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 XI.]

SALUUM me fac deus, quoniam defecit sanctus: quoniam diminute sunt veritates a filijs hominum. ¶ Saf me make god, for haloghe failid; for lessid ere sothfastnessis fra sonnes of

men. ¶ The voice of a haly man that sees the vanyte of the warld multiplid, and therfor dredis, and for mykilnes of the peril cries. saf me make god. and whi dred .i., for haloghe failed, that is ther is na haly man funden in this warld. whare swa many ere of ill men. and therfor says he thus: noght that we trow that na haly man be in the warld, bot for vnnethes ere any funden that failes noght fra halynes, and that is for sothfastnessis ere lessid: that makis halynes to faile. for nane is haly bot that is sothfast in thoght and word and dede. fra sonnes of men, for thaire synn, that makes the giftis of god to be distroid & lessid fra thaim.

2. Vana locuti sunt vnusquisque ad proximum suum: labia dolosa, in corde & corde locuti sunt. ¶ Vayn spak ilkan till his neghbure: swikill lippes, in hert and thurgh hert thai spake. ¶ Sothfastnes is lessid, and falshede waxis, and alswa vayn spak ilkan, to bigil his neghbure: and many spendis thaire tyme in vayn speche withouten profite and gastly froit: and thai ere swikil lippes, that is ianglers, berkand agayn sothfastnes: & swikil, for thai speke in hert & thurgh hert, that is in dubbil hert: when a fals man thynkis an and says a nother, to desaif him that he spekis with.

3. Disperdat dominus vniuersa labia dolosa: & linguam magniloquam. ¶ Lord lose all swikil lippes: and tonge of gret speche. ¶ He prays noght that god lose the men, bot all thaire ianglyngis & tresons, that will make thaim to be lost. bot if god distroy thaim here. and the tonge of gret speche, that is a proud tonge, the whilk ypocrites has, louand thaim self. that thai myght seme gret bifor men.

4. Qui dixerunt linguam nostram magnificabimus: labia nostra a nobis sunt, quis noster dominus est. ¶ The whilke sayd oure tonge we sall worschip: oure lippes ere of vs, wha is oure lord. ¶ The ypocrites worschipis thaire tonge: for thai hegh thaim self in ianglynge, and settis in thaire pouste to doe mykill thynge and grete: and thai rose thaim that thaire lippes, that is thaire facunde and thaire skilles ere of thaim self, noght of god, ne of haly mennys lare: for thi say thai, wha is oure lord. that is. what is he til whas rewle & conuersacioun we sall be vndirloute & conforme vs til: as wha say, ther is nane.

5. Propter miseriam inopum & gemitum pauperum: nunc exurgam, dicit dominus. ¶ ffor the wrechidnes of

helples, and sorowynge of pore: now .i. sall rise, lord says. ¶ This ill thai say and does: bot oure lord says, now i. sall rise. that is, als tite .i cum to deme and ȝeld thaim thaire wickidnes: and that for to doe away the wrecchidnes of helples. that is the bodily pyne of tha that has noght the deuel till help in pride, na the warld in couatys, na his flesche in lichery. and to doe away the sorow of pore, that has sorow for synn and langis til heuen: elles ware thai noght worthi to be helpid.

6. Ponam in salutari: fiducialiter agam in eo. ¶ I sall sett in hele: traistly i sall wirk in him. ¶ The voice of the fadere: i sall sett in hele. that is in ihū oure hele: he says noght what he sall sett, bot he will that we witt. that it is that thynge that falles til the comfort and the ioy of helples and of pore. that is at say, i sall sett in ihū the solace and the ioiynge of pore men. and traistly, that is, myghtyly i. sall wirke in him, in safynge of rightwis and dampnynge of wickid.

7. Eloquia domini eloquia casta: argentum igne exami|natum, probatum terre, purgatum septuplum. ¶ The wordis of lord wordis chaste: syluyre examynd in fire. proued of the erth, purged seuenfald. ¶ Here the prophet comendis the prechynge of crist, and shewis the profit thar of. the wordis of oure lord ere chast withouten corupcioun. for sum spekis of god for thai will be haldyn [U bihaldyn. S be holdene.] wise & haly. that men haf will to gif thaim giftis. bot cristes wordis ere chast, and syluere examynd in fire. that is thai ere proued thurgh the fire of tribulacioun, whether thai be lastand in vs or noght. proued of erth. that is thai ere departid fra the erth, nathynge hafand of erthly filth. Imange all metalles nan is that swetterly chymes than syluere. als ymange spechis nan is swa swet til the thoght as godis word. and that is purged seuenfald. that is perfitly, thurgh the sen [S seuen.] giftis of the halygast, thurgh the whilk godis word shynes. when the lif of him that says the word is bright in tha seuen giftis. tha ere there: wisdom. vndirstandynge. counsaile. and fors. conynge. and pite. and the dred of oure lord.

8. Tu domine seruabis nos & custodies nos: a genera|cione hac in eternum. ¶ Thou lord sall ȝeme vs and kepe vs. fra this generacioun, withouten end. ¶ Thou lord thurgh tha wordis sall ȝeme vs in this warld: for we may noght. and kepe vs, if we kepe thi wordis: here as helples and pore. bot in heuen as

plentefous and riche, ledand vs fra this generacioun, that is fra this warld, in till ioy withouten end.

9. In circuitu impij ambulant: secundum altitudinem tuam multiplicasti filios hominum. ¶ In vmgange wickid gas; eftere thi heghnes thou has multiplid the sonnes of men. ¶ Vs thou kepis, bot wickid men gas in vmgange: that is in couatis of erthly godes. that tornes with the whele of seuen dayes. in the whilke couatis thai ren ay aboute. for thai sett nan endynge of thaire synn. and therfor settis god na terme of thaire pyne. bot sonnes of men that lifis skilwisly and in rightwisnes. thou [S. U that.] has multiplid eftere thi heghnes, in vertus: in the whilke thai may wyn to see the heghe. or eftere the heghnes of thi counsaile thou has multiplid men bath ill & goed. for na man may witt perfitly in erth [U ertht. S erthe.] whi god makis swa many men, the whilk he wate wele sal be dampned: bot it is the priuete of his counsaile, sa rightwis that nathynge may be rightwisere.