“As for [Sawles Warde]. The text of this extract is from the Royal MS.”
Clara per Progenitores
Constantin. ant Maxence weren on ane time as in keiseres stude hehest i rome. ah constantin ferde þurh þe burhmenne read in to fronc londe. ant wunede summe hwiles þer for þe burhes neode. ant Maxence storede þe refschipe in rome. weox umbehwiles wreððe him bitweonen. ant comen to þe fehte. 5 þes maxence wes ouercumen. ant fleh into alixaundre. Constantin walde efter. ant warpen him þeonne. ah so wide him weox weorre on euch halue. 8. After an, e erased
ẏrie MS. ant nomeliche in an lond ylirie hatte. þ̵ ter he etstutte. Þa Maxence iherde þis; þ̵ he wes of him siker. ant of his cume karles. warð king of þat lond þ̵ lei into rome. as duden meast 10 alle þe oðere of þe world. bigon anan as wedwulf to weorrin hali chirche. ant dreien cristene men þe lut þ̵ ter weren alle to heðenedom heðene as he wes. Summe þurh muchele ȝeoue ant misliche meden. Summe þurh farlac of his fule þreates. Oleast wið stronge tintreo ant licomliche pinen. Þe fif ⁊ þrittuðe ȝer of his 15 rixlunge he set okine seotle i þe moder burh [f. 11 v] of alixaundres riche. he sende heste. ⁊ bode so wide so þ̵ lond wes. þ̵ poure ba ⁊ riche comen biuoren him to þe temple iþe tun of his heðene godes. euchan wið his lac; forto wurgin ham wið. comen alle to his bode. ⁊ euchan bi `hi´s euene biuoren Maxence seolf to wurgen his 20 mawmez. þe riche roðeren ⁊ schep ⁊ bule hwa so mahte brohte to lake. þe poure cwike briddes in þis ilke burh wes wuniende a meiden swiðe ȝung of ȝeres twa wone of twenti. 24. wastun MS.
28. þ̵i MS.
33. of ... god from C. feie`r´ ⁊ freolich o wlite ⁊ o wastum. ah ȝet þ̵ wes mare wurð steðeluest wið innen of treowe bileaue. anes kinges cost hehte anlepi dohter icuret clergesse. katerine 25 inempnet. þis meiden wes boðen federles ⁊ moderles of hire child-hade, ah þah ha ȝung were; ha heold hire aldrene hird wisliche ⁊ warliche iþe eritage. ⁊ iþe herd þ̵ com of hire burde. nawt for þi hire þuhte god to habben monie under hire ⁊ beon icleopet lefdi þ̵ feole telleð wel to. ah ba ha wes offearet of scheome ⁊ of sunne. 30 þ̵ þeo weren to dreuet oðer mis ferden þ̵ hire forð-federes hefden ifostred. For hire seolf ne kepte heo nawt of þe world. þus lo for hare sake ane dale [f. 12 r] heo et heold [of hire eldrene god] ⁊ spende al þ̵ oðer in neodful ⁊ in nakede.
Þeos 35. After lates, f erased. milde meoke meiden þes lufsum lefdi mid lasteles lates ne 35 luuede heo nane lihte plohen ne nane luue ronnes. nalde heo nane songes. ne nane luue runes leornin ne lustnin ah eauer ha hefde on hali writ ehnen oðer horte. oftest ba to gederes. hire feder hefde iset hire earliche to leaf ⁊ to lare. ⁊ heo underueng hit þurh þen hali gast so wel þ̵ nan nes hire eueninge. Modie meistres ⁊ 40 feole fondeden hire ofte. oswiðe feole halue forto under neomen hire. ah nes þer nan þ̵ mahte neuer enes wrenchen hire mid al his crefti crokes ut of þe weie. ah swa sone heo ȝeld ham swucche ȝein cleppes. ⁊ wende hare wiheles uppon ham seoluen þ̵ al ha i cneowen ham crauant ⁊ ouercumen. ⁊ cweðen hire þe meistrie ⁊ te menske al up. 45
Þus 53. After of hire, ḥạ ẉ MS.
