[515]. Sum is subject of don, l. 519. on, the first day. The Officium Mortuorum and masses of requiem (‘chirche gong,’ l. 519) were celebrated for thirty days and with special solemnity on the day of the deposition, the third, seventh, thirtieth (the month’s mind) and the anniversary; these or some of them were accompanied by doles (‘elmesse gifte,’ l. 520). See Rock, Church of our Fathers, ii. 315, 516-519.
[517]. Mätzner explains wurðen, ‘accomplished,’ that is, completed: which is the sense required, but such use of the participle is hard to parallel, although ‘þenne weoren heore iwil; allunge iwurden,’ L 19656, comes near it. Awurden, ended, would present less difficulty, and would improve the verse. A participial expression with the same meaning is seen in ‘fowerti winter vten led,’ GE 3348.
[526]. laiges was corrected by Morris. See 211/493 and comp. ‘Clense ðis folc wel ðis to daiges, | And bidde hem leden clene lages,’ GE 3453.
[529]. bode: ‘Significauit autem Joseph Pharaoni per intercessores quod iurauerat patri de sepultura,’ C. bōda, messenger.
[531]. ðor—dede, wherein he (Joseph) acted well, his pious act.
[533]. wis of here: neither in OE. nor in ME. does here mean war, battle, but only army, devastation. Morris reading heren, translates, ‘skilful in armed expeditions,’ which seems forced. Probably were is to be read: comp. ‘Als it were wopnede here, | Redi to silden him fro were,’ GE 1787. A similar phrase is ‘witter of figt,’ GE 864. In l. 534 read dere.
[535]. rad: comp. ‘And iacob was of weie rad,’ GE 1783.
[536]. abuten, making a detour: ‘timentes bella deuiauerunt a recto itinere veneruntque ad aream azad,’ C. adad: ‘atad,’ Vulgate and LXX; not in Codex Amiatinus.
[539]. numen, proceeded: comp. 13/28, 178/78, 179/113, 187/369; ‘And ðeðen he nam to mirie dale,’ GE 745, and often. There is an ellipsis of wei; comp. 206/305. So ‘his weige ðeðen ches,’ GE 2736, compared with ‘Anon of lond he ches,’ Sir Tristrem 2221.
[541]. ouer pharan: not in Comestor or the Vulgate; comp. GE 1248. The desert of Paran on the west side of the Dead Sea is meant.