65

70

Nu ic bidde done waldend se de das world gesceop,
þæt ne sy nan to pas cwidol wif ne to pæs craftig man,
pæet awendan ne mæge word pus gecwedene.

Ponne man þā sulh for drife and på forman furh onscẽote.
Cweð þonne:

Hal wes þú, folde, fira mōdor,

beo þú grōwende on godes fæpme,

fōdre gefylled firum tō nytte.

Nim ponne alces cynnes melo, and abaca man innewerdre handa brādnæ hlaf, and gecned hine mid meolce and mid 75 hāligwætere, and lecge under på forman furh. Cwepe ponne:

80

Ful æcer fōdres fīra cinne,

beorht-blöwende, pū geblētsod weorp

þæs haligan noman, pe das heofon gesceop
and das eorpan, þe we on lifiap.

Sẽ god, sẽ þās grundas geworhte, geunne us grōwende gife,
þæt ús corna gehwylc cume to nytte.

Cwed ponne III: Crescite, in nomine patris, sitis benedicti.
Amen and Paternoster priwa.

173a

A 14. SĪÐGALDOR

Ic me on pisse gyrde belüce, and on godes helde bebeode wið þane săra stice, wið þane sāra slege,

350

wið ðane grymman gryre,

wið dane micelan egsan, pe bio ēghwām lāð,

351

A 13.-65. G., E., R., RT. bidde ic. RT. pæne. G. vealdend. G., K. veoruld. —66. R. omits nan.— - 67. MS., K. worud.—73. Edd. except K., C. abace. MS., K., C. innewerdne; G., E. inneveardre.—74. G., K., E. bradne. 75. Edd. except K., C., W. cwed.—78. G. naman. -80. E. pe pas. G. geveorhte. R. grovendre. -82. MS., K., C., RT. sit; G., E., R. omit sitis; W. sint (sitis?).

A 14.-2. C. wipp . . . sice; W. erroneously gives MS. wipp. MS., Wan., G., C. sice. E. searostice sarslege.-3. MS., Wan., G., C. grymma; E. grimman. 4. G., E. æghwam MS., Wan., G., C. micela egsa; E. miclan.-5. G., E. lande. -6. G., E.

Now I pray the Prince who shaped this world,

That no witch so artful, nor seer so cunning be

[That e'er] may overturn the words hereto pronounced."

Then drive forth the plough and make the first furrow. Then say,

"All hail, Earth, mother of men!

Be fruitful in God's embracing arm,

Filled with food for the needs of men."

Then take meal of every kind, and have a loaf baked as big as will lie in the hand, and knead it with milk and with holy water, and lay it under the first furrow. Say then,

"Full field of food for the race of man,

Brightly blooming, be you blessèd

In the holy name of Him who shaped

Heaven, and earth whereon we dwell.

May God, who made these grounds, grant growing gifts,
That all our grain may come to use!"

Then say thrice, "Crescite, in nomine patris, sitis benedicti. Amen," and Paternoster thrice.

A 14. A JOURNEY SPELL

I protect myself with this rod,' and commend myself to the grace of God, Against the grievous stitch, against the dire stroke of disease,

Against the grewsome horror,

Against the frightful terror loathsome to all men,

Against all evil, too, that may invade this land.

A victory-charm I chant, a victory-rod I bear:

Word victory and work victory. May they potent be:

That no nightmare demon vex me nor belly fiend afflict me,

Nor ever for my life fear come upon me.

But may the Almighty guard me, and the Son and Holy Ghost,
The Sovereign worthy of completest splendor,

And, as I heard, Creator of the skies.
Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and Joseph
And such men, Moses and David,
And Eve and Hannah and Elizabeth,
Sarah and Mary, Christ's mother, too,
And the brothers, likewise, Peter and Paul,

sige-gealdor.-7. G., E. veorcsige. E. me vel dege.—8. MS., Wan., G., C. ne me merne.-9. Wan. forth. 10. Wan. gehele. MS., Wan., C. ælmihtigi; E. se ælmihtiga. MS., Wan., G., E., C. omit and after sunu; E. his sunu. — 11. Wan. wuldre. E. wyrdig. - 13. MS., Edd. Abrame and isace and swilce men moyses and iacob and dauit and iosep; G., E. Abrahame; E. Moises; E., W. make three lines out of the passage: line ' ends Isace; line 2, Iacob; line 3, Iosep.-16. E. ec.—17. C. omits this line. Wan., G.

pæ.

