Page:Old English Gospel of Nicodemus - Hulme 1904.djvu/33

Rh Drihten, astahg furður in þa helle mid his leohtes leoman, oð þæt he geseah hwær Adam sæt, ure ealra fæder, mid eallum his frumcynne. And he Adam was þa sprecende and cwæð: "Hwæt taligað we hwæt þis leoht sie þe þus hædre scineð on ðas helle æfter þisse uneaðlican weorulde?" Hi wæron ða sprecende, þa helware, him betweonum and hi cwædon: "Hwæt is ðes scinenda and þes beorhta þe us hæfð mid his leohtes leoman? Yfele we sindon her in gebegane. Hwæt, we nu wæron fægne, þæt we us [P. 297] moston bediglan on ussum scræfum, þæt he us ne swencte mid his mægnis nidbaðe! Hwæt, we witon þæt næfre ær ne was nænig to þæs þristig þæt he lifigende into us eode. Taligað we hwæþere he heonon hworfe butan usse wrace? Hwæt, we witon þæt næfre ær in middangeard ðy lic [we] ne gesawun on ure hælo! ne nefre ær þus wynsum leoht ne com on þis blindde setl, ne an ðisne [s]weartan seaþ. Hwæt, we gehyrað and geseoþ þæt ðeos arlease siniðþe is adumbud, þæt is, þeos hel and ðas wito blindigað, swa hi ær ne dydon! ne þas sawla ne sprancetað under ussum slagum; ne hi ne bifigað ne ne forhtigað. Hwæt, we gesioð þæt þes scinenda is to ðan hider cyme, þæt he nereð þas saula! He reafað þas helle, ne wile he her wunian mid us on þissum wite."

And her sægeð eft þæt þa helware þus reonodon þa þæt ordfremme folc and þæt geswencede werod. Adam and his cyn hi feollon to ures Domine foton and wependum wordum hi cwædon: "Drihten, genere us of ðissum witum, þæt næfre diofulu ofer us ne seo æfter ðe." Ða se stranga wið þæne stranga geræsde, þa ure Drihten acom and þæt ealdor dioful geband and træd under his fotum [and] þas diofules miht lytlode. And ure Domine nam þa Adam be his handa and teah hine up of þære helle and ealle ða halgan saula þe ðæron wæron. And on ðæne dæg, ðe nu to-dæg is, micelne here þara halegra saula he lædde mid him up of ðære helle and brohte to heofenum and gefylde þa setl mid þam saulum de lange ær weste stodon.

"Swide us is ðonne to geþencanne," cwæð se writtere, "nu men ða leofestan, þæt ure Drihten hafað eft geþingod heder on þisne middangeard on forman easterniht to þan þæt he ealre þisse worulde ende gesetteð, swa ure Drihten silfe cwæð, [P. 298] 'Ic cyme and mina meda mid me bringe.' He siþað, ure Drihten, on þisne middangeard, mid micelre egesan cymeð. Sunne and monan þistriað, and steorran feallað on eorðan, and hefenas beoð gefealdene swa oðere bêc. And he sendeð þenne, ure Drihten, his engelas feower, and hi blawað feower byman