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

XIII. BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST

Thenne þis bolde Baltazar biþenkkes hym ones To vouche on avayment of his vayneg[l]orie: [MS. vayne gorie; M. vayne g[l]orie.] Hit is not innoghe to þe nice al noȝty þink use, [MS., M. þink; M. note þing(?).] Bot if alle þe worlde wyt his wykked dedes. Line 1360 Baltazar þurȝ Babiloyn his banne gart crye, And þurȝ þe cuntre of Caldee his callyng con spryng, Þat alle þe grete upon grounde schulde geder hem samen, And assemble at a set day at þe saudans fest. Line 1364 Such a mangerie to make þe man watz avised, Þat uche a kythyn kyng schuld com þider; Uche duk wyth his duthe and oþer dere lordes Schulde com to his cort to kyþe hym for lege, [folio 80a] And to reche hym reverens, and his revel herkken, Line 1369 To loke on his lemanes and ladis hem calle.

To rose hym in his rialty rych men soȝtten, And mony a baroun ful bolde, to Babyloyn þe noble. Line 1372 Þer bowed toward Babiloyn burnes so mony, Kynges, cayseres ful kene, to þe cort wonnen, Mony ludisch lordes þat ladies broȝten, Þat to neven þe noumbre to much nye were. Line 1376 For þe borȝ watz so brod and so bigge alce, Stalled in þe fayrest stud þe sterrez anunder, Prudly on a plat playn, plek alþerfayrest, Umbesweyed on uch a syde wyth seven grete wateres, Line 1380

Line 1380 Wyth a wonder wroȝt walle wruxeled ful hiȝe, Wyth koynt carneles above, corven ful clene, Troched toures bitwene, twenty spere lenþe, And þiker þrowen umbeþor wyth overþwert palle. Line 1384 Þe place þat plyed þe pursaunt wythinne, [MS. þõ w^t, M. þour-with; M. note þore(?).] Watz longe and ful large and ever ilych sware, And uch a syde upon soyle helde seven myle, And þe saudans sete sette in þe myddes. Line 1388 Þat watz a palayce of pryde passande alle oþer, Boþe of werk and of wunder and walle al aboute; Heȝe houses wythinne þe halle to hit m[a]d, [MS., M. to hit med; Fi. proposes ful hyȝe(!).] So brod bilde in a bay þat blonkkes myȝt renne. Line 1392

When þe terme of þe tyde watz towched of [þe] feste, [MS. towched quite clearly; M. to vsched; Fi. touched: M. reads þe feste, but in MS. both words are written at the end of 1392 above a break, and though some letters certainly precede feste, I cannot distinguish them.] Dere droȝen þerto, and upon des metten, And Baltazar upon bench was busked to sete; Stepe stayred stones of his stoute throne. Line 1396 Þenne watz alle þe halle-flor hiled wyth knyȝtes, And barounes at þe sidebordes bounet a[y]where, [M. aywhere, but y blurred in MS. and very much like o.] For non watz dressed upon dece bot þe dere selven, And his clere concubynes in cloþes ful bryȝt. Line 1400

When alle segges were þer set, þen servyse bygynnes, Sturnen trumpen strake steven in halle, Aywhere by þe wowes wrasten krakkes, And brode baneres þerbi blusnande of gold; [folio 80b] Burnes berande þe bredes upon brode skeles, [MS. þe þe.] Line 1405 Þat were of sylveren syȝt, and s[e]rved þerwyth, [MS. seved with a flourish apparently over v, M. reads MS. severed, and prints seerved.]

