[Footnote 2: MS. _deth is_.]

14.

MS. PORKINGTON 10. 15th century. [fol. 79, v^o.]

1 [1]Erthe vppo{n} erth{e} is wo{u}ndyr{e}ly wro{u}?te; Erthe vppo{n} erthe has set al his ou?te[2]

[fol. 80, r^o.]

How erthe vppo{n} erth to erthe schall{e} be[3] brou?te; Ther is no{n}e vppo{n} erth has. .h.i.t in ou?te.[4] 4 Take hede!

Whoso inkyse on[5] his end{e}, ful well{e} schal he sped{e}.

2 Erth vppo{n} erth wold{e} be a kynge; How erth schal to erthe he ink{is} no inge. 8 Whe{n} erth byddy erth his rent who{m}e brynge, The{n} schal erth fro e erth have a hard{e} parttynge, W{i}t{h} care; Ffor erth vppo{n} ere wott{is} neu{er} we{r} {er}for to far{e}. 12

3 Erth vppo{n} erth wy{n}nis castyll{is} & tovris.

The{n} saye erth to erth: 'Al {i}s is ourus'.

Whe{n} erth vpp{on} erth has bylde al his bovres, The{n} schal erth fro e erth soffyr{e} scharpe schorrys, 16 And{e} smarte.

Ma{n}, amend{e} e betyme, i lyfe ys but a starte.

4 Erth gose on erth as mold{e} vpon{ne} molde, Lyke as erth to e erth neu{er} a-gayne schold{e}; 20 Erth gose on erth glytteryng in gold{e}[6], [fol. 80, v^o.]

?et shale erth to e erth, ra{er} e{n} he wolde.

Be owris!

?efe i alm{is} w{i}t{h} i hand{e}. Trust to no secatovrs. 24

5 Why {a}t erth louis ere merwel me inke, [7]Or why erth vppo{n} erth wyl swet or swinke, [7]Ffor whe{n} erth vppo{n} erth is bro{u}t to e brynke, The{n} schal erth frov e erth have a fovl stynke 28 To smele, Wars e{n} e caryo{n} {a}t lyis in e fele.

6 Lo, erth vppo{n} erth, co{n}sayfe {i}s {o}u maye, That {o}u co{m}mys frome e erth nakyd{e} alway[{e}]; 32 How schuld{e} erth vppo{n} erth soe[8] prod{e} or gaye, Sen[9] erth v{n}to erth schal pase i{n} symple araye, Unclad{e}?

Cloth e nakyd whyl {o}u may, for so G.o.de e bade. 36

7 Erth vppo{n} erth, me inky? e ful blynd{e}, That on erth ryches to set al[10] i mynd{e}; In e gospel wrytty{n}e exampul I fynde, The pore went to heyuy{n}, e rych to hel I fynd{e}, 40 W{i}tt skyle: [fol. 81, r^o.]

The co{m}mandment{is} of G.o.d{e} wold{e} he not fulfyle.

8 Erth vppo{n} erth, deyle duly thy goode To e por{e} pepul {a}t favtt pe i fovde, 44 Ffor e loue of i Lord{e}, {a}t rent was on e roode, And{e} for i loue on e crose sched his[11] hart blode,-- Go rede!-- W{i}ttovte a{n}ny place to reste on his hede. 48

9 Erth vppo{n} erth, take tent to my steyuyne; Whyl {o}u leuyst, fulfyle e w{er}kys of mercy vij.

Loke {o}u lete, for oode ne for ewyne, Ffor o by{n}e e werk{is} at helpyne vs to heyuy{n}e, 52 In haste.

Tho ded{is} who so dose ar, hy{m}e neu{er} be agaste.

