1 [1]Erthe apon erthe ys wonderly wroth[2],
Erthe apon erthe hath worschyp of nogth,
Erthe apon erthe hath set[3] al hys thowth
How erthe apon erth myth be hy browth. 4
2 Erthe apon erth wolde be a kyng{e};
How erth schal to þe erth thy[n]k[4] he no thyng{e}.
Whan erth bydyth erth hys rent h[om]e[4] bryng{e},
Þan schal erth fro þe erth [haue][5] a delful partyng{e}[6]. 8
3 Erth apon erth wyn[nyth ca[7]]stellys {and} towrys;
Þan seyth erth to þe erth: 'Þose beth al owrys'.
Whan erth apon erth hath byggyt al hys bowrys[8],
Þan schal erth for þe erth suffyr scharpe [s]chowrys[9]. 12
4 Lo erth apon erth consyder þ{o}u may
Þ{a}t erth cometh owte of þ{e} erth nakyt alway.
Þan how scholde erth apon erthe be prowt [or gay][10]
Whan erth schal to þ{e} erth in so pore aray? 16
5 Erth goth on erth as molde doþe on molde,
Erth goth on erth glydderande in golde,
Lyk as erth to erth neuyre go scholde.
[Gh]yt schal erth to þ{e} erth rathyr þan þey wolde. 20
6 I cowsayl erth apon erth þ{a}t wykytly hath wroht,
Whyle erth ys apon erth to turne al hys tho[w]th[11].
Now pray we to God þ{a}t al erth wrowth,
Þat erth owt of erth to blys myth be browth. 24
[Footnote 1: The poem is in a different hand on the last leaf of
the MS., and the writing is much worn and stained, and in many
cases barely legible. A few letters have been re-written in black
ink by a later hand.]
[Footnote 2: _wroht_, cf. _nogth_, _thowth_, _browth_, and similar
cases of _th_ for _ht_ in v. 6.]
[Footnote 3: MS. perhaps _iset_.]
[Footnote 4: MS. obscure.]
[Footnote 5: omitted in MS.]
[Footnote 6: _partyn_ re-written in black ink, _ge_ of the
original hand still clear.]
[Footnote 7: MS. stained and illegible; portions of _nyth a_ seem
to be visible.]
[Footnote 8: _bow_ in original hand, _rys_ re-written in black
ink.]
[Footnote 9: The second hand has re-written _chowrys_ ignoring the
_s_ which is no longer visible.]
[Footnote 10: _o_ and _y_ re-written, the rest illegible.]
[Footnote 11: _w_ no longer legible.]
4.