Lyfte logges þerover and on lofte corven, Pared out of paper and poynted of golde, [MS. glolde.] Line 1408 Broþe baboynes abof, besttes anunder, Foles in foler flakerande bitwene, And al in asure and ynde enaumayld ryche, And al on blonkken bak bere hit on honde. Line 1412 And ay þe nakeryn noyse, notes of pipes, Tymbres and tabornes, tulket among; [MS., M. among; Fi. among[es].] Symbales and sonetez sware þe noyse, And bougounz busch batered so þikke. Line 1416 So watz served fele syþe þe sale alle aboute, Wyth solace at þe sere course bifore þe self lorde, Þer þe lede and alle his love lenged at þe table. So faste þay weȝed to him wyne, hit warmed his hert, Line 1420 And breyþed uppe into his brayn and blemyst his mynde, And al waykned his wyt, and wel neȝe he foles; For he waytez on wyde, his wenches he byholdes, And his bolde baronage aboute bi þe woȝes. Line 1424

Þenne a dotage ful depe drof to his hert, And a caytif counsayl he caȝt bi hymselven. Maynly his marschal þe mayster upon calles, And comaundes hym cofly coferes to lance, Line 1428 And fech forþe vessel þat his fader broȝt, [MS., M. forþe; Fi. for þe.] Nabugodenozar, noble in his strenþe, Conquerd with his knyȝtes, and of kyrk rafte, In Jude, in Jerusalem in gentyle wyse: Line 1432 'Bryng hem now to my borde, of beverage hem fylles, Let þise ladyes of hem lape—I luf hem in hert! Þat schal I cortaysly kyþe, and þay schin knawe sone Þer is no bounte in burne lyk Baltazar þewes.' Line 1436

Þenne towchede to þe tresor þis tale watz sone, And he wyth keyes uncloses kystes ful mony;

Mony burþen ful bryȝt watz broȝt into halle, And covered mony a cupborde with cloþes ful quite. [folio 81a] Þe jueles out of Jerusalem wyth gemmes ful bryȝt, [MS. jsrlem.] Line 1441 Bi þe syde of þe sale were semely arayed; Þe aþel auter of brasse watz hade into place; Þe gay coroun of golde gered on lofte, Line 1444 Þat hade ben blessed bifore wyth bischopes hondes, And wyth besten blod busily anoynted, In þe solempne sacrefyce þat goud savor hade, Bifore þe Lorde of þe lyfte in lovyng hymselven, Line 1448 Now is sette for to serve Satanas þe blake, Bifore þe bolde Baltazar wyth bost and wyth pryde. Hoven upon þis auter watz aþel vessel, Þat wyth so curious a crafte corven watz wyly. [MS. apparently fo.] Line 1452 Salamon sete him s[eve]n ȝere and a syþe more, [MS. s. . .n badly blurred, M. s[eue]n.] Wyth alle þe syence þat hym sende þe soverayn Lorde, For to compas and kest to haf hem clene wroȝt. For þer wer bassynes ful bryȝt of brende golde clere, Line 1456 Enaumaylde wyth azer, and eweres of sute; Covered cowpes foul clene, as casteles arayed, [MS., M. foul; M. note ful(?).] Enbaned under batelment wyth bantelles quoynt, And fyled out of fygures of ferly[ch]e schappes. [MS., M. ferlyle; M. note ferlyke(?); Fi. ferlyche.] Line 1460 Þe coperounes of þe c[ov]acles þat on þe cuppe reres [MS., M. canacles.] Wer fetysely formed out in fylyoles longe, Pinacles pyȝt þer apert þat profert bitwene, And al bolled abof wyth braunches and leves, Line 1464 Pyes and papejayes purtrayed withinne, [papejayes, second p ill-formed and per|haps not complete.] As þay prudly hade piked of pomgarnades; For alle þe blomes of þe boȝes wer blyknande perles, And alle þe fruyt in þo formes of flaumbeande gemmes, Line 1468

Line 1468 Ande safyres, and sardiners, and semely topace, [MS., M. sardiners; NED., B. sardines.] Alabaund[a]rynes, and amaraunz, and amaffised stones, [MS. alabaūda|rynes(?), or alabaūdarrynes (?), the letter(s) after d are smudged and perhaps retraced, a stroke preceding the r possibly indicating an i; M. ¹ alabaunderrynes; M. ² alabaunderynes without remark.] Casydoynes, and crysolytes, and clere rubies, Penitotes, and pynkardines, ay perles bitwene; Line 1472 So trayled and tryfled a-traverce wer alle, Bi uche bekyr ande bol[l]e þe brurdes al umbe, [MS., M. bekyrande þe bolde; B. ande bole.] Þe gobelotes of golde graven aboute, And fyoles fretted wyth flores and fleez of golde. [folio 81b]

