MS. ðarð.

A PLAGUE SLAYS FOURTEEN THOUSAND PEOPLE.

Of ðo Reklefates for wurðing,
3788 Woren mad, and for muning,
Corunes at ðe alter of bras,
ðe at here tabernacle was.
Of the censers were made crowns for the altar of brass.
For al ðiſ, oðer day ðor waſ neſt,
3792 Agenes moyſes and iſ prest
Gan al ðiſ folc wið wreðe gon,
And wulden hem werpen ſtones on;
To ðe tabernacle he ben flogen,
3796 ðor [h]aueth a ſkie hem wel bi-togen;
On the morrow the people murmured against Moses and Aaron, who fled to the Tabernacle.
A fier magti ðat folc feſt on,
And haueð manige ðor for-don.
ðan bad moyſes aaron,
3800 wið hiſe Rekelefat, to ðat fir gon;
And he it dede[[360]] alſ he him b[e]ad,
 [Fol. 74.]
A fire slew many of the people.
Ran and ſtod tuen[[361]] liues and dead,
And ðiſ fier bleſſede and wið-drog,
3804 It [h]adde or ſlagen manige ynog;
Aaron stays the plague.
.xiiii. ðhusent it haueð ſlagen,
And .iiii. ſcore of liue dragen.
Ðog ðiſ folc miðe a ſtund for-dred,
Fourteen thousand and eighty were thus slain.
3808 ðog he ben get in ſunder red,
Get he aglen on here red(.) and wen
ðat it mai loked betre ben;
ðog ðiſe brende ben for-ſaken,
3812 ðog he wenen ðat god ſal taken
The Israelites do not recognise Aaron's authority,
Of ðo .xii. tribuz ſumme mo,
To ben ðor he for-hu-gede ðo,
Or ynog raðe of euerilc kin,
3816 He wile ðat ſumme ſerue ðor-in.
"Childre," quat moyſes, "gure ſtrif
but think that others are fitted for the service of God.
dereð ðe ſowle and greueð ðe lif;
Do we uſ alle in godes red,
Moses addresses the people,
3820 Vs ſal timen ðe betre ſped;
Ilc prince me take hiſe wond,
And do we us here in godes hond;
and directs each prince of the tribes to take a rod, and to write every man his name upon it.

[360]

MS. ðede.

[361]

MS. tiren.

THE PRIESTHOOD OF AARON CONFIRMED.

And on [ilc] wond writen ſal ben
3824 ðe kindes name ðe ðor to tgen;
God ſal to-morgen token don,
Quilc kinde he wile ðiſ meſter on.
 [Fol. 74b.]
ðuſ it was don, and on a wond
3828 Wið-uten[[362]] ðo wrot he wið hond
ðe twelfte names of ðat kin;
The rods were written upon,
ðe tabernacle he dedis in,
And ðor he iſ haued god bi-tagt,
3832 And let iſ ben ðor al ðat nagt.
and laid before the Lord in the Tabernacle.
O morgen quan he com a-gen,
Quat was bitid he let hem ſen;
Ilc wond he fond of euerilc kin
3836 Alſ ſwilc alſ he iſ dede ðor-in;
On the morrow the rods were examined,
Oc on, ðe was of aaron,
(Writen was name leui ðor-on),
It was grene and leaued bi-cumen,
3840 And nutes amigdeles ðor-onne numen;
ðo wiſten he ðat[[363]] aaron
and Aaron's rod, of the house of Levi, had budded, blossomed, and brought forth almonds,
Was hem biſſop ðurg god don;
To ſen gode witneſſe ðor-on,
3844 ðat wond was in ðat arche don.
[I]N ðe deſert he wuneden ðor
so it was seen that God had appointed Aaron as bishop.
.xxx.vii. winter and mor;
Longe abuten munt ſeyr,
3848 folgede hem ðat ſkie ſcir,
Thirty-seven years and more the people abode in the desert,
And often to ðe ſe ðor-bi,
And often to ðe munt ſynay;
Her and gund ðor he biried lin,
 [Fol. 75.]
wandering about from place to place,
3852 Alle he[[364]] olde deden ðor fin.
And at ðe laſte ne-ðe-les,
Eft he come ſone to cades,
and all the old ones died.
ðor was moyſes ſiſter dead;
3856 ðat folc ðor .xxx. daiges a-bead,
And after wune faire hire bi-stod,
wið teres, rem, and frigti mod;
At Kadesh Miriam died,

[362]