1 A cross?

20

and eac pusend þira engla

clipige ic me to are wið eallum fēondum.

Hi me ferion and fripion and mine fore nerion,
eal me gehealdon, mē gewealdon,

worces stirende; si me wuldres hyht,

hand ofer heafod, hāligra rōf,

sigerōfra sceote, sõðfæstra engla.

25

Biddu ealle bliðum mōde, þæt mē bēo Matheus helm,
Marcus byrne, leoht-lifes rōf,

352

þæt ic on þæs ælmihtian, on his frið wunian mōte,

Gif feoh sÿ underfangen, gif hit hors sy, sing on his fetcran 103 oppe on his bridele. Gif hit sy oder feoh, sing on þæt fōtspor and ontend preo candela and dryp on þæt hofræc pæet wex priwa. Ne mæg hit þē nan mann forhelan. Gif hit sy innorf, 5 sing ponne on feower healfe pæs hūses and æne on middan:

"Crux Christi reducat. Crux Christi per furtum periit, inventa est. Abraham tibi semitas, vias, montes, concludat; Job et flumina; [Jacob te] ad iudicium ligatum perducat. Jūdēas Christ ahengon; þæt heom com tō wite swa strangum. Gedydon heom 10 dada pā wirrestan; hy þæt drōfe onguldon. Hælan hit heom to hearme micclum: for pām hi hit forhelan ne mihtan."

-

A 14.-18. C. dusend; W. erroneously gives MS. dusend. E. pyrra. MS. piraenglaclipige. 20. E. me friðjan and ferjan. Wan., G. fere nerion; E. fere nerjan.-21. MS., Wan., G., E. men gewealdon; C. changes men to meh. 22. Wan., C. warces; C. storende; E. weorces styrende; W. erroneously has: MS. warces storende. 23. E. reaf?-25. MS. and Edd. except E. hand ofer heafod after beo. MS., Wan., G., E., C. bliðu; W. blice? C. mattheus.—27. MS. lucos; C. locos; W. Locas. MS. scerap. — 28. G., E. Seraphin. 29. E. frynd. — 31. MS., Wan., G., C. nu sigere godes miltse god; E. nu god sigores, godes miltse; W. same as E. except sigeres. —32. MS., Wan., G., C. smylte and lihte; E. smilte and lyhte; W. erroneously has MS. swylte.-33. MS., Wan., GA E., C. werepum; W. wederum. — 34. W. cyrrende? MS., Wan. simbli gehalepe; G., E. simblige hæledhe; C. simble gehalepe; W. simblege halepe.-35. G., E., feordum.—

-

And also thousands of the angels

I invoke to succor me against all fiends.

May they strengthen me and cherish me and preserve me in life's course, Wholly protect and control me,

Guiding my actions; may I have hope of glory,

Hand over head, [and reach the] choir of saints,
Realm of the triumphant, of the faithful angels.
Blithe of mood, I pray that Matthew be my helmet,
Mark be my hauberk, a bright life's covering,
Luke be my sword, sharp and keen-edged,

My shield be John, transfigured with glory, the Seraph of journeys.1
Forth I wander, friends I shall find,

All the encouragement of angels through the teaching of the blessed.
Victory's God I now beseech, and the favor of the Lord

For a happy journey, for a mild and gentle

Wafting from these shores: since the [savage] winds, I know, [beget]
The whirling waters. Then, ever preserved

Against all fiends, may I meet with friends,

That I may dwell in the Almighty's sheltering care,

Guarded from the loathsome fiend who seeks my life,
Established in the glory of the angels,

And in the bliss of the kingdom of Heaven

The while I am permitted upon this earth to dwell. Amen.

A 15. FOR LOSS OF CATTLE

I

If live stock be stolen: if it be a horse, sing [the charm] on his fetters or on his bridle. If it be other live stock, sing [it] on the footprints and light three candles and thrice dip the wax on the hoof-mark. No man shall be able to conceal the theft. If it be household stuff, then sing [the charm] on the four sides of the house and once in the middle:

"Crux Christi reducat. Crux Christi per furtum periit, inventa est. Abraham tibi semitas, vias, montes, concludat; Job et flumina; [Jacob te] ad iudicium ligatum perducat. The Jews hanged Christ; that brought upon them a punishment equally severe. They did the worst of deeds to him; they paid the penalty with their expulsion. They concealed it to their great injury: seeing that conceal it they could not.”

are mote.

