_Abraham dede hem siðen sundri wunen_,
Abraham assigned them afterwards sundry abodes.
1456
_Him bi-stoden wurlike and wel_,
Mourned for (bewailed) him worthily and well.
See ll. 716, 3857. _wurlike_ = _wurðlike_, worthily. 1461-4 Long it was ere
she him child bare, And he entreated God, when he became aware of it
(_i.e._ that Rebekah was barren), That he should fulfil that promise, That
he to Abraham erewhile made. 1463 _fillen_, to fulfil, accomplish. See Orm.
i. 91. _quede_, promise, saying, is the same as the O.E. _quede_, a
bequest, _quide_, a saying, from _queðe_, to say, still existing in
_quoth_. See Laȝ. i. 38, 43; ii. 151, 197, 613 ; iii. 3; Orm. ii. 321.
1467-8
At one burden she bore
Two, who were to her akin of blood.
_sibbe blod_ = O.H.G. _sippe-bluot_, blood relatives. Perhaps this line was
inserted by the author on account of the popular belief at this time, that
the birth of twins was an indication of unfaithfulness on the part of the
woman to her husband. 1469-71 Also it seemed to her day and night, As
(though) they wrought in fight (struggling, conflict), Which of them should
first be born. 1470 "And the children struggled together within her."—(Gen.
xxv. 22.) The following curious paraphrase of this passage occurs in the
Cursor Mundi, fol. 20b:—
"His wiif (Rebekah) þat lang had child forgane,
Now sco bredes tua for ane,
Tuinlinges þat hir thoght na gamen,
Þat in hir womb oft faght samen.
Swa hard wit-in hir wamb þai faght,
Þat sco ne might rest dai ne naght;
At pray to Godd ai was sco prest,
To rede hir quat þat hir was best;
Þat hir war best he wald hir rede.
Hir liif was likest to þe ded (death).
Strang weird was giuen to þam o were,
Þat þai moght noght þair strif forbere
Til þai had o þaim-seluen might
To se quarfor þat þai suld fight.
Fra biginning o þe werld
O suilk a wer was never herd,
Ne suilk a striif o childer tuin
Þat lai þer moder wamb wit-in.
Þair strut it was vn-stern stith,
Wit wrathli wrestes aiþer writh.
Bituix unborn a batel blind,
Suilk an was ferli to find.
He þat on þe right side lai
Þe tother him wraisted oft awai;
And he þat lay upon þe left,
Þe tother oft his sted him reft."
1470 _and_ = _an_ = in; or else _figt_ must be an error for _fagt_ =
fought; and _nigt_ = _nagt_. 1477 _Ghe_ is evidently an error for _ghet_ or
_get_, yet. _liues_ = alive. Cf. _newes_, anew, etc.
P. 43. l. 1484 _swete mel_, sweet meal (food), not sweet speech. "And Isaac
loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison."—(Gen. xxv. 28.) 1487 _seð a
mete_, sod a meat. "sod pottage."—(Gen. xxv. 29.) 1493 _mattilike weri_ =
_mattilike and weri_, overcome (faint) and weary. _Mattilike_ is connected
with the O.E. _mat_, _mote_, faint, half dead. See Allit. Poems, p. 12, l.
386.
1494
_Iacob wurð war he was gredi_,
Jacob became aware that he (Esau) was hungry.
—(See Gloss. s.v. _Gredi_.)
1495-6 "Brother," quoth he, "sell me those privileges Which are said to be
the first (eldest) son's." 1499 _bliðelike_, quickly; _blithelike_ has
often this sense in O.E. writers. 1501 _wurði wune_, a worthy (high, great)
privilege. 1503 _offrende sel_, offering time.
1504
_Was wune ben scrid semelike and wel_,
Was wont to be clothed seemly and well.
1506 _dede his ending_, came to his end (died). 1507 _heg tide_, hey (high)
days. 1510 _twinne del_, two-fold. 1511-12 And when the father were (should
be) buried, to have two portions of hereditary property. _ereward_ =
_erfeward_, is properly the guardian, keeper of the _erfe_ or inheritance,
and hence the heir, so that instead of _ereward riche_ we ought to read
_ereward-riche_, corresponding to the A.Sax. _yrfe-land_, hereditary land.
The _-riche_ is the affix found in O.E. _heven-riche_, heaven kingdom;
_kine-riche_, a kingdom; E. _bishoprick_. The _-ward_ (in _ereward_) =
_warder_, keeper, is found in O.E. _gate-ward_, _dore-ward_ (door-keeper),
_bat-ward_ (boat-keeper); _hey-ward_ (farm-yard keeper); _sti-ward_
(steward, the officer who originally had care of the highways or _sties_?).
P. 44. l. 1514 _then_, an error for _ten_, to go. 1515 _in wis_, in wise,
so that; but may we not read _in-wis_ = _i-wis_, indeed, truly? See l.
2521. 1518 _Holden wurðelike_, esteemed honourably, held in honour,
respect; _a_ may be for _and_, or for _aa_ = _aye_, ever.
1519-20
A hundred times as much waxed his honour,
So may God prosper where he will.
1521
_Niðede ðat folk_ [ðat] _him fel wel_,
That folk envied him because he prospered.
1522 And made him change his abode; _flitten_ is to remove, to _flit_.
"O land he (Noe) had ful grette plenté,
For him and for his sons thre;
Mast to tilth he gave him þan,
To _flitt_ þe breres he bigan;
Sua lang wit _flitting_ he þam sloght,
Þat wine-treis he þam wroght."
—(Cursor Mundi, fol. 13.)
1524 _trewðe fest_, _troth-fast_, pledged by troth or plighted faith;
_fest_ has usually the sense of confirming, pledging, in O.E.
"Þis neu forward (covenant) was _festened_ þan."
—(Cursor Mundi, fol. 23.)
1527-28
And age came upon Isaac,
_He_ became sightless and weak of (with) age.
_elde swac_ = _eldes wac_, weak of (with) age. 1531 _ðat_, what. 1535
_brogtes_, brought them. 1536 And she well knew the father's choice; _kire_
answers exactly to the later gloss, _wune_ = what is chosen, selected; S.
Sax. _cure_, choice.
"Þer stoden in þere temple
ten þusend monnen
þet wes þe bezste _cure_
Of al Brut-londe."—Laȝ. i. 345.
1537 And made exceedingly good, or very opportunely, that meat; _on sele_ =
_on-sele_, good, literally timely, opportunely; S.Sax. _on sele_, safely.
See note on l. 1542.
"Cnihtes fuseð me mid
leteð slæpen þene king
And fare we _on sele_."—Laȝ. i. 32.
sæ-men æfter
fóron flód-wége
folc wæs _on salum_.
_The_ sea men after
marched the flood way
_the_ folk prospered (was in prosperity).
—(Cædmon, 184, 13.)
1539 Clothed she Jacob and made him rough. 1542 _seles mel_, an error for
_selie mel_, good (timely) meal? Cf. _miries dale_ for _mirie dale_, l.
1038, p. 30. See Laȝ. i. 75; ii. 173.
"And þas word saide
Brutus þe _sele_ (the good)."—Laȝ. i. 30.
"haueð mi fader bi þære sæ
Castel swiðe _sæle_."—(_Ibid._ ii. 14.)
1544 For he handled him and found him rough. 1545 When he knew him,
opportunely he blessed him, faithfully and well. _on gode sel_, in good
time, opportunely. See note to l. 1542.