ðat ðogte abram wel iwel don, 948
Abram drove
them away.
Then came on
him fear and
fright.
kagte iſ wei, quan it waſ nigt,
ðo cam on him vgging and frigt;
A great and
bright fire he saw
glide down between
the pieces.
A michel fier he ſag, and an brigt,
gliden ðor twen ðo doles rigt. 952
In a dream God
showed Abram
the future condition
of his descendants.
God ſeide him ðor a ſoðe drem
ðe timinge of iſ beren-tem,
And hu he ſulde in pine ben,
And uten erdes ſorge ſen; 956
fowre hundred ger ſulden ben gon,
Canaan is promised
as his inheritance.
Hor he ſulden wel cumen a-gon,
oc ſiðen ſulde in here hond,
bi-cumen ðat hotene lond. 960
Then knew
Abram much
more of what was
to come than he
ever knew before.
ðo wiſte abram wel michel mor
Quat waſ to cumen ðan he wiſte or.
Sarai, being barren,
gives Hagar
to Abram.
Siðen bi-fel ðat ſarrai,
for ghe waſ longe untuderi, 964
[Fol. 19b.]
Ghe bitagte abre maiden agar;
Ghe wurð wið childe and hem two bar;
forð ſiðen ghe bi ab_ra_m ſlep,
Hagar having
conceived,
despised her
mistress.
Of hire leuedi nam ghe no kep; 968
And ſarrai wuldet nogt ðolen
ðat agar wore ðuſ to-bolen;
Sarai afflicts her
thrall.
Ghe held hire hard in ðralleſ wune,
And dede hire ſorge and anger mune; 972
Hagar flees from
Sarai into the
desert homeless
and weary.
ðo fleg agar fro ſarray,
wimman wið childe, one and ſori,
In ðe diſerd, wil and weri,
And an angel cam ðor hire bi, 976
wiſte hire drogen ſori for ðriſt,
An angel commands
her to
return and be
buxom to her
lady.
At a welle q_ue_mede hire liſt,
And bad hire ſone wenden agen,
And to hire leuedi buxum ben; 980
He tells her of
her child.
And ſeide ghe ſulde ſunen wel
And timen, and clepen it ſmael,[136]
[136] A metrical licence for "iſmael."