Memento homo Quod Sinis Es
Et in cenerem Reuerteris.
1 [1]Erthe owte of erthe es wondirly wroghte,
Erthe hase getyn one erthe a dignyte of noghte,
Erthe appon{e} erthe hase sett alle his thoghte
How þat erthe appon{e} erthe may be heghe broghte. 4
2 Erthe appon{e} erthe wolde be a kynge,
Bot howe þ{a}t erthe to erthe sail thynkis he no thynge.
When erthe bredis erthe & his rentis[2] home brynge,
Thane schalle[3] erthe of erthe hafe full harde partynge. 8
3 Erthe appon{e} erthe wynnys castells and towrrys.
Thane saise[4] erthe vnto erthe: 'This es alle owrris'.
When erthe appo{ne} erthe hase bigged vp his bourris,
Than schalle erthe for erthe suffire scharpe scowrrys[5]. 12
4 Erthe gose appon{e} erthe as golde appone golde,
He that gose appon{e} erthe gleterande as golde,
Lyke als erthe neu{er} more[6] goo to erthe scholde,
And [gh]itt schal erthe vnto erthe [gh]a
rathere þan he wolde. 16
5 Now why þ{a}t erthe luffis erthe wondire me thynke,
Or why þ{a}t erthe for erthe scholde oþ{er} swete or swynke,
For when þ{a}t erthe appon{e} erthe
es broghte w{i}t{h}in brynke,
Thane schalle erthe of erthe hafe a foulle stynke. 20
Mors Soluit Omnia.
[Footnote 1: Cf. G. G. Perry, Religious Poems in Prose and Verse
(E.E.T.S. _No. xxvi. 1867, p. 95, 1889, p. 96_); C. Horstmann,
Yorkshire Writers, _1. 373_.]
[Footnote 2: repeated in MS. _rentys_.]
[Footnote 3: Perry _sall_, MS., Horstmann _schalle_.]
[Footnote 4: perh. _sase_, MS. indistinct, Perry _thus sase_.]
[Footnote 5: perh. _stourrys_ as in Perry, but all other texts
have _schowrys_.]
[Footnote 6: MS. _more_, Perry _mare_.]
3.