The South English Legendary

Þe riȝte put of helle is amidde eorþe wiþinne
Oure Louerd þere al made iwis queintise of gynne
Heuene and eorþe he made uerst & suþþe al þing þat is
Eorþe is a lite hurst aȝen heuene iwis
Heuene geþ aboute eorþe euene it mot weie

415

Eorþe is amidde euene as þe stre amidde an eiȝe
Muche is þer on more þan þe oþer for þe leste sterre iwis
In heuene as þe boc us seiþ more þanne þe eorþe is
For [ho] so were anhei bi a sterre ȝif it so miȝte be[o]
So lite wolde þe eorþe þenche þat he nessolde hure noȝt ise[o]

Enes geþ heuene aboute þoru þe day & þoru þe niȝt
And þe mone & þe sterren wiþ him bereþ & þe sonne so briȝt
For þat is euene aboue þin heued aboute nones stonde
Vnder þi uet heuene it is at midniȝt vnder gronde
And comeþ up wanne þe sonne arist & ouer þe is at none
Heuene makeþ þus hure cours and aboute comeþ sone

As appel þe eorþe is round so þat euere mo
Half þe eorþe þe sonne bissint hou so it euere go
And non it is here byneþe us wanne it is here midniȝt
As me mai to soþe iseo wo so haþ god insiȝt
And ȝif þou helde a cler candel biside an appel riȝt
Euene haluondel þen appel he wolde ȝiue here liȝt

Þere beoþ atte firmamens such as we iseoþ
Þe ouemoste is þe riȝte heuene in wan þe sterren beoþ
For þere aboue is Godes riche þat last wiþoute ende
Þat we beoþ þerto imaked God lete us þuder wende

Þere byneþe seuene beoþ þat ech of ham iwis
A sterre haþ wiþoute mo þat planete icluped is
Ichelle nemny ȝare seue names and bigynne heiest
Saturnes is al aboue and Iubiter suþþe þe heiest
Þenne Mars bineþe him and suþþe þe sonne is
Venus suþþe þe clere sterre Mercurius þanne iwis
Þat selde is of us iseie þe mone is next þe gronde
Þoru gret wit of clergie hare names were ferst ifonde

416

For ech of þe seuene may gret miȝte an eorþe do
Boþe of wedere & eke of frut as ȝare poer ȝaf þerto
And also men þat beoþ ibore vnder ȝare miȝte iwis
Scholleþ habbe ȝare diuerse lif euere as ȝare uertue is

Somme lechors & somme glotons and somme oþer manere
And naþeles a man of god inwit of al þulke mai him skere
For planetes ne deþ non oþer bote ȝiueþ in manes wille
To be[o] luþer oþer god as hure vertu wole to tille
And ȝifþ him also qualite to do so and so
And noȝt for þan after is inwit ech wis man may do
For such qualite naþ noman to be[o] lechour oþer ssrewe
Þat he nemay him witie þere aȝen ac naþeles so doþ vewe

Of þis seue planetes also god gret poer ȝe iseoþ
For þe seue dawes of þe wike þere after icluped beoþ
Of Saturnus Saterday and Soneday of þe sonne
Of þe mone Moneday wo so rekene conne
Of a planete euerich day in þe wike icluped is
An Engliss oþer a Latin bote ȝe rekeni amis

And for Mars and Saturnus in ȝare þoer luþer beoþ
And lite god an eorþe doþ as þis clerkes iseoþ
Þeruore me ssoneþ muche þen Saterday bigynne
And þe Tiwesdai eni worke eny god to wynne
Among alle þe planetes þe sonne amidde is
As þe king amidde is men to wissen alle iwis
Also þe sonne þere he mai ssine aboute echon
For alle hi habbeþ liȝt of hure wiþoute hure noȝt on

As me may bi þe mone iseo þe wile he is niwe riȝt
A lite rondel as a sikel me sucþ þer of þat liȝt
And al þat oþer del wiþinne blac as a reuen is
So blac is al þe mone of him sulue iwis
Bote al þer as þe sonne ssineþ þer ȝiueþ hure liȝt al

417

And makeþ hure so ssine aboute as ȝe ssine of cristal
For wanne þe sonne ssineþ on cristal oþer on water cler
A gret leom it ȝiueþ out aȝen & ssineþ ver & ner

