I am maad a wreche and I am bowid doun til in to the ende al day I entride sorwful.

For my leendis ben fillid with scornyngis: 35 and heelthe is not in my fleish.

I am turmentide and maad low ful greetly: I roride for the weiling of myn herte.

Lord, al my desiir is bifore thee: and my weiling is not hid fro thee.

Myn herte is disturblid in me: my vertu forsook me and the list of myn izen and it is not with me. My frendis and my neizboris: neizeden and stoden

azens me.

And thei that weren bisidis me stooden afer and thei diden violence that souzten my liif.

And thei that souzten yuels to me spaken vanytees; and thouzten gilis al day.

But I as a deef man herde not: and as a doumb man not openynge his mouthe.

And I am maad as a man not heeringe: and not hauynge in his mouth reprouyngis."

For I hopide in thee: my lord god thou shalt heere

me.

For I seide lest ony tyme myn enemyes haue ioie on me: and the while my feet ben moued thei spaken greet thingis on me.

For I am redi to betyngis:" and my sorwe is euer in my sizt.

For I shal telle my wickidnesse: and I shal thenke for my synne.

But myne enemyes lyuen and ben confermed on

35 Illusionibus. Illusions. 1538.

1545. &c.

36 Redargutiones.

Counter

checkes. 1538, &c.

37 In flagella. Unto scourges. 1538. To be scourged. 1545.

me and thei ben multipliede that hatiden me wickidli.

Thei that zelden yuels for godis bacbitiden me : 38 for I suede 39 goodnesse.

My lord god, forsake thou not me: go thou not awei fro me.

Lord god of myn heelthe: biholde thou in to myn help.

Glorie be.

G°

Ps. Miserere mei.40

OD, haue merci on me: aftir thi grete merci. And bi the mochilnesse11 of thy merciful doyngis do thou awei my wickidnesse.

More waishe thou me fro my wickidnesse: and clense thou me fro my synne.

For I knowleche my wickidnesse: and my synne is

euere azens me.

I haue synned to thee aloone, and I haue do yuel

bifore thee that thou be iustifiede in thi wordis and quercome whanne thou art deemed.

For lo I was conceyued in wickidnessis: and my modir conceyued me in synnes.**

For, lo, thou louedist truthe: thou hast shewid to me the uncerteyn thingis and priuy of thi wisdome.

Lord, sprenge thou me with ysope and I shal be clensid: waishe thou me and I shal be maad whit more thanne snow.

3yue thou ioie and gladnesse to myn heeryng: and boonys maad meke shulen ful out make ioie.

Turne awei thi face fro my synnes: and do awei alle my wickidnessis.

God make thou a clene herte in me: and make thou newe a riztful spirit in myn entrailis.

Caste thou not me awei fro thi face: and take thou not awei fro me thin hooli spirit.

3yue thou to me the gladnesse of thi saluacioun: and conferme thou me with the pryncipal spirit.

I shal teche wickid men thi weies: and unfeithful men shulen be conuertid to thee.

God, the god of myn heelthe, delyuere thou me fro bloodis 3 and my tunge shal ioifulli synge thi riztful

nesse.

Lord, opene thou my lippis : and my mouth shal tell thi preisyng.

For if thou haddest wolde sacrifice, I hadde 3oue : truely thou shalt not delite in brent sacrifisis.

Sacrifise to god is a spirit troublid: god, thou shalt not dispise a contrite herte and maad meek.

42 In peccatis. My mother polluted with synne. 1538. In sinne.

1545.

43 De sanguinibus. From blud

shed. 1545.

Lord, do thou benyngneli" in thi good wille to syon: that the wallis of ierusalem be bildid.

Thanne thou shalt take pleasauntli the sacrifise of riztfulnesse, offringis and brent sacrifisis: thanne thei shulen putte caluys on thin auter.

Glorie be.

L

Ps. Domine exaudi.45

ORD, wel heere thou my preier: and my crie come to thee.

Turne thou not awei thi face fro me: in what euer day I am troublid, bowe doun thin eere to me.

In what euer day I shal inwardli clepe thee: heere me swiftli.

For my daies han failid as smoke: and my boonys han dried up as critouns.*7

I am smytun as hey and myn herte dried up: for I haue forzete to ete my breed.

Of the vois of my weiling: my boon cleuyde to my fleish.

I am maad liik a pellican of wildirnesse : I am maad as a nyзt crowe in an hous.

1538. &c.

Benigne fac. Deale gently. Upon darena an hye mountayne, By counsell of gad he dyde sacrifice. (1532.)

45 Psalm. cj. contra avaritiam. Brev. Sar. A sore complaint of the godly man, beyng greuously handled of the wicked people, and makyng his mone to almighty God. The King's Pry

mer.

46 Invocavero te. In what day soever I call upon thee. 1545. The Prymer of 1538 repeats "that I am troubled": an evident error: copied however in the other editions up to 1543, and again in the

Dauyd for his synne gretely Prymers of Queen Mary, of 1555,

dyde complayne Feryng the hate of god for his

vyce:

1557, &c.

I wakide and I am maad: as a solitarie sparowe in the roof.

Al day myn enemyes dispiseden me: and thei that preiseden me sworen agens me.

For I eete aishis as breed: and I medlide my drynk with wepynge.

Fro the face of the ire of thin indignacioun: for thou reisyng me hast hirtlid me doun.

48

My daies bowiden aweie as shadowe: and I wexide drie as hey.

But, lord, thou dwellist withouten ende: and thi memorial in generacioun and into generacioun.

Lord, thou risinge up shall haue merci on sion: for the tyme of hauynge merci cometh, for the tyme cometh.

For the stoonis therof plesiden thi seruauntis: and thei shulen haue merci on the lond therof.

And, lord, hethen men shulen drede thi name : and alle kingis of erthe shulen drede thi glorie.

For the lord hath bildid syon: and he shal be seen in his glorie.

He biheeld on the preier 9 of meke men: he despiside not the preier of hem.

Be thes thingis writun in anothir generacioun: and the peple that shal be maad shal preise the lord.

For he biheelde fro his hooly place: the lord lokide fro heuene in to erthe.

For to heere the weilyngis of feteride men: and for to unbynde the sonys of slayn men.

49 Allisisti me. Cast me against and he foometh. Wiclif. Mark. the grounde. 1545. c. 9. (Richardson.)

And where ever he takith him he hurtlith him down, (allidit)

49 Respexit in orationem.