University of Virginia Library

De principio creacionis mundi

Now at þe fyrst begyninge
I schall tell of þe werld makyng,
And how it was fyrste gyuen to Adam,
Of whom oure fyrst synne camme,
And also of paradys iwys,
That was full of werldys blys,
And of heuen, þat is so hye,
How it was lorne thorow folye,
How it come after to mankynd,
As ȝe may afterwerd fynd.
Wiþin vj deys ryȝht
All þe werld we[s] idyȝht;
Allmyȝhty God, þat is þe beste,
The vij dey he gan reste.
Therof ȝe haue herd telle.
God kep vs fro þe peyn of helle!
When God allmyȝhty of nouȝht
Heuyn and erth all hade wrought,
Wiþ all þe pourtynans small and grete,
Lord, þat was feyr and swete!
Now is þe sone clere and lyȝht:
That tyme it was vij so bryȝht;
The mone þat schynes no[w] by nyȝht,
Than it schone also bryȝht
As do[s] þe sone now onne deye.
And sey therof no man naye:
I tell ȝew now sothlye,
It wytnes þe prophet Isaye,
And at hym I take wytnesse
That euery thyng more and lesse,
In erth, in ayer, water, and flode,
Seth Adam synned, was not so gode
Als it was fyrste beforne,
Or Adam and Eue wer forlorne.
Lorne was Adam and all hys kynne
For þat ilke foule synne,
And all þer kynne, as I ȝow telle,
Euerychon þei went to helle.
Wrong was it not bote skyll,
So euery man may [se] þat wyll.
Gode is to thinke þeron aryȝht,
For to loue God allmyȝht.