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 CXL.]

DOMINE clamaui ad te exaudi me: intende voci mee cum clamauero ad te. ¶ Lord .i. cryed til the here me; bihalde til my voice when .i. hafe cryid til the. ¶ Ay whils tribulacioun lastys hafe we nede to cry. when we end oure life endis oure anguys. forthi cry we til we dye.

2. Dirigatur oracio mea sicut incensum in conspectu tuo: eleuacio manuum mearum sacrificium vespertinum. ¶ My prayere be rightid as ensens in thi sight: liftynge of my hend sacri|fice of euyn. ¶ That is, my prayere kyndild with fyre of charite. be til the as ensens, that is, of goed odure. and liftynge [S liftyng. U lightynge.] of my hend be til the offrand of euyn. that is, my goed werkis done for thi luf. be acceptabil til the, as penaunce that is done in the end of oure life. in the whilk, if we perfitly offire, we ere clensyd.

3. Pone domine custodiam ori meo: & ostium circum|stancie labijs meis. ¶ Set lord kepynge til my mouth: and dure [S dore.] of circumstaunce til my lippis. ¶ We hafe nede of dubil kepynge, that oure thoght sauoure noght in ill delite. and that we brest noght out in fole wordis. A dure [S dore.] is oppynd and sperd. swa be oure lippis opyn til shrift. and sperd til excusynge of syn.

4. Non declines cor meum in verba malicie: ad excu|sandas excusaciones in peccatis. ¶ Held noght my hert in

wordis of malice; forto excuse excusyngis in synnys. ¶ It is the manere of vnquaynt men. when thai ere takyn with a defaute to excuse thaim with falshede. if thai be conuycte, thai say it was thaire [S their. U, L, &c. om. U^II her fortune. B 288 putte god in the blame. seynge he ordeynede to hem siche destenyes.] wordis.

5. Cum hominibus operantibus iniquitatem: & non com|municabo cum electis eorum. ¶ With men wirkand wickid|nes; and .i. sall noght comun with the chosen of thaim. ¶ That is, .i. sall noght excuse my syn, as men dos that ere wickid. and swa the lattere thai do penaunce. and .i. sall noght comun. that is, .i. sall noght be thaire felaghe. the chosen of thaim ere tha that haldis thaim self rightwis & despisys othere.

6. Corripiet me iustus in misericordia & increpabit me: oleum autem peccatoris non impinguet caput meum. ¶ Chasty me sall the rightwis in mercy. and he sall blame me: bot the oyle of the synful make noght fat my heuyd. ¶ He that chastis me hatis me noght. bot swa mykil the mare he chastis me that he lufis me. the oyle of the synful is the fals louynge of the flatirere, that neyssis a febyll saule fra vertu til vice. bot that sall noght make fat my heuyd. that is [U repeats is.] , my thoght sall noght be delityd in fals flatirynge and vayne louynge. I sall luf to be blamyd of a goed man in mercy. noght to be louyd of a synful in hethynge.

7. Quoniam adhuc & oracio mea in beneplacitis eorum: absorpti sunt vincti petre iudices eorum. ¶ fforwhi ȝit and my prayere in thaire welewillyngis: swelighid ere ioynyd til the stane the iuges of thaim. ¶ That is, ȝit is forto cum that .i. say. that my praiere sall pay til tha synful men. & tha sall pray for heuen as .i. do. for lo sum of thaire maste maystirs ere ioynyd til crist in luf, and swelighid in haly kirke.

8. Audient verba mea quoniam potuerunt: sicut crassi|tudo terre erupta est super terram. ¶ Thai sall here my wordis, for thai myght; as fatnes of erth is brustyn vp abouen the erth. ¶ My wordis myght marere than thairs. forthi thai here my wordis and folous thaim. and thare of fatnes. that is, haboundaunce of froyte, is brusten vp abouen erth, til ensaumpil.

9. Dissipata sunt ossa nostra secus infernum: quia ad te domine domine oculi mei, in te speraui, non auferas

animam meam. ¶ Scatird ere oure banes bisyde hell; for til the lord, lord, myn eghyn, in the .i. hopid, refe noght away my saule. ¶ The banes of halikirke ere stalworthest men in trouth and luf. thai ere scatird bisyde hell, noght in hell. for of thai dye with ill men thai ga noght til hell with thaim. for thou lord, on whaim .i. sett my thoght, suffire noght my saule to be born away fra thi ioy.

10. Custodi me a laqueo quem statuerunt michi: & a scandalis operancium iniquitatem. ¶ Kepe me fra the snare that thai sett till me; and fra the sklawndirs of wirkand wickidnes. ¶ That is, kepe me fra that gile whare [S that.] the mete ledis til the ded. and kepe me fra lettyngis of vnristy men. snares ere ȝernyngis of oure fleyss. and bloundissyngis of thaim that will desayfe vs.

11. Cadent in reciacula eius peccatores: singulariter sum ego donec transeam. ¶ The synful sall fall in his nettys; syngulerly .i. am til that .i. pass. ¶ In nettys of wickidnes fallys ill men. bot .i. am anly. that is, .i. ga noght with thaim, til that .i. pass. the way of this life. that he passis withouten hurtynge that is takyn of na lust.