THE DEATH OF JACOB.

Or ðan he wiſte off werlde faren,
2436 He bade hiſe kinde to him charen,
And ſeide quat of hem ſulde ben,
Hali gaſt dede it him ſeen;
In clene ending and ali lif,
2440 So he for-let ðis werldes ſtrif.
Before he died Jacob called his sons before him, and "said what of them should be."
[I]Oſep dede hiſe lich faire geren,
Waſſen, and riche-like ſmeren,
And ſpice-like ſwete ſmaken;
Joseph caused his father's body to be embalmed.
2444 And egipte folc him bi-waken
xl. nigtes and .xl. daiges,
ſwilc woren egipte lages.
Egypt's folk "bewaked" Jacob for forty nights and forty days.
first .ix. nigt ðe liches beðen,
2448 And ſmeren, and winden, and bi-queðen,
And waken iſ ſiðen .xl. nigt;
ðo men ſo deden ðe adden migt.
 [Fol. 48.]
The first nine nights they bathe, anoint, etc., the body.
And ebriſſe folc adden an kire,
2452 Nogt ſone deluen it wið yre,
The Hebrews had a different custom;
Oc waſſen it and kepen it rigt,
they wash the body,
Wið-vten ſmerles, ſeuene nigt,
And ſiden[[229]] ſmered .xxx. daiges.
2456 Criſtene folc haueð oðer laiges,
He ben ſmered ðor quiles he liuen,
and keep it unanointed for seven nights.
Wið criſme and olie, in trewðe geuen;
for trewðe and gode dedes mide,
2460 ðon[[230]] ben ðan al ðat wech-dede;
Sum .on. ſum .ðre. sum .vii. nigt,
Sum .xxx., ſum .xii. moneð rigt;
And ſum euerilc wurðen ger,
2464 ðor quiles ðat he wunen her,
Christian folks are anointed with chrism and oil in their life-time.
don for ðe dede chirche-gong,
elmeſſe-gifte, and meſſe-ſong,
And ðat iſ on ðe weches ſtede;
2468 Wel him mai ben dat[[231]] wel it dede!
For the dead they perform alms-gift and mass-song.
Egipte folc aueð him waked
xl. nigt, and feſte maked,
Jacob's sons kept a "wake" of thirty days.

[229]

ſiðen?

[230]

don?

[231]

ðat?