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 VII.]

DOMINE deus meus in te speraui: saluum me fac ex om|nibus persequentibus me & libera me. ¶ Lord my god i. hopid in the; make me safe of all folouand me and delyuere me. ¶ A rightwisman prayes that god delyuere him of the deuel and his lymmes, and sais: Lord of all thurgh myght, god of all, for all thynge has thou made: myn with will: i hoped in the, noght in me. forthi saf me fra all gastly wickydnes. and vices and synnes. and delyuer me.

2. Ne quando rapiat ut leo animam meam: dum non est qui redimat neque qui saluum faciat. ¶ Leswhen he reue as lyon my saule; to whils nane is that byes ne makis saf. ¶ This lyon is the deuel that sekis how he myght wynn mennys saule [S soules.] . His armes with the whilk he fightis agayns vs ere synnes. If crist by noght, ne makis safe oure saule [S soules.] , gifand lif with outen end. this lyon reues thaim till hell.

3. Domine deus meus si feci istud: si est iniquitas in manibus meis. ¶ Lord my god if i did this thynge; if wickidnes is in my hend. ¶ Here spekis a perfit man, that byhoues be war with the quaynt desaitis of anly the deuel. that when a man is ful of vertus, than is he ay aboute to put him in til pride. forthi a perfit man sais, lord if i did this thynge. that is pride, the whilk is rote of all illes. and if wickidnes is in my hend. noyand any man: as wha say, nother i haf pride in my self, ne .i. doe harme til my neghbure.

4. Si reddidi retribuentibus michi mala: decidam merito ab inimicis meis inanis. ¶ If .i. ȝeldid til ȝeldand til me illes; down fall .i., thurgh my desert, of myn enmys, ydel. ¶ If i ȝeldid ill til ȝeldand til me ill for goed. that is signe of gret suffrynge when he ȝeldis goed til thaim that ȝeldis ill for goed. as wha say, if i

did ill for ill. doun fall i. for my dede, ouercomen of myn enmys. idel made in vayn glory. thus he says as he myght noght haf ben ouer|comen. for he that ȝeldis noght ill he ouercomes his ire: that is perfitnes.

5. Persequatur inimicus animam meam & comprehendat, & conculcet in terra vitam meam: & gloriam meam in puluerem deducat. ¶ The enmy folow my saule and take it [S. U om.] , & tred in erth my lyf: and my ioy brynge in til dust. ¶ That is at say: if .i. ȝeldid ill, noght anly be i made ydel, bot alswa the deuel, that is enmy til all man kynd, folow my saule, eggand til synne: and take it. that is. desaif it thurgh delite and assent. and tred my lyf in erth. that is tredand my lyf make it erthly and his mete. for synful mannys lif is the deuels mete, & my ioy, that sould be in my con|sciens, stabile in godis syght; brynge he in til dust. that is till vayn glorye and louynge of men. he will that his ioy be withinen thare god sees, for it is bot dust if he ioy in any thynge withouten.

6. Exurge domine in ira tua: & exaltare in finibus in|imicorum meorum. ¶ Rise lord in thi ire; and be heghid in endis of myn enmys. ¶ Als wha [U Alswa. S Alswho.] say. if .i. did that ill. ill byfall me. anly perfit men may say this: but for i. did it noght. rise lord in thi ire, that is in vengaunce of the deuel. and be heghid in endis. that is in the possession of myn enmys. that is the deuel and his aungels. the possession of the deuel is synful men. for that prayes the perfit man, that the deuel lose thaim. and thai be made the possession of god. that is when a wickid man becomes a rightwisman, and is godis tempill.

7. Et exurge domine deus meus in precepto quod man|dasti: & synagoga populorum circumdabit te. And rise lord my god in the biddynge that thou comaundid: and synagoge of folk sall vmgif the. ¶ Ryse [S. U Ase.] lord, that is appere in flech: in the biddynge of meknes that thou comaundid: for thou biddis meknes: first [S. U first meknes.] doe it, and be sen meke, that other may lere for to ouercome pride, swa that the deuel weld thaim noght: and the synagoge. that is the gadrynge of folk sall vmgif the: some lufand some dispisand the.

8. Et propter hanc in altum regredere: dominus iudicat populos. ¶ And for that in heght agayn ga; 'lord demes folk. ¶ And for that synagoge lufand the, in heght agayn ga [U om. 'lord demes—agayn ga.'] ': that is,

make thaim that lufis the wit thi myght: that thof thou semed mek in erth. thou ert god and demere of all: for thou lord demes folk: the whilk dome the perfit man noght dredand dare praye.

9. Iudica me domine secundum iusticiam meam: & secundum innocenciam meam super me. ¶ Deme me lord eftere my rightwisnes; and eftere myn vnnoyandnes abouen me. ¶ His rightwisnes is in good dedis. his vnnoyandnes is that he is withouten ill. A man that has kepid the comaundmentis of god. wele dare ask to be demed eftire his rightwisnes: the whilk right|wisnes and vnnoyandnes ere abouen me. for thai ere of god noght of me.

