The Psalter, or Psalms of David and certain canticles / with a translation and exposition in English by Richard Rolle of Hampole ; ed. from manuscripts by the Rev. H. R. Bramley ... With an introduction and glossary.

[PSALM CVIII.]

DEUS laudem meam ne tacueris: quia os peccatoris & os dolosi super me apertum est. ¶ God my louynge halde noght stil: for mouth of the synful and the mouth of the tricherous on me is oppynd. ¶ Crist in his manhed prayand til the fadire. says. God hald noght still my louynge. for verray louynge is of verray god. and the synful and the tricherous has thaire mouth oppyn til my reprofe. bot it is noght to trow til thaim: for the blamynge of a leghere is fals.

2. Locuti sunt aduersum me lingua dolosa: & sermonibus odij circumdederunt me, & expugnauerunt me gratis. ¶ Thai spake agayns me with trecherous tunge: and with wordis of hateredyn thai vmgafe me, and thai werid me of selfe will. ¶ Trecherous tunge thai hade when thai sayd. Maystire we wate that thou ert sothfast. wordis of hateredyn, when thai cried, do him on the cross. and this thai did of selfe will. that is, withouten rightwis chesun. for wickidnes likes til wickidmen. as euenhed dos till goed men.

3. Pro eo vt me diligerent detrahebant michi: ego autem orabam. ¶ ffor that thynge that thai sould hafe lufid me thai bakbitid me: bot .i. prayed. ¶ That is, thai sould hafe lufid me

for .i. was godis sun. and thai bakbitid me, sayand. in belzebub he kastis out fendis. bot .i. prayed for thaim.

4. Et posuerunt aduersum me mala pro bonis: & odium pro dileccione mea. ¶ And thai sett agayns me ill for goed; & hateredyn for my luf. ¶ He come to gif thaim life, and tharfor sett thai ded agayns him.

5. Constitue super eum peccatorem: & diabolus stet a dexteris eius. ¶ Sett abouen him the synfull: and the deuyl stand at his right syde. ¶ ffor iudas sett the deuyls werkis bifor the werkis of crist. and auarice bifore hele. and ilk man has the deuyll at his right syde that lufis mare any erthly thynge. than the wisdome of god. or gastly hele.

6. Cum iudicatur exeat condempnatus: & oracio eius fiat in peccatum. ¶ When he is demyd ga he out condempnyd: and his prayere be made in syn. ¶ ffor it is noght thorgh crist whaim [Text from L to Ps. cix. 4, 'vertu is sene in shynynge.'] he wol not folow. that prayer is nouȝt in crist. that nowther is made in gode will ne hit askis gode.

7. Fiant dies eius pauci: & episcopatum eius accipiat alter. ¶ ffew be made his dayes: & his byschopryche [S bischop rike.] another take. ¶ ffor mathye was set in stid of iudas. & his dayes was few that hyngid him selfe.

8. Fiant filij eius orphani: & vxor eius vidua. ¶ His sunnes be made fadurles: and his wyf wydo. ¶ Here hit semes that iudas had wyfe & barnes. nouȝt onely of iudas may all that is seyd in this psalme be takyn, bot of all cristes enemys. fals iewis & fals cristen men.

9. Dubitantes transferantur filij eius & mendicent: & eiciantur de habitacionibus suis. ¶ Dowtand ouerborne be his sunnys, & beg thei: and be thei out kasten of thair wonnynges. ¶ Dowtand, that is, vncerteyn be thei whither thei shal go, & left holly withouten help.

10. Scrutetur fenerator omnem substanciam eius: & diripiant alieni labores eius. ¶ The okyrere ransake all his substaunce: & aliens refe all his trauels. ¶ Many folis dos now as iudas did. he foloyd god. & left til his wife & his barnes [S ins. 'alle.'] his godes [M goodes. L. S gode.] . bot his hert was ȝit in thaim. and wold not breke the band of couetyse. so dos som that changes thair abyt. bot thair

couetyse & ill will and envy. & bakbityng dwellis in thaim. & thai draw in iudas ȝok. not in cristis. as thei sey. the okyrere is the deuyl, that praysis ill. or god [M. U^II. L. S gode.] . that comendis gode. & he ransakes all the substaunce of ill men. that is, thair life, punyshand ilk synne. aliens are deuyls that reuys all his trauels. that makes not his horde in heuen.

