Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History The Story of Genesis and Exodus: An Early English Song, about 1250 A.D.The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Story of Genesis and Exodus: An Early English Song, about 1250 A.D.
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States,
you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located
before using this eBook.
Title: The Story of Genesis and Exodus: An Early English Song, about 1250 A.D.
Editor: Richard Morris
Release date: December 13, 2015 [eBook #50685]
Most recently updated: October 22, 2024
Language: English
Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50685
Credits: Produced by David Starner, Keith Edkins and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
book was produced from scanned images of public domain
material from the Google Books project.)
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF GENESIS AND EXODUS: AN EARLY ENGLISH SONG, ABOUT 1250 A.D. ***
The
Story of Genesis and Exodus,
AN EARLY ENGLISH SONG,
ABOUT A.D. 1250.
EDITED
FROM A UNIQUE MS. IN THE LIBRARY OF CORPUS CHRISTI COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE,
WITH INTRODUCTION, NOTES, AND GLOSSARY,
BY THE
REV. RICHARD MORRIS, LL.D.,
AUTHOR OF "HISTORICAL OUTLINES OF ENGLISH ACCIDENCE;"
EDITOR OF "HAMPOLE'S PRICKS OF CONSCIENCE;" "EARLY ENGLISH ALLITERATIVE
POEMS,"
ETC. ETC.;
ONE OF THE VICE-PRESIDENTS OF THE PHILOLOGICAL SOCIETY.
[Second and Revised Edition, 1873.]
LONDON:
PUBLISHED FOR THE EARLY ENGLISH TEXT SOCIETY,
BY N. TRÜBNER & CO., 57 & 59, LUDGATE HILL.
MDCCCLXV.
PREFACE.
DESCRIPTION OF THE MANUSCRIPT, ETC.
The Editor of the present valuable and interesting record of our old
English speech will, no doubt, both astonish and alarm his readers by
informing them that he has never seen the manuscript from which the work he
professes to edit has been transcribed.
But, while the truth must be told, the reader need not entertain the
slightest doubt or distrust as to the accuracy and faithfulness of the
present edition; for, in the first place, the text was copied by Mr F. J.
Furnivall, an experienced editor and a zealous lover of Old English lore;
and, secondly, the proof sheets have been most carefully read with the
manuscript by the Rev. W. W. Skeat, who has spared no pains to render the
text an accurate copy of the original.[1] I have not been satisfied with
merely the general accuracy of the text, but all _doubtful_ or _difficult_
passages have been most carefully referred to, and compared with the
manuscript, so that the more questionable a word may appear, either as
regards its _form_ or _meaning_, the more may the reader rest assured of
its correctness, so that he may be under no apprehension that he is
perplexed by any typographical error, but feel confident that he is dealing
with the reading of the original copy.
The editorial portion of the present work includes the punctuation,
marginal analysis, conjectural readings, a somewhat large body of
annotations on the text of the poem, and a Glossarial Index, which, it is
hoped, will be found to be complete, as well as useful for reference.
The Corpus manuscript[2] is a small volume (about 8 in. × 4½ in.), bound in
vellum, written on parchment in a hand of about 1300 A.D., with several
final long ſ's, and consisting of eighty-one leaves. Genesis ends on fol.
49_b_; Exodus has the last two lines at the top of fol. 81_a_.
The writing is clear and regular; the letters are large, but the words are
often very close together. Every initial letter has a little dab of red on
it, and they are mostly capitals, except the _b_, the _f_, the _ð_, and
sometimes other letters. Very rarely, however, _B_, _F_, and _Ð_ are found
as initial letters.
The illuminated letters are simply large vermilion letters without
ornament, and are of an earlier form than the writing of the rest of the
manuscript. Every line ends with a full stop (or metrical point), except,
very rarely, when omitted by accident. Whenever this stop occurs in the
middle of a line it has been marked thus (.) in the text.
DESCRIPTION OF THE POEM.
Our author, of whom, unfortunately, we know nothing, introduces his subject
to his readers by telling them that they ought to love a rhyming story
which teaches the "layman" (though he be learned in no books) how to love
and serve God, and to live peaceably and amicably with his fellow
Christians. His poem, or "song," as he calls it, is, he says, turned out of
Latin into English speech; and as birds are joyful to see the dawning, so
ought Christians to rejoice to hear the "true tale" of man's fall and
subsequent redemption related in the vulgar tongue ("land's speech"), and
in easy language ("small words").
So eschewing a "high style" and all profane subjects, he declares that he
will undertake to sing no other song, although his present task should
prove unsuccessful.[3] Our poet next invokes the aid of the Deity for his
song in the following terms:-
"Fader god of alle ðhinge,
Almigtin louerd, hegeſt kinge,
ðu giue me ſeli timinge
To thaunen ðis werdes biginninge,
ðe, leuerd god, to wurðinge,
Queðer ſo hic rede or ſinge!"[4]
Then follows the Bible narrative of Genesis and Exodus, here and there
varied by the introduction of a few of those sacred legends so common in
the mediæval ages, but in the use of which, however, our author is far less
bold than many subsequent writers, who, seeking to make their works
attractive to the "lewed," did not scruple to mix up with the sacred
history the most absurd and childish stories, which must have rendered such
compilations more amusing than instructive. It seems to have been the
object of the author of the present work to present to his readers, in as
few words as possible, the most important facts contained in the Books of
Genesis and Exodus without any elaboration or comment, and he has,
therefore, omitted such facts as were not essentially necessary to the
completeness of his narrative;[5] while, on the other hand, he has included
certain portions of the Books of Numbers and Deuteronomy,[6] so as to
present to his readers a complete history of the wanderings of the
Israelites, and the life of Moses their leader.
In order to excite the reader's curiosity, we subjoin a few passages, with
a literal translation:-
LAMECH'S BIGAMY.
Lamech is at ðe sexte kne,
ðe ſeuende man after adam,
ðat of caymes kinde cam.
ðiſ lamech waſ ðe firme man,
ðe bigamie firſt bi-gan.
Bigamie is unkinde ðing,
On engleis tale, twie-wifing;
for ai was rigt and kire bi-forn,
On man, on wif, til he was boren.
Lamech him two wifes nam,
On adda, an noðer wif ſellam.
Adda bar him ſune Iobal,
He was hirde wittere and wal;
Of merke, and kinde, and helde, & ble,
ſundring and ſameni[n]g tagte he;
Iob |