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 XXIV.]

AD te domine leuaui animam meam: deus meus in te confido, non erubescam. ¶ Til the lord i. liftid my saule; my god i. traist in the, i. sall noght shame. ¶ The voice of halykirke, or of a rightwisman. lord i. liftid thurgh gastly desire fra erthe: for wha sa ligges thare in, the deuel tredis him: my saule, that was foulid in the erth with fleysly ȝernyngis, til the, to hals and see. for na man may perfitly til godis luf be ioynd whils he has any affeccioun enclynand til any creature. my god, now i. traist in the, noght in me: for thi i sall not shame: that is, i. sall noght doe synn, that is chesun of shame.

2. Neque irrideant me inimici mei: etenim vniuersi qui sustinent te non confundentur. ¶ Na my faas lagh me til hethynge; for whi all that suffirs the thai sall noght be confusid. ¶ That is, my faas sall noght haf maystre of me, thof thai waite nyght and daye with ill suggestions to till me til syn: for whi, all that suffirs the. that is, all that tholmodly beris the birthin of

tribulacioun, and the het of temptacioun, til thai dye. thai sall noght be confusid with ill men. bot thai sall be honurd with aungels. Sothly if we bigyn to luf ihū crist, and last noght ay bettere and bettere. oure enmys laghis vs til hethynge. and of swilke he spekis and says,

3. Confundantur omnes iniqua agentes: supervacue. ¶ Counfoundid be all wirkand wicked thynges: outragely [S outerageusly.] . ¶ ffor thai lef the swet luf of crist. and takis thaim til the bittire luf of this warld, confundid be thai in endles pyne: and thai ere wirekand wickid thyngis: that is, thai doe wickidly, to get thaim the fauour and lufredyn of this warld. & outragely [S out raiusliche.] trauails in vanytes. ffor all is vayn and withouten froit that helpis noght til god.

4. Vias tuas domine demonstra michi: & semitas tuas edoce me. ¶ Thi wayes lord shew til me; and lere me thi stretis [S styes.] . ¶ Godis wayes he calles his lightere biddyngis, that falles till all men: his stretis [S stieghes.] ere priue and strait entres of per|feccioun, that bot fa knawis.

5. Dirige me in veritate tua & doce me: quia tu es deus saluator meus, & te sustinui tota die. ¶ Righten me in thi sothfastnes, and lere me; for thou ert god my safeoure, and the i. [U om.] suffird all day. ¶ Righten me, fleand errours, in thi sothfastnes, that i. lif rightwisly, as thi sothfastnes askis of me: and lere me sothfastnes, that i. vndirstand it, and luf it: for by my self i. knaw noght bot leghynge. Twa thyngis makes the saule perfit and haly. that is. luf. and conynge. doe that i. aske: for thou ert god my saueoure fra my faas: and the i. suffird all day: that is, all my life .i. gruchid noght what sa thou did til me, bot ay louyd the, abydand thi mercy.

6. Reminiscere miseracionum tuarum domine: & mise|recordiarum tuarum que a seculo sunt. ¶ Vmthynke [U Vmthynge.] ye of thi mercyingis lord; and of thi mercys, the whilke ere fra the warld. ¶ Vmthynk the, for men wenes thou has forgetyn, for thou gifes noght alstite as thai wild, of thi mercyingis, that is, of the werkis of thi mercy: and of thi mercys, the whilke ere kyndly in the, and thai ere fra the warld, that is fra the byginynge of the warld: for neuer was thou withouten mercy.

7. Delicta iuventutis mee: & ignorancias meas ne me|mineris. ¶ The trespasis of my ȝouthed: and myn ignoraunces, thou thynke noght on. ¶ That is kepe noght til vengaunce perpetuel the trespasis of my ȝouthed. that is, my iolifte and fole hardynes, when i. had na dred to forsake the way of clennys: as a ȝoungman dredis noght to vndirtake the peril that he is slane in. and myn ignoraunces. that is, the synnes that i. did, noght knawand thaim for synnes, or wenand thaim less than thai ware.

