The Psalter, or Psalms of David and certain canticles
Rolle, Richard, of Hampole, tr. 1290?-1349., Bramley, Henry Ramsden, ed. 1833-1917.

[PSALM LIV.]

EXAUDI deus oracionem meam, & ne despexeris depre|cacionem meam: intende michi & exaudi me. ¶ Here Page  194 god my prayere, and depise noght my bede: bihald til me and here me. ¶ Halykirke, trauailand ymange the stremys of this warld, prayes and says. here god my prayere, that .i. couaite to be de|lyuerd of angwis and cum til the: and despise not my bede. as thou dos thairs that when thou has fulfild it thou despises it, for it is not for lastand thynge. thof god gif erthly thyngis till askand thaim, thaire prayere is not accept, for it tharnys right end, bot if he wist wele that it fell till hele of saule and honur of god: bihald til me and here. what ayles the; lo;

2. Contristatus sum in exercitacione mea: & conturba|tus sum a voce inimici & a tribulacione peccatoris. ¶ I am made sary in myn vsynge: and druuyd .i. am fra the voice of enmy. and fra the tribulacioun of synfull. ¶ I am made sary of the wickidnes that ill men dos, thurgh whaim .i. am in vsynge of my vertu, that is pacyens and charite, that .i. shew til thaim that says or dos me ill. Ilk wickid therfor lifes outher that he be amendid, or that a rightwisman thurgh him be vsid in vertu. and druuyd .i. am in the se of this warld, for the wickid wordis and dedis of synfull men. aswha say, thai lett me of my syght vmwhile in thaire anguysynge, bot thai blynd me noght.

3. Quoniam declinauerunt in me iniquitates: & in ira molesti erant michi. ¶ ffor thai heldid in me wickidnessis: and in wreth angry thai ware till me. ¶ That is, thai sayd the wickidnes of me that ware thaire aghen, to gare men trow that other ar als ill as thai. and in thaire wreth. noght for my gilt. thai ware angry til me findand*. [S find. U and.] fallynge til thaim, and therefore,

4. Cor meum conturbatum est in me: & formido mortis cecidit super me. ¶ My heart is druuyd in me: and dred of ded fell on me. ¶ This he says for tha that ere not perfit oft ere stird agayns thaim that dos thaim harme: and dred of ded. that is, hatredyn fell on me, for hatredyn is ded of saule. luf is life tharof. if we hate thaim we dye in saule. if we luf thaim we life.

5. Timor & tremor venerunt super me: & contexerunt me tenebre. ¶ Dred and qwakynge com on me; and myrknes vmhild me. ¶ Dred of saule and qwakynge of body come on me: for wickid men*. [U me.], that ere myrknes, hiles goed men: and tribula|cioun and hatredyn alsswa.

6. Et dixi quis dabit michi pennas sicut columbe: & Page  195 volabo & requiescam. ¶ And .i. sayd, wha sall gif till me fethirs as of doufe: and .i. sall fle and .i. sall rest. ¶ There ere fethirs of vertus that god gifis til thaim*. [U thai.] that sekis to luf hym, with the whilke thai may fle fra the conuersacioun of ill men, and rest in contemplacioun of god: as of doufe. that flees fra angirs, and lesis not luf, and ay is in sorow. swa godis lufere will be departid fra tha whaim he may not amend. bot ay he lufis thaim and hays sorow for thaire syn. or we may say that a goed man couaitis to dye, and be departid fra ill men, and rest with crist.

7. Ecce elongaui fugiens: & mansi in solitudine. ¶ Lo .i. lenghid fleand: and .i. wonyd in anly stede. ¶ Lo .i. lenghid fra ill men fleand thaire life. that .i. ware not like thaim: and .i. wonyd in anly stede of thoght. whare nane is with me bot god, whare is rest in godis luf, & na man lettis. In anly stede aman may fynde his vertu, and take tent til hym self. for anly stede is abile for praiynge, for gretynge, for thynkynge, for studiynge, and for spekynge til his frende, and fore brennand lufynge and wistynge of godis pryuete.

8. Expectabam eum qui saluum me fecit: a pusillani|mitate spiritus & tempestate. ¶ I abade him that made me safe: fra slawness of gaste and storme. ¶ This is thaire dede that wonys in anly stede, to abide the comynge of ihū crist, in ȝernynge of his syght, in assiduel deuocioun and swetnes of luf. that safed me fra slawnes of gast, that is, of noy and angire in his seruys. he delyuered me, makand me redy and brenand to do his wyll: & fra storme, that is, of sterynge, that .i. will nott forsake my purpos for wele ne waa.

