IV.

[Sidenote: “Lord! to thee have I cried out of hell’s womb.] “Lorde to þe haf I cleped, i{n} careȝ ful stronge, Out of þe hole þ{o}u me herde, of hellen wombe I calde, & þ{o}u knew myn vncler steuen; [Sidenote: Thou dippedst me in the sea.] Þ{o}u dipteȝ me of þe depe se, i{n}-to þe dy{m}me hert, 308 [Sidenote: Thy great floods passed over me.] Þe grete flem of þy flod folded me vmbe; Alle þe goteȝ of þy guferes, & grou{n}deleȝ powleȝ, [Sidenote: The streams drive over me.] & þy stryuande stremeȝ of stryndeȝ so mony, I{n} on daschande dam, dryueȝ me ou{er}; 312 [Sidenote: I am cast out from thy sight.] & ȝet I say, as I seet i{n} þe se boþem, ‘Care-ful am I kest out fro þy cler yȝen & deseu{er}ed fro þy syȝt; ȝet surely I hope, Efte to trede on þy temple & teme to þy seluen.’ 316 I am wrapped i{n} wat{er} to my wo stou{n}deȝ, [Sidenote: The abyss binds me.] Þe abyme byndes þe body þat I byde i{n}ne; [Sidenote: [Fol. 87b.]] [Sidenote: The rushing waves play on my head.] Þe pure poplande ho{ur}le playes on my heued, To laste mere of vche a mou{n}t man am I fallen; 320 Þe barreȝ of vche a bonk ful bigly me haldes, [Sidenote: Thou possessest my life.] Þat I may lachche no lont[17] & þ{o}u my lyf weldes; Þ{o}u schal releue me renk, whil þy ryȝt slepeȝ, Þurȝ myȝt of þy m{er}cy þ{a}t mukel is to tryste. 324 [Sidenote: In my anguish I remembered my God, and besought His pity.] For when þacces of anguych watȝ hid i{n} my sawle, Þe{n}ne I remembred me ryȝt of my rych lorde, Prayande hi{m} for peté his prophete to here, Þat in-to his holy ho{us} myn orisou{n} moȝt entre. 328 I haf meled w{i}t{h} þy maystres mony longe day, Bot now I wot wyt{er}ly, þat þose vnwyse ledes Þat affyen hy{m}[18] i{n} vanyté & i{n} vayne þy{n}ges, For þi{n}k[19] þat mou{n}tes to noȝt, her mercy forsaken; 332 [Sidenote: When I am delivered from this danger, I will obey thy commands.”] Bot I dewoutly awowe þat v{er}ray betȝ halden, Soberly to do þe sacrafyse when I schal saue worþe, & offer þe for my hele a ful hol gyfte, & halde goud þat þ{o}u me hetes; haf here my trauthe.” 336

[Headnote: THE WHALE VOMITS UP JONAH.]

[Sidenote: God speaks fiercely to the whale, and he vomits out the prophet on a dry space.] The{n}ne oure fader to þe fysch ferslych biddeȝ, Þat he hy{m} sput spakly vpon spare drye; Þe whal wendeȝ at his wylle & a warþe fyndeȝ, & þ{er} he brakeȝ vp þe buyrne, as bede hy{m} oure lorde. 340 [Sidenote: Jonah has need to wash his clothes.] Þe{n}ne he swepe to þe sonde i{n} sluchched cloþes, Hit may wel be þat mest{er} were his mantyle to wasche; Þe bonk þat he blosched to & bode hy{m} bisyde, Wern of þe regiou{n}es ryȝt þat he renayed hade; 344 [Sidenote: God’s word comes to the prophet.] Þe{n}ne a wynde of goddeȝ worde efte þe wyȝe bruxleȝ, “Nylt þ{o}u neu{er} to nuniue bi no-ky{n}neȝ wayeȝ?” “Ȝisse lorde,” q{uod} þe lede, “lene me þy g{ra}ce [Sidenote: He is told to preach in Nineveh.] For to go at þi gre, me gayneȝ non[20] oþ{er}.” 348 “Ris, aproche þe{n} to prech, lo þe place here! Lo! my lore is i{n} þe loke,[21] lance hit þer-{in}ne.” Þe{n}ne þe renk radly ros as he myȝt, [Sidenote: By night Jonah reaches the city.] & to niniue þat naȝt he neȝed ful euen; 352 [Sidenote: Nineveh was a very great city.] Hit watȝ a ceté ful syde & selly of brede, On to þrenge þ{er}-þurȝe watȝ þre dayes dede. [Sidenote: [Fol. 88a.]] Þat on Io{ur}nay ful Ioynt Ionas hy{m} ȝede, Er eu{er} he warpped any worde to wyȝe þ{a}t he mette, 356

[Headnote: THE PROPHET PREACHES AGAINST NINEVEH.]

