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 LVI.]

MISERERE mei deus miserere mei: quoniam in te confi|dit anima mea. ¶ Hafe mercy of me god, haf mercy of me: for in the traystis my saule. ¶ Hafe mercy of me god, that .i. rise out of all synnes. haf mercy of me, that .i. be wele suffrand in anguys. for in the, not in it selfe, trayst my saule, ȝernand thi luf.

2. Et in vmbra alarum tuarum sperabo: donec transeat iniquitas. ¶ And in shadow of thi wengis .i. sall hope: til wickidnes pass. ¶ That is, in hilynge and kolynge of thi goednes and thi pite. fra the het of vices, .i. sall hope to be safe, til wickidnes pass. that is enterly at the endynge fulfild, for ay til than wickidnes angirand will not want.

3. Clamabo ad deum altissimum: deum qui benefecit michi. ¶ I sall cry til god heghest: til god that wele did til me. ¶ I sall not be ydell, bot .i. sall cry with all the myght of my hert. til god heghest. forthi me bihoues nede cry. bot .i. hafe proued his goednes, for he did wele til me, that he herd me criand.

4. Misit de celo & liberauit me: dedit in obprobrium conculcantes me. ¶ He sent fra heuen & he delyuerd me: and he gaf in reproue tredand me. ¶ He sent his sun fra heuen, & thurgh him he delyuerd me of the deuels prison. and he gafe in reproue of endles pyne tredand me, that is, the deuel and his lymmes, that pynes rightwismen.

5. Misit deus miserecordiam suam & veritatem suam: & eripuit animam meam de medio catulorum leonum, dormiui conturbatus. ¶ God sent his mercy and his soth|fastnes: and he toke out my saule fra the myddis of whelpis of leouns, .i. slepe druuyd. ¶ God sent his mercy til my saule, forgifand my syn, and his sothfastnes, punysand me mercyfully. and swa he toke out my saule, that was bunden in bandis of syn, fra the myddis of whelpis of lyouns, that is, fra the comun life of warldis lufers, that ere the whelpis of deuels: amange thaim .i. slepe, that is, .i. ristid me in vices and filth of syn. bot .i. was druuyd of thaim, that is, tourmentid, that gart me the sonere depart fra thaim, and haste me til god.

6. Filij hominum dentes eorum arma & sagitte: & lingua eorum gladius acutus. ¶ Sunnes of men, thaire tethe armes and aruys: and the tonge of thaim sharp swerd. ¶ Sunnes of men, that is, eldid in malice. the teithe of thaim. that is, thare gnawyngis in bakbityngis, es armes that thai defend thaim with fra god, and aruys, with the whilke thai wound othere. and thaire tonge, that is, thaire venomouse speche, is sharp swerd slaand saules.

7. Exaltare super celos deus: & super omnem terram gloria tua. ¶ Be heghid god abouen heuens: and abouen all the erth thi ioy. ¶ That is, crist, shew the abouen all aungels myghty, and abouen all the erth spred be the ioy of thi louynge.

8. Laqueum parauerunt pedibus meis: & incuruauerunt animam meam. ¶ Snare thai graithid til my fete: and thai crokid my saule. ¶ That is, til affecciouns of my saule. thai sett the snare of dampnacioun vndire bodily delite. and thai crokid my saule. that is, thai thoght to draghe it fra the luf of god in til the erth.

9. Foderunt ante faciem meam foueam: & inciderunt in eam. ¶ Thai grofe a pit bifore my face: and thai fell thare in. ¶ That is, thai graithid studiosly that .i. knew fleysly lust to take me with. that is a depe pit til all that folowis it. and thai fell thare in. that is, thai noyed til thaim selfe not til me. for .i. vndirstode that all the ioy of this warld is bot as the floure of the feld.

10. Paratum cor meum deus, paratum cor meum: can|tabo & psalmum dicam. ¶ Redy my hert, god, redy my hert: .i. sall synge and psalme .i. sall say. ¶ Thai graith pittis & snares, bot my hert is redy god to do thi biddynge: thus my hert is redy to suffire anguys for thi luf. .i. sall synge til the louynge in gastly ioy. and psalme .i. sall say, shewand goed werke til thin honur. forthi.

11. Exurge gloria mea, exurge psalterium & cythara: exurgam diluculo. ¶ Rise my ioy, ryse psautery. and the harpe: .i. sall rise in the daghynge. ¶ That is, ihū, that is my ioy, make me to rise in ioy of the sange of thi louynge, in myrth of thi lufynge. and that it swa be, rise psautery, that is, gladnes of thoght in life of contemplacioun. and the harpe, that is, purg|ynge of all vices, with tholemodnes in anguys. and swa .i. sall rise in the daghynge. that is, in the generall resurreccioun with ioy.

Ihū be thou my ioy, all melody and swetnes, and lere me forto synge the sange of thi louynge.

12. Confitebor tibi in populis domine: & psalmum dicam tibi in gentibus. ¶ I sall shrife til the in folke lord: and psalme .i. sall say til the in genge. ¶ That is, .i. sall loue the in conuersyon of folke, and ȝeld til the werke of heuen. amange the genge, whils .i. synge in selkouth soun. the lust & likynge of thi louynge.

13. Quoniam magnificata est vsque ad celos miserecordia tua: & vsque ad nubes veritas tua. ¶ ffor wirschipid is til heuens thi mercy: and til the cloudis thi sothfastnes. ¶ When men that ware wrechis, thorgh mercy of god sall in the resurrec|cioun be made euen til aungels. the mercy of god is worschipid til heuens: and for the knawynge of goddis sothfastnes, that is perfite in aungels, lightis til men, his sothfastnes cumes til the cloudis.

14. Exaltare super celos deus: & super omnem terram gloria tua. ¶ Be heghid abown heuens god; and abouen all the erth thi ioy. ¶ He rehercis that he sayd bifore, confermand oure trouth.