And ðe knapes to deade giuen,
And leten ðe mayden childre liuen.
[Fol. 50b.]
The midwives
saved the children's
lives,
Oc he it leten fro godeſ dred;
Get ðo childre wexen in ſped, 2576
And q_u_ane he komen to ðe king,
and lied to the
king, saying,
He wereden hem wið leſing;
He ſeiden ðe childre weren boren
that the children
were born ere
they arrived.
Or he migten ben hem bi-foren. 2580
God it geald ðeſe wifes wel,
On hom, on hagte, eddi ſel!
Pharaoh then
bad that every
"knave child"
should be drowned.
Ðo bad ðis king al opelike,
In alle burges modilike, 2584
Eu_er_ilc knape child of ðat kin
ben a-non don ðe flod wið-in.
By that time was
Moses born.
BI ðat time waſ moyſes boren,
So het abrah_a_m dor[240] bi-foren; 2588
And his moder het Iacabeð,
Ghe was for him dreful and bleð,
His mother hid
him for three
months.
wel is hire of bird[241] bi-tid.
ðre moneð haueð ghe him hid, 2592
durſte ghe non lengere him for-helen,
Ne ghe ne cuðe ðe wateres ſtelen;
Then she made
an ark,
In an fetles, of rigeſſes wrogt,
Terred, ðat water dered it nogt, 2596
placed the child
in it,
ðiſ child wunden ghe wulde don,
and set it on the
water.
And ſetten it ſo ðe water on;
Miriam was sent
to watch what
became of it.
Ghe adde or hire dowter ſent,
[Fol. 51.]
To loken q_u_ider it ſulde ben went; 2600
Maria dowter ful feren ſtod,
And ghe nam kep to-ward ðiſ flod.
The king's
daughter came
and saw the child
on the water.
Teremuth kinkes[242] dowter ðor cam,
ðor ðis child on ðe water nam; 2604
Ghe bad it ben to hire brogt,
And ſag ðis child wol fair[e] wrogt,
She wist it was of
Hebrew kin,
Ghe wiſte it was of ebrius kin,
And ðog cam hire rewde[243] wið-in; 2608
[240] ðor?
[241] birð?
[242] kinges?
[243] rewðe?