A Hyve Fvll of Hunnye :: :: University of Virginia Library

The Buyldinge great of Babel Tower,
The Tongues confused in one hower.
Of Sem good Noahs eldest Sonne,
Here is the Generation.
Vntil the tyme of Abraham,
VVhich went with Lot vnto Haram.

1

And all the people in the world
had but one kinde of Speach,
Ther was no maisters knowledge had
mo tounges than one to teach.

2

And in their traueil frō the East,
a goodly Playne they found,
Within the land of Shinear,
a loftie Champion Ground.

3

Wherein they pitched downe their Tentes,
and made their dwelling there:
The floud that fel in Noahs tyme
did yet these People feare.

4

And therfore th' one to tho'ther said,
come on, let vs go make
Of Claye some Bricke, and burne the same,
that Fyer may it bake.

5

And other some did take in hand,
to get together Slyme,
UUhich stoode in steede as wee do vse
our Morter made of Lyme.

6

Thus when they had great Kylles of Bricke
and Slyme to bynde withall,
Let vs sayd they a Cittie make
so strong as may not fall.

7

And in the same a Tower buylde
to reach vnto the Heauen,
The top whereof it selfe may stretch,
aboue the Planets seuen.

8

And to our selues lets get a name,
for it may come to passe,
Wee may be skattered on the Earth
abrode, as others was.

9

And God by power, and sight deuine,
came downe and did behold
This worke that Adams Brats had made,
with courage stout and bolde.

10

And sayd, behold this People great,
hath but one tongue ye see,
And thus haue they in vayne begonne,
to skale the Skies to mee,

11

Ne yet wyll they leaue of to make,
Their Turret high and strong.
Come on therefore let vs descend,
and myngle so their tounge:

12

That what one man to other sayth
he shall not vnderstand:
So by and by to passe it came,
through worke of mightie hand.

13

Thus were they skattred on the Earth
and left their worke alone,
And ech one had a seuerall Speach,
vnto him selfe anone.

14

Wherfore that place is Babel cald
because confounded was

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The onely tounge of al the World
as it so came to passe,

15

Also because they skattered were
from thence on earth to fynde
Some other place abroade to dwell,
as God to them assignde.

These are the Generations of Sem.

Moyses to Sem retourneth backe,
in this Genealogie,
That he might treate of Abraham
the worthy Hystory.

1

This Haran did depart this lyfe,
at Ur in Chaldea,
Which on the West adioyneth to
Mesopotamia.

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2

And in his Fathers presence dyed,
that Terach was by name,
And both his Brethren tooke them wyues,
Moyses recordes the same.

3

And Abram was the first of twayne,
and hee did Sarai take,
But shee was barren from her Byrth,
they they could no issue make.

4

And Nahor maryed Milcha fayre,
that Harans daughter was,
And afterward by tract of time,
at length it came to passe

5

That Terach with him Abram tooke
and Lot, sonne to Haran,
And Sara, Abrams wyfe lykewise,
from Ur to Canaan,

6

And there in Haran did they dwell
the rest of Terachs dayes,
Hee was two hundred yeares and fyue.
and then he went his wayes.