Purity, a Middle English poem, ed. with introduction, notes, and glossary by Robert J. Menner.

XIIa. THE SEIZURE OF THE HOLY RELICS

And ȝet Nabuzardan nyl never stynt Line 1261 Er he to þe tempple tee wyth his tulkkes alle; Betes on þe barers, brestes up þe ȝates, Slouen alle at a slyp þat served þerinne, Line 1264 Pulden prestes bi þe polle, and plat of her hedes, Diȝten dekenes to deþe, dungen doun clerkkes,

And alle þe maydenes of þe munster maȝtyly h[e] kyllen Wyth þe swayf of þe sworde þat swolȝed hem alle. Line 1268 Þenne ran þay to þe relykes as robbors wylde, And pyled alle þe apparement þat pented to þe kyrke— Þe pure pyleres [o]f bras portrayd in golde, And þe chef chaundeler, charged with þe lyȝt, Line 1272 Þat ber þe lamp upon lofte þat lemed evermore Bifore þ[e] Sancta Sanctorum, þer selcouth watz ofte. Þay caȝt away þat condelstik, and þe crowne als, Þat þe auter hade upon, of aþel golde ryche; Line 1276 Þe gredirne and þe goblotes garnyst of sylver, Þe bases of þe bryȝt postes and bassynes so schyre, Dere disches of golde and dubleres fayre, Þe vyoles and þe vesselment of vertuous stones. Line 1280 Now hatz Nabuzardan nomen alle þyse noble þynges, And pyled þat precious place, and pakked þose godes; Þe golde of þe gazafylace to swyþe gret noumbre, Wyth alle þe urnmentes of þat hous, he hamppred togeder. Line 1284 Alle he spoyled spitously in a sped whyle Þat Salomon so mony a sadde ȝer soȝt to make, Wyth alle þe coyntyse þat he cowþe, clene to wyrke, Devised he þe vesselment, þe vestures clene; Line 1288 Wyth slyȝt of his ciences, his Soverayn to love, Þe hous and þe anornementes he hyȝtled togedere. Now hatz Nabuzardan num[men] hit al samen, And syþen bet doun þe burȝ and brend hit in askes. Line 1292

Þenne wyth legiounes of ledes over londes he rydes, Herȝez of Israel þe hyrne aboute;

Wyth charged chariotes þe cheftayn he fynde[z], Bikennes þe catel to þe kyng, þat he caȝt hade, [folio 79a] Presented him þe presoneres in pray þat þay token— Line 1297 Moni a worþly wyȝe whil her worlde laste, Moni semly syre soun, and swyþe rych maydenes, Þe pruddest of þe province, and prophetes childer, Line 1300 As Ananie, and Azarie, and als Mizael, And dere Daniel also, þat watz devine noble, With moni a modey moder chylde mo þen innoghe. And Nabugodenozar makes much joye, Line 1304 Nou he þe kyng hatz conquest and þe kyth wunnen, And dreped alle þe doȝtyest and derrest in armes, And þe lederes of her lawe layd to þe grounde, And þe pryce of þe profecie presoners maked; Line 1308 Bot þe joy of þe juelrye so gentyle and ryche, When hit watz schewed hym so schene, scharp watz his wonder; Of such vessel avayed þat vayled so huge, Never ȝet nas Nabugodenozar er þenne. Line 1312 He sesed hem wyth solemnete, þe Soverayn he praysed Þat watz aþel over alle, Israel Dryȝtyn; Such god, such gomes, such gay vesselles, Comen never out of kyth to Caldee reames. Line 1316 He trussed hem in his tresorye in a tryed place Rekenly wyth reverens, as he ryȝt hade; And þer he wroȝt as þe wyse, as ȝe may wyt hereafter, For hade he let of hem lyȝt, hym moȝt haf lumpen worse. Line 1320

Þat ryche in gret rialte rengned his lyve, As conqueror of uche a cost he cayser watz hatte, Emperor of alle þe erþe, and also þe saudan,

And als þe god of þe grounde watz graven his name, Line 1324 And al þurȝ dome of Daniel, fro he devised hade Þat alle goudes com of God, and gef hit hym bi samples, Þat he ful clanly bicnu his carp bi þe laste, And ofte hit mekned his mynde, his maysterful werkkes. Line 1328 Bot al drawes to dyȝe wyth doel up[o]n ende; Bi a haþel never so hyȝe, he heldes to grounde, And so Nabugodenozar, as he nedes moste, For alle his empire so hiȝe, in erþe is he graven. [folio 79b]

Bot þenn þe bolde Baltazar, þat watz his barn aldest, Line 1333 He watz stalled in his stud, and stabled þe rengne; In þe burȝ of Babiloyne þe biggest he trawed, Þat nauþer in heven ne [on] erþe hade no pere; Line 1336 For he bigan in alle þe glori þat hym þe gome lafte, Nabugodenozar, þat watz his noble fader; So kene a kyng in Caldee com never er þenne. Bot honored he not hym þat in heven wonies, Line 1340 Bot fals fantummes of fendes, formed with handes Wyth tool out of harde tre, and telded on lofte, And of stokkes and stones he stoute goddes callz When þay are gilde al with golde and gered wyth sylver, Line 1344 And þere he kneles and callez, and clepes after help. And þay reden him ryȝt, rewarde he hem hetes, And if þay gruchen him his grace to gremen his hert, He cleches to a gret klubbe and knokkes hem to peces. Line 1348 Þus in pryde and olipraunce his empyre he haldes, In lust and in lecherye, and loþelych werkkes; And hade a wyf for to welde, a worþelych quene,

And mony a lemman, never þe later, þat ladis wer called. Line 1352 In þe clernes of his concubines and curious wedez, In notyng of nwe metes and of nice gettes, Al watz þe mynde of þat man on misschapen þinges, Til þe Lorde of þe lyfte liste hit abate. Line 1356

Notes

• MS., M. hokyllen, E. suggests hom kylled.
• of, o blotted in MS.
• MS. þsancta, M. þ[e] sancta; MS. scor with abbrev. for um, M. sanctorum.
• MS. nūnēd; M. numnend, but note nummen(?).
• MS. fynde, M. fynde[ȝ].
• Catchwords Bikennes þe catel at bottom of preceding page.
• M. expands the same abbreviation above p differently, presented, but prisoneres; but cf. presoneres written out in 1217.
• M. ¹ soun; M. ² sone, cf. 666.
• M. expands prisoners, but cf. 1297.
• MS., M. fro, M. note for(?).
• M. ¹ bicuver which MS. resembles, M. ² bicnv.
• MS. vpn.
• MS., M. bi; M. note be(?), accepted by Fi.
• MS., M. no erþe; M. note on(?).