III.

[Sidenote: Jonah is shoved from the ship.] Now is ionas þe Iwe Iugged to[13] drowne; Of þat schended schyp men schowued hy{m} sone. [Sidenote: [Fol. 86b.]] [Sidenote: A wild whale swims by the boat.] A wylde walt{er}ande whal, as wyrde þe{n} schaped, Þat watȝ beten fro þe abyme, bi þat bot flotte, 248 & watȝ war of þat wyȝe þat þe wat{er} soȝte, [Sidenote: He opens his swallow, and seizes the prophet.] & swyftely swenged hy{m} to swepe & his swolȝ opened; Þe folk ȝet haldande his fete þe fysch hy{m} tyd hentes, W{i}t{h}-outen towche of any tothe he tult i{n} his þrote. 252 The{n}ne he swengeȝ & swayues[14] to þe se boþem, Bi mony rokkeȝ ful roȝe & rydelande strondes, Wyth þe mo{n} i{n} his mawe, malskred i{n} drede. [Sidenote: It is not to be wondered at that Jonah suffered woe.] As lyttel wonder hit watȝ ȝif he wo dreȝed, 256 For nade þe hyȝe heuen ky{n}g, þurȝ his honde myȝt, Warded þis wrech man i{n} warlowes gutteȝ, What lede moȝt lyue bi lawe of any kynde, Þat any lyf myȝt be lent so longe hy{m} w{i}t{h}-i{n}ne? 260 Bot he watȝ sokored by þat syre þat syttes so hiȝe, [Sidenote: The prophet is without hope.] Þaȝ were wauleȝ[15] of wele, i{n} wombe of þat fissche, & also dryuen þurȝ þe depe, & in derk walt{er}eȝ. [Sidenote: Cold was his comfort.] Lorde! colde watȝ his cu{m}fort & his care huge, 264 For he knew vche a cace & kark þat hy{m} lymped; How fro þe bot i{n}-to þe blober watȝ w{i}t{h} a best lachched, & þrwe[16] i{n} at hit þrote, w{i}t{h}-outen þret more, [Sidenote: Jonah was only a mote in the whale’s jaws.] As mote i{n} at a mu{n}ster dor, so mukel wern his chawleȝ, 268 [Sidenote: He entered in by the gills, and by means of one of the intestines of the fish, came into a space as large as a hall.] He glydes i{n} by þe giles, þurȝ glaymande glette, Relande i{n} by a rop, a rode þat hy{m} þoȝt, Ay hele ou{er} hed, ho{ur}lande aboute, Til he blu{n}t i{n} a blok as brod as a halle; 272 [Sidenote: The prophet fixes his feet firmly in the belly of the whale.] & þer he festnes þe fete & fathmeȝ aboute, & stod vp i{n} his stomak, þat stank as þe deuel; Þ{er} in saym & i{n} sorȝe þat sauo{ur}ed as helle, Þ{er} watȝ bylded his bour, þat wyl no bale suffer; 276 & þe{n}ne he lurkkes & laytes where watȝ le best, [Sidenote: He searches into every nook of its navel.] In vche a nok of his nauel, bot nowhere he fyndeȝ No rest ne recou{er}er, bot ramelande myre, In wych gut so eu{er} he gotȝ; bot eu{er} is god swete; 280 [Sidenote: The prophet calls upon God.] & þer he lenged at þe last & to þe lede called. “Now prynce, of þy p{ro}phete pité þ{o}u haue! [Sidenote: [Fol. 87a.]] Þaȝ I be fol, & fykel, & falce of my hert, [Sidenote: He cries for mercy.] De-woyde now þy vengau{n}ce, þurȝ v{er}tu of rauthe; 284 Thaȝ I be gulty of gyle as gaule of p{ro}phet{es}, Þ{o}u art god, & alle gowdeȝ ar grayþely þyn owen; Haf now m{er}cy of þy man & his mys-dedes, & preue þe lyȝtly a lorde, i{n} londe & i{n} wat{er}.” 288 [Sidenote: He sits safely in a recess, in a bowel of the beast, for three days and three nights.] With þat he hitte to a hyrne & helde hy{m} þ{er}-i{n}ne, Þ{er} no de-foule of no fylþe watȝ fest hy{m} abute; Þer he sete also sou{n}de, saf for merk one, As i{n} þe bulk of þe bote, þer he by-fore sleped. 292 So in a bouel of þat best he bideȝ on lyue, Þre dayes & þ[r]e nyȝt ay þenkande on dryȝtyn, His myȝt & his m{er}ci, his mesure þe{n}ne; Now he knaweȝ hy{m} i{n} care þat couþe not i{n} sele. 296

[Headnote: THE WHALE WANDERS ABOUT.]

[Sidenote: The whale passes through many a rough region.] Ande eu{er} walt{er}es þis whal bi wyldren depe, Þurȝ mony a regiou{n} ful roȝe, þurȝ ronk of his wylle, [Sidenote: Jonah makes the whale feel sick.] For þat mote i{n} his mawe mad hy{m}, I trowe, Þaȝ hit lyttel were, hy{m} wyth to wamel at his hert, 300 Ande assayled þe segge; ay sykerly he herde Þe bygge borne on his bak & bete on his sydes; [Sidenote: The prophet prays to God in this wise:] Þen a prayer ful prest þe p{ro}phete þ{er} maked On þis wyse, as I wene, his wordeȝ were mony: 304

[Sidenote 13: MS. to to.] [Sidenote 14: _swaynes_ (?).] [Sidenote 15: _wanleȝ_ (?).] [Sidenote 16: _þrwen_ (?).]

[Headnote: JONAH PRAYS FOR HIS DELIVERANCE.]