10. Consumetur nequicia peccatorum: & diriges iustum, scrutans corda & renes deus. ¶ Endid be the felony of synful; and thou sall right the rightwis, ransakand hertes & neris god. ¶ Endid be, that is be fulfild the felony of synful. that he that is in filth be mare filed, swa that at last comes rightwis dome. he desires noght that it be. bot he says as it sall be: and thou sall right the rightwis that he be mare rightwis: and for it is noght knawn of man whare is verrai rightwisnes, for ypocrysy. he sais that it anly falles til god. to ransake hertis and neris, that is thoghtis and delites. for he anly wate what ilk man thynkis & what thynge his delite is in. Oure werkis may men see; bot whi we doe thaim and whidere we thynk in doand thaim. anly god sees: and when he sees oure hert in heuen & noght be delityd in flechly luf bot in his luf. than he makis vs mare right and helpis vs.

11. Iustum adiutorium meum a domino: qui saluos facit rectos corde. ¶ My rightwis help of lord: that makis saf right of hert. ¶ This help kepis hele: for it is rightwis that he be helpid of god and saued, that swa helpis his brothere.

12. Deus iudex iustus fortis & patiens: nunquid irascitur per singulos dies. ¶ God rightwis iuge. stalworth and soffrand; whether he wreth him day by day. ¶ God is rightwis iuge, for he demes ilk man eftire his dedis. stalworth in punyschand, & soffrand. abydand synful men if thai will come til penaunce. and that is that he wrethis him noght ilk day. but swa mykill the harder [S. U haldere.] will he punysch if thai mend thaim noght: and neuer the lattere he somondis thaim till penaunce & sais.

13. Nisi conuersi fueritis gladium suum vibrabit: arcum

suum tetendit & parauit illum. ¶ Bot if ȝe ware turned he sall braundis his swerd: his bow he has bent and redid it. ¶ Wickid men torne ȝow til god, or elles he will braundis his swerd: that is. he will doe in ȝow apert vengaunce. for he has bent his bow. that is he manaunce [S manasces.] ȝow with haly writt. and redid it. thurgh haly men expownynge. whaim ȝe dispise. and haly lare alswa.

14. Et in eo parauit vasa mortis: sagittas suas ardentibus effecit. ¶ And thare in he has redid vessels of ded; his aruys till brennand he made. ¶ In haly writt he has redid uessels of ded. that is goed wordis, the whilk slas men fra synne, and makis thaim lifand til god. and his arues. that is sharpe sentence thirland mennys hertis, he made til thaim that ere brennand in his luf. swa that thai may say we ere woundid with charite, & na thynge may lett thaim of thaire luf. bot for many heris godis word that lufis noght.

15. Ecce parturit iniusticiam, concepit dolorem: & pe|perit iniquitatem. ¶ Lo he bryngis forth vnrightwisnes, he hais consayued sorow: and born wickidnes. ¶ He has consayued of the deuel sorow. that is appetit of erthly goedis. that is cald sorow. for ill men has sorow when thai lose thaim. thai ere sede of the whilk he bryngis forth vnrightwisnes for to dissaife his neghbure.

16. Lacum aperuit & effodit eum: & incidit in foueam quam fecit. ¶ The lake he oppynd and vp grofe it: and he fell in the pit that he made. ¶ Oppynynge of the lake is when he has consayued sorow of couaitis and thynkis to begile [U be gile. S begyle.] his neghbure: he vpgraues it when he waitis all that he may to doe it in dede. bot he falles in the pit that he made: for ilk a gyloure is first hurte in his saule than he may noy any man in his katell.

17. Conuertetur dolor eius in caput eius: & in verticem ipsius iniquitas eius descendet. ¶ The sorow of him sall be turnyd in his heued: and in the skalp of him his wickidnes sall lyght. ¶ That is at say, the sorow that he consayued sall be turnyd in his thoght. and his wickidnes in his skalp: for he willyd noght flee synn. bot likyd to be seruaunte of syn. swa that his synn weghe him down. that he neuer rise til the rist of heuen.

18. Confitebor domino secundum iusticiam eius: & psal|lam nomini domini altissimi. ¶ I sall shrif til lord eftire his rightwisnes; and i. sall synge til the name of lord aldireheghest. ¶ ffals men descendis with thaire synne till hell. bot i., says the

rightwisman, sall shrif till lord. that is i. sall loue my lord eftire his rightwisnes, that is for his rightwisnes. for this shrift is noght of synne, bot of rightwisnes of god, that safes righwismen. and punych [S punys.] ill men for thaire malice. and i. sall synge til the name of my lord. that is i. sall synge his name, that is. ihū. in my hert, and shew that in dede. Syngynge falles till ioy. and he that synges wele that name his ioy is mare than i. kan tell.