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 XLIV.]

ERUCTAUIT cor meum verbum bonum: dico ego opera mea regi. ¶ My hert riftid goed word: .i. say my werkis til the kynge. ¶ This psalme spekis of the weddynge of crist and his spouse halykirke: and [S engleymede.] it is cald the louynge of chaumbire, that is, louynge of crist and of his spouse. forthi the prophet, ȝernand to cum in til this weddynge, that thai opyn of him the ȝate. he says he will synge to the spouse. My hert, that is, my thoght withinen, delitid in god and fild, riftid as ful of goed worde. that is louynge til god. as he that is ful of wickidnes riftis an ill worde: .i. say, that is, .i. couaite to say my werkis til the kynge. that is, til the honur and louynge of him. bot that thou wene not that he has of him self that he says. he likyns him til the pen of the maystere. for he is lede of the haly gaste, and says.

2. Lingua mea calamus scribe: velociter scribentis. ¶ My tonge pen of mayster; swiftly writand. ¶ That is, my tonge is pen of the haly gaste: and .i. am noght bot as his instrument, whaim he ledis as he will: for .i. speke noght bot that he settis in my tonge. as the pen dos noght withouten the writere. swiftly writand. for the vertu of godis inspiracioun is not forto thynke with mannys study that he shewis til other of the priuete of heuen. and that it is sone forto cum that he writis.

3. Speciosus forma pre filiis hominum, diffusa est gracia in labiis tuis: propterea benedixit te deus in eternum. [U ant.]

¶ ffaire of shape bifor sonnes of men, helt is grace in thi lippis: forthi blissid has the god withouten ende. ¶ He synges of the louynge of this spouse, and says. faire ert thou of shape. that is, fre of all syn. bifor mennys sonnes the whilke synned all. bot for fairhede withouten wisdome suffis not, ȝit he loues. helt is grace in thi lippis: for the spekand the warld resayued grace of re|councelynge, for thi, that is, for this grace, thorgh the whilke the kyngedome of heuen is gifen, blissid has the man god withouten end, gifand til the reum of the whilke is nane endynge.

4. Accingere gladio tuo super femur tuum: potentissime. ¶ Be beltid with thi swerd abouen thi thee; myghtiest. ¶ Here he louys of pouste: the bihoues feght, forthi be beltid with thi swerd, that is, with godis worde. with that thou felles down thi faes. abouen thi thee: that is, on thi fleysse: thou myghtiest, agayns whaim nathynge may stand.

5. Specie tua & pulcritudine tua: intende prospere procede & regna. ¶ In thi shap and in thi fairehede: bihald esely. pasforth, and be kynge. ¶ Aswhasay, be beltid and swa bihald mannys kynd mercyfully. in thi shape and in thi fairhede, that is, in thi rightwisnes. thurgh the whilke thou ert wele shapyn and faire. esely delyuerand men, pasforth fra the maydyns wambe. and be [S. U he.] kynge in the hertis of men.

6. Propter veritatem & mansuetudinem & iusticiam: & deducet te mirabiliter dextera tua. ¶ ffor sothfastnes & de|bonerte and rightwisnes: and lede sall the wondirfully thi right|hand. ¶ I say be kynge, and that for thi [S. U forthi.] sothfastnes. that is, for thou leris sothfastnes that distroyes falshede, and for debonerte. that is, for thou ert myld, suffrand ill men. and swa thi lufers dos. and for rightwisnes. that is, for thou shewis the rightwisnes of life, and for thou sall cum to deme ilke man rightwisly. and all this is for the myght of thi godhede sall lede the thurgh this life won|dirfully, swa that men hafe wondire of thi myracles.

7. Sagitte tue acute: populi sub te cadent, in corda inimicorum regis. ¶ Thin arwis sharpe: folke sall vndire the fall, in hertis of the enmys of kynge. ¶ Thin arwis, that is, thi wordis, ere sharpe, that thirlis mennys thoghtis. and folke woundid with tha arwis sall fall vndire the: in hertis, for thai heghid thaim agayns crist, thare thai sall fall bifore him. of the enmys of kynge.

that is, thin enmys that is kynge: swa that thai be of fas made frendis.

8. Sedes tua deus in seculum seculi: virga direccionis virga regni tui. ¶ Thi setil god in warld of warld: wande of rightynge wande of thi kyngdome. ¶ Here he louys crist of dome: thi setil of demynge and of kyngis pouste, god, is in warld of warld: for all that he demys is noght chaungid: and that bifalles the. for the wand, that is, the ceptire and the guuernynge of thi kyngdome, is wand of rightynge, that rightis krokid men. this is the wand of godis euennes. that ay is right and neuer krokid, that rewlis rightwismen & smytis wickid men.

9. Dilexisti iusticiam & odisti iniquitatem: propterea vnxit te deus, deus tuus, oleo leticie pre consortibus tuis. ¶ Thou lufid rightwisnes and thou hatid wickidnes: therfor enoynt the god thi god with the oile of ioy bifor thi felaghis. ¶ Thou ert not anly rightwis, bot alswa thou lufid rightwisnes in othere, and thou hatid wickidnes, elles myght thou not luf rightwisnes. therfore thou god the son, thi god the fadire enoynt the man: kynge and prest he made the with the oile of ioy, for purte of consciens in fulnes of grace, bifor thi felaghis, apostles and other halymen, in whaim fra the rennys grace.

