Inter Diabolus Et Virgo; circa 1445 Rawlinson Manuscript, D. 328, Child version A*
Woodcut of the Maid
Version A*: Child 1: Riddles Wisely Expounded
[Inter Diabolus Et Virgo found in the Bodleian Library is the oldest extant version of Child 1; Riddles Wisely Expounded, being written about 1450. This text has old-english characters like Þ, ð and/or ȝ in it. The dialogue is between the maid and the foul fiend (the Devil): "Betwyxt a mayd and þe fovle fende?"
R. Matteson 2011]
Text from Rawlinson MS. D. 328, fol. 174 b., Bodleian Library, translation in italics, R. Matteson & friends 2018
Inter Diabolus Et Virgo c. 1445
Talk [between] Devil and Virgin (Maid)
1 Wol ye here a wonder thynge
Betwyxt a mayd and the fovle fende?
[Narrator:] "Will you hear a wondrous story,
Between a maid and the foul fiend (Devil)?"
2 Thys spake the fend to the mayd:
'Beleue on me, mayd, to day.
Thus spoke the fiend (Devil) to the maid:
"Believe on me, maid, today."
3 'Mayd, mote y thi leman be,
Wyssedom y wolle teche the:
"Maid, if I thy lover be,
Wisdom I will teach thee."
4 'All the wyssedom off the world,
Hyf thou wolt be true and forward holde.
"All the wisdom of the world (would be yours),
If you wilt be true and forever mine."
5 'What ys hyer than ys [the] tre?
What ys dypper than ys the see?
"What is higher than is the tree?
What is deeper than is the sea?"
6 'What ys scharpper than ys the thorne?
What ys loder than ys the horne?
"What is sharper than is the thorn?
What is louder than is the horn?"
7 'What [ys] longger than ys the way?
What is rader than ys the day?
"What is longer than is the way?
What is redder than is the day?
8 'What [ys] bether than ys the bred?
What ys scharpper than ys the dede?
"What is better than is the bread?
What is sharper than is death?
9 'What ys grenner than ys the wode?
What ys sweetter than ys the note?
"What is greener than is the woods?
What is sweeter than is the nut?
10 'What ys swifter than ys the wynd?
What ys recher than ys the kynge?
"What is swifter than is the wind?
What is richer than is the king?
11 'What ys yeluer than ys the wex?
What [ys] softer than ys the flex?
"What is yellower than is the wax?
What is softer than is the flax?
12 'But thou now answery me,
Thu schalt for sothe my leman be.'
"But you now answer me,
Thou shall truly my lover be."
13 'