YORKSHIRE.
(About A.D. 1340.)
hampole.
Ðan waxes his hert hard and hevy,
And his heved feble and dysy;
Ðan waxes his gast seke and sare,
And his face rouncles, ay mare and mare;
His mynde es short when he oght thynkes,
His nese ofte droppes, his hand stynkes,
His sight wax dym, þat he has,
His bax waxes croked; stoupand he gas;
Fyngers and taes, fote and hande,
Alle his touches er tremblande.
His werkes for-worthes that he bygynnes;
His hare moutes, his eghen rynnes;
His eres waxes deef, and hard to here,
His tung fayles, his speche is noght clere;
His mouthe slavers, his tethe rotes,
His wyttes fayles, and he ofte dotes;
He is lyghtly wrath, and waxes fraward,
Bot to turne hym fra wrethe it es hard.[1]
DURHAM.
(About A.D. 1320.)
metrical homilies.
A tal of this fest haf I herd,
Hougat it of a widou ferd,
That lufd our Lefdi sa welle,
That scho gert mac hir a chapele;
And ilke day deuotely,
Herd scho messe of our Lefdye.
Fel auntour that hir prest was gan
His erand, and messe hayed scho nan,
- ↑ Morris, Specimens of Early English, p. 172. This poem should be compared with the Northern Psalter, at page 145 of my work.
