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

XIIIa. THE WRITING ON THE WALL

For þer a ferly bifel þat fele folk seȝen— Fyrst knew hit þe kyng, and alle þe cort after: In þe palays pryncipale upon þe playn wowe, In contrary of þe candelstik þat clerest hit schyned, Line 1532 Þer apered a paume, wyth poyntel in fyngres, Þat watz grysly and gret, and grymly he wrytes; Non oþer forme bot a fust faylande þe wryste, Pared on þe parget, purtrayed lettres. Line 1536 When þat bolde Baltazar blusched to þat neve, Such a dasande drede dusched to his hert, Þat al falewed his face and fayled þe chere; Þe stronge strok of þe stonde strayned his joyntes, Line 1540 His cnes cachches to close, and cluchches his hommes, And he wyth plattyng his paumes displayes his lers, [MS. lers.] And romyes as a rad ryth þat rorez for drede, Ay biholdand þe honde til hit hade al graven, Line 1544 And rasped on þe roȝ woȝe runisch sauez. When hit þe scrypture hade scraped wyth a s[c]rof penne, [MS. strof, as M. notes.] As a coltor in clay cerves þo forȝes, Þenne hit vanist verayly and voyded of syȝt; [folio 82b] Bot þe lettres bileved ful large upon plaster. Line 1549

Sone so þe kynge for his care carping myȝt wynne, He bede his burnes boȝ to, þat wer bok-lered, [M. were.] To wayte þe wryt þat hit wolde, and wyter hym to say, Line 1552

Line 1552 'For al hit frayes my flesche, þe fyngres so grymme.' Scoleres skelten þeratte þe skyl for to fynde, Bot þer watz never on so wyse couþe on worde rede, Ne what ledisch lore ne langage nauþer, Line 1556 What tyþyng ne tale tokened þo draȝtes. Þenne þe bolde Baltazar bred ner wode, And [b]ede þe cete to seche segges þurȝout [MS. ede; M. [b]ede.] Þat wer wyse of wychecrafte, and warlaȝes oþer Line 1560 Þat con dele wyth demerlayk and devine lettres. 'Calle hem alle to my cort, þo Calde clerkkes, Unfolde hem alle þis ferly þat is bifallen here, And calle wyth a hiȝe cry: "He þat þe kyng wysses, Line 1564 In expounyng of speche þat spredes in þise lettres, And make þe mater to malt my mynde wythinne, [MS., M. make; B. would read makes.] Þat I may wyterly wyt what þat wryt menes, He schal be gered ful gaye in gounes of porpre, Line 1568 And a coler of cler golde clos umbe his þrote; He schal be prymate and prynce of pure clergye, And of my þrevenest lordez þe þrydde he schal, And of my reme þe rychest to ryde wyth myselven, Line 1572 Outtaken bare two, and þenne he þe þrydde." ' Þis cry watz upcaste, and þer comen mony Clerkes out of Caldye þat kennest wer knauen, As þe sage sathrapas þat sorsory couþe, Line 1576 Wychez and walkyries wonnen to þat sale, Devinores of demorlaykes þat dremes cowþe rede, Sorsers, and exorsismus, and fele such clerkes; And alle þat loked on þat letter as lewed þay were, Line 1580 As þay had loked in þe leþer of my lyft bote. Þenne cryes þe kyng, and kerves his wedes. What! he corsed his clerkes and calde hem chorles, [MS., M. chorles; Fi. corles.] To henge þe harlotes he heȝed ful ofte; [folio 83a] So watz þe wyȝe wytles, he wed wel ner. Line 1585

Line 1585

Ho herde hym chyde to þe chambre þat watz þe chef quene. When ho watz wytered bi wyȝes what watz þe cause, Suche a chaungande chaunce in þe chef halle, Line 1588 Þe lady to lauce þat los þat þe lorde hade, [M. lauce; M. note lance(?); Fi. suggests layte(!).] Glydes doun by þe grece and gos to þe kyng; Ho kneles on þe colde erþe, and carpes to hymselven Wordes of worchyp wyth a wys speche. Line 1592 'Kene kyng,' quod þe quene, 'kayser of urþe, Ever laste þy lyf in lenþe of dayes! Why hatz þou rended þy robe, forredles hereinne, [MS. for redles; M. ¹ for-redles; M. ² for redles.] Þaȝ þose ledes ben lewed lettres to rede, Line 1596 And hatz a haþel in þy holde, as I haf herde ofte, Þat hatz þe gostes of God þat gyes alle soþes? His sawle is ful of syence, saȝes to schawe, To open uch a hide þyng of aunteres uncowþe. Line 1600 Þat is he þat ful ofte hatz hevened þy fader Of mony anger ful hote wyth his holy speche. When Nabugodenozar watz nyed in stoundes, He devysed his dremes to þe dere trawþe, Line 1604 He kevered hym wyth his counsayl of caytyf wyrdes; Alle þat he spured hym in space he expowned clene, Þurȝ þe sped of þe spyryt þat sprad hym wythinne Of þe godelest goddez þat gaynes aywhere. Line 1608 For his depe divinite and his dere sawes, Þy bolde fader Baltazar bede by his name, [MS., M. by; M. note be(?).] Þat now is demed Danyel of derne coninges, Þat caȝt watz in þe captyvide in cuntre of Jues; Line 1612 Nabuzardan hym nome, and now is he here, A prophete of þat province and pryce of þe worlde. Sende into þe cete to seche hym bylyve, And wynne hym wyth þe worchyp to wayne þe bote; Line 1616

Line 1616 And þaȝ þe mater be merk þat merked is ȝender, He schal declar hit also as hit on clay stande.' [MS., M. stande; Fi. standez.]

Þat gode counseyl at þe quene watz cached as swyþe; [MS., M. ¹ as as; M. ² as.] Þe burne byfore Baltazar watz broȝt in a whyle. [folio 83b] When he com bifore þe kyng and clanly had halsed, Line 1621 Baltazar umbebrayde hym, and 'Leve sir,' he sayde, 'Hit is tolde me bi tulkes þat þou trwe were Profete of þat provynce þat prayed my fader, Line 1624 Ande þat þou hatz in þy hert holy connyng, Of sapyence þi sawle ful, soþes to schawe; Goddes gost is þe geven þat gyes alle þynges, And þou unhyles uch hidde þat Hevenkyng myntes; Line 1628 And here is a ferly byfallen, and I fayn wolde Wyt þe wytte of þe wryt þat on þe wowe clyves, For alle Calde clerkes han cowwardely fayled. If þou wyth quayntyse conquere hit, I quyte þe þy mede: Line 1632 For if þou redes hit by ryȝt, and hit to resoun brynges, Fyrst telle me þe tyxte of þe tede lettres, [MS., M. tede; M. Glossary, error for tene (=ten?), accepted by Fi.] And syþen þe mater of þe mode mene me þerafter, And I schal halde þe þe hest þat I þe hyȝt have, Line 1636 Apyke þe in porpre cloþe, palle alþerfynest, And þe byȝe of bryȝt golde abowte þyn nekke, And þe þryd þryvenest þat þrynges me after Þou schal be baroun upon benche, bede I þe no lasse.' Line 1640