"It shall," quoth he, "be fulfilled
What God before hath to our elders sworn;
He shall lead you in his hand
Hence to that promised land;
For God's love I yet entreat you;
Perform it (my prayer) then, promise it now
That my petition shall not be lost (sight of);
With you let my bones be borne.
2510 _Lested_ = _lesteð_, perform. 2514 God bring the soul into bliss. 2516
_egipte-like_, after the custom of the Egyptians. 2521 _to ful in wis_ =
_to ful-iwis_, very full (completely), indeed. See l. 109. Orm uses the
word _fuliwis_, _ful iwiss_, _fuliȝwiss_, in the sense of certainly, truly.
See Gloss. to Orm, s. v. _fuliwis_. 2524 _for lefful soules ned_, for the
need of faithful souls. 2528 May God help him kindly (joyfully). For the
meaning of _weli_ see Gloss. to Allit. Poems, s. v. _wely_. 2529 And
preserve his soul from sorrow and tears. 2532 God grant them in his bliss
to have pleasure; _spilen_ signifies to sport, live pleasantly.
"Þan was Uortigerne þa king
in Cantuarie-buri.
Þer he mid his hirede,
hæhliche _spilede_ (nobly diverted themselves)."
—(Laȝ. ii. 153.)
"dâ was _spil_ unde wunne
under wîben unde manne.
vone benche ze benche
hiez man allûteren wîn scenchen:
Si _spilten_ unde trunchan
unz in iz der slâf binam."
—(M.H.G. version of Genesis and Exodus, ed. Deimer.)
P. 73. l. 2544 _hatel_, severe, cruel. See Gloss. to Allit. Poems, s. v.
_Hatel_. 2546 _seli sið_, prosperity. 2547 Quoth (spoke) this king with
them, secretly, in council. 2548 _michil sped_ = great speed, rapidly. 2553
_feten_ seems to be an error for _seten_, made. 2555 _vn-ðewed swinc_,
unaccustomed (extraordinary) labour; _vn-ðewed_ also signifies immoral,
wicked. See Orm. i. 74, Allit. Poems, B, l. 190. 2556 _fugel_ = _ful_,
foul, loathsome. 2560 They caused them to creep along (or through) dikes;
_dikes_ = O.E. _diches_, may here signify subterraneous passages, burrows;
or perhaps _dikes_ = sewers, from the allusion to _muc_ and _fen_. "And
Jhesus said to him, Foxes han _dichis_, or _borowis_, and briddis of the
eir han nestis, but mannes sone hath not where he reste his
heued."-(Wicliffe, St. Matt. viii. 20.)
2561-2
And wide about (through) the cities to go,
And come where none had been before.
2564 _comb_, crest or top (?). 2567 _ðhogen_ = _ðogen_, throve. See l.
2542.
P. 74. l. 2575 But they disobeyed from fear of God. 2578 They defended
themselves with lies.
2581-2
God requited it these women well,
On _their_ homes, _their_ wealth, _a_ happy time.
_eddi sel_ is, literally, pleasant time, but may here denote prosperity,
success, etc. 2583 _opelike_ = openlike, openly. 2588 _Abraham_ is an error
for _Amram_, _i.e._ Amram was Moses' first name. 2590 _dreful and bleð_,
sorrowful and afraid; _bleð_. In A.Sax. _bleað_ = gentle, slow; _blæt_ =
miserable; the S.Sax. _blæð_ = destitute, poor; _bliðere_, cowardlier. 2594
Nor could she take him stealthily (secretly) of (from) the water; or
_stelen_ may signify to still, to quiet. 2595 _rigesses_ = rushes. Cf. Sc.
_reesk_, _reyss_. 2596 _terred_ = _tarred_, pitched.