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 LI.]

QUID gloriaris in malicia: qui potens es in iniquitate. ¶ Whartil ioyes thou in malice: that myghty is in wickidnes. ¶ Jn this psalme the prophet spekis agayns all the kynd of ill men. and says. thou that is myghti in wickidnes, that lest is, whare til ioyes thou in malice. aswhasay, in god is for to ioy, that is gret: what this wickidnes is he oppyns.

2. Tota die iniusticiam cogitauit lingua tua: sicut no|uacula acuta fecisti dolum. ¶ Allday vnrightwisnes thoght thi tonge; as sharpe rasure thou did treson. ¶ He says that the thoght of the ill man is in his tonge. for he vmthynkis him not are he speke what he suld speke: as sharpe rasure, that hetis newynge of face, and makis the blode to folow. thou did treson, hetand fair|hed and ioy, and bryngand til syn and pyne.

3. Dilexisti maliciam super benignitatem: iniquitatem magis quam loqui equitatem. ¶ Thou lufid malice abouen goednes: wickidnes mare than to speke euennes. ¶ He forsakis not ill that lufis it, & forthi if goednes touche his hert any tyme. he flese it sone, & malice dwellis. that he chesis mare than goednes. and that makis him to luf wickidnes abouen euenness, swa that he kan not als mykil as hill ill with faire wordis.

4. Dilexisti omnia verba precipitacionis: lingua dolosa. ¶ Thou lufid all the wordis of downfellynge: in tricherows tonge. ¶ That is, thou lufid all wordis that downfellis thaire lufers fra syn til syn. and sythen til pyne: in tricherows tonge. for thou ert full of wordis & full of treson.

5. Propterea deus destruet te in finem: euellet te & emigrabit te de tabernaculo tuo, & radicem tuam de terra viuencium. ¶ fforthi god sall distroye the in the end: he sall out draghe the, and out passe the of thi tabernakile, and thi rote fra the land of lifand. ¶ ffor thou lufid malice. forthi god sall distroye

the in the ende: thof he lat the lif a stunt [S while.] in welth. In this manere he sall distroy the. first he sall out draghe the. that is. he sall refe thi dignyte fra the. and sythen he sall out passe the of thi tabernakile. that is. he sall gere the passe till hell fra all thi vaynglory that thou lifis in now a while. and he sall out draghe thi rote fra the land of lifand. that is, fra the blis of halymen. the rote of gode men is haly luf. the rote of illmen is wickid couaitis.

6. Videbunt iusti & timebunt & super eum ridebunt & dicent: ecce homo qui non posuit deum adiutorem suum. ¶ The rightwis sall se, and thai sall dred, and laghe on him. and thai sall say: lo the man that sett not god his helpere. ¶ Now sees rightwismen what cummys til vnrightwismen in the endynge: frothi thai drede, that thai fall noght with thaim in synn-and pyne. bot at the dome thai sall laghe on thaim. that is, thai sall deme thaim worthi hethynge. and thai sall say. lo the man that sett not god his helpere. for him self as god he made, noght hopand in verray god.

7. Sed sperauit in multitudine diuiciarum suarum: & preualuit in vanitate sua. ¶ Bot he hopid in mykilnes of his riches: and he was myghty in his vanyte, ¶ He proues him dampnabile, noght for he had ryches, bot for he hopid in the mykilnes of thaim, as mykil welth myght safe any man. bot thai helpe mare til dampnacioun than saluacioun til all that lufis thaim; thof he hafe thaim noght. and he was myghty in his vanyte. for na thynge is vaynere. than he that thynkis the peny is myghtiere than god.

8. Ego autem sicut oliua fructifera in domo dei: speraui in miserecordia dei in eternum & in seculum seculi. ¶ Bot .i. as olife froite berand in the hows of god: hopid in mercy of god. withouten ende and in warld of warld. ¶ Aswha say, ill men hopis in riches. bot .i. say the rightwisman. dwelland in godis hows, that is in halykirke, as olife that is grene wyntere and somere. swa .i. hald vertus in wele and in wa: froite berand, that is werkis of charite, .i. hopid in the mercy of god that lastand is withouten ende. and .i. hopid not in him to wyn erthly riches and honours, bot to cum till endles ioy, that is in warld of warld.

9. Confitebor tibi in seculum quia fecisti: & expectabo nomen tuum, quoniam bonum est in conspectu sanctorum

tuorum. ¶ I sall shryfe till the in warld. for thou made: and .i. sall abide thi name, for it is goed in syght of thi halighis. ¶ That is, .i. sall loue the lastandly. for thou made that .i. am olife. that .i. hope in thi mercy. and .i. sall abide thi name. that is the dede of thi name. ihū. that is, saluacioun: than .i. sall be safe. for it is goed and dilatabile to thynke in saule. noght till all, bot anly in syght of thi halighis: that lufand felis the goednes thare of, noght in sight of wickid men. that lufis the noght. for till all that lufis this warld. it is bettere [S bitter.] , and thai may fynde na swetnes or sauowre there in. bot till all godis lufers it is wondirfully swete.