Cain Builds Eno. Lamech Begins Bigamy
| And oðer fiftene al-ſwilc ſel, Quane eue bar rigt-wiſe abel.104 | and afterwards Eve bore righteous Abel. |
| Abel an hundred ger waſ hold, 420 ðan he was of iſ broðer wold; An hundred ger after iſ dead, | [Fol. 9.] Abel was a hundred years old when he was slain by his brother. |
| Adam fro eue in ſrifte abead. To hundred ger and.xxx.ti mo 424 was adam hold and eue ðo, | After this Adam from Eve in shrift abode one hundred years. |
| ðan bor ghe ſeht in ðe ſtede Of caym ðat abel for-dede; Or or midleſt, or after ðo 428 Bar eue of adam manige moo. | Seth was born when Adam was 230 years old. |
| Ðor quiles ðat adam ſorge dreg for abel, caym fro him fleg, wið wif and hagte, and wurð ut-lage, 432 wið dead him ſtood hinke and age. | Cain fled from his home and became an outlaw. |
| He ches a ſtede toward eden, And to him105 ſameden oðer men, | He chose an abode near Eden. |
| wallede a burg, e-no bi name; | He built a city, Enoch by name. |
| 436 ðeft and reflac ðhugte him no ſame, for ðat he made him manige fon, ðor he ðhogte he ſtonden agon. | Theft and robbery was no sin to him; many foes he made. |
| Met of corn, and wigte of fe, 440 And merke of felde, first fond he. Tellen ic wile ſo birðe bad, Adam, caym, enos, iraab, Malaleel, matusale; 444 Lamech is at ðe sexte kne, | Measure of corn, weight of goods, division of land, taught he first. |
| ðe ſeuende man after adam, ðat of caymes kinde cam. ðiſ lamech waſ ðe firme man, | [Fol. 9b.] The seventh man after Adam, of Cain’s kind, was Lamech. |
| 448 ðe bigamie firſt bi-gan. Bigamie is unkinde ðing, On engleis tale, twie-wifing; | He first began bigamy. |
Notes
104 At the bottom of fol. 8b is the catchword—Abel a hundred.
105 him is by a later hand.