Erthe Upon Erthe Part 6

[Footnote 10: The first leaf of this text has been torn out and the verses in brackets are only conjectural.]

[Footnote 11: MS. Laud represents, in the main, the same version as MS. Lamb., but the variant readings preclude the idea of its being a copy of Lamb., unless the scribe deliberately tried to modify his original on the lines of Harl. 4486 and Rawl. P. The changes in the text (ll. 26, 27, 47: see Notes) show that it cannot be the original of Lamb. It appears to be a transcript from the same original made about the same date, or a little earlier than the Lambeth text.]

[Footnote 12: Cf. MS. Brighton _n.o.bley_.]

[Footnote 13: Cf. MS. Selden _delful_.]

[Footnote 14: The Latin and Anglo-French texts in the Appendix are evidently renderings of the English poem which accompanies them.]

[Footnote 15: This is clearly seen in the Latin and French versions in the Appendix where the Latin text uses _terra in terra_, and the French _terre en terre_.]

[Footnote 16: Vernon MS. _to resten on_, Digby, _shal rest right at_.]

[Footnote 17: Cotton MS. _e rof e firste_.]

[Footnote 18: Cf. Frendles ys e dede (_Proverbs of Hendyng_, l. 288).]

[Footnote 19: = heres onkes, _of their own free will_.]

[Footnote 20: Compare with this the text in the Appendix which begins: Whanne eorthe hath eorthe wi wrong igete-- and in the French version: Quant terre auera en terre large terre gayne.]

[Footnote 21: See the Appendix, p. 46.]

[Footnote 22: _Die Kildare-Gedichte_ (Bonn, 1904).]

[Footnote 23: See p. x.x.xiv above.]

[Footnote 24: The earliest known epitaphs in English date from the fourteenth century.]

[Footnote 25: There is no record of this bra.s.s at the church of St. Helen's, Bishopsgate.]

[Footnote 26: Dated 1590 by Ernest R. Suffling, _Epitaphia_ (1909), p. 382.]

[Footnote 27: A late instance of its use is given by Ch. Box (_Elegies and Epitaphs_, Glouc. 1892) as found by him on the tomb of a bricklayer, who died in 1837, aged 90:-- Earth walks upon Earth like glittering gold, Earth says to Earth, 'We are but mould'; Earth builds upon Earth castles and towers, Earth says to Earth, 'All is ours'!]

[Footnote 28: Printed from Grein-Wulcker, _Bibliothek der ags.

Poesie_, iii. 212.--(I know of a most n.o.ble guest in the dwellings, hidden from men, whom fierce hunger cannot torment, nor burning thirst, nor age, nor sickness [nor close-pressing death], if the servant who shall [bear him company] in his course serves him honourably: they, prospering, shall find abundance and bliss, countless joys, allotted to them at home, but (they shall find) sorrow, if the servant obeys his lord and master ill upon their journey, and will not show him reverence, the one brother to the other: that shall afflict them both, when they two depart, hastening hence, from the bosom of their common kinswoman, mother and sister.)]

[Footnote 29: Grein-Wulcker, iii. 105.--(The worm whose jaws are sharper than needles, who first of all the worms in the grave forces his way to him.)]

THE MIDDLE ENGLISH POEM

ERTHE UPON ERTHE.

I.

#A# VERSION.

1.

MS. HARLEIAN 2253. c. 1307. [fol. 57, v^o.]

Ere toc of ere ere wy woh, Ere oer ere to e ere droh, Ere leyde ere in erene roh, o heuede ere of ere ere ynoh. 4

2.

MS. HARLEIAN 913. c. 1308-1330. [fol. 62, r^o.]

1 [1]Whan er ha er iwonne wi wow, an er mai of er nim hir inow.

Er vp[2] er falli fol frow[3]; Er toward er delful hi{m} drow. 4 Of er ou wer{e} makid, a{nd} mon ou art ilich; In on er awaked e pore a{nd} e riche.

