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

I. CHRIST'S PRAISE OF PURITY; THE WEDDING-FEAST

Clannesse who so kyndly cowþe comende, [folio 61a] And rekken up alle þe resounz þat ho by riȝt askez, Fayre formez myȝt he fynde in for [þ] ering his speche, And in þe contrare, kark and combraunce huge. Line 4 For wonder wroth is þe Wyȝ þat wroȝt alle þinges Wyth þe freke þat in fylþe folȝes hym after— As renkez of relygioun þat reden and syngen, And aprochen to hys presens, and prestez arn called. Line 8 Thay teen unto his temmple and temen to hymselven, Reken wyth reverence þay r[ec] hen his auter, Þay hondel þer his aune body and usen hit boþe: If þay in clannes be clos, þay cleche gret mede; Line 12 Bot if þay conterfete crafte, and cortaysye wont, As be honest utwyth, and inwith alle fylþez, Þen ar þay synful hemself, and sulped altogeder, Loþe God and his gere, and hym to greme cachen. Line 16 He is so clene in his corte, þe Kyng þat al weldez, And honeste in his housholde and hagherlych served, With angelez enorled in alle þat is clene, Boþe wythinne and wythouten, in wedez ful bryȝt, Line 20 Nif he nere scoymus and skyg and non scaþe lovied, Hit were a mervayl to much, hit moȝt not falle.

Kryst kydde hit hymself in a carp onez,

Þer as he hevened aȝt happez, and hyȝt hem her medez. Line 24 Me mynez on one amonge oþer, as Maþew recordez, Þat þus of clannesse unclosez a ful cler speche: Þe haþel clene of his hert hapenez ful fayre, For he schal loke on oure Lorde wyth a bone chere; Line 28 As so saytz, to þat syȝt seche schal he never Þat any unclannesse hatz on, auwhere abowte; For he þat flemus uch fylþe fer fro his hert May not byde þat bur[n]e þat hit his body neȝen. Line 32 Forþy hyȝ not to heven in haterez totorne, Ne in þe harlatez hod and handez unwaschen. For what urþly haþel þat hyȝ honor haldez Wolde lyke if a ladde com lyþerly attyred, Line 36 When he were sette solempnely in a sete ryche, [folio 61b] Abof dukez on dece, wyth dayntys served— Þen þe harlot wyth haste helded to þe table Wyth rent cokrez at þe kne, and his clutte traschez, Line 40 And his tabarde totorne, and his totez oute, Oþer ani on of alle þyse, he schulde be halden utter, With mony blame, ful bygge a boffet, peraunter, Hurled to þe halle-dore and harde þeroute schowved, Line 44 And be forboden þat borȝe to bowe þider never, On payne of enprysonment and puttyng in stokkez; And þus schal he be schent for his schrowde feble, Þaȝ never in talle ne in tuch he trespas more. Line 48

And if unwelcum he were to a wor[d]lych prynce,

Ȝet hym is þe hyȝe Kyng harder in [heven], As Maþew melez in his masse of þat man ryche, Þat made þe mukel mangerye to marie his here dere, Line 52 And sende his sonde þen to say þat þay samne schulde, And in comly quoyntis to com to his feste. 'For my boles and my borez arn bayted and slayne, And my fedde foulez fatted wyth sclaȝt, Line 56 My polyle þat is penne-fed and partrykez boþe, Wyth scheldez of wylde swyn, swanez and cronez— Al is roþeled and rosted ryȝt to þe sete; Comez cof to my corte, er hit colde worþe.' Line 60

When þay knewen his cal þat þider com schulde, Alle excused hem by þe skyly he scape by moȝt. On hade boȝt hym a borȝ, he sayde, by hys trawþe, 'Now t[ur]ne I þeder als tyd, þe toun to byholde.' Line 64 Anoþer nayed also, and nurned þis cawse: 'I haf ȝerned and ȝat ȝokkez of oxen, And for my hyȝez hem boȝt; to bowe haf I mester, To see hem pulle in þe plow aproche me byhovez.' Line 68 'And I haf wedded a wyf,' so wer hym þe þryd, 'Excuse me at þe cort, I may not com þere.' Þus þay droȝ hem adreȝ wyth daunger uch one, Þat non passed to þe pla[c]e, þaȝ he prayed were. Line 72

Thenne þe ludych lorde lyked ful ille, [folio 62a] And hade dedayn of þat dede; ful dryȝly he carpez. He saytz: 'Now for her owne sorȝe þay forsaken habbez, More to wyte is her wrange þen any wylle gentyl. Line 76 Þenne gotz forth, my gomez, to þe grete streetez, And forsettez on uche a syde þe cete aboute; Þe wayferande frekez, on fote and on hors,