9. Precipita domine, diuide linguas eorum: quoniam vidi iniquitatem & contradiccionem in ciuitate. ¶ Down|fell lord, depart the tonges of thaim: for .i. saghe wickidnes and agaynsaiynge in cite. ¶ Downfell lord the engeyne that thai sett agayns thi seruauntes: and thaire tonges, that ere aboute to make the toure of pride and cruelte. depart, that thai brynge not thaire malice til dede: for .i. saghe wickidnes of riche folke, and gayn|saiynge of sothfastnes bathe of less and mare, in the cite, that is, of tha men that wenys thai won in godis cite, that is haly kirke: forthi .i. flow in till anly stede of thaim.

10. Die ac nocte circumdabit eam super muros eius in|iquitas*. [S felow.]: Page  196 et labor in medio eius & iniusticia. ¶ Day & nyght sall vmgif it on the waghis of it wickidnes: and trauaile in myddis of it, and vnrightwisnes. ¶ Assiduelly is on the waghis, that is, in princes and prelates, that sould gouern in*. [U & S om.] rightwisnes and pite, is trauaile in oppression of pore men, and vnrightwisnes of domes: and in myddis of it alswa, that is, in the comunaute*. [S comaunment.] of folke, for thai folow the lordis in all that thai may.

11. Et non defecit de plateis eius: vsura & dolus. ¶ And it faild not fra the wayes of it: okire and treson. ¶ All ere in the wayes of the cite that bi the brade way of couaitis and lichery gas till hell. and in thaim failis not okire, for thai aske mare in all thyngis than thai gif. and treson, for thai desaife other men.

12. Quoniam si inimicus meus maledixisset michi: sus|tinuissem vtique. ¶ ffor if my fa had werid til me: .i. had suffird sothfastly. ¶ Here he spekis of priue enmys, that ere fals brethere, and mare noyes. for if myn enmy apert had werid me, that is, myssaide me or bakbitid me, .i. had suffird, for it ware nane unknawn ill.

13. Et si is qui oderat me super me magna locutus fuisset: abscondissem me forsitan ab eo. ¶ And if he that hatid me*. [S. U om.] had spokyn gret abouen me: .i. had hid me perauntire fra him. ¶ If he that hatid me apertly, that .i. knew, had proudly heghid him self abouen me, & manaunzid me all that he myght, .i. had hid my conuersacioun fra him, that he hade noght knawen it.

14. Tu vero homo vnanimis: dux meus & notus meus. ¶ Thou sothly man of an will: my ledere and my knawen. ¶ That is, sumtyme we ware bath of a will, and thou gafe goed counsaile. and my ledere, that amonestid me til goed, and my knawen. for we ware bath in a kirke. what than were me bettere than fle fra the in till anly stede, for thou ert a priue fa.

15. Qui simul mecum dulces capiebas cibos: in domo dei ambulauimus cum consensu. ¶ Thou to gidere with me toke swete metis: in hows of god we ȝed with assent. ¶ Thou togidere with me and other cristen men, conuersaunt in halykirke, toke swete metis of gastly lare and of sacramentz, and we ware at an assent than. bot for thou ert out of godis hows, noght in body bot in saule, for thou lufis the warld noght god. forthi is strife itwix vs, and thou waitis me with ill.

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16. Veniat mors super illos: & descendant in infernum viuentes. ¶ Ded cum on thaim: and light thai in till heil lifand. ¶ ffor thai ere swilke, oure fals brethere, that makis strifes and sklandirs in godis hows. ded, that is departynge of saule fra god, cum on thaim, for that is the werst ded that may be: and light thai in til hell of erthly couaitys. lifand, that is, witandly synand.

17. Quoniam nequicie in habitaculis eorum: in medio eorum. ¶ ffor*. [S. U om.] felonys is in thaire wonynge stedes: in myddis of thaim. ¶ ffelonys is in thaire wonyng stedes. for first priuely thai do syn, and sithen in myddis of thaim, that is, in apert & in custome.

18. Ego autem ad dominum clamaui: & dominus salua|uit me. ¶ Bot .i. cried til lord: and lord saued me. ¶ Aswha|say, thai sall periss, bot .i., says cristes lufere, cryed til my lord in all anguys and temptacioun, and for thi lord sall safe me fra syn and pyne, that thai fall in. and .i. as noght vnkynd,

19. Vespere & mane & meridie narrabo & annunciabo: & exaudiet vocem meam. ¶ Euen and morne and midday .i. sall tell and .i. sall shew: and he sall here my voice. ¶ At euen .i. sall tell his louynge, what tyme crist was 'taken doune of the cross. And att middey i(che) schal telle his louynge, what tyme crist was done'*. [S. U om.] on the cross. and at morn .i. sall shew his louynge, what tyme he rase fra ded. and swa he sall here my voice. in myd|day, that is, sittand at the righthand of his fadere, whidere he steghe at mydday.

