Confusion of Tongues. Origin of Idolatry

664

Meiſter men for to maken it ſo.

Al waſ on ſpeche ðor bi-foren,
All spoke one speech before.

ðor woren ſundri ſpeches boren;
ðo wurðen he frigti and a-griſen,

668

for dor waſ ſundri ſpecheſ riſen,
Now sundry tongues arose and sorely terrified the workmen.

Sexti lond-ſpeches and .xii. mo,
weren delt ðane in werlde ðo.
Seventy-two land-speeches were then spoken.

Babel, ðat tur, bi-lef un-mad,
That tower was called Babel.

672

ðat folc iſ wide on lon[de] ſad;
Nembrot nam wið ſtrengðhe ðat lond,
And helde ðe tur o babel in hiſ hond.
The folk became scattered afar upon the earth.

Beluſ king waſ nembrot ſune,

676

Nilus hiſ ſune gan ille wune;
Belus wurð dead, and nilus king
Made likeneſſe, for muni[gin]g
Belus was Nimrod's son, and after him reigned Nilus, who set up an image in remembrance of his father.

After hiſ fader, and he ſo dede,

680

He it ſetten on an mirie ſtede;
[Fol. 14.]

Euerilc man he gaf lif and frið
ðat to ðat likeneſſe ſogte grið;
for ðat frið ðat hem [gaf] ðe king,

684

He boren ðat likneſſe wurðing,
Nilus rewarded all that honoured this likeness.

Calden it bel, after belum;
After ðis cam ſwilc oðer ſum,
They called it Bel, after Belum.

Manie man, iſ frend for to munen,

688

Made likneſſe after ðe wunen,
Many made likenesses of their friends.

Bel was ðe firſte, and after him
Sum higte beland, ſum balim,
And ſum bel, and ſum bal;

692

fendes fleiðing wex wið-al,
To wenden men fro godes reed,
To newe luue and to newe dred;
Bel was the first, and hence the names Bal or Balim.

Ydolatrie ðuſ waſ boren,

696

for quuam mani man iſ for-loren.
Of ſem, and of ðe folc ðe of him cam,
luue and dred under gode nam;
Of ðis kinge wil we leden ſong,
Thus was idolatry introduced, by which many are destroyed.

read ðor

see l. 1623