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 XVIII.]

CELI enarrant gloriam dei: & opera manuum eius an|nunciat firmamentum. ¶ Heuens tillis the ioy of god; and the werkis of his hend shewis the firmament. ¶ In this psalme he spekis of the first comynge of crist, thurgh whaim the deuel falles and man is lesid of syn. heuens, that is apostils & haly men, that has thaire conuersacioun [S conuersacioune. U couersacioun.] in heuen, tellis the ioy of god: that he is euen til the fadere. and that he ras fra ded, and that he forgifes syn of his goednes. and the firmament, that is men festid in the haly gast. shewis the werkis of his hend, that is the dedis of his vertus.

2. Dies diei eructat verbum: & nox nocti indicat scien|tiam. ¶ Day til day riftes worde; and nyght til nyght shewis conynge. ¶ Day til day. that is bright til bright, haly til haly, riftes word, that is fulnes of wisdom and gastly sauour. bi riftynge he

takyns fulnes of wit. for wha sa riftes it semes that he is ful. and nyght til nyght, that is synful til synful, hellis the witt of thaire wickid hert, sayand as thai fele.

3. Non sunt loquele neque sermones: quorum non audiantur voces eorum. ¶ Na spechis ere ne na wordes: of the whilke the voices of thaim be noght herd. ¶ Thus thai tell the ioy of god: and swa wondirfully that na spechis ere. that is na tonges na wordis. that is na kyndes of saiynge, make [S. U meke.] mene heghe, of the whilk, that is thurgh the whilke wordes, be noght herd the voices of thaim: that is the apostles. for the haly gast lerid thaim to speke all langage.

4. In omnem terram exiuit sonus eorum: & in fines orbis terre verba eorum. ¶ In all the land ȝed the sound [S soune.] of tha; and in endis of the warld thaire wordes. ¶ That is in ilke party aboute the erthe passed the fame of the apostels, and in hirnes of the warld the wordes ȝede that thai sayd. & that is na wondire. for the fame of a goed man gas ferrere than his fote may.

5. In sole posuit tabernaculum suum: & ipse tanquam sponsus procedens de thalamo suo. ¶ In the soen he sett his tabernakile; and he as spouse cumand forth of his chawmbire. ¶ Aswa aske, how is all this doen. he answers, for godis sun sett [S sate.] in the soen, that is in light, that men myght see him. noght in hidels: and he sett in hete [S. U blank.] of trauails that he suffird, his tabernakile, that is his body: in the whilke he faght with the fend, and ouercome him: and he as spouse. for he was oft syth light [S. U hight.] , cumand forth of his chawmbire, that is of the maydyns wambe [U ins. 'whare.' S om.] , god til mankynd, as spouse til spouse, is copild.

6. Exultauit vt gigas ad currendam viam: a summo celo egressio eius. ¶ He ioyid as geaunt at ren the way; fra heghest heuen the gangynge [S oute gangyng(é).] of him. ¶ He ioyid, for gladly he toke trauaile, noght agayn his will. at ren the way of this lif, noght to stand thar in. and that as geaunt. that is as stalworthest, and passand all creatures in vertu: wele is he likynd til a geaunt, for nathynge might make him rade [S aferd.] , na gere him turne agayn, na wyn maistri of him: for his gangynge [S oute gangyng(é).] is fra heghest heuen: that is he is born of the fadere, & bicome man in erth.

7. Et occursus eius vsque ad summum eius: nec est qui se abscondat a calore eius. ¶ And his gaynras [S ogeyne goynge.] til the heghest of him; nan is that him may hide fra his hete. ¶ That is, he stegh in til heuen, til the euenhede and ioy of his fadere. and swa he suffirs nan to be that may excuse thaim of the hete of his luf: for he has shewid luf til all. for noman may excuse him. 'that he ne is sum tyme stird fra synn to gode [S om. 'that he—to gode.'] .'

