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

IV. GOD'S WARNING TO NOAH

Bot in þe þryd watz forþrast al þat þryve schuld: Þer watz malys mercyles and mawgre much scheued, Þat watz for fylþe upon folde þat þe folk used, Þat þen wonyed in þe worlde wythouten any may|sterz. Line 252 Hit wern þe fayrest of forme and of face als, [folio 64b] Þe most and þe myriest þat maked wern ever, Þe styfest, þe stalworþest þat stod ever on fete, And lengest lyf in hem lent of ledez alle oþer; Line 256 For hit was þe forme-foster þat þe folde bred, Þe aþel aunceterez sunez þat Adam watz called, To wham God hade geven alle þat gayn were, Alle þe blysse boute blame þat bodi myȝt have, Line 260 And þose lykkest to þe lede þat lyved next after;

Forþy so semly to see syþen wern none. Þer watz no law to hem layd bot loke to kynde, And kepe to hit, and alle hit cors clanly fulfylle. Line 264

And þenne founden þay fylþe in fleschlych dedez, And controeved agayn kynde contrare werkez, And used hem unþryftyly uch on on oþer, And als with oþer, wylsfully, upon a wrange wyse. Line 268 So ferly fowled her flesch þat þe fende loked How þe deȝter of þe douþe wern derelych fayre, And fallen in felaȝschyp wyth hem on folken wyse, And engendered on hem jeauntez wyth her japez ille. Line 272 Þose wern men meþelez and maȝty on urþe, Þat for her lodlych laykez alosed þay were. He watz famed for fre þat feȝt loved best, And ay þe bigest in bale þe best watz halden. Line 276

And þenne evelez on erþe ernestly grewen, And multyplyed monyfolde inmongez mankynde; For þat þe maȝty on molde so marre þise oþer, Þat þe Wyȝe þat al wroȝt ful wroþly bygynnez. Line 280 When he knew uche contre coruppte in hitselven, And uch freke forloyned fro þe ryȝt wayez, Felle temptande tene towched his hert; As wyȝe, wo hym withinne werp to hymselven: Line 284 'Me forþynkez ful much þat ever I mon made, Bot I schal delyver and do away þat doten on þis molde, And fleme out of þe folde al þat flesch werez, Fro þe burne to þe best, fro bryddez to fyschez; Line 288 Al schal doun and be ded and dryven out of erþe [folio 65a] Þat ever I sette saule inne, and sore hit me rwez Þat ever I made hem myself; bot if I may herafter, I schal wayte to be war her wrenchez to kepe.' Line 292

Þenne in worlde watz a wyȝe wonyande on lyve,

Ful redy and ful ryȝtwys, and rewled hym fayre; In þe drede of Dryȝtyn his dayez he usez, And ay glydande wyth his God his grace watz þe more. Line 296 Hym watz þe nome Noe, as is innoghe knawen; He had þre þryven sunez, and þay þre wyvez, Sem soþly þat on, þat oþer hyȝt Cam, And þe jolef Japheth watz gendered þe þryd. Line 300

Now God in nwy to Noe con speke Wylde wrakful wordez in his wylle greved: 'Þe ende of alle-kynez flesch þat on urþe mevez, Is fallen forþ wyth my face, and forþer hit I þenk. Line 304 Wyth her unworþelych werk me wlatez wythinne, Þe gore þerof me hatz greved and þe glette nwyed; I schal strenkle my distresse, and strye al togeder, Boþe ledez and londe and alle þat lyf habbez. Line 308 Bot make to þe a mancioun, and þat is my wylle, A cofer closed of tres, clanlych planed; Wyrk wonez þerinne for wylde and for tame, And þenne cleme hit wyth clay comly wythin[n]e. Line 312 And alle þe endentur dryven daube wythouten. And þus of lenþe and of large þat lome þou make: Þre hundred of cupydez þou holde to þe lenþe, Of fyfty fayre overþwert forme þe brede; Line 316 And loke even þat þyn ark have of heȝþe þrette, And a wyndow wyd upon, wroȝt upon lofte, In þe compas of a cubit kyndely sware, A wel dutande dor don on þe syde; Line 320 Haf hallez þerinne and halkez ful mony, Boþe boskez and bourez and wel bounden penez. For I schal waken up a water to wasch alle þe worlde, And quelle alle þat is quik wyth quavende flodez; Line 324

Line 324 Alle þat glydez and gotz and gost of lyf habbez, [folio 65b] I schal wast with my wrath, þat wons upon urþe. Bot my forwarde wyth þe I festen on þis wyse, For þou in reysoun hatz rengned and ryȝtwys ben ever: Line 328 Þou schal enter þis ark wyth þyn aþel barnez And þy wedded wyf; with þe þou take Þe makez of þy myry sunez; þis meyny of aȝte I schal save of monnez saulez, and swelt þose oþer. Line 332 Of uche best þat berez lyf busk þe a cupple; Of uche clene comly kynde enclose seven makez, Of uche horwed in ark halde bot a payre, For to save me þe sede of alle ser kyndez; Line 336 And ay þou meng wyth þe malez þe mete ho-bestez, Uche payre by payre to plese ayþer oþer; Wyth alle þe fode þat may be founde, frette þy cofer, For sustnaunce to yowself and also þose oþer.' Line 340 Ful grayþely gotz þis god man and dos Godez hestes, In dryȝ dred and daunger, þat durst do non oþer. Wen hit watz fettled and forged and to þe fulle grayþed, Þenn con Dryȝttyn hym dele dryȝly þyse wordez. Line 344

Notes

• M. [þ]at, but þ seems to me as legible as initial þ in two lines preceding, all extremely faint.
• MS. ffor, the r resembles a modern x, and is unlike either of the scribe's r's (cf. broþer, 924, and see Introd., p. ix); MS., M., Sk. forme-foster; M. note, Fi. forme-fosterez.
• MS., M., Sk. lede; M. in notes ledes(?), accepted by Fi.
• MS., M. fende; Sk., E. fende[z].
• MS., M., Sk. famed; M. note fained(?).
• MS., M. marre; Sk. marre[d].
• MS. coruppte; M., Sk. corupte.
• MS. w^tīme.
• MS. bourez (see Introd., p. x, n. 3).
• MS. boþe, but e peculiar, as though corrected from o: boskez retraced by second hand, as also parts of ll. 324-5 (see Introd., p. ix).
• MS. þat þat, with a line drawn through second þat; M. ¹ þat þat; M. ² þat.