Chapter IV

[Sidenote: “Lord! to thee have I cried out of hell’s womb.]
“Lorde to þe haf I cleped, i{n} careȝ ful stronge,
Out of þe hole þ{o}u me herde, of hellen wombe
I calde, & þ{o}u knew myn vncler steuen;
[Sidenote: Thou dippedst me in the sea.]
Þ{o}u dipteȝ me of þe depe se, i{n}-to þe dy{m}me hert, 308
[Sidenote: Thy great floods passed over me.]
Þe grete flem of þy flod folded me vmbe;
Alle þe goteȝ of þy guferes, & grou{n}deleȝ powleȝ,
[Sidenote: The streams drive over me.]
& þy stryuande stremeȝ of stryndeȝ so mony,
I{n} on daschande dam, dryueȝ me ou{er}; 312
[Sidenote: I am cast out from thy sight.]
& ȝet I say, as I seet i{n} þe se boþem,
‘Care-ful am I kest out fro þy cler yȝen
& deseu{er}ed fro þy syȝt; ȝet surely I hope,
Efte to trede on þy temple & teme to þy seluen.’ 316
I am wrapped i{n} wat{er} to my wo stou{n}deȝ,
[Sidenote: The abyss binds me.]
Þe abyme byndes þe body þat I byde i{n}ne;
[Sidenote: [Fol. 87b.]]
[Sidenote: The rushing waves play on my head.]
Þe pure poplande ho{ur}le playes on my heued,
To laste mere of vche a mou{n}t man am I fallen; 320
Þe barreȝ of vche a bonk ful bigly me haldes,
[Sidenote: Thou possessest my life.]
Þat I may lachche no lont[17] & þ{o}u my lyf weldes;
Þ{o}u schal releue me renk, whil þy ryȝt slepeȝ,
Þurȝ myȝt of þy m{er}cy þ{a}t mukel is to tryste. 324
[Sidenote: In my anguish I remembered my God, and besought His
pity.]
For when þacces of anguych watȝ hid i{n} my sawle,
Þe{n}ne I remembred me ryȝt of my rych lorde,
Prayande hi{m} for peté his prophete to here,
Þat in-to his holy ho{us} myn orisou{n} moȝt entre. 328
I haf meled w{i}t{h} þy maystres mony longe day,
Bot now I wot wyt{er}ly, þat þose vnwyse ledes
Þat affyen hy{m}[18] i{n} vanyté & i{n} vayne þy{n}ges,
For þi{n}k[19] þat mou{n}tes to noȝt, her mercy forsaken; 332
[Sidenote: When I am delivered from this danger, I will obey thy
commands.”]
Bot I dewoutly awowe þat v{er}ray betȝ halden,
Soberly to do þe sacrafyse when I schal saue worþe,
& offer þe for my hele a ful hol gyfte,
& halde goud þat þ{o}u me hetes; haf here my trauthe.” 336

[Headnote: THE WHALE VOMITS UP JONAH.]

[Sidenote: God speaks fiercely to the whale, and he vomits out
the prophet on a dry space.]
The{n}ne oure fader to þe fysch ferslych biddeȝ,
Þat he hy{m} sput spakly vpon spare drye;
Þe whal wendeȝ at his wylle & a warþe fyndeȝ,
& þ{er} he brakeȝ vp þe buyrne, as bede hy{m} oure lorde. 340
[Sidenote: Jonah has need to wash his clothes.]
Þe{n}ne he swepe to þe sonde i{n} sluchched cloþes,
Hit may wel be þat mest{er} were his mantyle to wasche;
Þe bonk þat he blosched to & bode hy{m} bisyde,
Wern of þe regiou{n}es ryȝt þat he renayed hade; 344
[Sidenote: God’s word comes to the prophet.]
Þe{n}ne a wynde of goddeȝ worde efte þe wyȝe bruxleȝ,
“Nylt þ{o}u neu{er} to nuniue bi no-ky{n}neȝ wayeȝ?”
“Ȝisse lorde,” q{uod} þe lede, “lene me þy g{ra}ce
[Sidenote: He is told to preach in Nineveh.]
For to go at þi gre, me gayneȝ non[20] oþ{er}.” 348
“Ris, aproche þe{n} to prech, lo þe place here!
Lo! my lore is i{n} þe loke,[21] lance hit þer-{in}ne.”
Þe{n}ne þe renk radly ros as he myȝt,
[Sidenote: By night Jonah reaches the city.]
& to niniue þat naȝt he neȝed ful euen; 352
[Sidenote: Nineveh was a very great city.]
Hit watȝ a ceté ful syde & selly of brede,
On to þrenge þ{er}-þurȝe watȝ þre dayes dede.
[Sidenote: [Fol. 88a.]]
Þat on Io{ur}nay ful Ioynt Ionas hy{m} ȝede,
Er eu{er} he warpped any worde to wyȝe þ{a}t he mette, 356

[Headnote: THE PROPHET PREACHES AGAINST NINEVEH.]

