and saw that the
city had been
destroyed.
To-ward ſodome he ſag ðe roke
And ðe brinfires ſtinken[145] ſmoke, 1164
For sorrow he left
Mamre's dale
And wente a-wei fro mambre dale,
So ſore him reu of ðat bale.
and went and
abode in Gerar.
Suðen he wente & wunede i_n_ geraris,
bi-twen cade and vr, y-wis; 1168
There he said
Sarah was his
sister.
ðor he ſeide eft, for luue of lif,
ðat ſiſter wore ſarra his wif.
Q_u_ilu_m_ of[146] er [147]pharraon hire toc,
Nu takeð abimalech hire oc; 1172
[Fol. 23b.]
Abimelech took
her to wife.
Sene it was ðat ghe waſ fair wif,
Quan ghe waſ luued in ſo long lif.
Abimalech wurð ſek on-on,
Sickness fell on
him and on his
folk.
And oðer wreche iſ folc cam on; 1176
Nogt wif-kinnes non birðe ne nam,
ðor q_u_iles he ðor wið-helð ſaram.
On dreme him cam tidi_n_g for-q_u_at
The cause of this
evil was made
known to him in
a dream.
He ðrowede and ðolede un-timing ðat; 1180
Al it waſ for abraham-iſ wif,
ðat he hire held ðor wið ſtrif;
ðo bi-ðhogte him ful wel,
And ſente after abraha_m_ ðat ilc ſel, 1184
He sent back
Sarah,
And bi-tagte him hiſ wif a-non,
And hiſ yuel ſort[148] waſ ouer-gon.
his wife and
others bore children,
and the quinsy
no more troubled
him.
His wif and oðere birðe beren,
ða ðe ſwinacie gan him nu_n_mor deren. 1188
Abimalech gaf abraham
Gold, and ſiluer, and lond for-ðan;
Plates of silver he
gave to Sarah.
A ðhuſant plates of ſilu_er_ god
Gaf he ſarra ðat faire blod, 1192
Bad hire ðor hir wið[149] heuod ben hid,
for ſwilc timing was hire bi-tid.
Ðo wulde god bi-ſewen ſo
of olde abraha_m_ and o ſarra ſo. 1196
Ghe wurd wið child, on elde wac,
The birth of
Isaac.
And trimede and cleped it yſaac.
[145] _for_ ſtinkende
[146] _read_ aſ?
[147] MS. w
[148] fort in MS.
[149] _read_ ðor wið hir