Also varþ þe mone iwis þe sonne ssineþ doun riȝt
Euene on hure and he aȝen among us sent hure liȝt
And for þe sonne is fer aboue riȝt touore þe prime
Bineþe hure þe mone is euene & þe sonne ssineþ somtyme
In þe oþer side al of þe mone and hiderward no wiȝt
Þanne nese[o] we noȝt of hure ne he[o] ne ȝifþ no liȝt

So þat þe sonne byuore geþ lite and lite iwis
And ssineþ on þe hider half on þulke þat ner him is
And makeþ þe mone wuxe so lite & lite bi stonde
So þat wanne it heiuol is wanne þe sonne geþ to gronde

Þe [mone] bigynneþ est arise euene aȝen hure riȝt
Þat in þe half toward us þe sonne sent hure liȝt
Þanne is þe oþer half derk & þe hider half al liȝt
And sent hure leom hider to us & ssineþ al longe niȝt

So þat he draweþ hider ner þe sonne lite & lite abac
And bileueþ cler toward þe sonne þe oþer del al blak
And attelaste is al blac toward us atte monþes ende
And cler aboue as þe sonne liȝt to hure deþ sende

So þat þe sonne in haluendel ssineþ eueremo
Wat aboue & wat bineþe hou so it euere go
And as me may bi þe candel iseo þat is biside a balle
Þat ȝiueþ liȝt on him haluondel hou euere so it falle

And wanne þe sonne is vnder eorþe & þe mone aboue aniȝt
Biside þe eorþe in þe on half þe sonne sent out hure liȝt
An hondred siþe & fiue and sixti as it is iwrite
Þe sonne is more þanne þe eorþe woso wolde iwite
And þe eorþe is more þanne þe mone nye siþe iwis
Þe mo[n]e þingþ þe more for he so nei us is

418

Þe sonne is herre þan þe mone more þanne suche þreo
Þenne it beo henne to þe mone þe lass[e] he is to seo

Muche is bitwene heuene & eorþe for þe man þat miȝte go
Euerich dai forti mile euene upriȝt and eke mo
He ne ssolde to þe heiost heuene þat ȝe aldai iseoþ
Come in eiȝte þousond ȝer þere as þe sterren beoþ

And þei Adam oure ferste fader hadde bigonne anon
Þo he was ferst imad toward heuene to gon
And hadde euerich day forti mile euene upriȝt igo
He nadde noȝt ȝute to heuene icome bi a þousond ȝer & mo
Siker be[o] ȝe ich segge soþ ileoue woso leoue
Hou ssolde we þer come so late after Adam & Eue

Ac wanne man is an eorþe ded and is soule beo god
He haueþ wiþ hure non heuynesse noþer of fleiss ne of blod
Ȝif he is þanne wiþoute sunne he haþ angles kunde
And mai be[o] nouþe here & þer as quik as a mannes munde

For as þou sixt þe liȝtinge þat of þe cloude deþ wende
Þat comeþ in þe on half of þe world & as sone is in þe oþer ende
Swuþer sset a monnes soule ȝe more þanne suche seuene
Ȝif he is wiþoute sunne þane wei to þe blisse of heuene
O wel raþer me mai to helle come þere uore it is isene
And wel mo þuder goþ ich drede ȝe mo þan suche tene

Bineþe þe lowoste heuene þat þe mone is on ibroȝt
Beoþ þe foure elemens of wam we beoþ of iwroȝt
Next þe mone þe fur is hext echone hi beoþ ronde
Þe eir is þanne bineþe next & takeþ here to gronde
Suþþe is water and suþþe is eorþe þe foure beoþ iwis
Þe four elemens of wan eche quik best ymaked is

419

Oure Louerd in eche of þis foure sseweþ alday is miȝte
As ȝe mowe in þe stude of fure ise[o] a wonder siȝte
Sitte as [hit] a sterre were bi þe lifte and neiȝ
Ac þe sterren beoþ fer aboue for þer is swuþe heiȝ

Þe sonne mai her among us gret strengþe & miȝte do
He draweþ up þe kunde of þe water and of þe eorþe also
He draweþ up þe eorþe in drowe wedere as it were a drowe breþ
So þat þoru hete of þe sonne aboue þe eir it geþ
And wanne it comþ amang þat fur sone it ginþ to tende
And al bernynge it sset forþ forte it be[o] barnd to ende
Þare fore me ne [secþ] noȝt such þing bote it be[o] in hete
Liȝtinge comeþ ek þer of wanne it turneþ to wete

