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 XXXIX.]

EXPECTANS expectaui dominum: & intendit michi. ¶ Abidand the lord .i. abade; and he biheld til me. ¶ Abidand .i. abade with desire and suffrynge oure lord ihū crist, that myght safe me: and he turnyd not fra me his grace, bot he biheld til me. that is, til my prou, and till my hele.

2. Et exaudiuit preces meas: & eduxit me de lacu miserie, & de luto fecis. ¶ And he herd my prayers: and he led me out of the lake of wrichidnes, and of the layre [S clay.] of fen. ¶ In that he herd my prayers, that he led me out of the lake of wrichidnes. that is, fra the depnes of fleysly ȝernyngs and vile couaitys. and of the layre [S clay.] of fen. that is, out of ill werkis that haldes the fete of oure [S. U om.] willes & files thaim.

3. Et statuit supra petram pedes meos: & direxit gres|sus meos. ¶ And he sett abouen the stane my fete: and he rightid my gatis. ¶ And he sett, that .i. may ga sikirly in luf, on the stane, that is on crist, in stabilnes of trouth and charite, my fete, that is my wittes [S willes.] : and sa he rightid, that .i. lokid not agayn til the warld. my gatis, that is my werkis, that thai errid noght fra his will.

4. Et immisit in os meum canticum nouum: carmen deo nostro. ¶ And he sent in my mouth a new sange; ympyn til oure lord [S om.] god. ¶ When he had taken me fra syn & fra all bisynes of erth, and stabild me in luf and vertus. thain he sent in til the mouth of my hert and of my body alswa a new sange, that is the melody of the tone of heuen, that nane may synge bot his derlyngs. for it is ympyn, that is, verray louynge, til oure god: fore god anly wate it, and nane may be heghid thar of for louynge of men. for men may not knaw [U knawn. S know.] how it is.

5. Videbunt multi & timebunt: & sperabunt in domino. ¶ Many sall see and thai sall drede; and thai sall hope in lord.

¶ Many sall see. that is, thai sall vndirstand that it ware gret ioy to knaw this new sange, and therfor aforce thaim til godis luf. and thai sall drede to doe any mare thare syn. and swa thai sall hope in lord, drawand til him in all thaire hert.

6. Beatus vir cuius est nomen domini spes eius: & non respexit in vanitates & insanias falsas. ¶ Blisful man of wham the name of lord is hope of him; and he lokid not in vanytes and in wodenessis fals. ¶ The name of oure lord is ihū, that is saueoure. than is he blisful that hopis in him na bodily thynge na erthly, bot that anly that his name shewis, that is saluacioun. and god him self. and sythen lokid not in vanytes. that now ma lokis than sothfastnes: and in wodenessis fals. that is, in the vile lustis of this warld, as hoppynge & daunnceynge of tumblers and herlotis, and other spectakils, that makis men to lose [S turne.] ther wit fra god, and gif it til the deuel. bot he sall bihald godis dede. for

7. Multa fecisti tu domine, deus meus mirabilia tua: & cogitacionibus tuis non est quis similis sit tibi. ¶ Many thyngis made has thou lord my god thi wondirs: and in [S. U om.] thi thoghtis nane is that be like til the. ¶ Thou lord has done mare wondire than the herlot: he lerid to ga in a corde. thou makis men to ga abouen the watire: and in thi thoghtis. that is, in thi wisdome forthi nane is like til the.

8. Annunciaui & locutus sum: multiplicati sunt super numerum. ¶ I shewid and .i. spake; multiplid thai ere abouen noumbire. ¶ Crist says. .i. shewid first in prophetis, and .i. spake in my person eftereward, and thai ere multiplide, that ere ill men, abouen the noumbire of gode men. or thai ere sa many that na man may noumbire thaim.

9. Sacrificium & oblacionem noluisti: aures autem per|fecisti michi. ¶ Sacrifice and offrynge thou not wild; bot eres thou made perfit til me. ¶ Sacrifice of bestis, offrynge of other thyngis, thou wild not: as thai did in the ald laghe. bot eres thou made perfite til me. that is, thou gaf me grace to vndirstand perfitly what thou wild.

10. Holocaustum & pro peccato non postulasti: tunc dixi ecce venio. ¶ Offrand and for syn thou askid noght; than .i. sayd lo .i. cum. ¶ Bodily offrand that was when all was brent.

thou askid noght fore syn. bot thou askis now a hert brennand in luf. than .i. sayd, lo .i. cum. that is, tyme it is that it cum that thou hight.

11. In capite libri scriptum est de me vt facerem volun|tatem tuam: deus meus volui, & legem tuam in medio cordis mei. ¶ In the heued of the boke writen it is of me that .i. did thi will: my god .i. wild, and thi laghe in myddis of my hert. ¶ It is writen. that is, it is ordaynd, in the heued of the boke, that is in my godhede, that is heued of my manhed: crist says. that is boke of mannys kynde, in the whilke ilke man aghe to rede: for his life is fourme of rightwisnes til men. that .i. doe thi will, bogh|and till the ded: and, my god, .i. wild it, and thi laghe .i. had in myddys. that is, in fulnes of my hert.