8. Secundum miserecordiam tuam memento mei: tu prop|ter bonitatem tuam, domine. ¶ Eftere thi mercy vmthynke the of me; thou for thi goednes lord. ¶ Vmthynke the of me, that is, see how frele i. am of kynd. thou whas werke is to for gif syn: noght eftere thin ire that i. haf deseruyd, bot eftere thi mercy. Aswha say, as thi mercy is large, swa haf thou mercy of me: and that for thi goednes, noght for my meryt.

9. Dulcis & rectus dominus: propter hoc legem dabit delinquentibus in via. ¶ Lord swet and right; for that he sall gif laghe til trispasand in way. ¶ Oure lord is swet, forgifand syn. and he is right, ȝeldand in his dome til all men as thai haf doen. that says he, that his swetnes make vs noght ouer sykere and ydel: and for that. for he gaf first mercy to brynge vs in til goed life, he sall gif laghe of chastiynge til trispasand in way of maners, swa that he sett thaim in way, that is, in his comaundment.

10. Diriget mansuetos in iudicio: docebit mites vias suas. ¶ He sall ryght the debonere in dome; he sall lere the myld his wayes. ¶ He sall right thaim in his last dome, and make thaim withouten sarynes, sykere and safe, all that now folouys his will, and standis noght agayns him in thoght na dede. and he sall lere the myld his wayes: noght thaim that ere proud and full of ire, and thynk thaim seluen does better than other men kan lere thaim. bot the myld, the whilke gladly beris godis ȝoke.

11. Vniuerse vie domini miserecordia & veritas: requiren|tibus testamentum eius & testimonia eius. ¶ All the wayes of lord mercy and sothfastnes; til the sekand his witword and the witnesyngis of him. ¶ Thof godis wayes be many, thai ere all closed in there twa. Mercy he gifis, forgifand syn. Sothfastnes, demand merits. he leris mercy thurgh the whilke he is quemed, and sothfast|nes thurgh the whilke he is vntamed. and thof that be noght knawn til all. it is knawn til the sekand his witword, that is, his passion,

and his ded, when he made his testament, and hight vs life, and ȝeldis it. and sekand his witnesynges, that is, bihaldis that he sayd in prophetis, and witnesid in the euangelistis: for thai ere witnes of his hightynge.

12. Propter nomen tuum domine, propiciaberis peccato meo: multum est enim. ¶ ffor thi name lord thou sall do mercy til my synn: for it is mykill. ¶ ffor thi name lord, that is ihū, als mykill at say as saueoure. that is, that thou fulfil thi name in dede, thou sall do mercy til my syn, that i. haf sorow of. for i. graunt. that it is mykell: that is, that ilk day is doen: & i. hald it mykill that thou brynge it til noght. The mare that men haldis ther synn, the lesse god haldis it. and the lesse that thai wene it is, the mare thai mun fynd it when thai cum til the dome.

13. Quis est homo qui timet dominum: legem statuit ei in via quam elegit. ¶ Whilke is the man that dredis lord; laghe he sett til him in way that he has chosen. ¶ Whilke is the man that lifis skilwisly, and dredis our lord, not sykere of him self. for god sett til him laghe of charite, forto fulfill in way of trouth that he has chosen: that is that he frely toke, knawand that all erres that ere not in that way.

14. Anima eius in bonis demorabitur: & semen eius hereditabit terram. ¶ The saule of him sall duell in goedis; and his sede sall enherite the erthe. ¶ His saule, when it is passid fra the body, sall duell in goeds of heuen. now til ward [S toward.] ; and at the last his sede, that is, his goed werke. whare of froit is gadird, sall enherite the erth. that is. it sall haf hale heritage in blisse. when for the goed werke that he here did he sall resaife his body glorifide.

