THE WORSHIP OF APOLLO. To reckon by row, pe rodys is the moste. In þat yle, sais ysidir, euyn on a hylle, 4264 There was foundyt a faire temple of a fyn werke, here Appollo, the pure god, was principally worshippid. Delos, who demys hit, is duly to say Shortly to shalkes, a shewyng on opun'; And fro pat soile, for sothe, the sun first aperit, The pure sun in hir pride, appollus doughter; Of his mater nomore but meue to our tale.-- 4280 In honour of Appolyn, þat I ere saide. hof it defe were & doumbe, dede as a ston, With errour vnable þat erst hom began, 4284 And worshippit hom wofully, for hom wit lacket Of pe Godhed giffen, pat grew from the sun, þat all mightylé made & merket of noght. ffor lacke of beleue þai light into errour, 4288 And fellen vnto fals goddes, & faithly honourt Idolatry the result of ignorance, and the means by which With worship on all wise as weghis vppon lyue; "ends" deceive bat no pouer hade plainly but of pale fyndes, Thurgh falshede of fyndes pe folke to dissayue, I will tell here a tale, er I turne ferre, people. Book X. Through the will pass away. ("gabs not,"lies not.) ("in Cœlo.") When Christ came into Egypt the false gods fell to the ground. The Jews held that Ishmael was the first who made idols; and the Gentiles, that it was Prometheus. But no one in particular is to be blamed; for all men are naturally given to idolatry. 4296 Of pe fyndyng of false goddes, & the foule vse; How sprittis in hom spake to qwho pat spirre 4300 wold, And how fowle þat þai faylit at the ferre end. All maumentre in myddelerthe myrtlit to peses Cryste purgh his curstnes, as pe clause tellus, Sent fro pe souerayn þat in Celé dwelles, 4308 To take the childe for a chaunse & his choise moder, And euyn into Egypt entre on his way. When Criste in pat contre come with his dame, 4312 Bothe Mawhownus & maumettes myrtild in peces. Isai also oponly tellus, When Jesu Egipte Joynit with in, All Symylacres for sothe soghten to ground. 4316 þat was a tokyn, he tellus, fro tyme of his come, But folowit pere foule wille as fyndis hom taght; Jewes, BEL OR BEELZEBUB. Ne comyn with cristenmen, ne on Criste leuyn; 4328 But barly, as pai borne were, bydon pai stille, 4332 4336 And nauther law ne belefe lenton hom to. OFF BEALL THE GOD & BELSABUB. On Delus, a derfe Kyng þat deghit in eld, He brought hym to berynes on his best wise, With solempne sepulcre, sothely wroght. Book X. Ninus, son of 141 Delus, or Belus, (fol. 68 a.) And for his fader shuld faithly be fer in his that he might mynd, 4340 An ymage a noble anon gert he make, All grauyn of gold, & of good stonys, Vne of mesure & mykyll, of his myld fader. ffull solemly set in the sight of the pepull, 4348 pat the gome was a god groundet in blisse. 4352 duly honour and commemorate his father, erected a golden image of life size; and cominanded the people to worship it as a god. And pen the fynde, with his falshed & his fer The "fiend" cast, Entrid in þat ymage, & onswaret the pepull. Who pat any thing asket after his dissyre, here onswaret opunly the aungell of helle: And so the ledis of the lond lyuely hym cald, 4356 Sum beall, sum belus, sum bell þe god, Sum belphegor, & belsabub, as hom best likes. Book X. The sun was called Apollo, and was so worshipped in Delos. Then the chief planets were called Venus and Mercury; (fol. 68 b.) and the moon was called Diana. (Mesopotamia.) (Faunus.) (Quirinus.) (Paphos.) (Lemnos.) (Vulcan.) At Naxos, At Delphos, In ensample of pat same sithyn other folke Haue feynit mony fals goddes, pat pe fynde plesit, 4360 Did honour to dedemen, & for dere holdyn. And pe sun the said on sothely a god, hat appollo the pepull put into nome, hat is honouret in the yle, pat I of telle, 4364 Delphon, or Delos, dem as ye list. And pan Venus the worthy is worshippit with sum, hat of planettes of prise has hor pure nome. ben mercury, a mighty god, is most in honour, 4368 þat þai saidon was sun sothely to Jobiter. Then the mone was most made for to please, An in the cuntre of Crete cald vpon Jubiter. 4376 And pe latyn lede loutid to faawn. At Rome pai Reuerenst vppon riche wise 4388 In yche yle vppon erthe, eftur hor deuise, And honourit ouer all thyng as pere belefe askit. LUCIFER. Thus purgh falshed of pe fendes pe folke was 4392 Vnder daunger of pe dule droupet full longe, (But pe fader, þat first fourmyt all thinge, Book X. 143 God, who made the angels his 4396 Both the ayre, & Element, & Angells in heuyn, ministering Water, & wynde, & welkyn aboue,— In the highest heuyn, as holy writ sais, 4400 And set hom in seruice hym seluyn to honour. But on the oddist of other ordant our lord, Ne no pert tre in peradise apperith to hym, Thurgh his fairhede as fast he felle into pride, spirits, (Ps. ciii. 20, 21.) (Is. xiv. 13.) (Ezek. xxxi. 8, 9.) God set Lucifer highest of the angels, but through pride he fell from that When he said of hym selfe his sete he wold make high estate: ffull noble in pe north, pat non shuld be here 4412 Like to pe lord, þat the light made; As pe leuenynges light, pat laches to ground.' lewd, and many legions fell with him. (Rev. xii. 7-9.) (Luke x. 18.) Satan is called |