268 MORDREINS GOES INTO THE CAve, and is strucK DOWN. [CH. XXII.

Thanne gan he to Remembren him Anon

How worthily he was wont to Gon,

Mordreins thinks of his Richesse, & Of his honoure,

over his former

riches and

honour,

And On his lordschepis In that stowur;

And sethen he thowhte thanne Azen
In what persecucioun he hadde ben

and his sufferings Sethen Cristen Man that he was,

since he's been a Christian.

He goes into the Cave on the Rock,

What he hadde Suffred In diuers plas;
And thus In disperawnce he gan to falle
Tyl Azens the Niht Sore with Alle.

Thanne he bethowhte him Anon,
How that Ony wyse he myhte don;
For the Roche was A wastable plase,
And non Resteng there-Inne Nas.

72

76

80

84

and at the first step is smitten

to the ground,

And the ferste foot that with-Inne he sette,

Plat to the Grownd he was smette;

96

For him thowhte that On with two hondis him took,
And Evene to therthe there him schook.

where he lies swooning.

And thus lay the king In swowneng In þis Manere
Thorwgh the Fal that he hadde there.

100

When he revives And whanne of his swowneng he A-wook,

Vppon the Entre Of the Cave he gan to look ;
And thus As he In this thowht gan dwelle,

he sees a wonder- A wondirful tempest there befelle,

ful tempest,

That him thowghte the wawes of pe se
Into the hevene wolden fle,

104

CH. XXII.]

MORDREINS REVIVES IN THE MORNING.

269

And Al to-berste bothe lond & ston:

Thus him thowghte there Ryht Anon.

Thanne Cam there so grete A dirknesse

That browhte him in moche distresse,
That him self he ne myhte not se

No more thanne In A pit he hadde I-be.

And whanne Of alle thinge he hadde lost pe siht,

And pat non thing he sen ne myht,

And whanne In this dirknesse he hadde longe be,

And for drede lost bothe wit & Memore,

120

He ne wiste for drede what to do,

And In this thowht longe Abod he so.
And al the nyht lay this kyng

As In Maner he hadde ben In Sowneng,
That from him Self he was ful Clene,
For On him non Otherwise ne was it sene.

And whanne that it was goddis wille,
The Clernesse Of day there to fulfille,
And the bemes of the sonne Bryht
Into1 Alle the Erthe it schon ful lyht,
The kyng that vppon the Grees lay
To-fore the Cave dore, As I the Say,
Vppon his Face the sonne pere schon,
Where-with he A-wook Ryht Anon,
And his Eyen Open he gan to Caste,
And Abowtes him he loked ful faste ;
And whanne that the Se he loked vppon,
And Ek the Roch that he lay There on,
He lefte vpe his Riht hond An hy,
And the Signe of the Crois made devoutly.

Thanne Cam he to his Mynde Agein

As he to-forn was Al In Certein,

1 MS into to.

270

MORDREINS PRAYS. HE SEES THE OLD MAN COMING AGAIN.

Then Mordreins prays to God

And kneling, to God made his preyere
In this Maner As 3e scholen here:
"O thow swete lord God Almyhty,

144

That Comfort And Ese dost to Alle Sory,

And me hast deliuered of Manie gret distresse,
Of Mani Aventures, & Of Mani heveynesse;
And Of Mani hevynesses which1 weren Comenge,

148

to keep and defend him from the temptations of the Devil.

Ne hadde ben thy Mercy, God lord Omnipotent; 156
And thy Mercy from helle it gan to withdrawe,

And browhtest it Into the Cristene lawe;

So, goode lord, me kepe & defende,

And Euere thy Grace that thow me Sende;

160

And that the devel ne tempte not me,

Whom I haue forsaken, & Only taken me to the ;

Whose werkis & him I have forsake,

And to thy mercy Onlich, lord, I me betake."

164

That of so mochel goodnesse to him spak than.

to the Rock.

