The seven years of plenty pass away.
Joseph himself knew how to provide beforehand.
2161 _for nede sogt_, _sought_, come by compulsion. (See l. 2165.) 2163 _he
lutten him_, they did obeisance to him.
2167-8
Joseph knew them all in his thought (mind),
He made as _if_ he knew them not.
2176 For hunger doth (causes) them (Jacob's sons) hither to come.
2178 _bi gure bering_, by your behaviour. 2181 For seldom betideth even any
king.
P. 63. l. 2190 _ða_ = _ðat_; _pore_ is evidently an error for _gure_ =
your.
2191-2
For then was Joseph sore afraid
That he were also through them deceived.
2196 _ðe ton_ = the one. 2198 _to wedde_ = in pledge, as hostage.
"He said, 'Forsothe, a tokyne _to wedde_
Salle thou lefe with me.'"—(Sir Perceval of Galles, p. 19.)
2204 _Wrigtful_ = sinful. (See note to l. 2076.) 2209 For we denied him
mercy; _werneden_ = denied, refused.
"God schewes in his godspelle
Of þe riche man and laȝarus,
How þat he _warned_ him almus,
Þarfor God _warned_ him agayne
A drope of water, to sloken his payne
In þe fire of helle when he was þan."
—(Cott. MS. Tib. E. vii., fol. 37.)
2214 _pilt_ = O.E. _pult_, thrown, placed (R. of Gloucester, 3376, 459; Lay
le Freine, 136).
P. 64. l. 2219 _ouer-ðogt_, over-anxious. 2224 _ðo agtes_ = the monies.
2232 Death and sorrow come on me; _segeð_ = _sigeð_, cometh, alighteth,
falleth.
"& þi wracche (wretched) saule
[Scal] _siȝen_ to helle."—(Laȝ. ii. 186.)
2233 _bi-lewen_ = _bi-liuen_ = remain.
2235-8
Then quoth Judah, "It will go hard with us,
If we do not keep our agreement with him."
Famine increased, this corn is gone,
Jacob again biddeth them go again (to Egypt).
2241-2
Then quoth he, "When (since) it is necessary,
And _I_ know no better plan."
2249 God grant that he may be kindly disposed (towards you); _eði-modes_ =
_eðe-moded_ (see note to l. 1584). 2252 _ligt_ = soon; literally easily,
without difficulty. 2254 Kind thought (natural affection) was in his heart
then; _ðag_ = _ða_ = _ðo_ = then, is necessary for the sense and the rhyme.
P. 65. l. 2255 _gerken_ = O.E. _ȝarke_, Mod. Eng. _yark_, prepare, get
ready.
"He lætte bi sæ flode
_ȝearkien_ scipen gode."—(Laȝ. i. 111.)
2258 None of them had then merry cheers (countenances). 2262 _ur non_, none
of us; _ur_ should be properly _ure_. Cf. l. 2260, where we have _gur_ for
_gure_.
2267-8
Very glad (fain) he was of their coming,
For he was held there as a prisoner.
_to nome_ may have the same signification as the phrase _to wedde_ = as
hostage, as security; _nome_ (_nom_?), derived from _nimen_, to take,
capture, signifies seizure. Cf. _wop_ from _wepe_ (weep), _grot_ from
_grete_ (lament, cry), _lop_ (flee) from _lepe_ (leap, run), etc. 2269
_vndren time_ = A.Sax. _undern-tid_; _vndren_ is the Prov. _aandorn_,
_oandurth_, _orndorn_. It literally denotes "the intervening period, which
accounts for its sometimes denoting a part of the forenoon, or a meal taken
at that time, and sometimes a period between noon and sunset."—(Garnett.)
2275 And he willingly accepted it. 2279 Know I that none of them but what
trembles.
2287-9
Soon he went out, and secretly he wept,
That all his face became wet with tears.
After that weeping, he washed his face.
P. 66. l. 2295 _of euerilc sonde_, of every dish, of every mess; _sond_
signifies a dish, mess, meal. S.Sax. _sonden_, _sunde_, viands.
"wanliche (bad) weoren þa _sonden_."—(Laȝ. iii. 32.)
"þas beorn þa _sunde_
(þes beare þe _sondes_)
from kuchene to þan kinge."—(Laȝ. ii. 611.)
"Hwer beoð þine disches
midd þine swete _sonde_?"—(O.E. Miscell., p. 174.)
2297 In abundance they became glad. 2302 _ðeden_ = peoples. 2311 _weren ...
went_ = had gone. 2316 _vn-selðehe_ = _vnselðe_, misfortune, evil.
"Her waas _unnseollþe_ unnride inoh
Till an mann forr to dreȝhenn."—(Orm. i. 165.)
