 | Yorkshire writers |  |
372
XI.
[The begynnyng es of thre]
The begynnyng es of thre,
Full mekill þerin men may see,
And for-thi I will, or I passe,
Schewe whate man firste was.
Whilom, when a man was noghte,
Bothe vnfourme and vnforthe-broghte,
He was getyne, als it was knawene,
Thurgh sedis man and sedis sawene;
His modir consayued hym synfully,
And bare hym sythene in hir body
With mekill bale bothe nyghtes & dayes,
Als Dauid in the psaltyre sayse:
Full mekill þerin men may see,
And for-thi I will, or I passe,
Schewe whate man firste was.
Whilom, when a man was noghte,
Bothe vnfourme and vnforthe-broghte,
He was getyne, als it was knawene,
Thurgh sedis man and sedis sawene;
His modir consayued hym synfully,
And bare hym sythene in hir body
With mekill bale bothe nyghtes & dayes,
Als Dauid in the psaltyre sayse:
Ecce enim [in] iniquitatibus conceptus sum, & in peccatis concepit me mater mea,
“Loo, he sayse, whate manes kynd es:
I am consayued in wykkydnes,
And my modir consayued me
In mekill syne and caytefete”.
Than duelled mane in a dongeowne,
In care and grete corupcione;
Thare he fande none oþer fode
Bot wlatesome glete & lopird blode
& stynke & fylthe, als I sayd are,
With the[r] he was fyrste noresched þare.
And þer-after, whene he borne sold bee,
Bathe hade bale his modir and he.
To þe werlde he com a wrechid wyghte,
Bathe withowttene strenghe & myghte;
Nowþer myghte he go ne stande,
Ne helpe hym-selfe with fote ne hande.
Man es mare wrechide, borne in bedde,
Þan bestes þat in forestes are bredde:
For ylke a beste one grownde will ga
Als-tyte efter þe byrthe, to or fraa,
And man may noþer ga ne crepe,
Bot lygge welterand with wa & wepe.
The kynde es so combyrde with kare,
It kane noghte do bot cry and rare;
And by þe cryinge knawe þay þane
Wheþer it be mane or womane.
And it [es] tane by lettirs twa:
If it be man, þan sayse it A:
Þat letter es firste of his name
Þat was oure forme-fadir Adame;
And if þe childe a woman bee,
When it es borne þan sayse it E:
And þat letter es firste alswa
Of one þat wroghte vs all oure waa.
There-fore a clerkke on þis manere
Made this verse of metir here:
I am consayued in wykkydnes,
And my modir consayued me
In mekill syne and caytefete”.
Than duelled mane in a dongeowne,
In care and grete corupcione;
Thare he fande none oþer fode
Bot wlatesome glete & lopird blode
& stynke & fylthe, als I sayd are,
With the[r] he was fyrste noresched þare.
And þer-after, whene he borne sold bee,
Bathe hade bale his modir and he.
To þe werlde he com a wrechid wyghte,
Bathe withowttene strenghe & myghte;
Nowþer myghte he go ne stande,
Ne helpe hym-selfe with fote ne hande.
Man es mare wrechide, borne in bedde,
Þan bestes þat in forestes are bredde:
For ylke a beste one grownde will ga
Als-tyte efter þe byrthe, to or fraa,
And man may noþer ga ne crepe,
Bot lygge welterand with wa & wepe.
The kynde es so combyrde with kare,
It kane noghte do bot cry and rare;
And by þe cryinge knawe þay þane
Wheþer it be mane or womane.
And it [es] tane by lettirs twa:
If it be man, þan sayse it A:
Þat letter es firste of his name
Þat was oure forme-fadir Adame;
And if þe childe a woman bee,
373
And þat letter es firste alswa
Of one þat wroghte vs all oure waa.
There-fore a clerkke on þis manere
Made this verse of metir here:
Dicentes E vel A, quotquot nascuntur ab Eua,
He sayse: “all tha þat sall be borne
Of Eue, als I hafe said be-forne,
At þaire berynge whate-some þay bee,
Thay sall saye owþer A or E.”