20. Redimet in pace animam meam ab hiis qui appro|pinquant michi: quoniam inter multos erant mecum. ¶ He sall by in pees my saule fra tha that neghis til me: for amange many thai ware with me. ¶ That is, he sall by my saule fra tha that ere faynt cristen men, that neghis in name noght in dede, and fra fendis, that it be sett in endles pese. for amange many ill men thai ware with me. bot not amange a fa chosen men: for the luf of god thai forsoke.

21. Exaudiet deus & humiliabit illos: qui est ante secula. ¶ God sall here and sall meke thaim: he that is bifor warldis. ¶ He sall here me, noght anly that .i. pray. for my hegh|ynge. bot alswa that .i. pray for mekynge of thaim. and he sall meke Page  198 thaim, distroyand thaire pouste. He that is bifore warldis. that is, god, withouten bigynnynge and withouten endynge.

22. Non enim est illis commutacio & non timuerunt deum: extendit manum suam in retribuendo. ¶ ffor chawngynge is not til tha. and thai dred not god: he strekis his hand in ȝeldand. ¶ Thai chawnge not thaire life til god, bot dwelland in frawardnes of thaire witt dyes in thaire syn. and thai drede not god: that makis thaim swa wickid: for thi he strekis his hand, as he that will smyte, that his strake be the sarere, in ȝeldand til thaim pyne endles.

23. Contaminauerunt testamentum eius: diuisi sunt ab ira vultus eius, & appropinquauit cor illius. ¶ Thai filed his testament: departid thai ere fra the ire of his face, and his hert neghid. ¶ Thai filed his testament. that is, the ioy that he hight til his lufers, thai dispise it for this vayn glory, that noght is: and forthi thai ere departid fra the ire of his face. that is, he wrethid sall depart thaim in his dome. fra*. [S fro. U for.] all goed men: and his hert neghid. that is, the will of god that haly men has shewid sall be knawen till all.

24. Molliti sunt sermones eius super oleum: & ipsi sunt iacula. ¶ Neyssid ere his wordis abouen oile: & thai ere dartis. ¶ That is, the wordis of haly writ, that ware myrke and hard in expownynge, ere neyssid abouen oile. for thai thril til the bane of the hert, and swa thai ere dartis, that woundis oure saule til the luf of crist, and slas vs fra the warlde.

25. Iacta super dominum curam tuam, & ipse te enu|triet: & non dabit in eternum fluctuacionem iusto. ¶ Kast on lord thi besynes, and he sall nuriss the: and he sall not gif withouten end quakynge til the rightwis. ¶ That is. sett in god all thi*. [S. U this.] thoght and thi ȝernynge, to luf hym and serfe hym. for he is a sikere pilere to lene the tlll. and he sall nuriss the as a barne*. [S childe.], bryngand the forth til thou be perfite. The bisynes of the warld gnaws vs as a worme, and wastis all oure goed. bot bisynes of god strenghis vs in all vertu. for he sall not gif withouten end quakynge of trowth and luf, na vncertaynte of hope, til a right|wisman: for thof he be in anguys of body his stabilnes in saule lastis, and his hert quakys noght.

26. Tu vero deus deduces eos: in puteum interitus. Page  199 ¶ Thou sothly god sall lede thaim: in till pit of ded. ¶ The wickid men, that filed thi testament, thou sall brynge thaim in til the pit of hell. thare ded and myrknes is that lastis ay.

27. Viri sanguinum & dolosi non dimidiabunt dies suos: ego autem sperabo in te domine. ¶ Men of blodis and swikel sall noght myddis thaire dayes: bot .i. sall hope in the lord. ¶ Men of blode ere tha that slas thaire aghen saule. or othere mennys bodis. swykile men ere ypocrites, that couaitys to seme goed withouten. and ere ill withinen. there sall not hafe halfe thaire dayes that thai wild hafe, bot thai sall hafe all that god has sett thaim forto hafe. that is. thai sall not swa lange life in thaire lust as thai wene. bot withinen the tyme that thai hope thai sall periss. gastly, thai myddis noght thaire dayes, for thai spend thaim all in the deuell seruys. tha that spendis sum of thaire life in syn. and the tothere part in penaunce. thai cum til the myddis of thaire dayes. but wa is thaim that synnes & dos na penaunce, for thai myddis not thaire dayes. bot .i. sall hope in the, lord, that thai do noght. forthi .i. sall cum til the day of heuen.