Ne comyn with cristenmen, ne on Criste leuyn;
But barly, as þai borne were, bydon þai stille,
Line 4328
And nauther law ne belefe lenton hom to.
The furst þat was founden of þes fals goddes,
Was wroght on þis wise, as weghes can tell.
OFF BEALL THE GOD & BELSABUB.
On Delus, a derfe Kyng þat deghit in eld,
Line 4332
Or Belus, as þe boke says, (bothe were his namys)
Hade a son þat hym sewit, sesit in his lond,
Nine was his name, & his next heire.
He brought hym to berynes on his best wise,
Line 4336
As be-come for a kyng, closit hym faire [folio 68a]
With solempne sepulcre, sothely wroght.
And for his fader shuld faithly be fer in his mynd,
An ymage a noble anon gert he make,
Line 4340
All grauyn of gold, & of good stonys,
Vne of mesure & mykyll, of his myld fader.
ffull solemly set in the sight of the pepull,
With worship on all wise, þat worthy comaundit
Line 4344
To all the pepull of his prouyns, as a prise god.
That ymage to honour he ordant hym seluyn,
And gert the ledis to beleue, þat in his lond dwelt,
Þat the gome was a god groundet in blisse.
Line 4348
And so the ffigur of his fader was falsly honouryt,
By assent of hym selfe þat the soile aght;
And þen the fynde, with his falshed & his fer cast,
Entrid in þat ymage, & onswaret the pepull.
Line 4352
Who þat any thing asket after his dissyre,
Þere onswaret opunly the aungell of helle:
And so the ledis of the lond lyuely hym cald,
Sum beall, sum belus, sum bell þe god,
Line 4356
Sum belphegor, & belsabub, as hom best likes.
