and to bring them
into the land of
seven kingdoms.
An .vii. kinge-riches lond
Ic ſal hem bringen al on hond.
Come, thou shalt
be my messenger,
Cum, ðu ſalt ben min ſondere man,
Ic ſal ðe techen wel to ðan; 2792
and bid Pharaoh
release my people.
ðu ſalt min folc bringen a-gen,
And her ðu ſalt min migte ſen;
And ðu ſalt ſeien to faraon,
ðat he lete min folc ut-gon; 2796
If he refuse, I
shall work great
marvels,
If he it werne and be ðor-gen,
Ic ſal ðe techen hu it ſal ben;
for ic ſal werken ferlike ſtrong,
and cause my
people to go out
freely.
And maken min folc frelike ut-gong; 2800
Ge ſulen cumen wið feteles & ſrud,
As a sign, throw
down thy wand."
The wand then
became an ugly
snake.
And reuen egipte ðat iſ nu prud.
Werp nu to token dun ðat wond."
And it warp vt of hiſe hond, 2804
And wurð ſone an uglike ſnake,
And moyſes fleg for dredes ſake;
God bade Moses
take it by the
tail, and anon it
became a wand.
God him bad, bi ðe tail he it nam,
And it a-non a wond it bi-cam, 2808
[Fol. 55.]
He put his hand
into his bosom
and it became
leprous.
And in hiſe boſum he dede his hond,
Q_u_it and al unfer he it fond;
He put it in again
and it became
whole and sound.
And ſone he dede it eft agen,
Al hol and fer he wiſte it ſen. 2812
"If they believe
not these tokens,
pour out the
water of the flood
on the earth, and
it shall become
blood."
"If he for ðiſe tokenes two
Ne liſteðe ne troweð to,
Go, get ðe water of de[259] flod
On ðe erðe, and it ſal wurðen blod." 2816
"Lord! I am not
eloquent, and
cannot speak
well," said Moses.
"Lou_er_d, ic am wanmol, vn-reken
Of wurdes, and may ic Iuel ſpeken.
Nu iſ forð gon ðe ðridde dai,
Sende an oðer; bettre he mai." 2820
Quoth God, "Who
made the dumb,
the speaking, the
blind, and the
seeing?"
"Q_u_o made do_m_me, and q_u_o ſpecande?
Q_u_o made bisne, and q_u_o lockende?
Q_u_o but ic, ðat haue al wrogt?
Of me ſal fultu_m_ ben ðe brogt." 2824
[259] ðe?