10 Erth vppo{n} erth, be {o}u neu{er} so gaye, Thow moue[12] wend{e} of {i}s world{e} an vnreydy waye; 56 Turne e betyme, whyle {a}t {o}u maye, Leste it lede e into hele, to logege {er} for[13] ay, In pyne; Ffor {er} is no{er} to gett bred{e}, ale, ne wyne. 60

11 Erth vppo{n} erth, G.o.d{e} ?eyf e grace, [fol. 81, v^o.]

Whyle {o}u leuuyst vppo{n} erth, to purway e a place In heywy{n} to dweyll{e}, whyl {a}t {o}u hast s.p.a.ce; That myrthe for to myse it w{er} a karful case. 64 Ffor whye?

That myrth is w{i}t{h}owtty{n} end{e}, I tel e securlye.

12 I co{n}cele erth vppo{n} erth {a}t wykyd{e}ly has wro?te, Whyl erth is on erth, to torn all{e} his ov?te, 68 And{e} pray to G.o.de vppo{n} erth, {a}t al mad{e} of nov[?te][14], That erth owte of erth to blys may be bov?te[15]

W{i}tt my?the[16], Thorow helpe Jh{e}su Cryst {a}t was our{e} lad{is} byrthe. 72 Do for iself.

[Footnote 1: Cf. Halliwell, Early Eng. Misc. in Prose and Verse, printed for the Warton Club, _1855, p. 39_, Fiedler, Mod. Lang.

Review, _III. iii. 225_.]

[Footnote 2, 4: MS. _ou?te_.]

[Footnote 3: MS. _bo_.]

[Footnote 5: MS. _on_, _on~_, throughout.]

[Footnote 6: MS. _in i gold{e}_.]

[Footnote 7: These two lines are transposed in the MS.]

[Footnote 8: MS. _soe_, Halliwell _soe_, Fiedler _goe_.]

[Footnote 9: MS. _sen_.]

[Footnote 10: H. _setal_.]

[Footnote 11: H. F. _schedhis_.]

[Footnote 12: MS. _mu_.]

[Footnote 13: MS. _^{r}for_, H. F. _therefor_.]

[Footnote 14: MS. only _nov_ now legible.]

[Footnote 15: MS. _bov?te_, Halliwell _bou?t_, Fiedler _brou?t_.]

[Footnote 16: MS. Halliwell _my?the_, probably erroneous for _myrthe_.]

15.

MS. BALLIOL 354. Before 1504. [fol. 207, v^o.]

(Richard Hill's Commonplace-Book.)

1 Erth owt of erth is worldly wrowght, Erth hath gote{n} oppo{n} erth a dygnite of nowght, Erth vpon erth hath[1] set all his thowght, How {a}t erth vpon erth myght be hye browght. 4

2 Erth vpon erth wold be a kyng, But how {a}t erth shall to erth, he thy{n}kith no thyng; Whe{n} erth biddith erth his rent{es}[2] home bryng, The{n} shall erth for erth haue a hard p{ar}tyng. 8

3 Erth vpon erth wy{n}neth castl{les}[2] & towres, The{n} seyth erth vnto erth: 'is is all owres'; But whe{n} erth vpo{n} erth hath bildyd his bowres, Tha{n} shall erth for erth suffre hard showres. 12

4 Erth vpon erth hath welth vpon molde, Erth goth vpon erth glydryng all i{n} golde, Like as he vnto erth neu{er} torn shuld; & yet shal erth vnto erth son{er} tha{n} he wold. 16

5 Why {a}t erth loweth erth, wonder[3] I thynk; Or why {a}t erth will for erth swet or swynk; For wha{n} erth vpon erth is browght w{i}t{h}in e brynk, Than shall erth for erth suffre a fowle stynk. 20

6 As erth vpon erth were e worthyes ix, & as erth vpon erth i{n} honour dide shyne; But erthe liste not to know how ei shuld enclyn, & {er} crow{n}nys leyd i{n} erth, wha{n} deth hath made hys fyne. 24

7 As erth vpon erth, full{e} worthy was Josue, [fol. 208, r^o.]

Dauyd e worthy kyng, Judas Machabe; They were but erth vpon erth, no{n} of the{m} thre, And so fro{m} erth vnto erth ei loste {er} dignite. 28