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 IV.]

CUM inuocarem exaudiuit me deus iusticie mee: in tribulacione dilatasti michi. ¶ When .i. incald me herd god of my rightwisnes; in tribulacioun thou made brad til me. ¶ The voice of a rightwisman. when .i. incald [U cald. S in callede.] , that is, inwardly cald ihū crist in til my saule. to gif me mare grace. god, gifere and wirkere of my rightwisnes, herd me. that is, he gaf me my ȝernynge, that was in profit of my saule. & in waxynge in his luf. noght in erthly thynge. this he spekis til men. telland that god hard him, & how: sithen, hafand god in hert, of whaim he spake, for luf hamly he spekis til him: in tribulacioun thou made brade til me my hert: that is at say. fra anguys and sarynes thou has broght me in til brede of gastly ioy. the whilk is of pure consciens, and of hope of endles lif. this brede of hert charite makis, and puttis away straitnes. this brede has haly men and wymmen thof thai be tourmentyd in body. and wha sa [U say. S who so ȝernes it not.] tharnys it thaire guttis ere full strayt, and all thaire ioy is wrecchidnes.

2. Miserere mei: & exaudi oracionem meam. ¶ Haf mercy of me; and here my prayere. ¶ Thou has mercy of me in right|wisnes and brede, and ȝit haf mercy of me, agayns the wricchidnes of this lif, that nathynge let me to be perfite in that at is bygunen in me. And here my prayere. that my desire be fulfild in goed.

3. Filij hominum vsquequo graui corde: vt quid diligitis vanitatem & queritis mendacium. ¶ Sonnes of men how lange of heuy hert; wharetil luf ȝe vanyte & sekis leghe. ¶ God has mercy of me. and swa will he haf of other if thai will. and forthi ȝe sonnes of men, adam & eue, whaim ȝe folow and beris thaire ymage, how lange will ȝe be heuy of hert, that is, when will ȝe leue the byrthin of synnes, and the weght of wickednes, that makis ȝoure herts heuyere than lede. whartil luf ȝe, as wha say, in vayn, til ȝoure aghen dampnacioun. ȝe hals & kys and sekis with traiuaile, vanyte. and leghe: that is at say, erthly thyngs, the whilke ere vayn. for thai passe as the shadow. & thai ere leghes. for thai doe noght that thai hight til thaire lufers, bot thai dissaif

all that traistis in thaim. whi will ȝe than be blisful in vayn thynges; anly sothfastnes makis men blisful. whi than haldis ȝou luf of erthly goed. wondirful erroure blyndis ȝou.

4. Et scitote quoniam mirificauit dominus sanctum su|um: dominus exaudiet me cum clamauero ad eum. ¶ And wites for lord selkouthid has his haligh; lord sall here me when .i. haf cried til him. ¶ Ȝe seke vanytes: and wites that it is [U is (erased) it. S it is.] vayne that ȝe luf. for oure lord ihū crist selkouthid has his halogh, that is, ilk perfite man he [S. U om.] shewis wondirful in dede. and he sall gif him pouste of dome. that ȝe turne ȝow fra the luf of the warld and folow his conuersacioun: swa that ȝow thare noght say we see nan that does wele. whaim we may take ensawmpile by. for in ilk a contre is some that lifis rightwislyke. and lord sall here me, of endles rest. & alswa he will here ȝow if ȝe cry til him in soth|fastnes. noght in fayntys, as thai doe that prayes and dwellis in thaire synne.

5. Irascimini & nolite peccare: que dicitis in cordibus vestris, et in cubilibus vestris conpungimini. ¶ Wrethis and will noght synne; that ȝe say in ȝoure hertis, and in [S. U om.] ȝoure dennes ere stongen. ¶ That ȝe serue [S deserue.] to be herd, wrethis at ȝoure self, doand penaunce, & pynand ȝow for ȝoure synnes. and willes noght synne eft, bot forsake synn perfitely: that ȝe say in ȝoure lippis says in ȝoure hertes, swa that ȝe be noght ypocrites, the whilk loues god with thaire lippis, bot thaire hert is fere fra hym: and in ȝoure dennes ere stongen. sorowand ȝoure synnes. Oure dennes are oure conscience: if thai be soft and warme in godis luf we haf goed rest. if thai be sharpe & calde & bytand vs in synne, nourewhare may we fynd goed rest: bot if thai pryk vs in forthynkynge of oure synne; we haf bygynnynge of rest. when all the prykynge is gane, than we come till ful rest.

6. Sacrificate sacrificium iusticie & sperate in domino: multi dicunt quis ostendit nobis bona. ¶ Offirs the offrand of rightwisnes; and hopes in lord; many sais wha shewis vs goeds. ¶ The offrand of rightwisnes is a sorowful gast, punyschand the [S it.] self for synne. for what thynge is rightwisere than that ilkan mare wreth with thaire aghen synnes than with other mennys: & swa thurgh sorow and shrift & satisfaccioun & rightwis werkis offire

thaim self brennand with the fire of the haly gast: and thus doand hopes in god, forto haf ioy in heuen, noght in this world, for ȝoure med: bot for that vnneths any is that lufis verraly gastly goeds. the whilk anly sould be lufid. he says, many says wha shews vs goeds. of heuen. this is the voice of tha that lufis noght bot bodily thynge, and sais. wha wate if it be soth that thai say. or wha is comen fra hell or fra heuen to tell swilk thynge: bot fra wardly ask thai, & wrechidly erre thai: thurght skil in thaire saule thai myght knaw that god is rewardere of goed and ill. and this is that he says,

7. Signatum est super nos lumen vultus tui domine deus: dedisti leticiam in corde meo. ¶ Takynd is on vs the lyght of thi face lord; thou has gifen faynes in my hert. ¶ The light of godis face is the light of his grace that refourmes in vs his ymage, thurgh the whilk ymage we ere like till him in gast. and the prynt we bere of that light, as the wax does of the sele. how myght than man be in mare wrechidnes than swa to foule this ymage that it kan noght knaw til whas lyknynge it is made. and thurgh that light thou has gifen faynes, that is gastly ioy. noght withouten in vanytes bot withinen in my hert. whare thou god wones withinen, ere verray goeds and certayn, that ill men sees noght: and forthi thai luf that thai see. of the whilk he says,

8. A fructu frumenti vini & olei sui: multiplicati sunt. ¶ Of the froit of whet of wyne & of thaire oile: thai ere multiplide. ¶ Whet wyne and oile, for thai ere mast nedful til mannys oise, he settis for all riches. of the whilk many that sekis noght verray goed ere multiplide. that is. thai ere draghen in many fald wricchidnes, and fantoms withouten end, of couaitise & vayn thoghtis, swa that a souereyn goed thai may noght se: in the whilk goed the haly man ioys sayand,

9. In pace in id ipsum: dormiam & requiescam. ¶ In pees in it self; .i. sall slepe and .i. sall rest. ¶ That is at say, in pees of thoght that is in it self. that is. it is tendant in til lastandnes and vnchaungeabile ioy, .i. sall slepe. that is with all softnes, pryue fra all the noys of the warld .i. sall dye, and sythen .i. sall rest in the bed of endles blis and in the setil of heuen. and this verraly sall be.

10. Quoniam tu domine: singulariter in spe constituisti me. ¶ ffor thou lord; syngulerly in hope has sett me. ¶ That is at say, in a hope, thurgh the whilke. i. hope a thynge, that is verraily goed.

thou has festid my hert: noght in many fald thyngs of the warld: thai perisch that sekis many thyngs. and syngularite is halden in halymen. for thai sett all thaire hert to luf anly a god.