THE OPPRESSION OF THE ISRAELITES.

GOdes bliſcing be wið vs,
Her nu bi-ginned[[237]] exodus.
Here beginneth Exodus.
Pharao kinges rigte name
2540 Vephres, be dede ðe ebriſ frame;
And bi oðere ſeuene kinges ſel,
Under Pharaoh, and the seven kings who succeeded him,
Wexen he ðore & ðogen wel.
the Israelites increased and prospered.
ðe egtenede king amonaphis,
2544 Agenes ðis folc hatel is;
The eighth king treated them harshly,
And egipte folc adden nið,
for ebriſ adden ſeli ſið.
Quuað ðis ging[[238]] wið hem ſtille in red,
2548 "ðis ebris waxen michil ſped,
and the Egyptians became jealous of them.
Bute if we eraflike[[239]] hem for-don,
Ne ſulen he non eige ſen uſ on."
 [Fol. 50.]
Ðo ſette ſundri hem to waken
2552 His tigel and lim, and walles maken,
burges feten; and rameſen
ðurge here ſwinc it walled ben;
They made slaves of them, and set them to build walls.
Summe he deden in vn-ðewed ſwinc,
2556 for it was fugel and ful o ſtinc,
Some they made to do foul work,
Muc and fen ut of burgeſ beren,
ðuſ bitterlike he gun hem deren;
ðe ðridde ſwinc was eui and ſtron[g],
to carry "muck and fen out of the city,"
2560 He deden hem crepen dikes long,
And wide a-buten burges gon,
and to creep along dikes.
And cumen ðer ear waſ non;
And if ðat folc hem wulde deren,
2564 ðe dikeſ comb hem ſulde weren.
for al ðat ſwinc heui & ſor,
The comb of the dike serves them as protection against their enemies.
Ay wex ðat kinde, mor & mor,
And ðhogen, & ſpredden in londe ðor,
2568 ðat made ðe kinges herte ful ſor.
For all that labour, the folk increased and spread.
Ðo bad monophis pharaun
wimmen ben ſet in euerilc tun,
Then bad Pharaoh,
And ðat he weren redi bi-foren,
2572 Quan ebru child ſuld be boren,
that every Hebrew male child should be put to death as soon as it was born.

[237]

bi-ginneð?

[238]

king?

[239]

craftlike?