10. Mirra & gutta & cassia a vestimentis tuis a domibus eburneis: ex quibus delectauerunt te filie regum in honore tuo. ¶ Mirre and gut and cassi of thi clathyngis, of howsis of euor: of the whilke doughters of kyngis delitid the in thin honur. ¶ Goed odurs of vertus ere takynd bi there spiseres. Mirre. that is bittire spice and puttis away wormes. is penaunce, that slas the woremys of ill ȝernyngis and ill consciens. and kepis fra vices. Gutta, that fordos bolnyngis, is mekenes. Cassi, that growis in watter stedis in til a mykil tre, and gifes odures, 'is trouth' [S. U throuth.] that waxis thurgh baptem. There rennys til other in goed ensaumpile, of cristis clathynge, that is of halymen. and of howsis of euor, that is, fra chaste thoghtis, of the whilke odurs of vertus delitid the. that is, thai had the delitabil, doghtirs of kyngis, that is, of apostils and other halymen, thurgh whas lare thai turnyd thaim til thi luf: in thin honur. whas louynge thai seke.

11. Astitit regina a dextris tuis in vestitu deaurato: circumdata varietate. ¶ The quene vpstode at thi rightside in

gilt [S oure gylte.] clathynge: vmgifen with sernes. ¶ Here he praysis him of his wife. that is na gigelot, bot quene vndire the. guuernand folke. This quene is halykirke, or a cristen manys saule, that standis vpright in his luf at his right syde. that is, in hope of endles ioy: in clathynge [S ins. 'ouer.'] gilt, that is, in goed werkis done in charite: vmgifen with sernes of merites or of vertus. this quene is atirid with gold of apostils. sendel of martirs. gemmys of virgyns. purpire of thaim that lifis in chastite and in penaunce.

12. Audi filia & vide & inclina aurem tuam: & obli|uiscere populum tuum & domum patris tui. ¶ Here doghtere & see and held thin ere: and forget thi folke & the house of thi fadire. ¶ Here the prophet spekis til the quene: doughtere, that .i. haf getyn in my prechynge, here with hert, and see god thi spouse, that nane is like him. and held thin ere, that thou here mekly that .i. lere the. and forget thi folke of this warld, and all fleysly affecciouns and ill stiryngis til any creature. and the house. that is, the conuersacioun and the felaghschipe of thi fadire the deuel. that is, forget this warld that is contrary til heuen, and swa thou sall be faire.

13. Et concupiscet rex decorem tuum: quoniam ipse est dominus deus tuus & adorabunt eum. ¶ And the kynge sall couaite thi fairhede: for he is lord thi god, and thai sall loute him. ¶ The fairhede that he made in the. he lufis: for he is thi god, not anly thi spouse. and all folke of the whilke halykirke is made sall lout him kynge.

14. Et filie tyri in muneribus: vultum tuum depreca|buntur omnes diuites plebis. ¶ And the doghtirs of tiry in giftis; thi face sall pray all the riche of the folke. ¶ That is, many saules of synful men sall cum til the kynge in giftis, offrand thaim self til his luf and his seruys. all the riche, that is, myghty and witty men of this warld, sall pray thi face. that is, thai sall ȝern forto hafe thi fairhede: for thai sall hald thaire aghen bot faynt and desaifabile.

15. Omnis gloria eius filie regis abintus, in fimbrijs aureis: circumamicta varietatibus. ¶ All the ioy of him the doghtirs of the kynge frawithinen, in hemmyngis of gold: vmcled in sernesis. ¶ He couaitis thi fairhede. bot that is noght bot withinen, in thi consciens, whare his ioy is. that thou be faire.

and swa ȝe doghtirs of the kynge, loke ȝe be in hemmyngis of gold, that is, make ȝoure endynge in perfite luf. for in the end all the perfeccioun is, whare charite is funden ful. for the quene is vmclad in sernessis of vertus or of ordirs.

16. Adducentur regi virgines post eam: proxime eius afferentur tibi. ¶ Led sall be till the kynge maydyns eftire hire [U om.] : neghburs sall be broght til the. ¶ Eftire hire the quene, that was first, maydyns, that is, clene saules and stalworth. sall be led til kynge crist. and hire neghburs, that ere chaste widows and other febilere, sall be broght to the kynge.

17. Afferentur in leticia & exultacione: adducentur in templum regis. ¶ Thai sall be broght in ioy and gladnes: thai sall be led in til the tempile of the kynge. ¶ Thai sall be broght [U brogh.] with aungels in ioy and gladnes: for thai ouercome heuy temptaciouns of body: thai sall be led as lifand stanes in til the kyngis tempile: that is, not anly in till his syght. bot in til his inere chawmbirs. for maydyns he drawis nere him.

18. Pro patribus tuis nati sunt tibi filij: constitues eos principes super omnem terram. ¶ ffor thi fadirs sonnes ere born til the: thou sall sett thaim princes ouere all the erth. ¶ Ef|tire prophets apostils ere born. and eftere apostils othere halymen, the whilke ere princes, sett of god abouen all men: thof thai seme in this warld in the laghere degre, bifor god thai ere ay abouen.

19. Memores erunt nominis tui domine: in omni gener|acione & generacionem. ¶ Thai sall be menand of thi name lord [U om.] : in ilke generacioun & generacioun. ¶ That is, thi name ihū thai sall hafe in thoght, ilkan in thaire tyme, til the warldis ende, when all generacioun sall cesse.

20. Propterea populi confitebuntur tibi in eternum: & in seculum seculi. ¶ Tharefor folke sall shrife til the withouten end: and in warld of warld. ¶ Tharfor, for thai ere princes, and haldis thi name, lerand til other thi laghe. the folke that ere lerid sall loue the in this warld, and in heuen in endles ioy.