MS. w

[148]

fort in MS.

[149]

read ðor wið hir

THE BANISHMENT OF HAGAR AND ISHMAEL.

ðe egtende dai ðat he waſ boren,
 [Fol. 24.]
1200 Circumciſed he waſ, a-buten ſchoren;
ðor-of holden ðe ieuwes lay,
Circumciſed on ðe egtende day.
Arabit folc of yſmael,
He was circumcised on the eighth day,
1204 After him don he it al ſwilk ſel,
Quane he .xiii. ger ben old;
Of yſmael here time iſ told.
which custom the Jews follow.
Ðre ger woren yſaac on,
1208 Quane he waſ fro teding don;
Michel geſtninge made abraham
Quane he ðat ſune to borde nam.
Wintres forð-wexen on yſaac,
When Isaac was three years old Abraham made a great feast.
1212 And yſmael waſ him vn-ſwac;
Of-ten it gan yſaac un-framen,
And yſmael pleide hard gamen;
Ishmael often mocked Isaac,
Sarra waſ ðor-fore often wroð,
1216 Hir waſ yſmaeles anger loð;
which caused Sarah to be very wroth.
Ghe bi-mente hire to abraham,
And ſumdel ligtlike he it nam
Til god him bad iſ wiues tale
1220 Liſten, and don a-wei ðat dwale.
Abraham rapede him ſone in ſped
for to fulfillen godeſ reed;
She complains to Abraham.
He flemede agar and yſmael
1224 In ſumertid, In egeſt ſel;
Abraham banishes Hagar and her son.
Bred, and a fetles wið water fild,
Bar agar wið hire and wið ðe child;
 [Fol. 24b.]
Bi ðe deſert a-wei che nam,
1228 In ard weie and hete gram;
Wið ſwinc and hete hem wexon ðriſt,
By the desert they took their way.
ðe water ſleckede ðe childeſ liſt;
Tid-like hem gan ðat water laken,
They became very thirsty.
1232 ðo gan agareſ ſorwe waken;
Wantede ðit child faierneſſe and migt,
Hiſ moder wurð neg dead for frigt.
The water in the bottle became spent.

ABIMELECH COVENANTS WITH ABRAHAM,

Ghe leide ðe child under a tre,
1236 fer ðeðen ghe gede, ſo it gan be,
ðe child ne mai ghe for ſorge ſen;
Bi al-ſo fer ſo a boge mai ten,
Hagar placed her child under a tree,
ðor ſat hiſ moder in ſik and ſor,
and sat as far as a bow-shot off.
1240 wende ghe it coueren neuere mor.
Goddeſ merci dede hire reed,
She thought it could not recover.
An angel meðede hire ðat ned,
Tagte hire ðor a welle ſpring,
1244 ðat waſ hire ðor ſeli timing;
An angel showed her a well-spring,
ðor ghe gan fremen yſmael
Wið watreſ drinc and bredeſ mel,
and she gave the lad drink and bread.
filt hire feteleſ, and nam fro ðan
1248 forð to ðe deſert of [[150]]pharan;
Forth they went and dwelt in Paran.
ðor wunede yſmael and agar.
Ghe cheſ him a wif ðe childre bar;
Ishmael married an Egyptian woman.
.xii. ſuneſ he auede bi hiſ wif,
1252 Of him cam kinde mikil and rif.
Nabachot waſ hiſ firſt ſune,
 [Fol. 25.]
Twelve sons he had, of whom sprang great nations.
In arabie hiſ kinde wune
fro ðe riche flod eufrate,
1256 Wid and fer to ðe rede ſe;
In Arabia they dwelt.
Of hiſ oðer ſune cedar,
A ku[n]griche hiſ name bar;
Kedar gave name to a kingdom.
And of duma hiſ ſexte ſune,
1260 A ku[n]gdom dirima ðu mune;
Hiſ .ix. waſ tema for-ðan,
From Dumah came the kingdom of Dirima.
Iſ ðor a ku[n]glond teman;
And .xii. of ðe cedima,
1264 Het a guglond[[151]] eſten fro ða.
Flemd waſ agar and yſmael,
and yſaac wex and ðehg wol wel.
Teman gets its name from Tema.
Abimalech ſag abraham,
1268 Hu welðe him wex and migte cam,
He bad him maken ſiker pligt
Of luue and trewðe, in frendeſ rigt,
Abimelech makes a covenant with Abraham,

[150]