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

IX. ABRAHAM'S PLEA FOR LOT

'The grete soun of Sodamas synkkez in myn erez, And þe gult of Gomorre garez me to wrath. I schal lyȝt into þat led and loke myselven If þay haf don as þe dyne dryvez on lofte. [MS. īf, cf. Pearl, 1185, and īs, 1524.] Line 692

Line 692 Þay han lerned a lyst þat lykez me ille, Þat þay han founden in her flesch of fautez þe werst: Uch male matz his mach a man as hymselven, And fylter folyly in fere on femmalez wyse. Line 696 I compast hem a kynde crafte and kende hit hem derne, And amed hit in myn ordenaunce oddely dere, And dyȝt drwry þerinne, doole alþerswettest, And þe play of paramorez I portrayed myselven; Line 700 And made þerto a maner myriest of oþer, When two true togeder had tyȝed hemselven, Bytwene a male and his make such merþe schulde co[m]e, [MS., M. conne; M. note come(?).] Wel nyȝe pure paradys moȝt preve no better, Line 704 Ellez þay moȝt honestly ayþer oþer welde; At a stylle stollen steven, unstered wyth syȝt, Luf-lowe hem bytwene lasched so hote, Þat alle þe meschefez on mold moȝt hit not sleke. Line 708 Now haf þay skyfted my skyl and scorned natwre, And henttez hem in heþyng an usage unclene. Hem to smyte for þat smod smartly I þenk, Þat wyȝez schal be by hem war, worlde wythouten ende.' Line 712

Þenne arȝed Abraham, and alle his mod chaunge[d] [MS. chaunge, M. chaunge[d].] For hope of þe harde hate þat hyȝt hatz oure Lorde. Al sykande he sayde: 'Sir, wyth yor leve, [sir abbrev., as also at 900, 1622, M. ¹ syre, M. ² sir; apparently the only instance of expansion in the MS. is Gaw. 387, where Gollancz prints Sir.] Schal synful and saklez suffer al on payne? Line 716 Weþer ever hit lyke my Lorde to lyfte such domez, Þat þe wykked and þe worþy schal on wrake suffer, And weye upon þe worre half þat wrathed þe never? Þat watz never þy won þat wroȝtez uus alle. Line 720

Line 720 Now fyfty fyn frendez wer founde in ȝonde toune, [folio 71a] In þe cety of Sodamas and also Gomorre, Þat never lakked þy laue, bot loved ay trauþe, And reȝtful wern, and resounable, and redy þe to serve Line 724 Schal þay falle in þe faute þat oþer frekez wroȝt, And joyne to her juggement her juise to have? Þat nas never þyn note, unnevened hit worþe, Þat art so gaynly a God and of goste mylde!' Line 728 'Nay, for fyfty,' quod þe Fader, 'and þy fayre speche, And þay be founden in þat folk of her fylþe clene, [MS., M. &; M. note An(?), and similarly, 864, 1346.] I schal forgyve alle þe gylt þurȝ my grace one, And let hem smolt al unsmyten smoþely at onez.' Line 732 'Aa! blessed be þow,' quod þe burne, 'so boner and þewed, And al haldez in þy honde, þe heven and þe erþe; Bot for I haf þis talke, tatz to non ille Ȝif I mele a lyttel more þat mul am and askez. Line 736 What if fyve faylen of fyfty þe noumbre, And þe remnaunt be reken, how restes þy wylle?' 'And fyve wont of fyfty,' quod God, 'I schal forȝete alle, [wont inserted above line (see Introd., p. ix, n. 2).] And wythhalde my honde for hortyng on lede.' Line 740 'And quat if faurty be fre, and fauty þyse oþer, Schalt þow schortly al schende and schape non oþer?' 'Nay, þaȝ faurty forfete, ȝet fryst I a whyle And voyde away my vengaunce, þaȝ me vyl þynk.' Line 744 Þen Abraham obeched hym and [hy]ȝly him þonkkez: [MS., M. & loȝly him þonkkeȝ; Fi. (p. 47) reads heȝly, referring to Gaw. 773; Sch. proposes 'and boweȝ to him loȝly.'] 'Now sayned be þou, Savior, so symple in þy wrath! I am bot erþe ful evel and usle so blake, For to mele wyth such a Mayster as myȝtez hatz alle; Line 748

Line 748 Bot I have bygonnen wyth my God, and he hit gayn þynkez, Ȝif I, forloyne as a fol, þy fraunchyse may serve. What if þretty þryvande be þrad in ȝon tounez, What schal I leve [o]f my Lorde, if he hem leþe wolde?' [MS., M. if my; M. ¹ note of(?), which E. accepts.] Line 752 Þenne þe godlych God gef hym onsware, 'Ȝet for þretty in þrong I schal my þro steke, And spare spakly of spyt, in space of my þewez, And my rankor refrayne for þy reken wordez.' Line 756 'What for twenty,' quod þe tolke, 'untwynez þou hem þenne?' [folio 71b] 'Nay, ȝif þou ȝernez hit, ȝet ȝark I hem grace; If þat twenty be trwe, I tene hem no more, Bot relece alle þat regioun of her ronk werkkez.' Line 760 'Now, aþel lorde,' quod Abraham, 'onez a speche, And I schal schape no more þo schalkkez to helpe. If ten trysty in toune be tan in þi werkkez, Wylt þou mese þy mode, and menddyng abyde?' Line 764 'I graunt,' quod þe grete God, 'graunt mercy,' þat oþer, And þenne arest þe renk, and raȝt no fyrre.

And Godde glydez his gate by þose grene wayez, And he conveyen hym con wyth cast of his yȝe; Line 768 And as he loked along þere as oure Lorde passed, [M. als, but scribe has written s directly over l.] Ȝet he cryed hym after wyth careful steven: 'Meke Mayster, on þy mon to mynne if þe lyked, Loth lengez in ȝon leede þat is my lef broþer, Line 772 He syttez þer in Sodomis, þy servaunt so povere, Among þo mansed men þat han þe much greved. Ȝif þou tynez þat toun, tempre þyn yre, As þy mersy may malte þy meke to spare.' Line 776 Þen he wendez his way, wepande for care, [MS., M. wendeȝ wendeȝ.]

Towarde þe mere of Mambre, [morn]ande for so[rȝe], [MS., M. wepande; Sch. suggests mourninge: M. ¹ sorewe, M. ² so[rȝe] with note 'sorewe is written by a late hand over the original word,' (see Introd., p. viii, and also note on this line).] And þere in longyng al nyȝt he lengez in wones, Whyl þe Soverayn to Sodamas sende to spye. Line 780