8. Lex domini immaculata conuertens animas: testi|monium domini fidele sapienciam prestans paruulis. ¶ The laghe of lord vnwemmyd, turnand saules; the witnessynge of lord trew, wisdome gifand til smale. ¶ Clen is the laghe of oure lord: for it is soth in all thynge, and it forbedis all ill thynge: tornand saules til god, what for dred what for luf. and it is godis witnessynge, gifand wisdome, that is sauoure of heuen til smale, that is til meke, noght till proude.

9. Iusticie domini recte, letificantes corda: preceptum domini lucidum, illuminans oculos. ¶ The rightwisnesis of lord. right, gladand hertes; the comaundment of lord shynand, lightenand eghen. ¶ Right ere his rightwisnesis, that is his laghe, that makis thaim rightwis that kepis it. gladand hertis in hope of endles blis. the comaundment of god is shynand, that is charite, that makis the eghen of oure saule lyght and lufly.

10. Timor domini sanctus, permanet in seculum seculi: iudicia domini vera iustificata in semet ipsa. ¶ The dred of lord haly, dwellis in world of warld; the domes of lord soth, rightwisid in thaim self. ¶ The dred of god is haly in vs when we dred noght to be punyscht, bot to wreth him, or be departid fra hym. and the froit of this dred lastis ay. and the domes of oure lord ere soth. for whether he manaunce or he hete. he desaifis na man: and thai ere rightwisid in thaim self. for thai haf na nede of any other auctorite than godis, that thai be halden ferme.

11. Dedsiderabilia super aurum & lapidem preciosum multum: & dulciora super mel & fauum. ¶ Desiderabile abouen gold and preciouse stane; and swetter abouen huny & huny kambe. ¶ That is at say, the domes of god ere desiderabile abouen all riches: that is takynd bi gold. and myght, that is takynd by the preciouse stane. and lust of fleysse, that is takynd by the huny. and the huny kambe. aswha say, mare ere to luf the domes of god. than

all the pompes of this warld: for the whilke godis domes oft syth ere noght desired, but outher dred or despisid.

12. Etenim seruus tuus custodit ea: in custodiendis illis retribucio multa. ¶ fforwhi thi seruaunte kepis thaim; in thaim to kepe mykell ȝeldynge. ¶ Sothly thai ere swete: for thi for thi [S om. for thi.] seruaunt kepis thaim in dede, in thaim to kepe [S & them to kepe.] . that is in als mykil as thai ere kepid, es mykel ȝeldynge in this life. ffor na man may tell the mykilnes of his ioy that enterly gifes him til godis luf. and for the kepynge of thaim is mede withouten end.

13. Delicta quis intelligit: ab occultis meis munda me, & ab alienis parce seruo tuo. ¶ Trespassis wha vndirstandis; of myn hid make me clene. and of other spare til thi seruaunte. ¶ Wha vndirstandis all synnes. as wha say, nane: for synn lettis the thoght to se the synn. for thi lord make me clene of all that ere hid in me, that .i. may loue the in clennes: and of other synnes, that comes of ill eggyngis [S euel entysynge.] , spare til thi seruaunte, puttand away the draghere til ill.

14. Si mei non fuerunt dominati tunc immaculatus ero: & emundabor a delicto maximo. ¶ If thai ware noght lordid of me, than .i. sall be withouten wem; and .i. sall be clensed of mast trespas. ¶ That is if nouther my synnes na other mennys haf lordschip of me, than .i. sall be withouten wembe [S wem.] . of dedly gilt. if we assent til other men synn, swa we make it oure synn. and .i. sall be clensid of mast trespas. that is of pride. that is bigynnynge and cheson of all synn. wha sa tharnys it he is verraly vnfiled.

15. Et erunt vt complaceant eloquia oris mei: & medi|tacio cordis mei in conspectu tuo semper. ¶ And thai sall be that thai quem, the wordis of my mouth; and the thynkynge of my hert. ay in thi syght. ¶ And the wordis of my mouth in thi louynge sall be swilke that thai quem ay in thi syght, noght in syght of men: and the thynkynge of my hert sall quem bifor the.

16. Domine adiutor meus: & redemptor meus. ¶ Lord [U Lor.] , my helpere; and my biere. ¶ Helpere to doe goed. biere fra hell, that .i. ne perysche.