11. Non sit illi adiutor: nec sit qui misereatur pupillis eius. ¶ Helper be not til him: ne any be that hafe mercy of his barnys. ¶ Gode men are temptyd & god helpis thaim. bot iudas & his folowers has no help to rise of synne. ne mercy of god that thei be not dampned.

12. Fiant nati eius in interitum: in generacione vna deleatur nomen eius. ¶ His sunnys be in deth: in oon generacion away be done his name. ¶ That is. that ys geten of him sone passe hit, that no gode cum tharof.

13. In memoriam redeat iniquitas patrum eius in con|spectu domini: & peccatum matris eius non deleatur. ¶ In mynde cum the wykkidnes of his fadirs in syȝt of lord: & the synne of his modir be nogth done away. ¶ The synnes of fadirs are ȝolden til thaim that turnys not fro the ill of thair fadirs, that thei be punysht in goddis syȝt that synned before men.

14. Fiant contra dominum semper: & dispereat de terra memoria eorum, pro eo quod non est recordatus facere misericordiam. ¶ Be thei euermore ageyns our lord: & make he to perische thair mynde fro erth. for that he vmthought not to do mercy. ¶ His fadur & his modur be ageyns god. that he forgete not thair ill dedis. bot ay punysch thaim. that thei perische fro the land of heuen. for he, iudas, vmthouȝt him not to do mercy til his owne [S aghen.] soul.

15. Et persecutus est hominem inopem & mendicum: & compunctum corde mortificare. ¶ And he folowed in ill a man helples & begger: & prykkyd of hert for to slee. ¶ This pore man is crist, prikkid of hert in his seruantis. for synne of this life. gret cruelte is hit to do persecucyon til pore men. men for riches & honours oft syth suffirs persecucyon.

16. Et dilexit malediccionem & veniet ei: & noluit bene|diccionem & elongabitur ab eo. ¶ And he lufid malisun & hit shal cum til him: & he wold not [L ins. 'be.' B 467 the.] benyson & hit shal be

lengthid [S lenghed.] fro him. ¶ He lufis the [U^II. B 288 om.] malisun that lufis to do any dedly synne. for all that wol synne dedly. hafis godis malisun. & so thei forsake his benesun.

17. Et induit malediccionem sicut vestimentum: & in|trauit sicut aqua in interiora eius & sicut oleum in ossibus eius. ¶ And he did on him malisun as clothing: and hit entird as watir in his inerere [S ere.] . and as oyl in his bonys. ¶ That is, synnes he did on him, that delitis men in ill maner: & thei er malisun. for thei grayth tourmentis til thair takers, as clothing: for thoro synne is the body made foule & ill. & that malisun entird in his soul. & made that ill. and in his bonys, that is, in his skylle, as oyle: for thei delite thaim now to do ill.

18. Fiat ei sicut vestimentum quo operitur: & sicut zona qua semper precingitur. ¶ Be hit made til him as clething. with whilk he is hilde: & as belt with the whilke he is ay beltyd. ¶ That is, that malisun be til him wykkidnes, of the whilke he has ioy in mennys sygth. as man has of semely clething. in malisun he is ay beltyd that leris so for to do ill, that he be ay redy.

19. Hoc opus eorum qui detrahunt michi apud dominum: & qui loquuntur mala aduersus animam meam. ¶ This the werk of thaim that bakbitis til me anence the lord: & that spekes illes ageyn my soul. ¶ Here he spekes of many bakbiters. for ther is not oonly oon iudas bot many. as who sey. the synne that thei luf is thair werk, thoro whilke thei gete thaim endles malisun.

