THE BIRTHS OF AMMON AND MOAB.

Men ſeið ðe treen ðat ðor henden ben
1128 Waxen in time, and brimen, and ðen,
Oc quane here apples ripe ben,
Trees on its banks produce apples,
fier-iſles man mai ðor-inne ſen;
ðat erd iſ oten ſaltes dale,
1132 Maniman ðor-of holdet litel tale.
which contain ashes only.
Loth wuned litel in ſegor,
for he dredde him for to forfare ðor;
Wið hiſe two dowtres ut he teg,
Lot soon left Segor.
1136 And for dred to ðo dunes he fleg;
And ðor he biggede in a caue[n],
ðe waſ ðor in roche grauen.
For fear he fled to the hills, and dwelt in a cave.
ðo meidenes herden quilum ſeien,
1140 ðat fier ſulde al ðis werld forſweðen,
And wenden wel ðat it were cumen,
And fiereſ wreche on werld numen,
And ðat man-kinde wore al for-loren
1144 but of hem ðre wore man boren.
Lot's daughters thought all mankind had perished, and that, unless they had children, the world would come to an end.
ðis maidenes redden ſone[[142]] on-on
Quat hem two wore beſt to don,
They consulted as to what was best to be done.
Hu he migten vnder-gon
 [Fol. 23.]
1148 Here fader, ðat he ne[[143]] wore ðor gon;
Wið wineſ drinc he wenten iſ ðhogt,
So ðat he haueð ðe dede wrogt,
And on eiðer here a knaue bi-geten,
1152 ðiſ ne mai nogt ben for-geten.
ðiſ maidenes deden it in god dhogt,[[144]]
ðe fader oc drunken ne wiſte he it nogt.
They made their father drunk so that he wrought the deed, and each begot a child.
ðe firſte him bar moab ðat ſune,
1156 Of him beð folc, [in] moab it wune;
ðe leſſe him bar a ſune amon,
Amonit folces fader on.
The first bore Moab, the other Ammon.
NV bi-oueð uſ to wenden a-gen,
1160 And of abraham ſong under-gon.
Now turn we to Abraham.
Abraham up on morgen ſtod,
Wið reuli lote and frigti mod;
On the morrow he looked toward Sodom,

[142]

MS. ſono.

[143]

MS. hene.

[144]

read ðogt.