[Sidenote: Jonah delivers his message; “Yet forty days and Nineveh shall come to an end.] & þe{n}ne he cryed so cler, þat ke{n}ne myȝt alle; Þe trwe tenor of his teme he tolde on þis wyse: “Ȝet schal forty dayeȝ fully fare to an ende, & þe{n}ne schal Niniue be nomen & to noȝt worþe; 360 Truly þis ilk tou{n} schal tylte to grou{n}de, [Sidenote: It shall be turned upside down, and swallowed quickly by the black earth.”] Vp-so-dou{n} schal ȝe du{m}pe depe to þe abyme, To be swolȝed swyftly wyth þe swart erþe, & alle þat lyuyes here-i{n}ne lose þe swete.” 364 [Sidenote: This speech spreads throughout the city.] Þis speche sprang i{n} þat space & spradde alle aboute, To borges & to bacheleres, þat i{n} þat burȝ lenged; [Sidenote: Great fear seizes all.] Such a hidor hem bent & a hatel drede, Þat al chau{n}ged her chere & chylled at þe hert. 368 Þe segge sesed not ȝet, bot sayde eu{er} ilyche “Þe verray vengau{n}ce of god schal voyde þis place.” [Sidenote: The people mourn secretly, clothe themselves in sackcloth, and cast ashes upon their heads.] Þe{n}ne þe peple pitosly pleyned ful stylle, & for þe drede of dryȝtyn doured i{n} hert; 372 Het{er} hayreȝ þay hent þat asperly bited, & þose þay bou{n}den to her bak & to her bare sydeȝ, Dropped dust on her hede & dy{m}ly bisoȝten, Þat þat penau{n}ce plesed hi{m} þ{a}t playneȝ on her wronge. 376 [Sidenote: The message reaches the ears of the king.] & ay he cryes i{n} þ{a}t kyth tyl þe ky{n}g herde; & he radly vp-ros & ran fro his chayer, [Sidenote: He rends his robes, clothes himself in sackloth, and mourns in the dust.] His ryche robe he to-rof of his rigge naked, & of a hep of askes he hitte i{n} þe myddeȝ; 380 He askeȝ heterly a hayre & hasped hy{m} vmbe, Sewed a sekke þer abof, & syked ful colde; Þer he dased i{n} þat duste, w{i}t{h} droppande teres, Wepande ful wonderly alle his wrange dedes. 384 [Sidenote: He issues a decree, that all in the city, men, beasts, women and children, prince, priest, and prelates, should fast for their sins.] Þe{n}ne sayde he to his seriau{n}tes, “samnes yow bilyue, Do dryue out a decre demed of my seluen, Þat alle þe bodyes þat ben w{i}t{h}-i{n}ne þis borȝ quyk, Boþe burnes & bestes, burdeȝ & childer, 388 Vch prynce, vche prest & prelates alle, Alle faste frely for her falce werkes; [Sidenote: [Fol. 88b.]] [Sidenote: Children are to be weaned from the breast.] Seseȝ childer of her sok, sogh{e} hem so neu{er}, Ne best bite on no brom, ne no bent nauþ{er}, 392 Passe to no pasture, ne pike non erbes, [Sidenote: The ox is to have no hay, nor the horse any water.] Ne non oxe to no hay, ne no horse to wat{er}; Al schal crye for-cle{m}med, w{i}t{h} alle oure clere strenþe, Þe rurd schal ryse to hy{m} þat rawþe schal haue; 396 [Sidenote: Who can tell if God will have mercy?] What wote oþer wyte may ȝif þe wyȝe lykes, Þat is hende i{n} þe hyȝt of his gentryse? [Sidenote: Though He is mighty, He is merciful, and may forgive us our guilt.] I wot his myȝt is so much, þaȝ he be mysse-payed, Þat i{n} his mylde amesy{n}g he m{er}cy may fynde; 400 & if we leuen þe layk of oure layth sy{n}nes, & stylle steppen i{n} þe styȝe he styȝtleȝ hy{m} seluen, He wyl wende of his wodschip, & his wrath leue, & for-gif v{us} þis gult ȝif we hy{m} god leuen.” 404 [Sidenote: All believed and repented.] Þe{n}ne al leued on his lawe & laften her sy{n}nes, Par-formed alle þe penau{n}ce þat þe prynce radde; [Sidenote: God forgave them through his goodness.] & god þurȝ his godnesse forgef as he sayde, Þaȝ he oþ{er} bihyȝt, [&] w{i}t{h}-helde his vengau{n}ce. 408

[Sidenote 17: _lond_ (?).] [Sidenote 18: _hem_ (?).] [Sidenote 19: _þing_ (?).] [Sidenote 20: MS. _mon_.] [Sidenote 21: _loken_ (?).]

[Headnote: GOD’S MERCY DISPLEASES JONAH.]