He dede hem waſſen and him bi-foren,
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And ſette hem aſ he weren boren;
Get he ðhogte of hiſ faderes wunes
Hu he ſette at ðe mete hiſe ſunes; | [Fol. 45.]
He made his brethren sit before him according to their age. |
Of euerilc ſonde, of euerilc win,
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moſt and beſt he gaf beniamin.
In fulſum-hed he wurðen glaðe,
Ioſep ne ðoht ðor-of no ſcaðe,
Oc it him likede ſwiðe wel, | Of meat and wine, the best he gave to Benjamin. |
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And hem lerede and tagte wel,
And hu he ſulden hem beſt leden,
Quene he comen in vnkinde ðeden; | Joseph gave them good counsel, |
“And al ðe bettre ſule ge ſpeden,
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If ge wilen gu wið treweiðe leden.” | and advised them to act truthfully. |
Eft on morwen quan it waſ dai,
Or or ðe breðere ferden a-wei,
Here ſeckes woren alle filt wið coren,
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And ðe ſiluer ðor-in bi-foren; | On the morrow they depart. |
And ðe ſeck ðat agte beniamin
Ioſepes cuppe hid was ðor-in;
And quuan he weren ut tune went,
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Ioſep haueð hem after ſent. | Joseph’s cup is hid in Benjamin’s sack. |
ðis ſonde hem ouertakeð raðe,
And bi-calleð of harme and ſcaðe; | Joseph’s messenger overtakes them, |
“Vn-ſeli men, quat haue ge don?
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Gret vn-ſelðehe iſ gu cumen on, | and accuses them of theft. |
for iſ it nogt min lord for-holen,
ða[t] gure on haueð iſ cuppe ſtolen.”
ð[o] ſeiden ðe breðere ſikerlike, | [Fol. 45b.] |
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“Vp quam ðu it findes witterlike,
He ſlagen and we agen driuen
In-to ðraldom, euermor to liuen.” | The brethren assert their innocence. |
He gan hem ranſaken on and on,
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And fond it ðor ſone a-non,
And nam ðo breðere euerilk on,
And ledde hem ſorful a-gon, | They are ransacked one by one, |
= glade.