Hit bitydde su m -tyme i n þe termes of Jude,
Jonas joyned watg þ er -i n ne Jentyle p ro phete ;
Goddes glam to hy m glod þat hy m vnglad made,
W i t h a roghlych rurd rowned i n his ere :
" Rys radly, " He says, " & rayke forth euen,
Nym þe way to Nynyue, wyth-outen oþ er speche,
& in þat cete my sages sogh e alle aboute,
þat, i n þat place at þe poy n t, I put i n þi hert.
For Iwysse, hit arn so wykke þat i n þat won dowelleg,
& her malys is so much, I may not abyde,
Bot venge me on her vilanye & venym bilyue ;
Now swege me þider swyftly & say me þis arende. "
When þat steuen watg stynt þat stowned his my n de,
Al he wrathed i n his wyt, & wyþ er ly he þogt :
" If I bowe to his bode & bry ng he m þis tale,
& I be nu m men in Nuniue, my nyes begy n es:
He telles me þose trayto ur es arn typped[e] schrewes ;
I com wyth þose tyþy n ges, þay ta me bylyue,
Pyneg me i n a prysou n , put me i n stokkes,
Wryþe me i n a warlok, wrast out myn ygen.
þis is a m er uayl message a man for to preche,
Amonge enmyes so mony & mansed fendes ;
Bot if my gaynlych God such gref to me wolde,
For desert of su m sake þat I slayn were,
At alle peryles, " q uo þ þe p ro phete, " I aproche hit no nerre;
I wyl me su m oþ er waye þat he ne wayte aft er ;
I schal tee i n to Tarce & tary þere a whyle,
&, lygtly, when I am lest he letes me alone. "
þe n ne he ryses radly, & raykes bylyue
Jo n as toward port Japh, ay janglande for tene,
þat he nolde þole, for no-þy n g, non of þose pynes,
þag þe fader þat hy m formed were fale of his hele,
" Oure syre syttes, " he says, " on sege so hyge
I n his g[lo]wande glorye, & glou m bes ful lyttel,
þag I be nu m men in Nuniue & naked dispoyled,
On rode rwly to-rent, w i t h rybaudes mony. "
þ us he passes to þat port his passage to seche ;
Fyndeg he a fayr schyp to þe fare redy,
Maches hy m w i t h þe maryneres, makes her paye,
For to towe hy m i n -to Tarce, as tyd as þay mygt.
Then he tron on þo tres & þay her tra m me ruchen,
Cachen vp þe crossayl, cables þay fasten,
Wigt at þe wyndas wegen her ankres,
Sprude spak to þe sprete þe spare bawe-lyne,
Gederen to þe gyde-ropes, — þe grete-cloþ falles ;
þay layden i n on ladde-borde & þe lofe wy n nes.
þe blyþe breþe at her bak þe bosum he fyndes ;
He swenges me þys swete schip swefte fro þe hauen.
Watg neu er so joyful a Jue as Jonas watg þe n ne,
þat þe daunger of Drygtyn so derfly ascaped;
He wende wel þat þat wyg þ a t al þe world planted,
Hade no magt i n þat mere no man for to greue.
Lo ! þe wytles wrechche, for he wolde nogt suffer,
Now hatg he put hy m i n plyt of p er il wel more;
Hit watg a weny n g vnwar þat welt i n his mynde,
þag he were sogt fro Samarye, þat God seg no fyrre.
Gise, he blusched ful brode, þat burde hy m , by sure !
þat ofte kyd hy m þe carpe þat ky n g sayde,
Dy n gne Dauid on des, þat demed þis speche,
I n a psalme þat he set þe Saut er w i t h -i n ne:
" O Foleg i n folk, feleg oþ er whyle,
& vnderstondes vmbe-stou n de, þag ge be stape fole:
Hope ge þat he heres not þat eres alle made?
Hit may not be þat he is blynde þat bigged vche yge. "
Bot he dredes no dynt þat dotes for elde,
For he watg fer i n þe flod fou n dande to Tarce;
Bot, I trow, ful tyd ouer-tan þat he were,
So þat schomely to schort he schote of his ame.
For þe welder of wyt þat wot alle þy n ges,
þat ay wakes & waytes, at wylle hatg he slygtes.
He calde on þat ilk crafte he carf w i t h his hondes ;
þay wakened wel þe wroþeloker, for wroþely he cleped:
" Ewr us & Aq ui lou n þat on Est sittes,
Blowes boþe at my bode vpon blo watt er es. "
þe n ne watg no tom þer bytwene his tale & her dede,
So bayn wer þay boþe two, his bone for to wyrk.
Anon out of þe norþ-est þe noys bigynes,
When boþe breþes con blowe vpon blo watteres.
Rog rakkes þer ros, w i t h rudny n g an-vnder;
þe see souged ful sore, gret selly to here ;
þe wyndes on þe wo n ne wat er so wrastel togeder,
þat þe wawes ful wode walt er ed so hige
& eft busched to þe abyme, þat breed fysches
Durst nowhere for rog arest at þe bothem.
When þe breth & þe brok & þe bote metten,
Hit watg a joyles gyn þat Jonas watg i n ne,
For hit reled on ro u n[d] vpon þe roge yþes.
þe bur ber to hit baft, þat brast alle her gere,
þen hurled on a hepe þe helme & þe sterne;
Furst tomurte mony rop & þe mast aft er:
þe sayl sweyed on þe see, þe n ne suppe bihoued
þe coge of þe colde wat er , & þe n ne þe cry ryses.
Get coruen þay þe cordes & kest al þ er -oute.
