772 Sone him waſ ſarrai binumen;
Sone him waſ ſarray bi-lagt,
And [[124]]pharaon ðe kinge bi-tagt;
Soon was Sarai taken from Abram, and brought to king Pharaoh.
God ſente on him ſekeneſſe & care,
776 And lettede al his lecher-fare.
Sarray liuede in clene lif,
God plagued the king with sickness.
And ðe king ðholede ſorges ſtrif
Til he wiſte al ðat ſtrif
780 Cam him on for abram wif;
Pharaoh at last became aware that all this strife was on account of Sarai,
ðo ſente he after abram,
And bi-tagte he him iſ leman,
so he restored her to her husband,
And gaf him lond, and agte, and fe,
784 And leue, ðor quiles his wille be,
To wune egipte folc among,
And friðen him wel fro euerilc wrong,
Bad him to god hiſ erdne beren,
 [Fol. 16.]
and gave Abram land and cattle.
788 ðat ywel him ſulde nunmor deren.
ðor wunede abram in welðe and in frið,
In Egypt the patriarch abode in security.
Egipte clerkes woren him wið,
And hem lerede, witterlike,
792 Aſtronomige and arſmetike;
He was hem lef, he woren him hold.
Egypt's clerks held him in high honour.
God gaf him ðor ſiluer and gold,
And hird, and orf, and ſrud, and ſat,
796 Vn-achteled welðe he ðor bi-gat.
God greatly increased his riches.
Vt of egipte, riche man,
Wente abram in to lond canaan;
And loth hiſe neue and ſarray
800 bileften bi-twen betel and ay,
ðor he quilum her wiſten wunen,
Or he weren to egipte cumen.
Out of Egypt Abram went to Canaan, and abode between Bethel and Ai.
So wex here erue, and ſo gan ðen
804 An twen here hirdeſ ſtriuing gan ben;
Strife arose between Abram and Lot's herdsmen.
Loth him cheſ, bi leue of abram,
ðat herðe hende ðe flum iurdan;
Lot, by leave of his uncle, chose the plains of the

[124]

w in MS. But the w is much like p.

ABRAM DWELLS AT MAMRE. LOT IN SODOM.

In mirie dale hiſe bigginge he ches,
808 ðat he ſiðen twie for-les.
Jordan for his dwelling-place.
Abram let loth in welðe and wale,
 [Fol. 16b.]
And ferde a-wei to mambre dale;
ðor wunede abram henden ebron,
812 ðat burge an oðer man lið on,
Abram dwelt in Mamre-dale, towards Ebron.
It atteð cariatharbe,
On engle ſpeche fowre cite;
fowre arbe cariatht arn in,
This city is called Kirjatharba, i. e. four cities.
816 for ðat fowre biried ðor ben;
Four lie buried there.
ðor waſ leid adam and eua,
Abram ſiðen and ſarra;
ðor yſaac and rebecca,
820 And iacob and hiſe wif lia.
There was laid Adam and Eve, Abram and Sarai, Jacob and Leah.
MAmbre, wið excol and anel,
ðor luueden Abram ful wel;
He woren breðere of kinde boren,
824 And abram woren he breðre ſworen.
Quor abram wunede, ðor wex bi
An ok' ðat waſ of gibi,
Mamre, Eschol, and Aner were sworn brothers with Abram.
ðer het god abre ðat tagte lond
828 Sal cumen al in hiſ kinneſ hond,
And eſt and weſt, and ſuð and norð;
Al ðat god wile ſal wel gon forð.
God promised that Abram's seed should possess the land wherein he was a stranger.
Ðo wurðen waxen ſo wide and ſpred,
832 pride and giſcinge of louerd-hed;
Then was pride widely spread, and desire of sovereignty.
Neg ilc burge hadde iſe louereding,
Sum waſ king, and ſum kumeling;
Nearly every city had its ruler.
Sum waſ wið migte[[125]] ſo forð gon,
836 ðat hadden he under hem mani on.
 [Fol. 17.]
Fif burges of pentapoliſ,
Adama, bala, Seboyſ,
And ſodoma wið gomorra,
840 ðe kinges welten burges ðoa,
The five cities of Pentapolis, ruled over by their own kings,

[125]

The MS. has migt; but migte is at the bottom of p. 16 b in the catchwords—"Sū waſ wið migte."

THE BATTLE OF FOUR KINGS AGAINST FIVE.

On-kumen was cadalamor,
king of elam, wið ferding ſtor;
were conquered by Chedorlaomer, and paid him tribute.
.xij. ger he weren under iſ hond,
844 And gouen him gouel of here lond;
Twelve years they were under his hand.
.xiij. ger gan ſo forð gon
wulde he giuen him gouel non;
In the thirteenth they rebelled,
ðre kinges haued he wið him brogt,
848 wið here-gonge hiſe gouel ſogt;
He ben cumen to mirie dale,
An ðere he werken ſckaðe and bale;
Chedorlaomer and other three kings made war upon the cities.
fowre on-ſeken and fifue weren,
852 Oc ðe fowre ðe fiue deren;
wunded ðor waſ gret folc and ſlagen,
ðe fifwe flen, ðe fowre ben fagen;
Much sorrow they wrought. The four kings conquered the five.
ðe fifwe up to ðe dunes flen,
856 ðe fowre in to ðe tuneſ ten;
wifwes, and childre, and agte, and ſrud,
The five flee to the hills, and the four to the cities of the plain.
He ledden a-wei wið herte prud.
Loth and iſ agte, childre and wif,
860 ben led a-wei bunden wið ſtrif;
They led away with them Lot, his goods, children, and wife.
oc on of hem, ðe flogen a-wei
 [Fol. 17b.]
Told it abram ðat ilke deai.
ðre hundred men and .xiij. wigt,
864 Alle ſtalwurði and witter of figt,
wið mambre, and excol, and anel,
Abram let him tunde wel;
ðat hird he folged[[126]] alſ to ðan,
868 On heued-welle of flum iordan,
ðor he wenden ben ſiker on nigt;
Abram he brogte wel newe figt.
But one escaped and told Abram, who armed 313 servants and pursued the enemy.
He woren drunken and ſlepi,
872 Abram[[127]] folc made hem dredi;
ſo heg, ſo long, ne ſpared hem nogt,
Abram found them drunk and sleepy.
Alle he ben ðor to gronde brogt,
wið-ðuten ðo ðe cuden flen;
He brought them all to ground.

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