"Ah ich heom singe, for ich wolde
That hi wel understonde schulde
That sum _unselthe_ heom is i-hende (near)."
—(Owl and Nightingale, p. 43.)
Later writers use the word in the sense of wickedness. (See Shoreham's
Poems, p. 43.) 2314 _bi-calleð_, accuses. See Ywain and Gawin, p. 21, l.
491. 2318 _gure on_ = one of you. 2320 _vp_ = _vpe_ = _upon_.
"Moni of þisse riche
þat wereden foh and grei,
An rideþ _uppe_ stede
and uppen palefrai,
Heo schulen atte dome,
suggen weilawei."—(O.E. Miscell., p. 164.)
P. 67. l. 2335 Provided that thou spare Benjamin. 2341 _so e gret_ = _so he
gret_, so he wept. 2342 That all his face became wet of (with) tears. See
l. 2356. 2354 _sundri_ = _on-sundri_, apart. 2356 _Ilc here_, each of them.
P. 68. l. 2367 _twinne srud_, two _changes of_ raiment. 2369 _fif weden_,
five garments. 2373 _wið semes fest_, with burdens loaded. 2380 He knew not
who they were (on account of their princely garments). 2384 All Egypt in
his power is placed (fixed). 2390 _or ic of werlde chare_, ere I from the
world go (turn) = ere I die.
P. 69. l. 2399 _derer_, an error for _derë_ = beloved. 2400 How many years
are on thee. 2403 _fo_ = few; O.E. _fowe_. Cp. Northern _fon_, few, in
Hampole's P. of C. 2404 Although I have passed (suffered) them in woe. 2406
_her vten erd_ = here in foreign lands. See l. 2410. 2412 _seli mel_, good
sustenance (food). Cf. l. 1542. 2416 _y-oten_ = _y-hoten_, called.
2427-31
So was it pleasing to him to be laid,
Where the Holy Ghost secretly had said
To him and his elders, far ere before,
Where Jesus Christ would be born,
And where be dead, and where be buried.
P. 70. l. 2435 _Or ðan_ = ere that.
2441-3
Joseph caused his body to be honourably prepared (for burial),
To be washed, richly anointed,
And with spices to be scented.
_Smaken_ usually signifies to taste, savour, but here means to scent, to be
scented. _Smac_ in the Owl and Night., 821, is used for scent, while in the
Ayenbite of Inwyt it has the sense of flavour.
"Zalt yefþ _smac_ to þe mete."
See Gloss. to Allit. Poems, s. v. _Smach_.
2444-9
And Egypt's folk him bewaked,
Forty nights and forty days,
Such were Egypt's laws;
_The_ first nine nights the bodies they bathe,
And anoint, and shroud, and bewail
And watch them afterwards forty nights.
2451-5
And Hebrew folk had a custom,
Not immediately to bury it with iron,
But to wash it (the corpse) and keep it right,
Without anointing, seven nights,
And afterwards (keep it) anointed thirty days.
2452 _yre_ = iron; O.E. _ire_, _iren_ (Owl and Night. 1028). The form
_ize_, iron, is also met with in O.E. writers. (See Ayenbite, pp. 110,
133.) 2454 _smerles_, ointment, belongs to the same class of words as
_feteles_, a vessel, _reckeles_, incense, etc. "þe _smeryels_ ne is naȝt
worþ to hele þe wonde ne non oþer þing þer huile þet þet yzen is
þerinne."—(Ayenbite, p. 174.)
2459-60
For truth and with good deeds,
Done is then all that watch-deed.
2460 _wech-dede_, vigils. 2463 And some every year as it happens or comes
round. 2465 Do for the dead church-going; _chirche-gong_ = church-going.
"Þe gret cyte of Medes suþþe afure he (William) sette,
Vor me (one) ne myȝte non _chyrche gong_ wyþ out lyȝte do."
—(R. of Gloucester, p. 380.)
2467 And that is instead of the vigils.
P. 71. l. 2472 _daiges_ is evidently an error for _laiges_, laws. See l.
2456. 2479 _wis of here[n]_, skilful in arms. 2487 _ouer-pharan_ =
_ouer-faren_, pass over _or_ beyond Pharan. 2488 _in biriele don_, put into
the tomb. "And whanne Jhesus hadde comen over the water at the cuntre of
men of Genazereth, twey men havynge develis runnen to him, goynge out fro
_birielis_ (tombs), ful feerse, _or wickid_, so that no man miȝte passe by
that way."—(Wicliffe, St. Matt. viii. 28.) 2498 _To beðen meðe_, to
supplicate for mercy; _beðen_ may be an error for _beden_, to entreat,
_bedden oc_ = _beoden oth_ = to offer oath [of obedience].