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

VIII. ABRAHAM ENTERTAINS THE THREE ANGELS

Olde Abraham in erde onez he syttez Even byfore his hous-dore, under an oke grene; Bryȝt blykked þe bem of þe brode heven, In þe hyȝe hete þerof Abraham bidez, Line 604 He watz schunt to þe schadow under schyre levez. Þenne watz he war on þe waye of wlonk wyȝez þrynne; If þay wer farande and fre and fayre to beholde,

Hit is eþe to leve by þe last ende. Line 608 For þe lede þat þer laye þe levez anunder, When he hade of hem syȝt, he hyȝez bylyve, And as to God þe good mon gos hem agaynez, And haylsed hem in onhede, and sayde: 'Hende Lorde, Line 612 Ȝif ever þy mon upon molde merit disserved, [folio 69b] Lenge a lyttel with þy lede, I loȝly biseche; Passe never fro þi povere, ȝif I hit pray durst, Er þou haf biden with þi burne and under boȝe restted; Line 616 And I schal wynne yow wyȝt of water a lyttel, And fast aboute schal I fare yor fette wer waschene; [MS., M. wer waschene; Fi. forto waschen.] Resttez here on þis rote, and I schal rachche after And brynge a morsel of bred to banne yor hertte.' Line 620 'Fare forthe,' quod þe frekez, 'and fech as þou seggez; By bole of þis brode tre we byde þe here.'

Þenne orppedly into his hous he hyȝed to Sare, Comaunded hir to be cof and quyk at þis onez: Line 624 'Þre mettez of mele menge, and ma kakez, Under askez ful hote happe hem bylive. Quyl I fete sumquat fat, þou þe fyr bete, Prestly at þis ilke poynte sum polment to make.' Line 628 He cached to his cou-hous and a calf bryngez [MS. prob|ably covhous, though v is raised above o slightly, so that it very much resembles a b; M. cobhous, but note 'cov-hous=cow|house(?).'] Þat watz tender and not toȝe; bed tyrve of þe hyde, And sayde to his servaunt þat he hit seþe faste, And he dervely at his dome dyȝt hit bylyve. Line 632 Þe burne to be bare-heved buskez hym þenne, Clechez to a clene cloþe and kestez on þe grene, Þrwe þryftyly þeron þo þre þerve kakez,

And bryngez butter wythal, and by þe bred settez; Line 636 Mete messez of mylke he merkkez bytwene, Syþen potage and polment in plater honest. As sewer in a god assyse he served hem fayre, Wyth sadde semblaunt and swete, of such as he hade; Line 640 And God as a glad gest mad god chere, Þat watz fayn of his frende, and his fest praysed. Abraham, al hodlez, wyth armez upfolden, Mynystred mete byfore þo men þat myȝtes al weldez. Line 644

Þenne þay sayden, as þay sete samen alle þrynne, When þe mete watz remued, and þay of mensk speken. 'I schal efte here away, Abram,' þay sayden, 'Ȝet er þy lyvez lyȝt leþe upon erþe, Line 648 And þenne schal Sare consayve and a sun bere, [folio 70a] Þat schal be Abrahamez ayre, and after hym wynne Wyth wele and wyth worschyp þe worþely peple, Þat schal halde in heritage þat I haf men ȝark[ed].' [MS. ȝark; Fi. (p. 9) reads 'þat I hafe me(n) ȝark[ed].'] Line 652 Þenne þe burde byhynde þe dor for busmar laȝed, And sayde sothly to hirself Sare þe madde: [MS., M. sothly; M. note softly or sotly(?); Fi. sotly.] 'May þou traw for tykle þat þou t[em]e moȝtez, [MS., M. tonne; E. te[m]e.] And I so hyȝe out of age, and also my lorde.' Line 656 For soþely, as says þe wryt, he wern of sadde elde, Boþe þe wyȝe and his wyf, such werk watz hem fayled; Fro mony a brod day byfore ho barayn ay b[e]ne, [MS. by ene (perhaps=eue), M. byene, M. ² note bycame(?)] Þat selve Sare wythouten sede into þat same tyme. Line 660 Þenne sayde oure Syre þer he sete: 'Se! so Sare laȝes, Not trawande þe tale þat I þe to schewed. Hopez ho oȝt may be harde my hondez to work? And ȝet I avow verayly þe avaunt þat I made, Line 664 I schal ȝeply aȝayn and ȝelde þat I hyȝt,

And sothely sende to Sare a soun and an hayre.' [M. ¹ soun, M. ² son, but cf. 1299, where M. ² prints same abbrev. sone; perhaps it should here be considered double n as in heuen, 161.] Þenne swenged forth Sare and swer, by hir trawþe, [MS., M. ¹ by, M. ² hy (prob. misprint).] Þat for lot þat þay lansed ho laȝed never. [M. lansed, note laused(?).] Line 668 'Now innoghe, hit is not so,' þenne nurned þe Dryȝtyn, [MS. ñned, M. nurned (see Introd., p. x, n. 3).] 'For þou laȝed aloȝ, bot let we hit one.'

With þat þay ros up radly, as þay rayke schulde, And setten toward Sodamas her syȝt alle at onez; Line 672 For þat cite þerbysyde watz sette in a vale, No mylez fro Mambre mo þen tweyne, Where so wonyed þis ilke wyȝ þat wendez wyth oure Lorde, For to tent hym wyth tale and teche hym þe gate. Line 676 Þen glydez forth God; þe god mon hym folȝez, Abraham heldez hem wyth, hem to conveye [Fi. for to.] In towarde þe cety of Sodamas þat synned had þenne In þe faute of þis fylþe. Þe Fader hem þretes, Line 680 And sayde þus to þe segg þat sued hym after: 'How myȝt I hyde myn hert fro Habraham þe trwe, Þat I ne dyscovered to his corse my counsayl so dere? Syþen he is chosen to be chef chyldryn fader, Line 684 Þat so folk schal falle fro, to flete alle þe worlde, [folio 70b] And uche blod in þat burne blessed schal worþe, Me bos telle to þat tolk þe tene of my wylle, And alle myn atlyng to Abraham unhaspe bilyve. Line 688