The Battle of Four Kings Against Five

On-kumen was cadalamor,
king of elam, wið ferding ſtor;
were conquered by Chedorlaomer, and paid him tribute.

.xij. ger he weren under iſ hond,

844

And gouen him gouel of here lond;
Twelve years they were under his hand.

.xiij. ger gan ſo forð gon
wulde he giuen him gouel non;
In the thirteenth they rebelled,

ðre kinges haued he wið him brogt,

848

wið here-gonge hiſe gouel ſogt;
He ben cumen to mirie dale,
An ðere he werken ſckaðe and bale;
Chedorlaomer and other three kings made war upon the cities.

fowre on-ſeken and fifue weren,

852

Oc ðe fowre ðe fiue deren;
wunded ðor waſ gret folc and ſlagen,
ðe fifwe flen, ðe fowre ben fagen;
Much sorrow they wrought. The four kings conquered the five.

ðe fifwe up to ðe dunes flen,

856

ðe fowre in to ðe tuneſ ten;
wifwes, and childre, and agte, and ſrud,
The five flee to the hills, and the four to the cities of the plain.

He ledden a-wei wið herte prud.
Loth and iſ agte, childre and wif,

860

ben led a-wei bunden wið ſtrif;
They led away with them Lot, his goods, children, and wife.

oc on of hem, ðe flogen a-wei
[Fol. 17b.]

Told it abram ðat ilke deai.
ðre hundred men and .xiij. wigt,

864

Alle ſtalwurði and witter of figt,
wið mambre, and excol, and anel,
Abram let him tunde wel;
ðat hird he folged alſ to ðan,

868

On heued-welle of flum iordan,
ðor he wenden ben ſiker on nigt;
Abram he brogte wel newe figt.
But one escaped and told Abram, who armed 313 servants and pursued the enemy.

He woren drunken and ſlepi,

872

Abram folc made hem dredi;
ſo heg, ſo long, ne ſpared hem nogt,
Abram found them drunk and sleepy.

Alle he ben ðor to gronde brogt,
wið-ðuten ðo ðe cuden flen;
He brought them all to ground.

folgel in MS.

An is is inserted by a later hand.