15. Firmamentum est dominus timentibus eum: & tes|tamentum ipsius vt manifestetur illis. ¶ ffestnynge is lord til dredand him; and the testament of him that he be til thaim shewid. ¶ A man is chawngabile: bot god festis him that dredis him, that he be stabile in wele and in wa: and the testament of god is that he be shewid till vs, that is, that we se him as he hight.

16. Oculi mei semper ad dominum: quoniam ipse euellet de laqueo pedes meos. ¶ Myn eghen euermare til lord; for he sall of snare out draghe my fete. ¶ That is, the loekyngs of my hert ere ay vpward til ihū crist my luf. i loke noght in vanytes and besynes of erth, and .i. dred not perils. for he til whaim i. loke

sall out draghe of snare of vices and of ded my fete, that is myn affeciouns.

17. Respice in me & miserere mei: quia vnicus & pauper sum ego. ¶ Loke in me and haf mercy of me; for anlepy & pore i. am. ¶ I loke til the: for thi loke thou in me, and haf mercy of me: for .i. am a wreche in ill of pyne and of syn: and now is stede of mercy: for .i. am anlepy. that is .i. am noght dis|tracte in many thoghtes. bot in anhed of thi lufe dwelland, and pore of warldis thynge. anlepy is mare lufid, pore is mare sorowid [S rewede.] .

18. Tribulaciones cordis mei multiplicate sunt: de ne|cessitatibus meis erue me. ¶ The tribulaciouns of my hert ere many faldid; of my nedynges delyuere thou me. ¶ That is at say. swa many ere the wrechidneses [S wrechedneses. U wrechidnes.] of this warld that the anguys of thaim is comen till my hert. and for thi delyuer me lord of my nedynges: that is, of aduersites, the whilke ere nedful till all that will lif in crist. and ned is that we suffire thaim til the ded, that we be safe.

19. Vide humilitatem meam & laborem meum: & dimitte vniuersa delicta mea. ¶ Se my meknes and my trauaile; and forgif all my trespases. ¶ Se with a blithe eghe my meknes, that .i. hald me in luf, withouten rosynge and pride: and my trauaile, that .i. suffire ill manerd men be mengid with me: and with this offrand quemed forgif all my synnes that .i. doe thurgh frelte or myrknes of this lif.

20. Respice inimicos meos quoniam multiplicati sunt: & odio iniquo oderunt me. ¶ Loke my faas for thai ere multiplide: and in wickid hatredyn thai hatid me. ¶ That is, doe with myn enmys as thou wate: for thai ere many, withinen and withouten. and the losse of swa many men may noght be withouten sorow. and for thi he prayes for thaim. and thai hatid me in wickid hatredyn: for .i. luf thaim in als mykil as thai ere men that god made.

21. Custodi animam meam & erue me: non erubescam, quoniam speraui in te. ¶ Kep my saule and delyuer me; .i. sall noght shame for .i. hopid in the. ¶ ffra my faas kepe my saule in the goeds that it has, and delyuer me, that is, make me perfit in hert, that .i. folow thaim noght. and swa [U blank to Ps. xxvi. 7. (Vnam) pecij a domino. Text from L.] i shal not shame.

thof thei ryse ageynes me. for i hopid in the, nothing in my vertu.

22. Innocentes & recti adheserunt michi: quia sustinui te. ¶ Innocentis & rygth drogh to me: for i suffird the. ¶ Ill men i suffird, & thei wold not til me ward. bot innocentis in dede, & rygth in hert, drogh to me, foloande my conuersacyon. & that for i failid not in thi way: bot i suffird the, abidand thi dome.

23. Libera deus israel: ex omnibus tribulacionibus suis. ¶ God delyuer israel: of all his trybulacyons. ¶ God deluyer thaim that are israel. that is the folke the whech in all thair [S their. L om.] myȝt redyes thaim to se the: delyuer thaim of all thair anguys. with in or with out. and bryng thaim to thi blys that lastys ay.