Of hiſe endinge ne wot ic nogt,
488 oc of iſ kinde woren brogt
Of his death we know nothing.
On werlde ſeue and ſeuenti ðhuſant men,
Or or flum noe ſpredde hiſ fen;
Queðer ſo it ðhogte hem iuel or good,
492 Alle he drinkilden in ðat flood.
His descendants were all destroyed by Noah's flood.
Of ſeth, ðe waſ adam-iſ ſune,
cam enos; he gan ali wune
Of bedes, and of godefrigtihed,
496 for liues helpe and ſoules red.
Of Seth came Enos, who was prayerful and God-fearing.
Ic wile rigt tellen, if ic can,
 [Fol. 10b.]
Adam, ſeth, enos, caynan,
Malaleel, iareth, enoch,
500 for alied[[107]] god ſelf him toch
fro mannes mene in to ðat ſtede
ðat adam forles for iuel dede;
God took Enoch to Himself,
get liueð enoch wið-vten ſtrif,
504 In paradiſ in ſwete lif;
to dwell with Him in Paradise.
Get he ſal cumen or domeſ-day,
And wenden iewes, if he may,
To ðe witteneſſe of ieſus criſt,
508 And tholen dead vnder antecrist;
Siðen ſal antecriſt ben ſlagen,
And man and angeles wurðen fagen.
chirches ben wurſiped mor and mor,
512 And fendes dregen ſorge and ſor.
Enoch shall come before Doomsday to turn the Jews to Christ.
Or enoch wente [fro] werldes wune,
Matuſale waſ boren iſ ſune,
Before Enoch went from the world Methuselah was born.
And lamech of matuſale,
Lamech came of Methuselah.
516 And of lamech rigt-wiſe noe.
Lamech begat Noah.
Metodius, ali martyr,
Adde in his herte ſighe[[108]] ſir;
Alſo he god adde ofte bi-ſogte,
520 Wiſlike was him in herte brogt
ðis midelerdes biginning,
And middel-hed, and iſ ending;
Methodius, holy martyr, knew much of this world's beginning, middle, and ending.

[107]

read halihed

[108]

read sigðhe

OF THE WORLD'S CORRUPTION AND NOAH'S FLOOD.

He wrot a boc dat manige witen,
524 Manige tiding ðor-on iſ writen;
ðor iſ writen quat agte awold,
dat[[109]] ðiſ werld waſ water wold.
Fif hundred ger of ðat ðuſent
528 ðat mankin was on werlde ſent,
 [Fol. 11.]
He wrote a book, well known to many.
Caymes ſunes wrogten vn-lage,
Wið breðere wifes hore-plage;
And on ðe ſexte hundred ger
Cain's kind wrought against law.
532 Wimmen welten wereſ meſter,
And ſwilc woded wenten[[110]] on,
Golhed hunkinde he gunnen don;
And ðe fifte hundred ger,
Women waxed evil, unchaste, and unnatural.
536 wapmen bi-gunnen quad meſter,
bi-twen hem-ſeluen hun-wreſte plage,
A ðefis kinde, a-genes lage.
Two hundred ger after ðo wunes,
Men began to addict themselves to wretched practices.
540 Mis-wiuen hem gunnen ſeðes ſunes,
Agenes ðat adam for-bead,
And leten godeſ frigti-hed;
Seth's sons made marriages contrary to Adam's commands.
He choſen hem wiwes of caym,
544 And mengten wið waried kin;
Of hem woren ðe getenes boren,
They chose wives of Cain's seed, and mixed with the accursed kind.
Migti men, and figti, [and] for-loren;
He wrogten manige [sinne] and bale,
548 Of ðat migt [nu] is litel tale;
Of them were giants born who wrought many evils.
for ðat he god ne luueden nogt,
ðat migt iſ al to ſorge brogt;
 [Fol. 11b.]
for ſwilc ſinful dedes ſake,
552 ſo cam on werlde wreche and wrake
for to bliſſen ſwilc ſinnes ſame,
ðat it ne wexe at more hun-frame.
For their great sin there came wrath and vengeance upon the world.
Ðo wex a flod ðis werlde wid-hin,
556 and [o]uer-flowged men & deres kin,
A flood drowned man and beast.
wið-vten noe and hise ðre ſunen,
Sem, Cam, Iaphet, if we rigt munen,
Noah and his family were saved in an ark.

[109]

read ðat

[110]