God haued[244] ſwilc fair-hed hi_m_ geuen,
but let it live for
its beauty.
ðat ſelf ðe fon it leten liuen.
Egyptians
wanted her to
destroy the
child.
Egipte wimmen comen ner,
And boden ðe childe letten ðer, 2612
Oc he wente it awei wið rem,
Of here bode nam he no gem.
Miriam, at Teremuth's
bidding,
ÐO q_u_ad maria to teremuth,
"wilt ðu, leuedi, ic go fear out, 2616
And take ſu_m_ wimman of ðat kin
ðor he waſ bi-gote & foſtred in?"
fetches a "foster
woman" for the
child.
Teremuth ſo bad, & ſche forð-ran,
And brogt hire a foſtre wimman, 2620
On waſ tette he ſone aueð lagt,
Teremuth consigned
Moses to
Jochabed, who
returned home
blithely.
And teremuth haueð hire hi_m_ bi-tagt.
Iakabeð wente bliðe agen,
ðat ghe ðe gildesſ[245] foſtre muſte ben; 2624
Ghe kepte it wel i_n_ foſtre wune,
Ghe knew it for hire owen ſune;
[Fol. 51b.]
When old
enough, the child
was adopted by
Teremuth, who
called it Moses.
And q_u_ane it ſulde ſundred ben,
Ghe bar it teremuth for to ſen; 2628
Teremuth toc it on ſunes ſtede,
And fedde it wel and cloðen dede;
And ghe it clepit moyſen,
Ghe wiſte of water it boren ben. 2632
She brought him
before Pharaoh,
who placed the
royal crown on
his head.
An time after ðat ðiſ was don,
Ghe brogte him bi-foren pharaon,
And ðiſ king wurð hi_m_ in herte mild,
So ſwide[246] faiger was ðiſ child; 2636
And he toc him on ſunes ſtede,
And hiſ corune on his heued he dede,
And let it ſtonden ayne ſtund;
The child soon
threw it to the
ground.
ðe child it warp dun to de grund. 2640
Hamon's likeness
was thereon.
Hamonel[247] likeneſ was ðor-on;
ðis crune is broken, ðiſ iſ miſdon.
The Bishop of
Heliopolis saw
this, and said,
Biſſop Eliopoleos
ſag ðiſ timing, & up he roſ; 2644
[244] haueð?
[245] cildeſ?
[246] ſwiðe?
[247] Hamoneſ?