And mony a lemman, never þe later, þat ladis wer called.
Line 1352
In þe clernes of his concubines and curious wedez,
In notyng of nwe metes and of nice gettes,
Al watz þe mynde of þat man on misschapen þinges,
Til þe Lorde of þe lyfte liste hit abate.
Line 1356
XIII. BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST
Thenne þis bolde Baltazar biþenkkes hym ones
To vouche on avayment of his vayneg[l]orie: [MS. vayne gorie; M. vayne g[l]orie.]
Hit is not innoghe to þe nice al noȝty þink use, [MS., M. þink; M. note þing(?).]
Bot if alle þe worlde wyt his wykked dedes.
Line 1360
Baltazar þurȝ Babiloyn his banne gart crye,
And þurȝ þe cuntre of Caldee his callyng con spryng,
Þat alle þe grete upon grounde schulde geder hem samen,
And assemble at a set day at þe saudans fest.
Line 1364
Such a mangerie to make þe man watz avised,
Þat uche a kythyn kyng schuld com þider;
Uche duk wyth his duthe and oþer dere lordes
Schulde com to his cort to kyþe hym for lege, [folio 80a]
And to reche hym reverens, and his revel herkken,
Line 1369
To loke on his lemanes and ladis hem calle.
To rose hym in his rialty rych men soȝtten,
And mony a baroun ful bolde, to Babyloyn þe noble.
Line 1372
Þer bowed toward Babiloyn burnes so mony,
Kynges, cayseres ful kene, to þe cort wonnen,
Mony ludisch lordes þat ladies broȝten,
Þat to neven þe noumbre to much nye were.
Line 1376
For þe borȝ watz so brod and so bigge alce,
Stalled in þe fayrest stud þe sterrez anunder,
Prudly on a plat playn, plek alþerfayrest,
Umbesweyed on uch a syde wyth seven grete wateres,
Line 1380