56. þes þes MS. hwil ha wiste hire ⁊ þohte aa to witen hire meiden i meiðhad. as ha set in a bur of hire burde boldes heo iherde a swuch murhðe towart þe awariede mawmetes temple lowinge of þ̵ ahte. ludinge of þe men. gleowunge [f. 12 v] of euch gleo to herien ⁊ hersumin hare heðene godes. as ha þis iherde ⁊ nuste ȝet hwet hit wes. ha sende swiðe for 50 to witen hwet wunder hit were. sone so hire sonde com aȝein ⁊ seide hire þ̵ soðe; heo swa itend of wreððe wes þ̵ wod ha wurðen walde. het up of hire hird hwuch as heo walde ant wende hire þideward. ifont þer swiðe feole ȝeinde ⁊ ȝurinde. ⁊ þeotinde unþuldeliche wið rewfule remes þ̵ cristene weren. ⁊ leafful in godes laẏ. ah for dred 55 of deað duden þes deouel[e]s lac as þe heðene duden. hwa wes wurse þen hire heorte iwundet in wið for þe wrecches þ̵ heo iseh wraðe werkes wurchen aȝeines godes wille. þohte þah as heo wes þuldi ⁊ þolemod so ȝung þing as heo wes. hwet hit mahte ȝeinen þah heo hire ane were aȝein so kene keisere ⁊ his kineriche. 60 stod stille ane hwile ⁊ hef hire heorte up to þe hehe healent þe iheret is in heouene. bisohte him help. ⁊ hap. ⁊ wisdom. as wisliche as al þe world is iwald þurh his wissunge. þrefter wepnede hire mid soðe bileaue. ⁊ wrat on hire breoste ant biuoren hire teeð ⁊ tunge of hire muð þe hali [f. 13 r] rode taken. ⁊ com lepinde 65 forð al itend of lei of þen hali gast. as þe keiser stod bimong þe sunful slaht of þ̵ islein ahte deoulen to lake þ̵ euch wariet weouet of þe mix mawmez ron of þ̵ balefule blod al bi blodeget. ⁊ bigon to ȝeien ludere stefne.
Gretinge 71. ille MS. keiser walde. þe bi cumen for þin hehnesse ȝef þu þis 70 ilke ȝeld þ̵ tu dest to deouelen þ̵ for deð þe baðe ilicom ⁊ i sawle; ⁊ alle þ̵ hit driueð. ȝef þu hit ȝulde ⁊ ȝeue to his wurðmunt þe scheop þe ant al þe world. ⁊ al walt þurh his wisdom. ⁊ al þ̵ ischapen is. ich walde keiser igreten þe. ȝef þu understode þ̵ he him ane is to herien þurh hwam ⁊ under hwam 75 alle kinges rixleð. ne ne mei na þing wið stonden his i wil. þah he muche þolie. þes heouenliche lauerd luueð treowe bileaue. ⁊ nowðer blod ne ban of unforgult ahte. ah þ̵ me halde ⁊ heie his halewunde heastes. Ne nis na þing hwar þurh monnes muchele medschipe wreððeð him wið mare þen þe schaft of mon; þ̵ he scheop. ⁊ ȝef 80 schad ba of god ⁊ of uuel þurh wit ⁊ þurh wisdom schal wurðen forð. ut of his witte þurh þe awariede gast þ̵ he ȝelt þe wur [f. 13 v] ðmunt to unwitlese þing þ̵ te feont wuneð in. þ̵ he ahte to godd ⁊ hereð ⁊ hersumeð seheliche schaftes ⁊ blodles ⁊ banles. ⁊ leomen buten liue. as he schulde his ⁊ heoren. ⁊ alre þinge schuppent þ̵ is 85 godd unsehelich.
Claruit per Sacros Mores
Þe feont þe fint al uuel bimong alle his crokinde creftes. wið neauer an ne keccheð he creftluker cang men ne leadeð to unbileaue. þen þ̵ he makeð men. þ̵ ahten to witen wel. þ̵ ha beoð bi ȝetene. i borene ⁊ broht forð þurh þe heoueneliche feder; to makien 90 swucche mawmez of treo. oðer of stan. oðer þurh mare medschipe. of gold oðer of seoluer; ⁊ ȝeouen ham misliche nome. of sunne oðer of mone. of wind of wude. of wettres. ⁊ hersumið. ⁊ wurgið as þah ha godes weren. ne naueð he þurh oðer þing i þis bileaue ibroht ow bute þ̵ ow þuncheð þ̵ ha schulden leasten aa. forþi þ̵ ȝe ne schulen 95 ham neuer biginnen. ah þer nis buten an godd þurh hwam witerliche alle weren i wrahte. ⁊ of nawt i þis woorld iset us forto frourin. ant to fremien. ⁊ al swa as euch þing hefde biginnunge of his godlec; al swa schulden alle habben endunge ȝef ha þ̵ [f. 14 r] walden. engles ⁊ sawlen þurh þ̵ ha bigunnen ahten ⁊ mahten endin þurh cunde. 100 ah he þurh his milce. ⁊ godlec of his grace makeð ham þ̵ ha beoð in eche buten ende. ⁊ ter uore nis na þing euening. ne eche wið godd þ̵ ȝe gremieð. for he is hare alre schuppent. ⁊ scheop as in sum time. ⁊ na time nes neauer þ̵ he ne bigon te beon in.
[ XVIII. THE ORISON OF OUR LADY]
“Cotton Nero A 14, British Museum. See [[IX, Ancrene Wisse]].”