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

VII. A WARNING OF GOD'S WRATH AGAINST SINNERS

Syþen þe Soverayn in sete so sore forþoȝt Þat ever he man upon molde merked to lyvy; For he in fylþe watz fallen, felly he venged, Quen forferde alle þe flesch þat he formed hade. [forferde abbrev. in MS. (see Introd., p. x, n. 3); M. fourferde, note forferde(?).] Line 560 Hym rwed þat he hem uprerde and raȝt hem lyflode, And efte þat he hem undyd, hard hit hym þoȝt; For quen þe swemande sorȝe soȝt to his hert, He knyt a covenaunde cortaysly wyth monkynde þere, Line 564 In þe mesure of his mode and meþe of his wylle, Þat he schulde never, for no syt, smyte al at onez, As to quelle alle quykez for qued þat myȝt falle, Whyl of þe lenþe of þe londe lastez þe terme. Line 568 Þat ilke skyl for no scaþe ascaped hym never. Wheder wonderly he wrak on wykked men after: Ful felly for þat ilk faute forferde a kyth ryche, In þe anger of his ire þat arȝed mony; Line 572 And al watz for þis ilk evel, þat unhappen glette, Þe venym and þe vylanye and þe vycios fylþe Þat bysulpez mannez saule in unsounde hert, Þat he his Saveour ne see wyth syȝt of his yȝen, Line 576 Þat alle illez he hates as helle þat stynkkez; [folio 69a] Bot non nuyez hym, on naȝt ne never upon dayez, As harlottrye unhonest, heþyng of selven; Þat schamez for no schrewedschyp schent mot he worþe! Line 580

Bot sa[v]or, mon, in þyself, þaȝ þou a sotte lyvie, [MS. sauyõ; M. sauyour.]

Þaȝ þou bere þyself babel, byþenk þe sumtyme Wheþer he þat stykked uche a stare in uche steppe yȝe, Ȝif hymself be bore blynde, hit is a brod wonder; [MS. sele, as M. notes.] Line 584 And he þat fetly in face fettled alle eres, If he hatz losed þe lysten hit lyftez mervayle; [MS., M. ¹ he he; M. ² he.] Traue þou never þat tale, untrwe þou hit fyndez. Þer is no dede so derne þat dittez his yȝen; Line 588 Þer is no wyȝe in his werk so war ne so stylle Þat hit ne þrawez to hym þro er he hit þoȝt have. [in þro, o of MS. has apparently been altered to e by drawing a stroke through it, but o nevertheless unmistakable; M., who prints MS. as þre, suggests þer(?), which is accepted by Fi.] For he is þe gropande God, þe grounde of alle dedez, Rypande of uche a ring þe reynyez and hert; [MS., M. ring; M. note rink or renk(?).] Line 592 And þere he fyndez al fayre a freke wythinne, Þat hert honest and hol, þat haþel he honorez, Sendez hym a sad syȝt to se his auen face, And harde honysez þise oþer, and of his erde flemez. Line 596 Bot of þe dome of þe douþe for dedez of schame— He is so skoymos of þat skaþe, he scarrez bylyve; He may not dryȝe to draw allyt, bot drepez in hast, And þat watz schewed schortly by a scaþe onez. [MS., M. scaþe; Fi. schaþe, cf. K. p. 65 (but see Introd., p. lvii, n. 2, and Glossary).] Line 600