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 XLVIII.]

AUDITE hec omnes gentes: auribus percipite omnes qui habitatis orbem. ¶ Here there thyngis all genge: with eren persayfe all that wonnys the warld. ¶ In this psalme spekis the prophet. of the lufers of the warld, shewand that thai sall perische with all thaire ioy: for that thai sould do til honur of god thai [S thei. U that.] doe it that thai [S thei. U om.] may spede wele in thaire nedes. and haf thaire will here. Here the thyngis that .i. sall say, all genge. that is, all wickidmen. and with eren persaifes. that ȝe here not passandly. all that wonnys the warld: that is, all rightwismen, that ere not haldyn ne lappid in errours of the warld, bot thai trede thaim vndire thaire fete.

2. Quique terrigene & filij hominum: simul in vnum diues & pauper. ¶ All borne of erthe and sunnes of men: samen in ane, the riche and the pore. ¶ Borne of erth ere tha that folows erthly vices: sunnes of men he calles goed men, that lifis as skil leris and godis laghe. the riche, lufand the warld. and the pore, lufand noght bot god, heres ȝe that ere samen in ane, that is, ȝe ere not departid tll ȝe dye. forthi heres samen godis worde: tyme comes when ȝe may not be samen.

3. Os meum loquetur sapienciam: & meditacio cordis mei prudenciam. ¶ My mouth sall speke wisdome: and the thynkynge of my herte quayntys. ¶ Wisdome falles til thynge that is of god: quantise til confourmynge of maners: in there twa thyngis is goddis worde shewid.

4. Inclinabo in parabolam aurem meam: aperiam in psalterio proposicionem meam. ¶ I sall held in parabole myn ere; .i. sall oppyn in psawtry my proposicion. ¶ That is, .i. sall meke me til sothfastnes that spekis in me, and lerand me to speke in parabils, that is, in likyngis that all men kan noght vndir|stand: and .i. sall oppyn in psawtry, that is, .i. sall shew in werke, my proposicyon, that is, what thynge .i. sett til me bifor all other

thynge, that is, the blisse of heuen. aswa say, .i. sall shew in dede my worde.

5. Cur timebo in die mala: iniquitas calcanei mei cir|cumdabit me. ¶ Whi sall .i. drede in the ill day: the wickidnes of my hele sall vmgif me. ¶ Here in his person he sekis the cheson of drede and of dampnacioun of ill men. that is wickidnes, and says. Whi sall .i. drede in ill day. that is, in the day of dome, that is kald ill day. for all thyngis sall than be oppynd. and ill is it kald for vnrightwismen, that sall than be dampned. lo whi .i. sall drede: for the wickidnes of my hele sall vmgif me: that is, the wickidnes that lastis in me at myn endynge sall make me to drede and be dampned.

6. Qui confidunt in virtute sua: & in multitudine diui|ciarum suarum gloriantur. ¶ Thai that traystis in thaire vertu: and in the multitude of thaire riches ioyes. ¶ There ere thai that ere vmgifen with wickidnes: aswha say. drede is of wickidnes, and wickidnes is of erthly [U ertly.] thynge, in the whilke men ere swa mykil folis. that sum ere that traystis in thaire vertu of body, or in thaire wit. and other ioyes in thaire riches. for thai hafe many, whare of thai ere proude: or in thaire frendis. and all is in vayne. for,

7. Frater non redimet, redimet homo: & non dabit deo placacionem suam. ¶ Brothere sall not bye, sall man bye; and he sall noght gif til god his quemynge. ¶ Brothere crist sall not bye swilke. for thai trayst noght in him. bot in thaire vertu. Wha sa trayst in this [S. U his.] brother he sall not drede in ill day. sall man bye thaim. nay, thof he be neuer swa myghty. aswha say, thai ere in prison of the deuel. and nane is to bye thaim oute. for crist will noght, thare frend mey [S. U will.] noght, than ere thai lost: and swa he sall noghi gif til god. his quemynge [S payinge, pey.] . that is, he wil noght gif til god luf of his hert. that myght queme [S payinge, pey.] him.

8. Et precium redempcionis anime sue: & laborabit in eternum & viuet adhuc in finem. ¶ And the prise of the biynge of his saule: and he sall trauaile withouten ende, and he sall lif ȝit in the ende. ¶ That is, he sall not doe verray penaunce and almusdede, thurghe the whilke he myght bye his saule fra hell. and therfor he sall trauaile withouten ende in pynes, and ȝit he sall life in the ende: that is, eftere the ende of this life. he sall

life in saule, 'and be' [S. U that is.] haldyn in sorow of hell. til he take his body and be tourmentid in bathe.

9. Non videbit interitum cum viderit sapientes mori|entes: simul insipiens & stultus peribunt. ¶ He sall not see ded when he has seyne wismen [S wyliche men.] dyand: to gidere vnwise and fole sall perische. ¶ That is, he sall not vndirstande that verray ded be, when he sees euenly ill and goed dye. for he says. if the wisman that lufis god be ded as the ill, whare til sall .i. folow him. .i. will fare wele whils .i. life: and swa he knawis not the endles ded. that he hastis him til. and the wisman passis til life, bot the vnwise, that bihaldis noght what pyne is grauythid [S ordeynde.] til synful men, and the fole, that thofe he bihald he will not doe swa that he ware delyuered, sall perische bathe to gidere.

10. Et relinquet alienis diuicias suas: & sepulchra eorum domus illorum in eternum. ¶ And thai sall leue til aliens thaire riches: and the sepulcres of thaim howsis of thaim withouten ende. ¶ And thai sall leue thaire riches, for the whilke thai did mykil ill. and tynt thaire saules. til aliens, thof thai leue thaim til thaire sunnes. for aliens thai ere til thaim that dos thaim na goed. and thaire sepulcres ere thare howsis. that is, thai wene that thaire faire and dere graues may last til menynge of thaim euermare. thof thai be in hell. noght in sepulcres: for thare the saule is. thare is the mast parte of the man.