For of þulke sulue drowe breþ þat is idrawe anhei
Þoru hete þat was biuore and a cloude þere is ney
Anon wanne it afure is it sset þoru þe cloude
Þe wile it in þe water is it goþeleþ swuþe loude
As ȝif me nome a slab of ire þat glowinge were auure
In water he wolde goþely loude þat miȝte me ihure

Also þat fur up anhei þat bi þe cloude is itend
Hit goþeleþ in þe water cloude as it þoru out went
For þat is þe þonder iwis and siker non oþer þing
Wanne þe fur perseþ þoru out þat is þe leiting
Þare sset [abrod] into al þe worlde & comeþ after þe dunte
And naþeles he þingþ biuore for he ne may noȝt astunte

Ȝif þer were a stepel hei and a man aboue sete
And me seie him smite an hei gode duntes & grete
Þou ssost him seo wel longe smite duntes wiþ þin eiȝe
Ar þou ssoldest eni dunt ihure ȝif he were wel heiȝe

420

For me mai ise[o] a wel fair þing anon so it is ido
Ȝif þar nis noþing bitwene ac men ne mai noȝt here so
Wanne þat fur comþ into þe water gret noise anon þer is
Ac me ne hureþ it noȝt anon for it is so fer iwis
Ac þe liȝtynge we seoþ anon wanne he is þoru ibroȝt
Þeruore it þincþ it comþ biuore ac naþeles it ne deþ noȝt
For wanne þe liȝt is icome we habbeþ anon þe siȝte
Ac þe soun nemay noȝt so sone to us aliȝte

Nou nis þe drowe breþ of þe eorþe neuere wiþoute hete
Idrawe up þat comþ biuore ne iqueint wiþo[u]tene wete
Þare fore bote after hete me ne ssel no þonder ise[o]
And þat weder smit in wete for elles ne mai it be[o]

So me ssel in pur somere selde [þonder] ihure
For þar is þanne selde wet to make quenchinge of fure
Ne in pur winter noþemo so nis þanne no hete
To drawe up þe drie kunde of þe eorþe for muchel wete
Þare uore me seiþ þat winter þonder me ssel selde god ise[o]
For he nemai neuere come bute þat weder vnkunde be[o]
Ac bitwene somer & winter as aboute Aueril and May
And efsone fram heruost forte sein Clementes day
Þanne is þonder kunde inou and liȝtynge also
For þanne is þe weder wet inou & ofte hot þerto

Ȝe mowe ise[o] wanne þonder is menging of fur in wete
Wonder is þat it ne quelþ men bi weies and bi strete
And smit adoun gret treon and deþ oþer mani wonder
Þare uore ich mot ȝou telle more of kunde of þe þonder

421

Þo oure Louerd þolede on eorþe deþ & þe deuel bond & nom
And debrusede helle ȝates mid þonder þuder he com
Þare fore euere eft afterward war so deuelen be[o]
Of þonder hi beoþ so sore aferd þat hy nute woder fle[o]

And hi þat wonieþ in þe lifte and oþer as wel as he[o]
In strong fere comeþ adoun and nuteþ woder te[o]
And sleþ men bitweie as i fleoþ as me may ofte ise[o]
Þat muche fere ȝam ȝiue God bote þat us þe worse ne be[o]

Anoþer manere þere comeþ harm of þe þonder among
For þere as þe weder is þare is tempest strong
Of wind of water & of fur and þaie þreo were þere
A mulston ssolde al todriue þeie it of bras were

Wanne þe tempest is here so strong me þingþ it nis no wonder
Þei þere come ofte som adoun wiþ þe dunt of þe þonder
Wanne þe wind and þat fur smit þoru þe water cloude
Wiþ gret strengþe it liþ adoun as me mai hure loude
And smit as it were a dunt oþer blast of grete miȝte
No wonder þei it smite harde war it deþ aliȝte
And brekeþ treon & quelþ men & deþ swuþe gret wonder
In þis manere comþ þe harm þat me sucþ of þonder

Me sucþ ofte þe liȝtynge berne hous and ssrenche
Þat vnneþe ssel eny water þat fur þer of aquenche
For of þe water cloude aboue þat fur is out ibroȝt
And for it out of þe water comþ water ne quencheþ it noȝt
Nou mowe ȝe esse in wuche manere water comeþ so heiȝe
And ware of comþ þe rein & snou þat we seoþ wiþ oure eiȝe

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