GOdes bliſcing be wið vs,
Here beginneth
Exodus.
Her nu bi-ginned[237] exodus.
Under Pharaoh,
and the seven
kings who succeeded
him,
Pharao kinges rigte name
Vephres, be dede ðe ebriſ frame; 2540
And bi oðere ſeuene kinges ſel,
the Israelites increased
and prospered.
Wexen he ðore & ðogen wel.
The eighth king
treated them
harshly,
ðe egtenede king amonaphis,
Agenes ðis folc hatel is; 2544
and the Egyptians
became jealous
of them.
And egipte folc adden nið,
for ebriſ adden ſeli ſið.
Q_u_uað ðis ging[238] wið hem ſtille i_n_ red,
"ðis ebris waxen michil ſped, 2548
[Fol. 50.]
Bute if we eraflike[239] hem for-don,
Ne ſulen he non eige ſen uſ on."
They made slaves
of them, and set
them to build
walls.
Ðo ſette ſundri hem to waken
His tigel and lim, and walles maken, 2552
burges feten; a_n_d rameſen
ðurge here ſwinc it walled ben;
Some they made
to do foul work,
Su_m_me he deden in vn-ðewed ſwinc,
for it was fugel and ful o ſtinc, 2556
to carry "muck
and fen out of
the city,"
Muc and fen ut of burgeſ beren,
ðuſ bitterlike he gun he_m_ deren;
ðe ðridde ſwinc was eui and ſtron[g],
and to creep
along dikes.
He deden hem crepen dikes long, 2560
And wide a-buten burges gon,
The comb of the
dike serves them
as protection
against their
enemies.
And cumen ðer ear waſ non;
And if ðat folc hem wulde deren,
ðe dikeſ comb he_m_ ſulde weren. 2564
for al ðat ſwinc heui & ſor,
For all that labour,
the folk
increased and
spread.
Ay wex ðat kinde, mor & mor,
And ðhogen, & ſpredden i_n_ londe ðor,
ðat made ðe kinges herte ful ſor. 2568
Then bad Pharaoh,
Ðo bad monophis pharaun
wimmen ben ſet i_n_ eu_er_ilc tun,
that every Hebrew
male child
should be put to
death as soon as
it was born.
And ðat he weren redi bi-foren,
Q_u_an ebru child ſuld be boren, 2572
[237] bi-ginneð?
[238] king?
[239] craftlike?