Confusion of Tongues. Origin of Idolatry
| 664 Meiſter men for to maken it ſo. | |
| Al waſ on ſpeche ðor bi-foren, | All spoke one speech before. |
| ðor woren ſundri ſpeches boren; ðo wurðen he frigti and a-griſen, 668 for dor waſ ſundri ſpecheſ riſen, | Now sundry tongues arose and sorely terrified the workmen. |
| Sexti lond-ſpeches and.xii. mo, weren delt ðane in werlde ðo. | Seventy-two land-speeches were then spoken. |
| Babel, ðat tur, bi-lef un-mad, | That tower was called Babel. |
| 672 ðat folc iſ wide on lon[de] ſad; Nembrot nam wið ſtrengðhe ðat lond, And helde ðe tur o babel in hiſ hond. | The folk became scattered afar upon the earth. |
| Beluſ king waſ nembrot ſune, 676 Nilus hiſ ſune gan ille wune; Belus wurð dead, and nilus king Made likeneſſe, for muni[gin]g120 | Belus was Nimrod’s son, and after him reigned Nilus, who set up an image in remembrance of his father. |
| After hiſ fader, and he ſo dede, 680 He it ſetten on an mirie ſtede; | [Fol. 14.] |
| Euerilc man he gaf lif and frið ðat to ðat likeneſſe ſogte grið; for ðat frið ðat hem [gaf] ðe king, 684 He boren ðat likneſſe wurðing, | Nilus rewarded all that honoured this likeness. |
| Calden it bel, after belum; After ðis cam ſwilc oðer ſum, | They called it Bel, after Belum. |
| Manie man, iſ frend for to munen, 688 Made likneſſe after ðe wunen, | Many made likenesses of their friends. |
| Bel was ðe firſte, and after him Sum higte beland, ſum balim, And ſum bel, and ſum bal; 692 fendes fleiðing wex wið-al, To wenden men fro godes reed, To newe luue and to newe dred; | Bel was the first, and hence the names Bal or Balim. |
| Ydolatrie ðuſ waſ boren, 696 for quuam mani man iſ for-loren. Of ſem, and of ðe folc ðe of him cam, luue and dred under gode nam; Of ðis kinge wil we leden ſong, | Thus was idolatry introduced, by which many are destroyed. |
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