Greater Labours Are Laid Upon the Israelites

He redden ſamen he ſulden gon
wið wiſe men to pharaon.
[Fol. 56.]

"God," he ſeiden, "of iſrael

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ðe bode ſente, and greteð wel,
Moses and Aaron come before Pharaoh,

ðat, bi ði leue, hiſe folc vt-fare,
ðre daiges gon and ben ðor gare,
In ðe deſerd an ſtede up-on,

2868

Hiſ leue ſacrifiſe to don."
Quad pharaun, "knowe ic him nogt,
Bi quaſe read haue ge ðiſ ſowt?"
and deliver their message.

Seide moyſes, "ic am ſonder man,

2872

Egipte folc me knowen can,
for ic am ðat ilc moyſes,
Moses says that he is well known to the Egyptians,

ðe egypte folc of ſorge les,
ðan ethiops woren her cumen;

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ic warc al ðat ðu was binumen,
And ſwanc and michel ſorwe dreg,
having delivered them from the Ethiopians,

Get iſt vnſene hu ic it bi-teg?
Ic haue ben ſiðen at munt ſyna,

2880

Godes bode-wurd bringe ic ðor-fra."
and that he brings God's message from Mount Sinai.

Qvað pharaun, "ðu art min ðral,
ðat hidel-like min lond vt-ſtal;
Sum ſwike-dom doð it nu ben,

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ðat ðu beſt cumen nu eft agen;
Pharaoh chides Moses,

ðiſ folc, ðat ðu wilt me leden fro,
ſal ben luken in more wo."
and declares that the Israelites shall suffer still greater woe.

Ðe king it bad, and [it] wurð don;
[Fol. 56b.]

2888

More ſwinc ðo was hem leid on.
Hem-ſeluen he fetchden ðe chaf
ðe men ðor hem to gode gaf,
And ðog holden ðe tigeles tale,

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And elten and eilden, grete & ſmale.
More labour is laid upon the Israelites.

Ðo fleg ðiſ folc wið moyſen,
And [he] to god made hiſe bimen.
"Louered, qui waſ ic hider ſent?

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ðin folc iſ more in ſorwe went."
Moses complains to God.

MS. wid.

MS. ic hic.

? eldren and children?