Pharaoh Takes Away Sarai, and Is Punished by a Plague

772

Sone him waſ ſarrai binumen;
Sone him waſ ſarray bi-lagt,
And pharaon ðe kinge bi-tagt;
Soon was Sarai taken from Abram, and brought to king Pharaoh.

God ſente on him ſekeneſſe & care,

776

And lettede al his lecher-fare.
Sarray liuede in clene lif,
God plagued the king with sickness.

And ðe king ðholede ſorges ſtrif
Til he wiſte al ðat ſtrif

780

Cam him on for abram wif;
Pharaoh at last became aware that all this strife was on account of Sarai,

ðo ſente he after abram,
And bi-tagte he him iſ leman,
so he restored her to her husband,

And gaf him lond, and agte, and fe,

784

And leue, ðor quiles his wille be,
To wune egipte folc among,
And friðen him wel fro euerilc wrong,
Bad him to god hiſ erdne beren,
[Fol. 16.]
and gave Abram land and cattle.

788

ðat ywel him ſulde nunmor deren.
ðor wunede abram in welðe and in frið,
In Egypt the patriarch abode in security.

Egipte clerkes woren him wið,
And hem lerede, witterlike,

792

Aſtronomige and arſmetike;
He was hem lef, he woren him hold.
Egypt's clerks held him in high honour.

God gaf him ðor ſiluer and gold,
And hird, and orf, and ſrud, and ſat,

796

Vn-achteled welðe he ðor bi-gat.
God greatly increased his riches.

Vt of egipte, riche man,
Wente abram in to lond canaan;
And loth hiſe neue and ſarray

800

bileften bi-twen betel and ay,
ðor he quilum her wiſten wunen,
Or he weren to egipte cumen.
Out of Egypt Abram went to Canaan, and abode between Bethel and Ai.

So wex here erue, and ſo gan ðen

804

An twen here hirdeſ ſtriuing gan ben;
Strife arose between Abram and Lot's herdsmen.

Loth him cheſ, bi leue of abram,
ðat herðe hende ðe flum iurdan;
Lot, by leave of his uncle, chose the plains of the

w in MS. But the w is much like p.