20. Et tu domine domine fac mecum propter nomen tuum: quia suauis est misericordia tua. ¶ And thou lord god do with me for thi name: for soft is thi mercy. ¶ Do with me, that is, help me, not for my merit. bot for thi name to glorifye. for thi mercy is soft til wrecchis aftur thair sharp synnes.

21. Libera me quia egenus & pauper sum: & cor meum conturbatum est intra me. ¶ Delyuur me for [S. L fro.] nedy and pore i. am: and my hert is druuyd in me. ¶ The nede [B 288, 467, U^II. L. S nedy.] and the pouert of crist is his manhede. in the whilke he myȝt be done on crosse. & in that his soule was sory.

22. Sicut vmbra cum declinat ablatus sum: & excussus sum sicut locuste. ¶ As shadow when hit heldis .i. am had away: and out smyten as locustes. ¶ That is, .i. dyed: for as the

shadow passand away. nygth cumys. so of dedly body is deth. and out smyten as locustis. that he seys of his lufers that were chased [S and others. L chastesid.] and out smyten of ill men. or stirtand fro stid til stid, at the maner of locustes.

23. Genua mea infirmata sunt a ieiunio: & caro mea immutata est propter oleum. ¶ Mi knes ar made seke for fastyng: and my flesche is changid for oyle. ¶ That is, my stal|worth seruantis fayled. for wantyng of heuen brede. & my flesch is chaungid in til ioy of inmortalite [L in mortalite.] . for oyle. that is, for gostly grace. of the holygost, to conferme 'that was' [S. L thaim.] seke.

24. Et ego factus sum opprobrium illis: viderunt me & mouerunt capita sua. ¶ And .i. am made reprofe til thaim: thei sawgh me and stird thair hedes. ¶ That is, as wode men thei manasid. with styryng of heuyd. til the fals iwes was he reprofe, for thei sawgh him dye and not ryse.

25. Adiuua me domine deus meus: saluum me fac secundum misericordiam tuam. ¶ Help me lord my god: make me safe aftur thi mercy. ¶ That is, help my men. & safe thaim aftur thi mercy. nogth aftur the dett of thair werkis.

26. Et sciant quia manus tua hec: & tu domine fecisti eam. ¶ Ande witt thei for this thi hande: and thou lord made hit. ¶ The hand of the [M. S thi. L om.] fadur is crist: and that he made in manhede.

27. Maledicent illi & tu benedices: qui insurgunt in me confundantur, seruus autem tuus letabitur. ¶ Thei shal wary and thou shal blesse: tho that rises in me shamyd be thei, bot thi seruant shal be glad. ¶ Vayn is the malisun 'of euel menne' [S. L om.] when god blessis, that dos as he seys.

28. Induantur qui detrahunt michi pudore: et operiantur sicut diployde confusione sua. ¶ Cled be thei that bakbitis til me in shame: & hild be thei as with doubil mantil. in thair con|fusion. ¶ That is, shame thai of thair ill saghes. and hild be thei, as with doubil mantyll, in confusion of body and soul, before god and before men.

29. Confitebor domino nimis in ore meo: in medio mul|torum laudabo eum. ¶ I shal shrife til lord ful mykyl in my mouth: and in myddes of many i shal loue him. ¶ That is, in

comun of cristen men and rightwys is the fadur of heuen louyd. or in thair hertis where the luf is.

30. Qui astitit a dexteris pauperis: vt saluam faceret a persequentibus animam meam. ¶ The whilke stode at the rigth syde of the pore: that he make my soul safe of [B 467, U^II. L om.] pursuande. ¶ The deuyl stode at the rigth syde of iudas, that coueytyd to eke his rycches with sellyng of crist: bot god stode at the rygth syde of the pore. that has no rycches bot god [B 467, U^II. L gode.] . he stode, not to eke his ȝeris of this life, bot for to safe his soule fro the deuyl & his lymmes, that pursuys hit. that is, folowys to sle gostly; fro god.