Purity, a Middle English poem, ed. with introduction, notes, and glossary by Robert J. Menner.

                                
                                  'For al hit frayes my flesche, þe fyngres so grymme.'
                                
                                  Scoleres skelten þeratte þe skyl for to fynde,
                                
                                  Bot þer watz never on so wyse couþe on worde rede,
                                
                                  Ne what ledisch lore ne langage nauþer,
                                  Line 1556 
                                
                                  What tyþyng ne tale tokened þo draȝtes.
                                
                                  Þenne þe bolde Baltazar bred ner wode,
                                
                                  And [b]ede þe cete to seche segges þurȝout [MS. ede; M. [b]ede.] 
                                
                                  Þat wer wyse of wychecrafte, and warlaȝes oþer
                                  Line 1560 
                                
                                  Þat con dele wyth demerlayk and devine lettres.
                                
                                  'Calle hem alle to my cort, þo Calde clerkkes,
                                
                                  Unfolde hem alle þis ferly þat is bifallen here,
                                
                                  And calle wyth a hiȝe cry: "He þat þe kyng wysses,
                                  Line 1564 
                                
                                  In expounyng of speche þat spredes in þise lettres,
                                
                                  And make þe mater to malt my mynde wythinne, [MS., M. make; B. would read makes.] 
                                
                                  Þat I may wyterly wyt what þat wryt menes,
                                
                                  He schal be gered ful gaye in gounes of porpre,
                                  Line 1568 
                                
                                  And a coler of cler golde clos umbe his þrote;
                                
                                  He schal be prymate and prynce of pure clergye,
                                
                                  And of my þrevenest lordez þe þrydde he schal,
                                
                                  And of my reme þe rychest to ryde wyth myselven,
                                  Line 1572 
                                
                                  Outtaken bare two, and þenne he þe þrydde." '
                                
                                  Þis cry watz upcaste, and þer comen mony
                                
                                  Clerkes out of Caldye þat kennest wer knauen,
                                
                                  As þe sage sathrapas þat sorsory couþe,
                                  Line 1576 
                                
                                  Wychez and walkyries wonnen to þat sale,
                                
                                  Devinores of demorlaykes þat dremes cowþe rede,
                                
                                  Sorsers, and exorsismus, and fele such clerkes;
                                
                                  And alle þat loked on þat letter as lewed þay were,
                                  Line 1580 
                                
                                  As þay had loked in þe leþer of my lyft bote.
                                
                                  Þenne cryes þe kyng, and kerves his wedes.
                                
                                  What! he corsed his clerkes and calde hem chorles, [MS., M. chorles; Fi. corles.] 
                                
                                  To henge þe harlotes he heȝed ful ofte; [folio 83a] 
                                
                                  So watz þe wyȝe wytles, he wed wel ner.

                                  Line 1585

About this Item

Title: Purity, a Middle English poem, ed. with introduction, notes, and glossary by Robert J. Menner.
Canvas: Page 58
Publication: New Haven,: Yale university press; [etc., etc.]; 1920.

Technical Details

Collection: Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse
Link to this Item: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/acs0188.0001.001
Link to this scan: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/acs0188.0001.001/122

Rights and Permissions

The University of Michigan Library provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes. These materials are in the public domain. If you have questions about the collection, please contact [email protected]. If you have concerns about the inclusion of an item in this collection, please contact [email protected].

DPLA Rights Statement: No Copyright - United States

IIIF

Manifest: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/api/manifest/cme:acs0188.0001.001

Cite this Item

Full citation: "Purity, a Middle English poem, ed. with introduction, notes, and glossary by Robert J. Menner." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/acs0188.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 7, 2025.

Purity, a Middle English poem, ed. with introduction, notes, and glossary by Robert J. Menner.

Annotations Tools

Actions

About this Item

Technical Details

Rights and Permissions

Related Links

IIIF

Cite this Item