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 CXLIII.]

BENEDICTUS dominus deus meus: qui docet manus meas ad prelium & digitos meos ad bellum. ¶ Blissid lord my god; that lerys my hend til werre; and my fyngirs til batayle. ¶ That is, .i. loue my lord god. that thorgh the halygaste gifis me giftis of grace. thorgh whilke he lerys me to feght agayns the deuyl and my fleyss. & that .i. be noght ouercumyn. he is,

2. Misericordia mea & refugium meum: susceptor meus & liberator meus. ¶ My mercy and my fleynge: myn vptakere and my delyuerere. ¶ That is, thou gifis til me that .i. be mer|cyful. mercy is in twa thyngis, in gifynge and in forgifynge. my fleynge, til whaim .i. fle as til a toure, takand me that .i. fall noght. and delyuerand me, that .i. dwel noght in likynge of this life.

3. Protector meus & in ipso speraui: qui subdit populum meum sub me. ¶ My hilere, and in him .i. hopid: that makis

my folke suget vndire me. ¶ That is, he hils me fra couatys. and ill thoghtis and appetite of syn. he lays vndire the fete of my will, that .i. trede thaim down.

4. Domine quid est homo quia innotuisti ei: aut filius hominis quia reputas eum. ¶ Lord what is man for thou made knawyn til him: or sun of man for thou haldis him. ¶ As|whasay. a man bi him selfe is noght bot brisel and synful. thorgh the he is sumwhat worthi. all that he is. thare of he is, that thou made knawn til him thorgh thi manhede. and what is he, how grete; for thou haldys him of sum prys. grete he is whaim god haldis swa dere that he gaf him selfe for him. bot man haldis noght him selfe of swa mykil pryse. that is leuer [S. U lere.] to lose his saule than his lust.

5. Homo vanitati similis factus est: dies eius sicut vmbra pretereunt. ¶ Man til vanyte is made like; his dayes as shodow passis. ¶ Aman that was first made like til soth|fastnes. sithen synnand is like til vanyte, that now is here. now a way. for his dayes, that is, his stirand life, passis as shadow, that semys sumwhat. bot it has na fastnes of lastynge.

6. Domine inclina celos tuos & descende: tange montes & fumigabunt. ¶ Lorde helde thi heuens and descend; touche [S. U touthe.] hillys and thai sall smoke. ¶ Aswhasay, we ere in feghtynge. and that we fayle noght. lord helde thi heuens. that is, tempire the lare of halymen. eftire that we may resayfe it. til mene men laghere lare. til perfit men perfyt wisdome. & thorgh thaim descend in knawynge of othere. and with thi grace touche proude men. and thai sall [S schal. U om.] smoke in deuoute penaunce.

7. Fulgura coruscacionem & dissipabis eos: emitte sa|gittas tuas & conturbabis eos. ¶ Make bright leuenyngis and thou scatire thaim; send thin aruys and thou sall thaim druuy. ¶ That is, shew bright prechynge of thi seruauntis. and that sall skatire ill men sundire fra thaire ill counsayls. & send thi wordis in til thaire hert, and thai sall be stird til penaunce.

8. Emitte manum tuam de alto: eripe me & libera me de aquis multis & de manu filiorum alienorum. ¶ Send thi hand fra hegh; out take me and delyuer me of many watirs and of the hand of sunnys alyens. ¶ That is, send crist fra heuen

til the dome. and delyuer me of many folke, and of the deuyls sunnys, the whilke ere alien fra god.

9. Quorum os locutum est vanitatem: & dextera eorum dextera iniquitatis. ¶ Whas mouth spak vanyte; and thaire righthand. righthand of wickidnes. ¶ That is, thaire righthand is lefthand. for thai do noght that may brynge thaim til heuen.

10. Deus canticum nouum cantabo tibi: in psalterio de|cacordo psallam tibi. ¶ God new sange .i. sall synge til the; in psawtry of ten cordis til the sall .i. synge. ¶ God, amange thaire wordis that spekis vanyte .i. sall synge til the sange of new man, in new grace of charite. and .i. sall ioy til the in dede of ten comaundmentis.

11. Qui das salutem regibus: qui redemisti dauid ser|uum tuum, de gladio maligno eripe me. ¶ Thou that gifis hele til kyngis; thou that boght dauid thi seruant, of the ill swerd take me out. ¶ The ill swerd he kallys the suggestyun of the deuyl, that slas all that assentis til syn. or the ill swerd is [S swerde is. U swerdis.] . with the whilke ill men spekis vanyte.

12. Et erue me de manu filiorum alienorum, quorum os locutum est vanitatem: & dextera eorum dextera iniqui|tatis. ¶ And delyuer me of the hand of sunnys alyens, whas mouth spake vanyte: and the righthand of thaim righthand of wickidnes. ¶ ffor thai hafe erthly goeds for the ioy of heuen. and thai speke vanyte, that worldis riches is blisfulhede.

13. Quorum filij sicut nouelle plantaciones: in iuuentute sua. ¶ Whas sunnys as new ympyngis: in thaire ȝouthede. ¶ Here he neuens thaire ioy. and that is thaire righthand. and vanyte that thai speke.

14. Filie eorum composite: circumornate vt similitudo templi. ¶ Thaire doghtirs set samyn: all about. shroudid. as likynynge of the tempil. ¶ And swa thai spend in outrage of pride; that many pore men myght be susteynd with.

15. Promptuaria eorum plena: eructancia ex hoc in illud. ¶ Thaire celers ful: riftand. fra this in that. ¶ Aswhasay, na hows may halde thaire godes.

16. Oues eorum fetose habundantes in egressibus suis: boues eorum crasse. ¶ Thaire shepe ful of brode, aboundand in thaire outganyngis; thaire oxyn fate. ¶ Wele he says out|ganyngis,

for all the goed that thai hafe sone sall pass out fra thaim, peryssand. and thaire oxen ere noght lene in trauayle. bot fat in ydil rest. swa ere thai ful of riches and tome of goednes.

17. Non est ruina macerie: neque transitus neque clamor in plateis eorum. ¶ Thare is noght fallynge of wall: na pass|ynge. na cry. in thaire wayes. ¶ That is, thai ere swa mykill in welth and ese. that na anguys of ded, or of noiynge in erthly cataile, brekis the rest of thaire brade way, in whilke thai ga til hell. sithyn he settys the vanyte that thai speke.

18. Beatum dixerunt populum cui hec sunt: beatus populus cuius dominus deus eius. ¶ Blisful thai sayde till whaim there thyngis ere: blisful folke of whaim lord is thaire god. ¶ Aswhasay, .i. dampne thaim noght that has swilke thyngis, bot thaim that settis thaire likynge & thaire ioy in thaim. for .i. hald him anly blisful that [U repeats that.] has him til god in will and luf. that is lord of all. ill and goed.