And whanne he Say the Schipe to the Roche gon,
Evere to the foot of the Roch he Cam Anon,

1 MS we.

CH. XXII.] THE GOOD OLD MAN COMFORTS MORDREINS.

And Into that Schipe he lokede there,
And Say there-Inne thinges of diuers Manere,
Bothe Richesse, Jowelles, & vitaille Also,

180

That to Ony lyveng Man belonged to.

271

And whanne the Same good man he Say,
That to him hadde spoken the formere day,
And seide, "Sire, Ryht welcome ze be
Into this Roche ful Certeinle!"

Thanne this goodman Owt of pe schipe wente

Vp to the Roche tho, veramente,

And Axed the kyng how he dide fare
Sithen pe tyme that he was thare.
"Forsothe, sire," quod the king tho,
"I Was neuere so ful of Sorwe & Wo
As that, Goode sire, I have I-be,
Sethen the tyme 3e partid from me."
he him forto telle

Thanne gan

What Aventures that him befelle,
And Of that Fairre wommans Comeng,
And of mani Anothir Aventures thing.
Thanne Answerid him tho this good Man
With a smyleng Chere Anon than:
"O thow Man ful litel of beleve,

Ful litel thing May the Greve.

And thou stedfast In beleve wost be,

per nys non thing that myhte Greven the;

Mordreins

welcomes the

184 Good Man;

188

192 and tells him of his sorrows

196 and adventures.

The Good Man reproves him for

200 his want of faith,

204

For And thow wost thenken on hem þat the bowht,

Troste thow wel, he forgeteth the nowht;

And if thow Attenden wilt to his Servise,

He nele the forgeten In non wise;

As dauid seith In the Sawter book

Hos wele there aftir there-Inne look

'Owre lord is Redy In Alle wise

To hem that hym Clepen In his Servise.'

In this loke thow have stedfast Creaunce,

And thanne schalt thow, with-Owten variaunce,

208

and bids him remember

that God is always ready

212 to help His

servants.

272

GOD WILL GIVE MORDREINS DELIVERANCE.

The Good Man tells Mordreins that God will take him from the Rock.

God looses those that are bound.

[Have al] where vppon thin herte wil thenke,
Redy to the, whethir pou wake Oper wynke.
And thowgh A whille that here thow be
Here In preson, As thow Miht Se,
Abasche the not for thy beyng;
Ful wel hens he wyl the bringe,

And qwiten the A hundred fold More

Thanne for him dist thow Owht fore;

And more Gwerdoun schalt thow have

[CH. XXII.

216

220

Thanne Evere thin herte kan thenken oper krave, 224
As witnesseth david the prophete,

Where As he Seith these wordes swete,
'God vnbindeth that is I-bownde,

& of here peynes hem loseth In a stownde;
For God, the hurte men he keuereth sone,
And pe wikked to goodnesse torneth Anone,
Oure God, pe Ryhtwos loveth Ryht Wel,
The Orphanees he gouerneth Ech del.'

"This Owhtest thow to have In knowenge,

228

232

not from the Heart,

For the Flesch, dedlich it is,

which is spiritual. For thin herte, it is speritwel,

Et nepourquant, se il auient aucune fie que li cuers peche, pour chou ne dois tu mie quidier que che soit de la cure de lui. Mais che li auient par la grant fragilitei de la char dont il est cargies. Car la char est morteus, si ne puet naturelment a nule chose penser qui ne soit morteus. Mais li cuers est esperiteus; si doit as esperiteus choses entendre. Mais or dois donques sauoir ke est li cuers, pour che ke ie te fai entendant ke il est esperiteus. Li cuers n'est nule autre chose ke la connissanche de bien et de mal. Et pour chou ke il est connissans de l'un et de l'autre, pour chou doit il estre apielesla veuc de l'ame.' Ensi rent li tres haus rois la veue du cuer cheus qui es morteus choses sont awles, quant il voelent requerre sa medicine et son consel.-A.