Ed. before by Weymouth, Philol. Soc. 1864, and from another (un|known) MS., by Halliwell, 1849. The poem is a very old translation of Rob. Groshed's († 1253) Chasteau d'amour, or Carmen de creatione mundi (ed. by M. Cooke, R. Grossetete Carmina anglo-normannica, Caxton Soc. 1852), and was made in the latter half of the 13th cent., in the dialect and perhaps by the author of the 'Harrowing of Hell' and 'Marina' (MS. Harl. 2253). The subject, with its personification of the 4 cardinal virtues, resting ultimately on Psalm 88, 11, became a great favourite in medieval literature: it is treated in the Cursor Mundi, in the Abbey of the Holy Ghost, and in Lydgate's Life of St. Mary, and his Court of Sapience. Later translations are extant in MS. Egerton 927, made by a monk of Sawley in Yorkshire (ed. in the Appendix), and in MS. Ashm. 61, fol. 78 (ed. in Altengl. Legenden, Neue Folge, p. 349-354), which contains only the first part (to v. 554). Cooke's ed. of the French text is quite insufficient, and full of mistakes.
Ky bien pense bien puet dire;Sanz penser ne peut suffireDe nul bien fet comencer.Deu nus doint a li penser,De ki, par ki, en ki suntTouz les biens ki sunt el mund,Deu le pere e deu le fizE deu li seinz esperiz,Persones treis en triniteE un sul deu en unite,Sanz fin, sanz comence|ment,A ki honur e gloire apent.Il nus doint ses oures fereE nus defende de contrere.(The Engl. text does not give a favourable idea of the translator's intelligence.)] ÞAt good þenkeþ, good may do, And God wol helpe him þerto; ffor nas neuere good werk wrouȝt Wiþ-oute be-ginninge of good þouȝt, Ne neuer was wrouȝt non vuel þing Þat vuel þouȝt nas þe biginnyng. God ffader and Sone and Holigost, Þat alle þing on eorþe sixt and wost, Þat O God art and þrilli-hod, And þreo persones in on-hod, Wiþ-outen ende and biginninge; To whom we ouȝten ouer alle þinge Line 12 Worschupe him wiþ trewe loue, Þat kineworþe kyng art vs aboue; In whom, of whom, þorw whom beoþ Al þe goodschipes þat we here i-seoþ: Line 16 He leue vs þenche and worchen so Þat he vs schylde from vre fo. [vv. 19-37 cf. Fr.:
Tuz avum mester d'aie,E trestuz ne poeut mieSaver le langage en finD'Ebreu, de griu ne de latin,Pur loer son creat[e]ur,Ne la buche de chanteurNe soit clos de deu loerNe son seint nom nuncier.Ke chescun en son langageLe conuisse sanz folage] Alle we habbeþ to help neode, Þat [r. þah] we ne beþ alle of one þeode Ne I-boren In one londe Ne one speche vnderstonde. Ne mowe we alle Latin wite, Ne Ebreu ne Gru þat beþ I-write,
