The Brethren Are Accused of Theft

He dede hem waſſen and him bi-foren,

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And ſette hem aſ he weren boren;
Get he ðhogte of hiſ faderes wunes
Hu he ſette at ðe mete hiſe ſunes;
[Fol. 45.]
He made his brethren sit before him according to their age.

Of euerilc ſonde, of euerilc win,

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moſt and beſt he gaf beniamin.
In fulſum-hed he wurðen glaðe,
Ioſep ne ðoht ðor-of no ſcaðe,
Oc it him likede ſwiðe wel,
Of meat and wine, the best he gave to Benjamin.

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And hem lerede and tagte wel,
And hu he ſulden hem beſt leden,
Quene he comen in vnkinde ðeden;
Joseph gave them good counsel,

"And al ðe bettre ſule ge ſpeden,

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If ge wilen gu wið treweiðe leden."
and advised them to act truthfully.

Eft on morwen quan it waſ dai,
Or or ðe breðere ferden a-wei,
Here ſeckes woren alle filt wið coren,

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And ðe ſiluer ðor-in bi-foren;
On the morrow they depart.

And ðe ſeck ðat agte beniamin
Ioſepes cuppe hid was ðor-in;
And quuan he weren ut tune went,

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Ioſep haueð hem after ſent.
Joseph's cup is hid in Benjamin's sack.

ðis ſonde hem ouertakeð raðe,
And bi-calleð of harme and ſcaðe;
Joseph's messenger overtakes them,

"Vn-ſeli men, quat haue ge don?

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Gret vn-ſelðehe iſ gu cumen on,
and accuses them of theft.

for iſ it nogt min lord for-holen,
ða[t] gure on haueð iſ cuppe ſtolen."
ð[o] ſeiden ðe breðere ſikerlike,
[Fol. 45b.]

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"Vp quam ðu it findes witterlike,
He ſlagen and we agen driuen
In-to ðraldom, euermor to liuen."
The brethren assert their innocence.

He gan hem ranſaken on and on,

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And fond it ðor ſone a-non,
And nam ðo breðere euerilk on,
And ledde hem ſorful a-gon,
They are ransacked one by one,

= glade.