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

                                    
                                      Thenne þe sergauntez, at þat sawe, swengen þeroute, [folio 62b] 
                                    
                                      And diden þe dede þat [is] demed, as he devised hade, [MS. þat demed; M. þat [is]; Fi. þat [he].] 
                                    
                                      And wyth peple of alle plytez þe palays þay fyllen—
                                    
                                      Hit weren not alle on wyvez sunez, wonen wyth on fader.
                                      Line 112 
                                    
                                      Wheþer þay wern worþy oþer wers, wel wern þay stowed,
                                    
                                      Ay þe best byfore and bryȝtest atyred,
                                    
                                      Þe derrest at þe hyȝe dese þat dubbed wer fayrest;
                                    
                                      And syþen on lenþe bilooghe ledez inogh, [bilooghe, see Introd., p. x, n. 2.] 
                                      Line 116 
                                    
                                      And ay a segge soerly semed by her wedez. [MS., M. soerly; M. note soberly(?); E. serly.] 
                                    
                                      So with marschal at her mete mensked þay were;
                                    
                                      Clene men in compaynye forknowen wern lyte, [compaynye, scribe corrected second y from i.] 
                                    
                                      And ȝet þe symplest in þat sale watz served to þe fulle,
                                      Line 120 
                                    
                                      Boþe with menske and wyth mete and mynstrasy noble,
                                    
                                      And alle þe laykez þat a lorde aȝt in londe schewe.
                                    
                                      And þay bigonne to be glad þat god drink haden,
                                    
                                      And uch mon wyth his mach made hym at ese.
                                      Line 124

II. THE PUNISHMENT OF THE MAN IN FOUL CLOTHES

                                    
                                      Now inmyddez þe mete þe mayster hym biþoȝt,
                                    
                                      Þat he wolde se þe semble þat samned was þere,
                                    
                                      And rehayte rekenly þe riche and þe poveren, [MS. povener, i. e. scribe put curl for -er over wrong letter; cf. Gaw. 124, sylvener for sylveren.] 
                                    
                                      And cherisch hem alle wyth his cher, and chaufen her joye.
                                      Line 128 
                                    
                                      Þen he bowez fro his bour into þe brode halle,
                                    
                                      And to þe best on þe bench, and bede hym be myry,
                                    
                                      Solased hem wyth semblaunt and syled fyrre,

About this Item

Title: Purity, a Middle English poem, ed. with introduction, notes, and glossary by Robert J. Menner.
Canvas: Page 7
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/acs0188.0001.001/71

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.