Mony ladde þer forth-lep to laue & to kest: —
Scopen out þe scaþel wat er , þat fayn scape wolde ;
For be mo n nes lode neu er so luþ er , þe lyf is ay swete.
þer watg busy ou er borde bal e to kest, —
Her bagges, & her feþ er -beddes, & her brygt wedes,
Her kysttes, & her coferes, her caraldes alle,
& al to lygten þat lome, gif leþe wolde schape.
Bot eu er watg ilyche loud þe lot of þe wy n des,
& eu er wroþ er þe wat er , & wodder þe stremes.
þe n þo wery for-wrogt wyst no bote,
Bot vchon glewed on his god þat gayned hy m beste:
Summe to Vernagu þ er vouched avowes solemne,
Summe to Diana deuout, & derf Nepturne,
To Mahou n & to Mergot, þe Mone & þe Su n ne,
& vche lede, as he loued & layde had his hert.
þe n ne bi-speke þe spakest, dispayred wel nere:
" I leue here be su m losynger, su m lawles wrech,
þat hatg greued his god & gotg here amonge v us !
Lo ! al synkes i n his sy n ne, & for his sake marres !
I lovue þat we lay lotes on ledes vchone,
& who-so ly m pes þe losse, lay hy m þ er oute;
& quen þe gulty is gon, what may gome trawe,
Bot he þat rules þe rak may rwe on þose oþ er ? "
þis watg sette i n asent, & sembled þay were,
Herged out of vche hyrne to hent þat falles.
A lodes-mon lygtly lep vnder hachches,
For to layte mo ledes & hem to lote bry n g;
Bot hy m fayled no freke þat he fynde mygt,
Saf Jonas þe Jwe þat jowked i n derne.
He watg flowen, for ferde of þe flode-lotes,
I n -to þe boþem of þe bot, & on a brede lyggede,
Onhelde by þe hurrok, for the heuen wrache,
Slypped vpon a slou m be-slepe, & sloberande he routes.
þe freke hy m fru n t w i t h his fot, & bede hy m ferk vp;
þer Raguel i n his rakentes hy m rere of his dremes!
By þe [hater] haspede he hentes hy m þe n ne,
& brogt hy m vp by þe brest, & vpon borde sette,
Arayned hy m ful runyschly what raysou n he hade,
I n such slagtes of sorge, to slepe so faste.
Sone haf þay her sortes sette & serelych deled,
& ay þe lote, vpon laste, lymped on Jonas.
þe n ne ascryed þay hy m sckete, & asked ful loude:
" What þe deuel hatg þ o u don, doted[e] wrech?
What seches þ o u on see, synful schrewe,
W i t h þy lastes so luþ er to lose v us vchone?
Hatg þ o u, gome, no gou er no ur , ne god on to calle,
þat þ o u þ u s slydes on-slepe when þou slayn worþes?
Of what londe art þ o u lent, what laytes þ o u here,
Whyder i n worlde þat þ o u wylt, & what is þyn arnde?
Lo, þy dom is þe dygt, for þy dedes ille!
Do gyf glory to þy godde, er þ o u glyde hens. "
" I am an Ebru, " q uo þ he, " of Israyl borne;
þat wyge I worchyp, Iwysse, þat wrogt alle þy n ges,
Alle þe worlde w i t h þe welkyn, þe wynde & þe sternes,
& alle þat woneg þer w i t h -i n ne, at a worde one.
Alle þis meschef for me is made at þis tyme:
For I haf greued my God & gulty am fou n den;
For-þy bereg me to þe borde, & baþes me þ er -oute,
Er gete ge no happe, I hope for soþe. "
He ossed hy m by vnny n ges þat þay vnder-nomen,
þat he watg flawen fro þe face of frelych Drygtyn.
þe n ne such a ferde on hem fel, & flayed he m w i t h -i n ne,
þat þay ruyt hy m to rowwe & letten þe ry n k one.
Haþeles hyged i n haste w i t h ores ful longe,
Sy n her sayl watg hem aslypped, onsydeg to rowe;
Hef & hale[d] vpon hygt to helpen hym seluen,
Bot al watg nedles note: þat nolde not bityde,
In bluber of þe blo flod bursten her ores.
þe n ne hade þay nogt i n her honde þat hem help mygt;
þe n ne nas no cou m fort to keu er , ne cou n sel non oþer,
Bot Jonas i n -to his juis jugge bylyue.
Fyrst þay prayen to þe prynce þat p ro phetes seruen,
þat he gef hem þe g ra ce to greuen hy m neu er ,
þat þay i n baleleg blod þer blenden her handeg,
þag þat haþel wer his þ a t þay here quelled.
Tyd by top & bi to þay token hy m sy n ne,
I n -to þat lodlych loge þay luche hy m sone.
He watg no tytter out-tulde þat tempest ne sessed ;
þe se sagtled þ er -w i t h , as sone as ho mogt.
þe n ne þag her takel were torne, þ a t totered on yþes,
Styffe stremes & stregt hem strayned a whyle,
þat drof hem dryglych adou n þe depe to serue,
Tyl a swetter ful swyþe he m sweged to bonk.
þer watg louyng on lofte, when þay þe londe wo n nen,
To oure mercyable God, on Moyses wyse,
W i t h sacrafyce vp-set, & solempne vowes,
& grau n ted hy m [o]n to be God & grayþly non oþ er .
þag þay be jolef for joye, Jonas get dredes;
þag he nolde suffer no sore, his seele is on ant er ;
For what-so worþed of þat wyge, fro he i n wat er dipped,
Hit were a wonder to wene, gif holy wryt nere.