'And vnderstond hem by & by.'
And tho befyl ther sodeynly
Line 1376
A wonder thyng (thus stood the cas,)
Wher-of I astonyd was;—
And yet for-thy I shal not spare,
Ryht as yt fyl, for to declare,
Line 1380
Whan I se tyme & best sesoun
Touchyng my sherpe [[Scrippe St.]] and my bordoun:
Whan I ha leyser, trusteth wel,
I shal yow tellyn euerydel.
Line 1384
But, or I dyde further passe,—
I sawe Amyddys of that place [prose cap xiii]
A sygne of Tav wych ther stood,
Line 1387
And yt was al be-spreynt with blood. [T[T St.], om. C.] [[7 lines blank in MS. for an Illumination.]]
And ek, as I koude vnderstond, [folio 23b]
I sawe be sydes [[besyde St.]] a mayster stond,
Off ryght gret auctoryte,
And semptë that he sholdë be
Line 1392
Lyk a vyker douteles [[douteles St., doutles C.]]
Off Aaron & of Moyses.
And pleynly tho (as I be-held,)
In hys hond a staff he [[he St., om. C.]] held,
Line 1396
Crooked be-forn (I took good hed;)
And hornyd also was hys hed.
Hys garnement, by gret delyt,
Was of lynë [[lynyn St.]] cloth al whyt,
Line 1400
Off the wych, ful wel I wote, [Vir vnus in medio eorum. Ezechielis. ixo.]
That the prophete whylom wrot,
Ezechyel, who lyst to look,
The nynthe chapytle off hys book:
Line 1404
Ordre off confyrmacioun
Wych, with the sygne of gret vertu
Markyde manye with Tav
Myd of her forhed, on by on,
And sayde to hem euerychon,
Line 1408
'I crosse yow, and conferme also
With thys / that ye take hed ther-to,
That ye may be, fro day to day,
Good pylgrymës in your way;
Line 1412