T{er}ra{m} p{er} i{n}iuriam cu{m} t{er}ra lucratur, Tu{n}c de t{er}ra cepiam[4] t{er}ra sorciatur. 8 T{er}ra sup{er} aream subito frustratur; [fol. 62, v^o.]

Se t{r}axit ad aridam t{er}raq{ue} tristatur.

De t{er}ra plasmaris, es simil{is}[5] virroni, Vna t{er}ra paup{er}es ac dites s{un}t p.r.o.ni. 12

2 Er ge on er wrikkend in weden, Er toward er wormes to feden; Er b{er}ri[6] to er al is lif deden; When er is i{n} ere, heo muntid[7] i meden. 16 When er is i{n} ere, e rof is on e chynne[8]; an schullen an hu{n}dred wormes wroten on e skin.

Vesta p{er}git uestibus s{upe}r ueste{m} vare, Artat{ur} & uermibus vesta pastu{m} dare; 20 Ac cu{m} gestis o{mn}ibus ad uesta{m} migrare; Cu{m} uesta sit scrobibus, q{u}is wlt[9] suspirare?

Cu{m} sit uesta po{n}ita[10], doma ta{n}git mentu{m}; Tu{n}c i{n} cute ca{n}dida verru{n}t[11] u{er}mes centu{m}. 24

3 Er aski er, a{nd} er hir answerid, Whi er hatid er, a{nd} er er verrid.

Er ha er, a{nd} er er teri, Er gee on er, a{nd} er er berri. 28 Of er ow wer{e} bigun, on er ou schalt end; Al {a}t ou i{n} er wonne[12], to er schal hit wend.

Hum{us} humu{m} repet.i.t, & re{spo}nsu{m} datur, Humu{m} q{u}are n{e}gligit, & humo fruatur. 32 Hum{u}s humu{m} porrigit, sic & operatur, S{upe}r humu{m} p{er}agit, humo q{uod}[13] portatur.

Humo sic i{n}ciperis, ac humo meabis; Q{uo}d humo q{ue}sieris, humo totu{m} dabis. 36

4 Er get hit[14] on erp maist{r}i a{nd} mi?te; [fol. 63, r^o.]

Al we be er, to er we be idi?te; Er aske carayne of ki{n}g a{nd} of kni?t; Whan er is i{n} er, so low? he be li?t. 40 Whan i ri?t a{nd} i wow? wendi e bi-for, Be ou re ni?t i{n} a rou?, i f{r}endschip is i-lor.

Terra ui{m}q{ue}[15] b{r}auivm t{er}ra collucratur; Tot{us} cet{us} hominvm de t{er}ra patratur[16]; 44 Ops cadau{er} militvm q{ue} regis sc{r}utatur; Cu{m} det{ur} i{n} tumulvm, mox t{er}ra voratur.

Cu{m} ius & i{us}ticivm cora{m} te migrabu{n}t, Pauci p{er} t{r}inoctivm morte{m} deplorabu{n}t. 48

5 Er is a palfrei to king a{nd} to quene, Er is ar[17] la{ng} wei, ouw we lutil wene, {a}t weri g{r}ouer a{nd} g{r}oy[18] a{nd} schrud so schene, Whan er maki is liuerei, he g{r}aui vs i{n} g{r}ene. 52 Whan er ha erp wi st{r}ein us geten, Alast he ha is lein miseislich i-meten.

Dic uesta{m}[19] dext{r}arium regiq{ue} regine, It{er} lo{n}gu{m} marium, q{uod} e{st} sine fine, 56 I{n}dum{en}tu{m} uarium dans cedit se{n}tine[20], Q{ua}ndo[21] dat corrodium, noa t{r}adit ruine.

Cu{m} p{er} fort.i.tudinem tenet hanc luc{r}atam, Capit lo{n}gitudinem mis{er}e metatam. 60

6 Er gette on er gersom a{nd} gold, Er is i moder, in er is i mold.

Er uppon er be i soule hold; Er ere go to ere, bild i long bold. 64 Er bilt[22] castles, a{nd} ere bilt toures; [fol. 63, v^o.]

Whan er is on ere, blak be e boures.