Vnneþe Ambrose and his meyne [Cum ergo fugerent et aliquantulum processissent, subito se terra aperuit et hominem illum cum universis qui ad illum pertinebant ita ab|sorbuit, ut nullum inde vestigium remaneret.]
Weoren passed out from þat citéé,
Þat sodeynliche opened þe eorþe:
Þer lafte nouþur þe þridde ne feorþe
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Þat in þat hous dwelled and swonken,
But alle in to þe eorþe þei sonken,
Þat of hem no steppe was seyn;
Þer þe hous stod al was pleyn.
Whon seint Ambrose þis biheold, [Quod cernens A. dixit: Ecce, fra|tres, quam misericorditer Deus parcit, cum hic adversa tribuit, et quam severe irasci|tur, cum semper prospera elargitur.]
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Wiþ his meyne þat stod in feld,
He seide: "lo, how merciful God is
To hem þat soffren here iwis
In þis world aduersite,
And of his grace sendeþ so to be,
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And hou he punisscheþ, her mow ȝe se,
Hem þat han al prosperite."
In þat ilke same plas, [In eodem autem loco fovea quaedam pro|fundissima remansisse dicitur, quae (usque hodie in hujus facti testimonium) perse|verat.]
Þere as bifel þis cas,
Is a deop put alway,
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Þat euer schal laste, as men say.
OF alle maner vuel þe rote [Cum autem A. radicem omnium malorum, avaritiam, magis ac magis in hominibus crescere cerneret et maxime in his qui erant in potestatibus constituti, (apud quos omnia pretio vendebantur,) nec non et in his qui erant sacris ministeriis deputati, vehementer ingemuit et se de hujus saeculi aerumna liberari instantius exo|ravit.]
Is auarice iclept and ihote.
And whon he sauh þat in monkuynde
Auarice was most in muynde,
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Among holy churche and worldly men,
Muche deol he made þen;
Out of þis world, so sori place,
He preyed God þat in schort space
He schulde him bringe at his wille,
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And þat his soule schulde not spille.
God hit him graunted specialiche: [Qui cum se id obtinuisse gauderet (im engl. erklärt),]
An angel him warned priueliche.
Whon he was war of þat day
Þat he schulde passe hennes away,
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Þerof he was joyful and feyn
And tolde his breþeren in certeyn [revelavit fratribus quod usque ad resurrectionem dominicam secum esset.]
Þat til þe feste of þe resureccioun
He schulde wiþ hem dwelle her doun.
A fewe dayes tofore he fel seek, [Ante vero paucos dies quam lectulo detineretur, cum XLIIII psalmum cum notario dictaret,]
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He was aboute — i telle ow ek —
Forte endyte wiþ wit ful cler
Þe foure and fourtiþe psalm of þe sauter,
And wiþ him was his notarie:
Þat sauh on him a siht of glorie: [subito ipsi, vidente notario, in modum scuti brevis ignis caput ejus operuit atque paulatim per os ejus, tanquam in domum habitator, intravit.]
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Sodeynliche in maner of a scheld
A schort fuir his hed þen held
And lutlum and lutlum [lutlum by little, alter dat. plur.]
In to his mouþ crep hole and sum,
As þouh hit hedde ben in to his hous;
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Þen wex his face al glorious [Tunc facies tanquam nix effecta est, sed postmodum ad suam speciem reversa est.]
And lyk to snouh hit wox al whit,
But aftur to his oune kynde turned hit.
Þat day he made an endyng [Ipso igitur die scri|bendi et dictandi finem fecit nec ipsum psalmum explere potuit, post igitur paucos dies infirmitate corporis laborare coepit.]
Of writyng and endyting,
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Þat psalm þen mihte he not parfourme —
Nere Godus wille, þat mihte men mourne.
A fewe daies aftur þat
Wiþ seknes he was al to squat.
ÞEn þe eorl of Ytalie [Tunc comes Italiae cum Mediolani esset, nobiles convocavit, dicens, quod, tanto viro recedente, periculum esset ne Italiae interitus immineret;]
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