And þus es all owre begynynge
With greuosnes & gret gretynge,
And cares þat kyndly comes to vs;
And for-thi Innocent sayse thus:
Of Eue, als I hafe said be-forne,
At þaire berynge whate-some þay bee,
Thay sall saye owþer A or E.”
And þus es all owre begynynge
With greuosnes & gret gretynge,
And cares þat kyndly comes to vs;
And for-thi Innocent sayse thus:
Omnes nascimur eiulantes, vt nature nostre miseriam exprimamus,
He sayse: “alle are [we] borne gretande
And makand sorowfull semblande,
For to schewe þere oure wrechidnes”.
And for oure kynd comyne til vs es,
thus when tyme commes of our byrthe,
Alle make we murnyng & no myrthe.
When man es borne, þan es he bare
And febyll; so sall he hythene fare;
One þis thynge sold we thynke þane,
For thus sayse Iob þat haly mane:
And makand sorowfull semblande,
For to schewe þere oure wrechidnes”.
And for oure kynd comyne til vs es,
thus when tyme commes of our byrthe,
Alle make we murnyng & no myrthe.
When man es borne, þan es he bare
And febyll; so sall he hythene fare;
One þis thynge sold we thynke þane,
For thus sayse Iob þat haly mane:
Nudus egressus sum de vtero matris mee, et nudus reuertar illuc,
“Nakid, he sayse, I am comene fra
Mi modirs wambe with mekill wa,
And nakide sall I wende away,
With-owttene drede, at my laste day”.
Thus es a man at þe firste comynge
Nakid, & brynges with hym no thynge,
Bot in a rymme þat es wlatesome
Es he clede whene he sall come,
Þat es noghte bot a blody skynne,
Þat he was lathely lappede Ine
In þe wambe thare he fyrste laye,
that schamefull thynge es for to saye,
And foulle[r] to here, als sayse þe buke,
And alþer-foulleste one to luke.
Thus es ylk mane, als we may see,
Borne in care and kayteftee;
And for to dre with dole his dayes,
Als Iob sothely hym-selfe sayse:
Mi modirs wambe with mekill wa,
And nakide sall I wende away,
With-owttene drede, at my laste day”.
Thus es a man at þe firste comynge
Nakid, & brynges with hym no thynge,
Bot in a rymme þat es wlatesome
Es he clede whene he sall come,
Þat es noghte bot a blody skynne,
Þat he was lathely lappede Ine
In þe wambe thare he fyrste laye,
that schamefull thynge es for to saye,
And foulle[r] to here, als sayse þe buke,
And alþer-foulleste one to luke.
Thus es ylk mane, als we may see,
Borne in care and kayteftee;
And for to dre with dole his dayes,
Als Iob sothely hym-selfe sayse:
Homo natus de Muliere, breui viuens tempore repletur multis miseriis,
“Mane borne of womane es noghte ells
Bot lyfe[and] schorte tyme, als he telles,
And euer fulfilled of sorowes sere
Alle þe tyme þat he duellis here”.
Alswa, to be a man borne es
Euer in trauayle, as Iob witnes:
Bot lyfe[and] schorte tyme, als he telles,
And euer fulfilled of sorowes sere
Alle þe tyme þat he duellis here”.
Alswa, to be a man borne es
Euer in trauayle, as Iob witnes:
Homo nascitur ad laborem, sicut auis ad volatum,
“A man es borne trauayle to drye,
Als a fowle es for to flye”.
For in this lyfe no rystynge es,
Bot grete trauayle & besynes.
Als-swa es man, when he es borne,
the fende sone & fra god lorne,
Till he thurgh goddis grace may come
To baptyme & to crystyndome.
Thus may a mane see his lyfe ay-whare
Full of caytefte and of care.
Als a fowle es for to flye”.
For in this lyfe no rystynge es,
Bot grete trauayle & besynes.
Als-swa es man, when he es borne,
the fende sone & fra god lorne,
Till he thurgh goddis grace may come
To baptyme & to crystyndome.
Thus may a mane see his lyfe ay-whare
Full of caytefte and of care.
| Yorkshire writers | |