Boþe burnez and burdez, þe better and þe wers, Line 80 Laþez hem alle luflyly to lenge at my fest, And bryngez hem blyþly to borȝe as barounez þay were, So þat my palays plat ful be pyȝt al aboute; Þise oþer wrechez iwysse worþy noȝt wern.' Line 84

Þen þay cayred and com þat þe cost waked, Broȝten bachlerez hem wyth þat þay by bonkez metten, Swyerez þat swyftly swyed on blonkez, And also fele upon fote, of fre and of bonde. Line 88 When þay com to þe corte, keppte wern þay fayre, Styȝtled wyth þe stewarde, stad in þe halle, Ful manerly wyth marchal mad for to sitte, As he watz dere of degre dressed his seete. Line 92 Þenne seggez to þe soverayn sayden þerafter: 'Lo! lorde, wyth yor leve, at yor lege heste, And at þi banne we haf broȝt, as þou beden habbez, Mony renischche renkez, and ȝet is roum more.' Line 96 Sayde þe lorde to þo ledez, 'Laytez ȝet ferre, Ferre out in þe felde, and fechez mo gestez, Waytez gorstez and grevez, if ani gomez lyggez, What-kyn folk so þer fare, fechez hem hider; Line 100 Be þay fers, be þay feble, forlotez none, Be þay hol, be þay halt, be þay on-yȝed, And þaȝ þay ben boþe blynde and balterande cruppelez, Þat my hous may holly by halkez by fylled. Line 104 For, certez, þyse ilk renkez þat me renayed habbe And denounced me noȝt now at þis tyme, Schul never sitte in my sale my soper to fele, Ne suppe on sope of my seue, þaȝ þay swelt schulde.' Line 108

Line 108

Thenne þe sergauntez, at þat sawe, swengen þeroute, [folio 62b] And diden þe dede þat [is] demed, as he devised hade, And wyth peple of alle plytez þe palays þay fyllen— Hit weren not alle on wyvez sunez, wonen wyth on fader. Line 112 Wheþer þay wern worþy oþer wers, wel wern þay stowed, Ay þe best byfore and bryȝtest atyred, Þe derrest at þe hyȝe dese þat dubbed wer fayrest; And syþen on lenþe bilooghe ledez inogh, Line 116 And ay a segge soerly semed by her wedez. So with marschal at her mete mensked þay were; Clene men in compaynye forknowen wern lyte, And ȝet þe symplest in þat sale watz served to þe fulle, Line 120 Boþe with menske and wyth mete and mynstrasy noble, And alle þe laykez þat a lorde aȝt in londe schewe. And þay bigonne to be glad þat god drink haden, And uch mon wyth his mach made hym at ese. Line 124

Notes

• and here, as generally, represented by & in MS.
• MS., M. forering; M. note forbering (?); Th. (p. 44), B. forþering.
• MS., w^t which M. here, as always, expands with, I have expanded wyth, since this is the spelling in over two-thirds of the cases where the scribe writes it out: MS. r. .hen with second and third letters blurred, though c is partly legible.
• MS. (but see Introd., p. x); M. boþe.
• corte, M. here, as always, expands courte (but see Introd., p. x, n. 3).
• clannesse, the scribe has corrected the first s from ȝ.
• MS., M. bone; Sch,?lovly.
• M. anwhere (MS. might be either n or u; M. note aywhere(?); Fi. awhere, B. anwhere: abowte, the last three letters are blurred and barely legible, like the last few letters of most of ll. 26-36.
• M. burne; M. ² is mistaken in noting that MS. looks like burre, since the fourth letter resembles rather the top of a y.
• MS. harlateȝ, though second a blurred; M. harloteȝ.
• MS. dukeȝ; M. dukes.
• MS. trascheȝ; M. trasches.
• MS., M. worþlych; M. ² note worldlych (?).
• MS., M. in her euen; M. ² note her-in(?); so Fi.
• B. to-com.
• MS. partrykeȝ; M. partrykes.
• MS., M. he; Fi. þay.
• MS. tne; M. t[ur]ne.
• MS., M. sower; M. note swer(?); Fi. (p. 47) so werp; B. so werned.
• MS. plate, as M. notes.
• metten, n corrected by scribe from ȝ.
• MS., M. forlotez; M. note forletez(?).
• may, scribe apparently first wrote ia and corrected to m: MS. halkeȝ; M. halkes: MS., M. by; Fi. be.
• MS., M. ¹ þaȝ þaȝ; M. ² þaȝ.
• MS. þat demed; M. þat [is]; Fi. þat [he].
• bilooghe, see Introd., p. x, n. 2.
• MS., M. soerly; M. note soberly(?); E. serly.
• compaynye, scribe corrected second y from i.