[Sidenote: Jonah delivers his message; “Yet forty days and
Nineveh shall come to an end.]
& þe{n}ne he cryed so cler, þat ke{n}ne myȝt alle;
Þe trwe tenor of his teme he tolde on þis wyse:
“Ȝet schal forty dayeȝ fully fare to an ende,
& þe{n}ne schal Niniue be nomen & to noȝt worþe; 360
Truly þis ilk tou{n} schal tylte to grou{n}de,
[Sidenote: It shall be turned upside down, and swallowed quickly
by the black earth.”]
Vp-so-dou{n} schal ȝe du{m}pe depe to þe abyme,
To be swolȝed swyftly wyth þe swart erþe,
& alle þat lyuyes here-i{n}ne lose þe swete.” 364
[Sidenote: This speech spreads throughout the city.]
Þis speche sprang i{n} þat space & spradde alle aboute,
To borges & to bacheleres, þat i{n} þat burȝ lenged;
[Sidenote: Great fear seizes all.]
Such a hidor hem bent & a hatel drede,
Þat al chau{n}ged her chere & chylled at þe hert. 368
Þe segge sesed not ȝet, bot sayde eu{er} ilyche
“Þe verray vengau{n}ce of god schal voyde þis place.”
[Sidenote: The people mourn secretly, clothe themselves in
sackcloth, and cast ashes upon their heads.]
Þe{n}ne þe peple pitosly pleyned ful stylle,
& for þe drede of dryȝtyn doured i{n} hert; 372
Het{er} hayreȝ þay hent þat asperly bited,
& þose þay bou{n}den to her bak & to her bare sydeȝ,
Dropped dust on her hede & dy{m}ly bisoȝten,
Þat þat penau{n}ce plesed hi{m} þ{a}t playneȝ on her wronge. 376
[Sidenote: The message reaches the ears of the king.]
& ay he cryes i{n} þ{a}t kyth tyl þe ky{n}g herde;
& he radly vp-ros & ran fro his chayer,
[Sidenote: He rends his robes, clothes himself in sackloth, and
mourns in the dust.]
His ryche robe he to-rof of his rigge naked,
& of a hep of askes he hitte i{n} þe myddeȝ; 380
He askeȝ heterly a hayre & hasped hy{m} vmbe,
Sewed a sekke þer abof, & syked ful colde;
Þer he dased i{n} þat duste, w{i}t{h} droppande teres,
Wepande ful wonderly alle his wrange dedes. 384
[Sidenote: He issues a decree, that all in the city, men,
beasts, women and children, prince, priest, and prelates,
should fast for their sins.]
Þe{n}ne sayde he to his seriau{n}tes, “samnes yow bilyue,
Do dryue out a decre demed of my seluen,
Þat alle þe bodyes þat ben w{i}t{h}-i{n}ne þis borȝ quyk,
Boþe burnes & bestes, burdeȝ & childer, 388
Vch prynce, vche prest & prelates alle,
Alle faste frely for her falce werkes;
[Sidenote: [Fol. 88b.]]
[Sidenote: Children are to be weaned from the breast.]
Seseȝ childer of her sok, sogh{e} hem so neu{er},
Ne best bite on no brom, ne no bent nauþ{er}, 392
Passe to no pasture, ne pike non erbes,
[Sidenote: The ox is to have no hay, nor the horse any water.]
Ne non oxe to no hay, ne no horse to wat{er};
Al schal crye for-cle{m}med, w{i}t{h} alle oure clere strenþe,
Þe rurd schal ryse to hy{m} þat rawþe schal haue; 396
[Sidenote: Who can tell if God will have mercy?]
What wote oþer wyte may ȝif þe wyȝe lykes,
Þat is hende i{n} þe hyȝt of his gentryse?
[Sidenote: Though He is mighty, He is merciful,
and may forgive us our guilt.]
I wot his myȝt is so much, þaȝ he be mysse-payed,
Þat i{n} his mylde amesy{n}g he m{er}cy may fynde; 400
& if we leuen þe layk of oure layth sy{n}nes,
& stylle steppen i{n} þe styȝe he styȝtleȝ hy{m} seluen,
He wyl wende of his wodschip, & his wrath leue,
& for-gif v{us} þis gult ȝif we hy{m} god leuen.” 404
[Sidenote: All believed and repented.]
Þe{n}ne al leued on his lawe & laften her sy{n}nes,
Par-formed alle þe penau{n}ce þat þe prynce radde;
[Sidenote: God forgave them through his goodness.]
& god þurȝ his godnesse forgef as he sayde,
Þaȝ he oþ{er} bihyȝt, [&] w{i}t{h}-helde his vengau{n}ce. 408

[Sidenote 17: _lond_ (?).]
[Sidenote 18: _hem_ (?).]
[Sidenote 19: _þing_ (?).]
[Sidenote 20: MS. _mon_.]
[Sidenote 21: _loken_ (?).]

[Headnote: GOD’S MERCY DISPLEASES JONAH.]