11. Tabernacula eorum in progenie & progenie: voca|uerunt nomina sua in terris suis. ¶ Tabernakils of thaim in kyn and kyn [S in kynereden & kynredyne.] ; tha cald thaire names in thaire erthis [S. londes, londe.] . ¶ That is, the howsis that thai leue til thaire ayres, thai wene thai sall last in kyn [S kynreden.] of sunnes and kyn [S kynreden.] of kosyns, and swa forth. thai cald thaire names, that is, thai seke that thaire names be kald, of thaire howsis: and that is not gret. for it is noght bot in thaire aghen erthe [S. londes, londe.] . sene thaire fame is noght amange straunge men: bot what is thaim the bettere, sen noght als mykel as a drope of watire comes til the tonge of him that brennys in hell.

12. Et homo cum in honore esset non intellexit: com|paratus est iumentis insipientibus & similis factus est illis. ¶ And [S. U om.] man when he was in honur he vndirstode noght: lykynd

he is til bestis vnwise, & like he is made til thaim. ¶ And in this, as in other thynge, man vndirstode not what he did, when he soght to hafe his name in this warld. for he sould hafe desired lastand ioy. neuer the latter he was in honur. that is, made til the ymage of god. and for he wroght not vndirstandanly he is likynd, losand vse of skill, til vnwise bestis in vnwisdome: and like he is till thaim, for his syn, noght of kynde.

13. Hec via illorum scandalum ipsis: & postea in ore suo complacebunt. ¶ This the way of tha slawndire til thaim: and sythen in thaire mouth thai sall queme [S plese.] . ¶ This way, that is, this life of tha, for it ledis thaim til hell, is slawndire til thaim. that is, stangynge and sorow and cheson of thaire dampnacioun. it is not sykirnes til thaim, for thai ere tourementid of thaire aghen dedis. thynke not that swilke men ere blisful whas life is slawndire. and sythen when warldis godes comes at thaire will, thai sall queme [S plese.] in thaire mouth. for that is the manere of synful men, when thai fulfil thare ȝernyngis than thanke thai god.

14. Sicut oues in inferno positi sunt: mors depascet illos. ¶ As shepe in hell thai ere sett; ded sall fede thaim. ¶ Thai sall be sett in hell eftere this life. as shepe that has lost thaire woul and lifes. swa in wickidmen, withouten wastynge of thaire kynde; pyne fyndes ay that it tourmentis. for thai ere ay dyand and neuer may dye. and ded swa fedis thaim. that is, ledis fra pyne til pyne.

15. Et dominabuntur eorum iusti in matutino: & auxi|lium eorum veterascet in inferno a gloria eorum. ¶ And lordis sall be of thaim the rightwis in mornynge: and the help of thaim sall elde in hell fra thaire ioy. ¶ That is, rightwismen sall be abouen thaim and deme thaim in the generall resurreccioun. and the help of thaim that thai had here. in ioy of the warlde, sall elde in hell. fra thaire ioy. for alsmykil as thai ware sene hafand ioy in erth, als mykill sorow sall thai suffire thare [U thaire. S thore.] .

16. Verumptamen deus redimet animam meam de manu inferi: cum acceperit me. ¶ Bot neuerthelatter god sall bye my saule of the hand of hell: when he has takyn me. ¶ Thai ere put fra thaire ioy; bot me he sall bye fra the pouste of the deuel, when he has takyn me til his kepynge.

17. Ne timueris cum diues factus fuerit homo: & cum multiplicata fuerit gloria domus eius. ¶ Dred thou not.

when riche ware made man: and when the ioy of his howse ware multiplide. ¶ Drede thou noght to be goed, thof the synful made be riche, and thou pore: for it is not grete that he is riche. when outkastyngis of men has riches. & when the ioy of his howse ware multiplide in honurs: for all that is not at tell by.

18. Quoniam cum interierit non sumet omnia: neque descendet cum eo gloria domus eius. ¶ ffor when he dyes he sall not take all; na the ioy of his howse sall descende with him. ¶ Hethynge is this of riche men. for thai take noght with thaim when thai dye, & the ioy of thaire howse wites away, and thai descend in til hell with sorow.

19. Quia anima eius in vita ipsius benedicetur: confi|tebitur tibi cum benefeceris ei. ¶ ffor his saule in life of him sall be blissid; he sall shrife til the when thou has done goed til him. ¶ In his life his saule is heghid in lustis & delites of this warld, & forthi in ded it sall be tourmentid. he sall shrife. that is, he sall loue the, god. when thou has done goed til him. that is, anly in wele, neuermare in wa. that is a despisabile shrift that ese makis, bot that is of mykil meryt that na sorow may fordow.

20. Introibit vsque in progenies patrum suorum: & vsque in eternum non videbit lumen. ¶ He sall entire in the progenys of his fadirs: and in til withouten end he sall not see lyght. ¶ That is, he sall folow ald wickid men. and therfore he sall not see light. for wha swa folowis the werst men thai sall be dampned in thaire felaghschip. and thai see noght light withouten end. for in this warld thai ere blyndid in saule, and in the tother thai suffire the myrknes [U myknes.] of hell.

21. Homo cum in honore esset non intellexit: compa|ratus est iumentis insipientibus & similis factus est illis. ¶ Man when he was in honur he noght vndirstode: likynd he is til bestis vnwise, and he is like made til thaim. ¶ He rehercys the foulhed [S foly.] of man, that the ill man stynt of his ill.