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The Testament of John Lydgate:
British Library Arundel 285 Verses

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f.173 verso
Folio 170 Versofolio 172 RectoFolio 172 VersoFolio 173 RectoFolio 173 VersoFolio 174 RectoFolio 174 Verso

Decoration
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Data Dictionary
Folio 173 Verso
Compare Witnesses: •
Behald my mothir swonyng for grevance1 •
Aponn þe croce quhen scho sawe me dey •
Behald þe sepultur in quhilk my banis lay2 •
Kerpit with strang3 wachis till I raiß •
Off hell ȝettis se how I brak þe key •
And gaif my blud in Sacrafice4 •
Agane thair prid behald my meiknes •
Agains thair inwy behald my cherite •
Agains thair th lichory behald my chaist clennes •
Agane þair cowatice behald my powerte •
Betiux twa thevis nalit till a tre •
Raillit with Reid bluid þai list me so disgiß •
Behald o man all this I did for the •
Meik like ane lambe efferit in Sacrafice •
Behald my lufe and gif me þin agane •
Behald I deit thy ransoun for to pay •
Se how my hart Is oppenint braid and plane •
Thy gaistlie enemies only till affray •
Ane harddar battall na man myght assay •
Off all trivmphis þe gretest hie empriß •
Notes
  1. The second line of verse 112, referring to how the soldiers diced for Jesus' robes, has been left out here due to scribal error. ↩
  2. the final word of this line is set off from the rest of the words, most likely due to interference from the long descender in "dey" above. ↩
  3. The first two letters here are unclear, but likely are "st" as a ligiture based on the most common letter forms and what is present in the other witnesses. ↩
  4. Unlike earlier in this witness the initial glyph of "sacrifice" here appearls to be the capitalized form based on the touched letters throughout. It will be treated as such when it appears. ↩

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