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

XIIIb. DANIEL'S PROPHECY

Derfly þenne Danyel deles þyse wordes: 'Ryche kyng of þis rengne, rede þe oure Lorde! Hit is surely soth, þe Soverayn of heven Fylsened ever þy fader and upon folde cheryched, Line 1644 Gart hym grattest to be of governores alle, And alle þe worlde in his wylle welde as hym lykes.

Who so wolde wel do, wel hym bityde, And quos deth so he dezyre, he dreped als fast; Line 1648 Who so hym lyked to lyft, on lofte watz he sone, And quo so hym lyked to lay, watz loȝed bylyve. So watz noted þe note of Nabugodenozar, Styfly stabled þe rengne bi þe stronge Dryȝtyn, Line 1652 For of þe Hyȝest he hade a hope in his hert, Þat uche pouer past out of þat Prynce even; And whyle þat watz cleȝt clos in his hert, Þere watz no mon upon molde of myȝt as hymselven; Line 1656 Til hit bitide on a tyme, towched hym pryde [folio 84a] For his lordeschyp so large and his lyf ryche; He hade so huge an insyȝt to his aune dedes, Þat þe power of þe hyȝe Prynce he purely forȝetes. Line 1660 Þenne blynnes he not of blasfemy on to blame þe Dryȝtyn, His myȝt mete to Goddes he made wyth his wordes: "I am God of þe grounde, to gye as me lykes, As he þat hyȝe is in heven his aungeles þat weldes. Line 1664 If he hatz formed þe folde and folk þerupone, I haf bigged Babiloyne, burȝ alþerrychest, Stabled þerinne uche a ston in strenkþe of myn armes; Moȝt never myȝt bot myn make such anoþer." Line 1668

'Watz not þis ilke worde wonnen of his mowþe, Er þenne þe soverayn saȝe souned in his eres: "Now Nabugodenozar innoȝe hatz spoken, Now is alle þy pryncipalte past at ones, Line 1672

Line 1672 And þou, remued fro monnes sunes, on mor most abide, And in wasturne walk, and wyth þe wylde dowelle, As best, byte on þe bent of braken and erbes, Wyth wroþe wolfes to won and wyth wylde asses." Line 1676 Inmydde þe poynt of his pryde departed he þere Fro þe soly of his solempnete; his solace he leves, And carfully is outkast to contre unknawen, Fer into a fyr fryth þere frekes never comen. Line 1680 His hert heldet unhole, he hoped non oþer Bot a best þat he be, a bol oþer an oxe. He fares forth on alle faure, fogge watz his mete, And ete ay as a horce when erbes were fallen; Line 1684 Þus he countes hym a kow þat watz a kyng ryche, Quyle seven syþez were overseyed someres, I trawe.

'By þat, mony þik thyȝe þryȝt umbe his lyre, Þat alle watz dubbed and dyȝt in þe dew of heven; Line 1688 Faxe fyltered, and felt flosed hym umbe, Þat schad fro his schulderes to his sch[e]re-wykes, And twentyfolde twynande hit to his tos raȝt; Þer mony clyvy, as clyde hit clyȝt togeder. Line 1692 His berde ibrad alle his brest to þe bare urþe, His browes bresed as breres aboute his brode chekes; [folio 84b] Holȝe were his yȝen and under campe hores, And al watz gray as þe glede, wyth ful grymme clawres Line 1696 Þat were croked and kene as þe kyte paune; Erne-hwed he watz, and al overbrawden; Til he wyst ful wel who wroȝt alle myȝtes, And cowþe uche kyndam tokerve and kever when hym lyked. Line 1700

Line 1700 Þenne he wayned hym his wyt, þat hade wo soffered, Þat he com to knawlach and kenned hymselven; Þenne he l[o]ved þat Lorde and leved in trawþe Hit watz non oþer þen he þat hade al in honde. Line 1704 Þenne sone watz he sende agayn, his sete restored, His barounes boȝed hym to, blyþe of his come, Haȝerly in his aune hwe his heved watz covered, And so ȝeply watz ȝarked and ȝolden his state. Line 1708

'Bot þou, Baltazar, his barne and his bolde ayre, Seȝ þese syngnes wyth syȝt, and set hem at lyttel, Bot ay hatz hofen þy hert agaynes þe hyȝe Dryȝt[y]n, Wyth bobaunce and wyth blasfayme bost at hym kest, Line 1712 And now his vessayles avyled in vanyte unclene, Þat in his hows hym to honor were hevened of fyrst; Bifore þe barounz hatz hom broȝt, and byrled þerinne Wale wyne to þy wenches in waryed stoundes. Line 1716 Bifore þy borde hatz þou broȝt beverage in þede Þat blyþely were fyrst blest wyth bischopes hondes, Lovande þeron lese goddez þat lyf haden never, Made of stokkes and stonez þat never styry moȝt. Line 1720 And for þat froþande fylþe, þe Fader of heven Hatz sende into þis sale þise syȝtes uncowþe, Þe fyste wyth þe fyngeres þat flayed þi hert, Þat rasped renyschly þe woȝe wyth þe roȝ penne. Line 1724

'Þise ar þe wordes here wryten, wythoute werk more, By uch fygure, as I fynde, as oure Fader lykes: Mane, Techal, Phares, merked in þrynne; Þat þretes þe of þyn unþryfte upon þre wyse. Line 1728 Now expowne þe þis speche spedly I þenk: Mane menes als much as, maynful Gode [folio 85a] Hatz counted þy kyndam bi a clene noumbre,

And fulfylled hit in fayth to þe fyrre ende. Line 1732 To teche þe of Techal, þat terme þus menes: Þy wale rengne is walt in weȝtes to heng, And is funde ful fewe of hit fayth-dedes. And Phares folȝes for þose fawtes, to frayst þe trawþe; Line 1736 In Phares fynde I forsoþe þise felle saȝes: Departed is þy pryncipalte, depryved þou worþes, Þy rengne rafte is þe fro, and raȝt is þe Perses, Þe Medes schal be maysteres here, and þou of menske schowved.' Line 1740

Notes

• MS., M. lykes, E. suggests lyked.
• MS., M. dezyre, E. suggests desyred.
• M.¹ þat; M.² [þ]at, but þ, though very faint is still clear in MS.
• Bülbring (Sch., p. 184) suggests connynge or counseyl after þat.
• MS. blasfemyon; M.¹ blasfemy on; M.² blasfemyon.
• þ^t weldes is written by second hand, and part of the original handwriting is still visible under the small ^t of þ^t.
• M. mowþe one, but one in MS. is written at the end of the line in a smaller and different hand; Fi. (p. 48) perhaps [þer] watz not þis ilke worde wonnen of his mowþe.
• MS., M. past; Fi. passed.
• M.¹ expands wasterne; M.² wasturne, latter probably cor|rect.
• MS., M. schyre wykes.
• MS., M. clawres; Fi. clawes.
• MS. paune or panne; M. paune; M. note panne(?); Fi. pawe; B. paume; G. reads MS. paune.
• MS., M. laued; M. note loued(?); K. (p. 26) loued.
• MS. dryȝtn; M. dryȝt[y]n.
• M. reads hom, but MS. possibly intended for hem.
• MS., M.¹ hatȝ sende hatȝ sende; M.² hatȝ sende.