LAMECH KILLS CAIN AND HIS OWN SERVANT.

for ai was rigt and kire bi-forn,
452 On man, on wiſ, til he was boren.
Lamech him two wifes nam,
On adda, an noðer wif ſellam.
Two wives he took—Adah and Zillah.
Adda bar him ſune Iobal,
Adah bare Jabal.
456 He was hirde wittere and wal;
Of merke, and kinde, and helde, & ble,
He was a cunning shepherd.
ſundring and ſameni[n]g tagte he;
He taught separation and assembling.
Iobal iſ broðer ſong and glew,
460 Wit of muſike, wel he knew;
Jubal, his brother, wise in song and glee,
On two tableſ of tigel and braſ
wrot he ðat wiſtom, wiſ he was,
ðat it ne ſulde ben undon
464 If fier or water come ðor-on.
wrote on tile and brass.
Sella wuneð oc lamech wið,
ghe bar tubal, a ſellic ſmið;
Zillah bare Tubal, a mighty smith.
Of irin, of golde, ſiluer, and bras
468 To ſundren and mengen wiſ he was;
Iron, gold, silver, and brass he well knew how to separate and to mix.
Wopen of wigte and tol of grið,
wel cuðe [[106]]egte and ſafgte[[106]] wið.
He was skilled in making weapons of war and household tools.
Lamech ledde long lif til ðan
 [Fol. 10.]
472 ðat he wurð biſne, and haued a man
ðat ledde him ofte wudes ner,
To ſcheten after ðe wilde der;
Al-so he miſtagte, alſo he ſchet,
476 And caim in ðe wude iſ let;
Lamech at last became blind. He had a man to lead him to the woods in search of wild deer.
His knape wende it were a der,
An lamech droge iſ arwe ner,
The knave mistook Cain for a deer.
And letet flegen of ðe ſtreng,
480 Caim unwarde it under-feng,
Lamech let fly an arrow,
Gruſnede, and ſtrekede, and ſtarf wið-ðan.
Lamech wið wreðe iſ knape nam,
which struck Cain and killed him.
Vn-bente iſ boge, and bet, and slog,
484 Til he fel dun on dedeſ ſwog.
Lamech beat and slew his servant.
Twin-wifing ant twin-manſlagt
Of his ſoule beð mikel hagt.
Thus was he guilty of twi-wiving and twin-slaughter.

[106]

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