And whence they were, and in what land were born. 'Yea, we be heathen men, and hither led, Forth sold from land of Angles. Do thou free us, Then the pope questioned them of many things, 'Austin, thou needs must wend, with soothful thought, One of the early Scripture paraphrases is The Story of Genesis and Exodus, dating, in Mr. Morris's opinion, not later than 1250. The writer takes various salient incidents in the biblical accounts, and, like his fellowwriters of that period, does not scruple to mix them with fiction and legend. But there is interest in all these efforts made, a century or more before Wickliffe, to meet, in a popular form, the desire for some further knowledge of Scripture in a tongue which the people could understand. The following is the beginning of the prologue: 1 Give love to him who rhymes a song, A Brut, 299,447, vol. iii. 180: Tha wes inne Rome a pape of Godes dome. Bearing peace and love between, To man forgiveness brought and rede, Thou Lord Almighty, highest King, Telling of the world's beginning.1 And so he begins the history of Creation, and how Satan, through pride and rebellion, Dragon became, who erst was knight, Thus he tells of Jacob's dream— 1 The Story of Genesis and Exodus, 1-34, edited by R. Morris, E.E.T.S. No. 7: Man og to luven that rimes ren, Hu man may him wel loken, Thog he ne be lered on no boken. 2 Id. 284: Tho wurth he drake, that ear was knigt.' C Angels down-coming and up-gone 6 God in this stead [place] is surely here, A place of dread is this, God's house, Here is the gate of heaven 'mongst us.'1 His story ends with some events recorded in the Book Beseech we now great God'es might, And live in bliss with blessed men. With mouth and heart we say, Amen.2 Another favourite way of imparting religious instruction, in a form attractive to the common people, was to tell of the habits and properties, real or supposed, of certain animals, and then to allegorise them in a Christian sense. One of these so-called Bestiaries' is supposed by Mr. Morris to be by the same author as the Genesis and Exodus just spoken of. It was written about the same date, 1250, and, like it, in the East Midland form of the language. Scraps from these curious compositions are often found in later writers. The natural history recorded of the animals selected is of an astonishing kind, and the spiritual and moral applications often quaint and ingenious. Of the lion the characteristics specially 1 The Story of Genesis and Exodus, 1603-20: He lay bi Luzan ut on nigt. A ston under hise heued rigt. 2 Id. 4155: Biseke we nu godes migt.' dwelt upon are that he is accustomed to watch on a hill; that when the hunter approaches he carefully erases his track by means of his tail; that when the whelp is born it does not stir until the third day, when its sire calls aloud and wakes it; and lastly, that the lion always sleeps with its eyes open. When these facts have all been turned into religious allegory, the parable passes on to the eagle, the serpent, and the ant. Of the latter it is said that As the ant shunneth barley, when she can store up wheat, So when we have the Gospel law, to shun the old law is meet.' The following is from the Turtle-Dove. It is put in the original into more careful rhyme than most of the rest, perhaps as being intended to be sung : List every faithful man hereto : once at the Church'es gate, I pass to some others of the religious poems of the thirteenth century collected by Dr. Morris in his Old English Miscellany. The Poema Morale may perhaps date from the first year or two of King John's reign. It embodies the solemn reflections of a man far advanced in years awaking to the shortcomings of his life, and anxious that the grave thoughts which come into his mind should warn and encourage others. It begins thus: A winter older than I was, I'm older eke in lore; My goods are greater than they were,-my wit it should be more. 1 A Bestiary, 291-94, E.E. T.S. No. 49: The mire suneth the barlic, thanne ye fint te wete. 2 Id. 714-29: List ilk lefful man her-to, and herof oft reche : Ure sowle atte kirke dure ches hire crist to meche. Too long have I a child y-been in work, and eke in deed, And though my age be winter old, too young am I in rede. A life of little boon I've led, and still, methinks, I lead; And when I think me thereupon, full sorely do I dread. In childishness and idleness my life is wellnigh past : Too late have I bethought myself, unless God's kindness last. Many the idle word I've said ;-sorely I speak the truthMany my headstrong deeds, whereof I'm pinchèd now with ruth. Too often have I guilty been in work alike and word, Too mickle have I spent on self, too little laid in hoard : All that I liked best of old, that most mislikes me now; For he who follows most his will, he cheats himself, I trow.1 Then he continues of the need of a man laying up for himself a treasure in heaven; how no evil goes unpunished, no good unrequited, and how every one must go before his Lord and receive his wages according to his earnings. Each man shall be his own judge, and his own works will bear witness for or against him. Then comes a solemn and terrible picture of the doom of the wicked; then of loving God with all our might and our neighbour as ourselves : For all that e'er we read or sing before God's holy board Holdeth and hangeth upon these the twain things of His Word. All law of God doth he fulfil, the new one and the old, Who hath within him there two loves, and will them well uphold.2 I next quote from a poem on The Passion of Our Lord: Then came He toward Jerusalem upon a Palm Sunday, [badger's fur] 1 A Moral Ode, 1-14, in E.E. T.S. No. 49: Ich am eldre than ich wes a winter and ek on lore, 2 Id. 305-8: Al that me redeth and syngeth bivoren godes borde |