---

36. MS., Wan., G. pis ælmihgian; E. pæs ælmihtigan. G., E. omit on his frið wunian; E. 37. Wan., G., C., W. belocun. MS., Wan., G., E. pa. E. si me lifes æht; G. lifes. — 38. MS., Wan., G., E. bla blæd. — 39. MS., Wan., G., C. inna. All except E., W. hofna. C. suggests excision of blæd. 40. Wan., C., W. omit pis; E. pys. A 15. - 1. Rof. undernumen. M. gif hit sy hors. -2. Rof. bridels. 3. M. III. for preo. Rof., M. hofrec. Rof. omits pæt before wex. 4. Rof. omits nan. Rof. manna; M. man. Rof. inorf, and omils ponne. - 8. All except Rof., G. omit Jacob te.-9. M. ahengan. Tib. witene. Tib. irangan; M. strangan. M. gedydan. Rof. him. — 10. Jul. wirstan; M. wyrrestan. Rof. forguldon. Rof., M. hælon. Rof. him; M. omits heom. -II. C. pam [pe] hi. Jul., Rof. and heo hit na forhelan ne mihton.

That is, of those who journey.

• Wind.

.

Hit becwæ% and becwal sẽ Xe hit ahte
mid fullan folcrihte, swā swā hit his yldran
mid feo and mid feore rihte begeaton.
And lētan and læfdan dam to gewealde
de hy wel uðan. And swã ic hit hæbbe
swa hit sẽ sealde de to syllanne ähte
unbryde and unforboden. And ic āgnian wille
tō āgenre ähte dat dat ic hæbbe

and næfre de myntan: ne plot ne plōh,
ne turf ne toft, ne furh ne fōtmæl,
ne land ne læsse, ne fersc ne mersc,
ne rūh ne rūm, wudes ne feldes,
landes ne strandes, wealtes ne wæteres;
butan det læste de hwile de ic libbe.
Fordām nis ani man on life

de afre gehyrde dæt man cwydde ordon crafode
hine on hundrede, oddon ãhwär on gemōte,

on ceapstōwe oppe on cyricware da hwile pe he lifede.
Unsac he was on life, beo on legere, swã swā hē mōte.
Do swā ic lære: bēò dū be ðinum,

and let me be minum; ne gyrne ic dines,

ne lædes ne landes, ne sace ne sōcne,

ne du mines ne dearft, ne mynte ic dē nān þing.

A 16. WIÐ FEOS NIMUNGE

Ne forstolen ne forholen nänuht, þæs de ic age, pe mă de 226 mihte Herod urne drihten. Ic gepōhte sancte Eadelenan and ic gepōhte Crist on rōde ähangen; swa ic pence dis feoh tō findanne næs tō opfeorrganne, and to witanne næs to odwyrceanne, 5 and tō lufianne næs to oðlædanne.

ΙΟ

Garmund, godes Segen,

find þæt feoh and fere pæt feoh,

and hafa þæt feoh and heald þæt feoh,

and fere hãm pat feoh,

þæt he næfre nabbe landes, pæt he hit oðlæde,

ne foldan, þæt he hit oðferie,

ne hūsa, þæt he hit o'chealde.

A 15.-12. Edd. except Leo and M. print Part II. in prose. - 13. Jul. folcriht. 14. C., M. begeatan. 15. C., M. lætan.

16. Rof. vpan. - 18. Rof. wylle. 19. C., M. ahte. 20. Rof., C., M. Sæt yntan for de myntan. 22. Rof., C., M. læse. 23. Jul. wuherum.-24. C., M. sandes for landes. 25. Rof. Sæhwile; Jul., C., M. a. 26. B. nis æt tinan; Rof., Jul. inse tman; C., M., fordam [de] [n] is se man.- 27. C. cwidde; M. cwidde. - 28. B., Sd. hundræde. 29. Jul., C., M. omit pe. C., M. lifde; Leo, lifede. 31. B., Rof., Leo, Sd. de for du.-32. Rof. ine forme. Leo, girne. 34. Jul., C., M. Særft; Sd. pearfst.