Abram Dwells at Mamre. Lot in Sodom

In mirie dale hiſe bigginge he ches,

808

ðat he ſiðen twie for-les.
Jordan for his dwelling-place.

Abram let loth in welðe and wale,
[Fol. 16b.]

And ferde a-wei to mambre dale;
ðor wunede abram henden ebron,

812

ðat burge an oðer man lið on,
Abram dwelt in Mamre-dale, towards Ebron.

It atteð cariatharbe,
On engle ſpeche fowre cite;
fowre arbe cariatht arn in,
This city is called Kirjatharba, i. e. four cities.

816

for ðat fowre biried ðor ben;
Four lie buried there.

ðor waſ leid adam and eua,
Abram ſiðen and ſarra;
ðor yſaac and rebecca,

820

And iacob and hiſe wif lia.
There was laid Adam and Eve, Abram and Sarai, Jacob and Leah.

MAmbre, wið excol and anel,
ðor luueden Abram ful wel;
He woren breðere of kinde boren,

824

And abram woren he breðre ſworen.
Quor abram wunede, ðor wex bi
An ok' ðat waſ of gibi,
Mamre, Eschol, and Aner were sworn brothers with Abram.

ðer het god abre ðat tagte lond

828

Sal cumen al in hiſ kinneſ hond,
And eſt and weſt, and ſuð and norð;
Al ðat god wile ſal wel gon forð.
God promised that Abram's seed should possess the land wherein he was a stranger.

Ðo wurðen waxen ſo wide and ſpred,

832

pride and giſcinge of louerd-hed;
Then was pride widely spread, and desire of sovereignty.

Neg ilc burge hadde iſe louereding,
Sum waſ king, and ſum kumeling;
Nearly every city had its ruler.

Sum waſ wið migte ſo forð gon,

836

ðat hadden he under hem mani on.
[Fol. 17.]

Fif burges of pentapoliſ,
Adama, bala, Seboyſ,
And ſodoma wið gomorra,

840

ðe kinges welten burges ðoa,
The five cities of Pentapolis, ruled over by their own kings,

The MS. has migt; but migte is at the bottom of p. 16 b in the catchwords—"Sū waſ wið migte."