12. Anunciaui iusticiam tuam in ecclesia magna: ecce labia mea non prohibebo, domine tu scisti. ¶ I shewid thi rightwisnes in gret kirke: lo my lippis .i. sall not forbede, lord thou wist. ¶ That is, .i. shewid that rightwisnes is of the, in haly kirke: and .i. sall not forbede my lippes to speke, for drede of men: lord, thou wist my hert, that it dredis the. noght ill men. & thou ert witnes.

13. Iusticiam tuam non abscondi in corde meo: veri|tatem tuam & salutare tuum dixi. ¶ Thi rightwisnes .i. hid not in my hert: thi sothfastnes and thi hele .i. sayd. ¶ Thi rightwisnes, that is, the trouth of the, .i. hid not in my hert for drede: bot thi sothfastnes. that is, fulfillynge of that thou hight, and thi hele, that is thi safynge, .i. sayd till other.

14. Non abscondi miserecordiam tuam & veritatem tuam: a consilio multo. ¶ I hid not thi mercy and thi sothfastnes: fra mykil gaderynge. ¶ Thi mercy, that thou forgifis syn, and thi sothfastnes, that thou ȝeldis mede, .i. hid not fra mykil ga|derynge. that is, for many gadirand agayns me.

15. Tu autem domine ne longe facias miseraciones tuas a me: miserecordia tua & veritas tua semper susceperunt me. ¶ Bot thou lord make not fere fra me thi merciyngis: thi mercy and thi sothfastnes ay vptoke me. ¶ That is, the dedis of thi mercy do not away fra woundid saules. for thi mercy & sothfastnes ay vptoke me. that is, luf and drede ledis me bifor the, and thare of haf .i. nede [S iche nede. U mede.] .

16. Quoniam circumdederunt me mala quorum non est

numerus: comprehenderunt me iniquitates mee, et non potui vt viderem. ¶ ffor vmgifen me has illes of the whilke noumbire is noght: my wickidnesis toke me and .i. mught not that .i. saghe. ¶ That is, synnes has vmlappid me of the whilke is na noumbire: for na man may wit how many vices ere that men ere tangild with: my wickidnesis toke me in the dede, and thai presse doun myn eghe. sa that .i. myght noght doe that .i. saghe myn awn defaute or the light of god.

17. Multiplicate sunt super capillos capitis mei: & cor meum dereliquit me. ¶ Multiplide thai ere abouen the hares of my heued: and my hert has forsaken me. ¶ My synnes ere multiplide abouen my hare. that is, thai ere withouten noumbire: & my hert, that is, my skill, has forsakyn me. for it couaitis na profitabile thynge. Lo what wrichidnes. syn bryngs men til. forthi.

18. Complaceat tibi domine vt eruas me: domine ad adiuuandum me respice. ¶ Queme it til the lord that thou delyuer me; lord to help me thou see. ¶ Queme it til the, a god in trinite, that thou delyuer me of swa many illes. and lord see to help me. in goed deed. thi sight is oure help.

19. Confundantur & reuereantur simul, qui querunt animam meam: vt auferant eam. ¶ Shamed be thai and drede to gidire that sekis my saule: that thai take it away to sla. ¶ Shamed be thai of thaire syn. and drede thai to gidere pyne of body and saule.

20. Conuertantur retrorsum & reuereantur: qui volunt michi mala. ¶ Turnyd be thai agayn and drede: that will til me illes. ¶ That is, folow thai crist in meknes. that will proudly ga bifore.

21. Ferant confestim confusionem suam: qui dicunt michi euge euge. ¶ Bere thai swiftly thare shame: that says til me euge euge. ¶ Bere thai as a gret birthyn thaire shame, that nan other be heuyd thar with, that says til me in flaterynge, euge euge. that is, that says wele wele, ioyand till me, as with goed will, bot thaire hert thynkis agayns me. swilk ere fikil louers and fals.

22. Exultent & letentur super te omnes querentes te: & dicant semper magnificetur dominus qui diligunt salu|tare tuum. ¶ Glad thai, and fayn be on the all sekand the:

and say thai ay, worschipid be lord, that lufis thi hele. ¶ All sekand god, and noght elles, be glad: that is, wele cherid & fayne in hert, that thai ere grundid on god and on na vanyte. & thai say ay, worschipid be oure lord: that is, sa thai sall ay seke his louynge, noght thairs. that lufis thi hele, that is, ihū.

23. Ego autem mendicus sum & pauper: dominus soli|citus est mei. ¶ Bot .i. am beggere and pore; lord is bisy of me. ¶ Of the .i. say, louyd be thou: bot of me .i. say, .i. am beggere and pore. that is, thar is nathynge in me, of me, that may be louyd. He is beggere that askis of other. he is pore that suffisch [S suffice.] not til him self. forthi my lord is bisy of me. that is, he has me in his cure.

24. Adiutor meus & protector meus tu es: deus meus ne tardaueris. My helpere and my hilere ert thou: my god [S. U om.] cum not holy [S latli.] . That is, doe that .i. be not lange in illes, bot soen end thaim. that hulynes [S latlynes.] that he will not bifell. is that god late vs not sa lange be in wa and anguys that we lost suffraunce or charite: for if it ware swa, god come ouer huly [S latly.] til oure bihofe.