B. De sanctis Berlam & Josaphat
aus Ms. Harl. 4196, fol. 199 b. (im nördlichen Dialekt)
aus Ms. Harl. 4196, fol. 199 b. (im nördlichen Dialekt)
Im Ms. beginnen die Verse gewöhnlich mit kleinen Anfangsbuchstaben.
A grete clerk, Damacene, gert writ
How saint barlam, þe gude hermit,
Techid Josaphat, a kynges sun,
þe law of crist how he solde kun.
& in his buke þus makes he mynde.
Line 5
It bi fell when þe land of ynde
With cristen folk was all fulfild,
To serue god, als him seluyn willd:
A kyng þar was þat did þam noy, [noy für anoy auch V.238.671.]
And cristen folk fain walde he stroy,
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þat to crist had deuociowne,
And namely monkes of religiowne.
He had a lady, meke and mylde,
Bot long þai lifed with outen childe;
þai murned for þai myght none gete.
Line 15
And at þe last his wife wex grete,
And was deliuerd of a sun.
A fairer childe myght none be fun.
þe kyng was fain, so was þe quene,
For þai had ane ayre þam bi twene.
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þai named him Josaphat in hy
Efter þaire law of mawmetri.
þan gert þe kyng sone efter send
All þe clerkes in þat cuntre kend,
Bi fore his mawmettes to make mirth
Line 25
In honore of þat childes birth.
þan cald he maysters of clergy,
Of art and of Astronomy;
He chesed of all fyfty & fyue,
And bad þai solde luke by þaire liue,
Line 30
And say þe suthe & in nothing hide,
What of his ȝung sun sold by tyde. [In sun ist u aus o corrigirt.]
þai went & soght omang þaire spels.
And sum of þam to þe kyng tels:
His son sulde be of grete powere
Line 35
And lyf in lykyng mony a zere;
Sum said he solde haue grete riches
And be honorde of more and les.
So was þare one þat mekill cowth,
He said: syr, þis childe in his zowth
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Sall cast him for to wit al wise
þe law þat þou þi self despise,
He sall noght dwell in þi kyngdom,
Bot to ane gretter sall he cum,
And he sall ger þat law encrese
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þat þou has soght ay to ger sese.
Of him self said he noght þus wele,
Bot of þe haly gast sumdele,
For, all yf he ware vnworthy,
God lete him his counsail descry.
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þan þe kyng had mekill care,
And thoght how it sulde forþer fare.
He ordand be his high counsaill
How he myght ger þat purpose fail,
By tyme þat þe childe come of eld
Line 55
So þat he myght him seluin weld.
Was ordand in þat same cete
A palais, where his sun suld be