Upon þat auter watz al aliche dresset. Line 1477 Þe candelstik bi a cost watz cayred þider sone, [U]pon þe pyleres apyked þat praysed hit mony, [MS. pon, M. [V]pon.] Upon hit basez of brasse þat ber up þe werkes, Line 1480 Þe boȝes bryȝt þer abof, brayden of golde, Braunches bredande þeron, and bryddes þer seten Of mony [curious] kyndes, of fele-kyn hues, [MS. mony kyndes; Bülbring (Sch., p. 185) pro|posed mony curious kyndes; B. mony kyndes colored; G. mony cler kyndes.] As þay wyth wynge upon wynde hade waged her fyþeres. Line 1484 Inmong þe leves of þe [launces] lampes wer grayþed, [Bülbring (Sch., p. 183) inserts launces.] And oþer louflych lyȝt þat lemed ful fayre; [M. corrects MS. to louelych.] As mony morteres of wax merkked wythoute, Wyth mony a borlych best al of brende golde. Line 1488 Hit watz not wonte in þat wone to wast no serges, Bot in temple of þe trauþe trwly to stonde, Bifore þe sancta sanctorum [þer] soþefast Dryȝtyn [MS. sca scorum: I insert þer.] Expouned his speche spyrytually to special prophetes. [MS. spūally; M. ¹ specually; M. ² spiritually.] Line 1492 Leve þou wel þat þe Lorde þat þe lyfte ȝemes,

Displesed much at þat play in þat plyt stronge, Þat his jueles so gent wyth javeles wer fouled, Þat presyous in his presens wer proved sumwhyle. Line 1496 Soberly in his sacrafyce summe wer anoynted, Þurȝ þe somones of himselfe þat syttes so hyȝe; Now a boster on benche bibbes þerof, Tyl he be dronkken as þe devel, and dotes þer he syttes. Line 1500

So þe Worcher of þis worlde wlates þerwyth, Þat in þe poynt of her play he porvayes a mynde; Bot er harme hem he wolde in haste of his yre, He wayned hem a warnyng þat wonder hem þoȝt. Line 1504 Nou is alle þis guere geten glotounes to serve, Stad in a ryche stal and stared ful bryȝt[e]; [MS., M. bryȝtȝ; M. note bryȝte(?).] [MS., M. vus.] Baltazar in a brayd bede [b]us þerof— 'Weȝe wyn in þis won—Wassayl!' he cryes. Line 1508 Swyfte swaynes ful swyþe swepen þertylle, Kyppe kowpes in honde kyngez to serve; In bryȝt bollez ful bayn birlen þise oþer, And uche mon for his mayster machches alone. [folio 82a] Þer watz rynging, on ryȝt, of ryche metalles, Line 1513 Quen renkkes in þat ryche rok rennen hit to cache, Clatering of covaclez þat kesten þo burdes, [M. conacleȝ.] As sonet out of sau[t]eray songe als myry. [MS. saueray; M. sau[t]eray.] Line 1516 Þen þe dotel on dece drank þat he myȝt; And þenne [drinkez] arn dressed [to] dukez and prynces, [Bülbring (Sch., p. 184) reads Þenne [drinkes] arn dressed [for] dukez and prynces; B. would insert dere after dressed; G. reads þenne þat derrest arn dressed; E. þenne derely arn dressed.] Concubines and knyȝtes, bi cause of þat merthe; As uch on hade hym inhelde, he haled of þe cuppe. Line 1520 So long likked þise lordes þise lykores swete, And gloryed on her falce goddes, and her grace calles,

Þat were of stokkes and stones, stille evermore— Never steven hem astel, so stoken is hor tonge; [MS. īs, cf. īf, 692.] Line 1524 Alle þe goude golden goddes þe gaulez ȝet nevenen, Belfagor, and Belyal, and Belssabub als, Heyred hem as hyȝly as heven wer þayres, Bot hym þat alle goudes gives, þat God þay forȝeten. Line 1528