Transcription exercise

and sothe to saie he went nev[er]e thenne but of his lyfe right þere he made an ende. ¶ Also þe worthi noble Simachus. that was a man grounded alle in grace. þat as in vertu was heroicus. þer left not suche a nothre as he was. At Ravenne eke he slowe hym cruelly. and aftrewarde in that in that same place. the next yere he dyed sodeynly. ¶ And as seint .Gregor. doth hym slef write. As his dialog maketh mencyoun. there was þat tyme an holy heremyte. As he was in his contemplacioun. he sawe .Theodoryk. in visioun. Bitwene .Simachus. and pope .John. Right as a thef to his dampnacioun. howe he was ledde and aftire þat anone. ¶ In þe yle of .Vulcan. was he cast þan. þat fþulle ys of fyry flaume of helle. there in alwey . in peynes for to brenne. And wiþ þe foule Feendes . for to dwelle. For tyranntes þat so fers bene & felle. Suche rewardes arayde be for her mede. I say but as olde bokes telle. Now to my purpose tyme it is I spede. ¶ And ev[er]y lorde . or lady what ye be Or clerk, that liketh for to rede . þis. Biseche .I. lowly with humylite. supporte where I have do amys. Correcte . onely . þere þat nedefull is. If worde or sentence . be not as it sholde.

And co[m]me to hem . þat be of hevy chere whanne þei hym calle to slake her[e] distresse. But . o . allas . how . deef and dulle he is . wriyinge[?] awey fro wrecches . whenne þei clepe And werneth hem wiþ wondre quelues. the eyen for to close . þat wayle and wepe. ¶ But while Fortune unfeithfull. & untrewe. Of lusty lyff was to me favorable. Full sodeynly myn hede . doune he drewe. the carefull houre . of deth unmerciable. But now . þat she changyng and unstable. hath torned to me her cloudy face. this wrecched lyff . þat is uncomfortable. wole drawe a longe. and tarieth now allas. ¶ Wherto . yee Frendes made yee youre avaunt So oft tymes of my felicite this worldly welfthe is not p[er]severaunt Ne never abidyng in stablitie For he þat Falleth . out of hye degre. yee knowen wele þat stable was he noght ne he stode never in full prosp[er]ite þat in to myschief is so lowe y brought. ¶ In mo[ur]nynge þus I. made my compleynt and for to write my fyngres gan I folde. For dreryness I. wax. alle feeble and feynt. þat of my lyff almoste . no þinge . I. tolde. But upward atte last. I. gan biholde. In sothe I sawe so faire a creature I coude her not discryve. þough I wolde So semely was her shappe & her feture. ¶ She was fo wondre reverent of her chere.