Of Arbres & herbes so auenantly dight That day,
Wiþ-in þe cercle of the sees,
Of Arborye and Aloes,
Of alle manere of trees,
Sothely to say.
He had a wyf hight Susanne, sotil & sage,
She was Elchies doghtir, eldest & ayr, [ 15]
Lovely & lilye-white, of þat lynage,
Of alle faceon & food frely & fair.
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þe maundement of Moyses þei markid to þat mair,
To þe mount Synay þat went in message, [ 20]
þer the trinite bytoke of tables a payr
To rede.
þus þei lernyd her þe lawe,
Clere clergy to knawe;
To god stood her grete awe, [ 25]
That wlonkest in wede.
He had an orchard newe to his hous nere,
þere Jewes wiþ Joachym priuyly gan play,
ffor he was rial & riche of rentes euery-where,
honest & auenant & honourest ay. [ 30]
I-wis, þer hauntyd to his hows, hendis, ȝe may here, [ 185]
Too domysmen of þe lawe, þat dred were þat day,
Prestes as presidentes preysid as piere,
Of whom our souereyn lord sawes gan sey
And tolde [ 35]
how her wykkidnes comys
Of þe wrongful domys
þat þei have ȝeve to gomys,
þe gomys so olde.
Thus þes derf domysmen on dayes þidir drew [ 40]
ffor Jentry and ioy of þat Jewesse,
To go in þo gardyns þat gayliche grewe,
Of þe floure & þe froyt to fong so fresshe.
And whan þei sawe Susanne, semely of hewe,
þei were set so on her, myght þei not sese. [ 45]
þei wold enchaunte þat chil, how shold she eschewe?
And þo þes cherles vnchast in chaumbre her chese
Wiþ chere.
With two maydenes allone
Semely Susone [ 50]
On dayes menyone
Of mirthes wold here.
Whan þes perlous prestes percceyvid her play,
þo þoght þat wrecches to bygile þat worþi in wone.
her wittys were wayward, þei writhyn a-way [ 55]
Ant turnyd from his techyng þat told is in trone;
ffor sight of her soueraigne, soþly to say,
her here hedis fro hevyn þei hidyn a-none.
þei caught for her covetyse Cristis curs for ay,
ffor rightwis Juggement recordid þei none, [ 185b] [ 60]
They two.
Every day by day
In þe pomery þei play,
Whil þei myght Susan a-say,
To worchyn her woo. [ 65]
In þe sesone of somyr wiþ Essabelle & Jone
She greiyid her to gardyn, noght to be sene.
þer lyndes and lorers were bred vp-on lone,
þe saveyne & cipresse, þe sicamours to sene,
The palme and þe popeler, þe perer & þe plowine, [ 70]
The Jwnipre gentille ioynyng hem bytwene,
The rose raggyd on rys, ricchest in semne (!),
Thewyd wiþ thevethorne thryvyng to sene.
————
þer were popyniayes prest, [ 75]
Nightyngales vp-on nest,
Blithe briddis of þe best,
On blosmes to sytte.