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 XX.]

DOMINE in virtute tua letabitur rex: & super salutare tuum exultabit vehementer. ¶ Lord [U Lor.] in thi vertu the kynge sall ioy; and on thi hele he sall glad gretly. ¶ That the prophet in the psalme bifore praid of crist. here shewis he it, and says. lord the fadere, the kynge crist man. sall ioy in thi vertu. that is, in that. that god is made man. and on thi hele, that is, in that thynge. that thou thurgh him saues mankynd, he sall glade gretly: for that is cristes ioy and gladnes, that we doe swa that we be parceuel in his redempcioun, and he spend noght his preciouse blode in vayn on vs.

2. Desiderium cordis eius tribuisti ei: & voluntate labi|orum eius non fraudasti eum. ¶ The ȝernynge of his hert thou gaf til him; and of the will of his lippes thou gilid [S deceyuede.] him noght. ¶ ffor all that he wild he hade, and all that he sayd es doen and sall be doen.

3. Quoniam preuenisti eam in benediccionibus dulce|dinis: posuisti in capite eius coronam de lapide precioso. ¶ ffor thou bifore come him in blissyngis of swetnes; thou sett in his heued a coroun of preciouse stane. ¶ The blissynge of swetnes is the grace that he had in his manhed. that he was ay fre of all synn. the coroun in his heued of preciouse stane. is the louynge and the honur that he has of apostels and all haly men. the whilk ere about him til his fairehed. as a cercle in a mannys heued.

4. Vitam petijt a te: & tribuisti ei longitudinem dierum in seculum & in seculum seculi. ¶ He askid lif of the: and thou gaf til him lenghe of dayes, in warld & in warld of warld. ¶ Lyf he askid til hys lufers. and thou has gifen thaim lange tyme in this warld to luf him. for all that lufis noght him, thof thai lifid a thousand ȝere. thai haf shortt lif and shamful endynge: and all that lufis him, thai haf lange dayes in this warld, and in warld of warld. that is, in heuen, thai haf lif withouten end, what tyme sa thai dye, whether alde or ȝonge.

5. Magna est gloria eius in salutari tuo: gloriam &

magnum decorem impones super eum. ¶ Gret is the ioy of him in thi hele; ioy and gret fairhed thou sall sett on him. ¶ The ioy of cristes manhed is gret in his godhed: for he has the name that is abouen all names: and thou sall sett on him ioy of thi dome. for he has myght to deme of his godhed. and he sall deme in his manhed, in the whilke he may be sen of all. and [S in.] gret fairhed, for he sall appere in mageste.

6. Quoniam dabis eum in benediccionem in seculum seculi: letificabis eum in gaudio cum vultu tuo. ¶ ffor thou sall gif him in blissynge in warld of warld; thou sall make him fayn in ioy with thi face. ¶ He sall be in blissynge withouten end, swa that thurgh him sall [S shal. U om.] all his lufers be blissid, and be made fayn in ioy of thi syght, face til face, that is end and fulfillyng of all ioy.

7. Quoniam rex sperat in domino: & in miserecordia altissimi non commouebitur. ¶ ffor the kynge hopes in lord; and in the mercy of the heghest he sall noght be stirid. ¶ Kynge crist is noght proude of all this. bot as meke of hert he hopes in god. & in his mercy. for thi nathynge sall let his meknes and box|sumnes til the ded.

8. Inueniatur manus tua omnibus inimicis tuis: dextera tua inueniat omnes qui te oderunt. ¶ ffunden be thi hand til all thin enmys: thi righthand fynd all that has the hated. ¶ Crist, when thou comes to deme, thi pouste punyesand be funden til all thi faas that lufid the noght, and wild not knaw thi meknes. all is ane, his enmys and [S ins. 'tho.'] that hatid him: on domes day thai be funden dampned thurgh cristes myght, that now ere tynt fra his grace.

9. Pones eos vt clibanum ignis in tempore vultus tui: dominus in ira conturbabit eos, & deuorabit eos ignis. ¶ Thou sall sett thaim as fournayse of fire. in tyme of thi face; lord in his wreth sall druuy thaim, and deuoure thaim sall the fire. ¶ Thou sall sett thaim as fournase, that is, brennand within in consciens of thaire wickidnes, in tyme of thi face, that is in tyme of thi shewynge: and than oure lord sall be seene wrath til thaim, and swa the fire of hell sall deuoure thaim. Her may men see apertly the end of ill lyfe.

10. Fructum eorum de terra perdes: & semen eorum a filiis hominum. ¶ The froite of tha. thou sall lose fra the erth; and thaire sede fra sunnes of men. ¶ The froite of thaim, that

is, thaire werke, for it is all of this erth, 'it sall be lost fra the erth [S it shal be lost fro the erthe. U om.] ' of heuen: and thaire sede, that is, tha that ere desaifid thurgh thaim, thou sall lose fra sunnes of men: that is, thai sall noght be tald amange thin aires.

11. Quoniam declinauerunt in te mala: cogitauerunt con|silia que non potuerunt stabilire. ¶ ffor thai heldid illes in the; thai thoght redis the whilke thai myght noght stabile. ¶ Ill men wenes noght to be punyscht. for thai say that god is swa ful of mercy that he will dampne na man that has tane baptem, and thus thai held ill in god, sayand of hym that he neuer thoght, and that is agayns his mageste. for it ware ill if he [S. U we.] wild noght deme synn: and swa thoght thai counsails in vayne hope, that thai may noght stabile: for thai sall be dampned for thaire synn.

12. Quoniam pones eos dorsum: in reliquiis tuis pre|parabis vultum eorum. ¶ ffor thou sall sett thaim bak; in thi leuyngis graith thou sall thaire face. ¶ Thou sall sett thaim bake. that is thou sall put thaim fra the, and sett thaim byhynd, that wend in this life thai had ben bifore. and in thi leuyngis, that is, amange the deuels of hell, the whilke thou has forsakyn and reproued. thou sall graith thaire face. for amange fendis sall thai be knawn, noght amange the halighis of heuen, whaim thai dispised, and sett lightly by thaim in this warld.

13. Exaltare domine in virtute tua: cantabimus & psal|lemus virtutes tuas. ¶ Be heghid lord in thi vertu; we sall synge, and we sall synge thi vertus. ¶ Shew the heghe in thi halighis, and we sall synge with ioy of hert: and we sall synge thi vertus, that is, we sall make knawyn thi wondirs [S wonders. U wordirs.] in goed will and goed werke. for he syngis wele that wirkis wele: for thi says he twis we sall syng. an tyme for the luf of hert, another for shewynge of rightwisnes till ensaumpile.