An Old English miscellany containing a bestiary, Kentish sermons, Proverbs of Alfred, religious poems of the thirteenth century,

Natura cetegrandie.

Cethegrande is a fis ðe moste ðat in water is; Line 500 ðat tu [folio 8a] wuldes seien get, gef ðu it soge wan it flet, ðat it were á neilond ðat sete one ðe se sond. Line 504 ðis fis ðat is vnride, ðanne him hungreð he gapeð wide, vt of his ðrote it smit an onde, ðe swetteste ðing ðat is o londe; Line 508 ðer-fore oðre fisses to him dragen, wan he it felen he aren fagen, he cumen and houen in his muð, of his swike he arn uncuð; Line 512 ðis cete ðanne hise chaueles lukeð, ðise fisses alle in sukeð, ðe smale he wile ðus biswiken, ðe grete maig he nogt bigripen. Line 516 ðis fis wuneð wið ðe se grund, and liueð ðer eure heil and sund,

til it cumeð ðe time ðat storm stireð al ðe se, Line 520 ðanne sumer and winter winnen; ne mai it wunen ðer-inne, So droui is te sees grund, ne mai he wunen ðer ðat stund, Line 524 oe stireð up and houeð stille; wiles ðar [? ðat.] weder is so ille, ðe sipes ðat arn on se fordriuen, loð hem is ded, and lef to liuen, Line 528 biloken hem and sen ðis fis, an eilond he wenen it is, ðer-of he aren swiðe fagen, and mid here migt ðar-to he dragen, Line 532 sipes on festen, and alle up gangen; Of ston mid stel in ðe tunder wel to brennen one ðis wunder, Line 536 warmen hem wel and heten and drinken; ðe fir he feleð and doð hem sinken, for sone he diueð dun to grunde, he drepeð hem alle wið-uten wunde. Line 540