He wrot a boc dat manige witen,
524
Manige tiding ðor-on iſ writen;
ðor iſ writen quat agte awold,
dat 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 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. |
wentem MS.