The Departing Souls Address to the Body | Page 5

agon. when it is all gone heo wulleth gnawen thin bon. they will gnaw thy bone; theo orlease wu_rmes_. those vile worms, heo windeth on thin armes. 265 they wind on thy arms, heo breketh thine breoste. they break up thy breast, and borieth the ofer al. and perforate thee all over; _heo_ reoweth in and ut. they rove in and out, thet hord is hore open. that hoard is open to them, and so heo wulleth waden. 270 and so they will wade wide in thi _wom_be. wide in thy stomach; todelen thine thermes. parting thy entrails theo the deore weren. that were dear to thee. lifre and thine lihte. Thy liver and thy lights lod_liche_ torenden. 275 loathfully rending, and so scal formelten. and so shall waste away mawe and thin milte. thy maw and thy melt, and so scal win * * * and so shall win * * *
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? _wur_mes of thine fl?sc. 280 worms of thy flesh, thu scalt fostren thine feond. thou shalt nourish thine enemy thet thu beo al ifreten until thou art all devoured; _thu_ scalt nu herborwen. thou shalt now harbour unhol wihte. hateful creatures, noldest thu ?r gode men. 285 (heretofore thou wouldst not, good men, for lufe go_de sel_lan. for love, give _of thy_ goods;) heo wulleth wurchen hore hord. they will work their hoard on thine heaued ponne. in thy skull. m_oton_ heo bileafen. Should they leave thine lippen unfreten. 290 thy lips undevoured, ac thu scalt grisliche grennien. eke thou shalt grin horribly, _that_ hwo so hit isei[gh]e. that whosoever sees it he mihte beon offered. he might be frightened; Reowliche bith so thin sith. so rueful is thy lot, efter _thin_ wercche lif. 295 after thy wicked life. nu me wule swopen thine flor. Now men will sweep thy floor, and thet flet clensien. and cleanse the dwelling; for hit is h_eom_ lothre. for it is the loather to them the thu theron lei[gh]e. that thou liest thereon. heo wulleth mid holiwatere. 300 They will, with holy water, beworpen ec theo p_?das_. sprinkle eke the vestments, blecsien ham [gh]eorne. cleansing them carefully to burewen ham with the. to bury them with thee; beren ut thin bed strau. bear out thy bed-straw b_rennen_ hit mid fure. 305 to burn it with fire. thus thu ert nu ilufed. Thus thou art now beloved seoththen thu me forlure. since thou lost me. al hit is reow_liche_ thin sith. All rueful is thy lot, efter thin wrecche lif. after thy wicked life. [gh]et s?ith the soule. 310 Yet saith the soul so_r_iliche to hire licame. sadly to the body, _nol_dest thu la erming. Alas! miserable, wouldst thou not her o to wunienne. here for ever dwell? nes hit the no wiht icunde. it was no whit known to thee that thu icore_n me_ hefdest. 315 that thou hadst chosen me; nes hit icunde the. it was not known to thee more then thine cunne biuoren the. more than to thy kin before thee, ne heold is thin _?i[gh]e_ opene. nor was thine eye held open theo hwule ic the inne was. while I was within thee. hwi noldest thu lefen. 320 Why wouldst thou not believe, tha thu hi isei[gh]e. though thou saw it, hu thin ford_feren_. how thy forefathers ferden biforen the. went before thee. nu heo wunieth on eorthe. Now they dwell in the earth, wurmes ham habbeth tod?led. 325 worms have shared them, is_ceorf hore_ sorhfulle bones. gnawed their miserable bones the theo sunne wrohten. with which they wrought sin. tha [gh]et seith theo soule. Again saith the soul, soriliche to hire li_chame_. sorrowfully to the body, ?fre thu were luther. 330 thou wert ever wicked theo hwile thu lif h?fdest. whilst thou hadst life, thu were leas and luti. thou wert false and deceitful, and unriht lufede_st_. and loved injustice _and_ luthere deden. and wicked deeds, deredest cristene men. 335 and injured Christian men and mid worde and mid werke. with word and with work, so thu wurst mihte. as thou worst might. _ic was_ from Gode clene. I was sent to thee to the isend. innocent from God, ac thu hauest unc fordon. 340 but thou hast undone us, mid thine luthere deden. with thy wicked deeds. _?fre_ thu were gredi. Ever thou wert greedy, and mid gromen the onfulled. and filled thyself with fierceness, unneathe ic on the. I hardly in thee eni wununge ha_uede_. 345 had any dwelling, for hearde nithe. for hard covetousness, and ofer mete fulle. and foul gluttony; for thin wombe was thin god. for thy belly was thy god, and thin wulder _thu_ iscend. 349 and thou spoiled thy glory. forloren thu havest theo ece blisse. Lost thou hast everlasting bliss, binumen thu havest the paradis. thou hast deprived thee