| Men ſeið ðe treen ðat ðor henden ben | |
1128
Waxen in time, and brimen, and ðen,
Oc quane here apples ripe ben, | Trees on its banks produce apples, |
fier-iſles man mai ðor-inne ſen;
ðat erd iſ oten ſaltes dale,
1132
Maniman ðor-of holdet litel tale. | which contain ashes only. |
Loth wuned litel in ſegor,
for he dredde him for to forfare ðor;
Wið hiſe two dowtres ut he teg, | Lot soon left Segor. |
1136
And for dred to ðo dunes he fleg;
And ðor he biggede in a caue[n],
ðe waſ ðor in roche grauen. | For fear he fled to the hills, and dwelt in a cave. |
ðo meidenes herden quilum ſeien,
1140
ðat fier ſulde al ðis werld forſweðen,
And wenden wel ðat it were cumen,
And fiereſ wreche on werld numen,
And ðat man-kinde wore al for-loren
1144
but of hem ðre wore man boren. | Lot’s daughters thought all mankind had perished, and that, unless they had children, the world would come to an end. |
ðis maidenes redden ſone on-on
Quat hem two wore beſt to don, | They consulted as to what was best to be done. |
| Hu he migten vnder-gon | [Fol. 23.] |
1148
Here fader, ðat he ne wore ðor gon;
Wið wineſ drinc he wenten iſ ðhogt,
So ðat he haueð ðe dede wrogt,
And on eiðer here a knaue bi-geten,
1152
ðiſ ne mai nogt ben for-geten.
ðiſ maidenes deden it in god dhogt,
ðe fader oc drunken ne wiſte he it nogt. | They made their father drunk so that he wrought the deed, and each begot a child. |
ðe firſte him bar moab ðat ſune,
1156
Of him beð folc, [in] moab it wune;
ðe leſſe him bar a ſune amon,
Amonit folces fader on. | The first bore Moab, the other Ammon. |
NV bi-oueð uſ to wenden a-gen,
1160
And of abraham ſong under-gon. | Now turn we to Abraham. |
Abraham up on morgen ſtod,
Wið reuli lote and frigti mod; | On the morrow he looked toward Sodom, |
MS. ſono.
MS. hene.