema for-ðan,
From Dumah came the kingdom of Dirima.
Iſ ðor a ku[n]glond teman;
And .xii. of ðe cedima,
1264 Het a guglond[[151]] eſten fro ða.
Flemd waſ agar and yſmael,
and yſaac wex and ðehg wol wel.
Teman gets its name from Tema.
Abimalech ſag abraham,
1268 Hu welðe him wex and migte cam,
He bad him maken ſiker pligt
Of luue and trewðe, in frendeſ rigt,
Abimelech makes a covenant with Abraham,

[150]

w MS.

[151]

read kunglond