[6-text p 262]
And lik/ an Egles fetheres / wax his heres
Hise nayles / lyk a briddes clawes weere
Til god relessed hym / a certeyn yeres
And yaf hym wit / and thanne with many a teere
Line 3368
He thanked god / and euere his lyf in feere
Was he / to doon amys / or moore trespace
And til that tyme / he leyd was on his beere
He knew / that god was / ful of myght and grace
Line 3372
[Belshazzar.]
His sone / which that highte Balthasar [¶ Balthasar]
That heeld the regne / after his fader day
He by his fader / koude noght be war
ffor proud he was / of herte and of array
Line 3376
And eek / an ydolastre / he was ay
His hye estaat assured hym in pryde
But ffortune / caste hym doun / and ther he lay
And sodeynly / his regne gan diuide
Line 3380
A feeste he made / vn-to hise lordes alle
Vp-on a tyme / and bad hem blithe bee
And thanne / hise Officers gan he calle
Gooth bryngeth forth / the vessels quod he [folio 175b]
Whiche that my fader / in his prosperitee
Line 3385
Out of the temple / of Ierusalem birafte
And to oure hye goddes / thanke we
Of honour / that oure eldres with us lafte
Line 3388
Hys wyf hise lordes / and hise concubynes
Ay dronken / whil hire Appetites laste
Out of thise noble vessels / sondry wynes
And on a wal / this kyng hise eyen caste
Line 3392
And saugh an hand Armlees / þat wroot ful fast
ffor feere of which / he quook and siked soore
This hand / that Balthasar so soore agaste
Wroot Mane techel phares / and na moore
Line 3396
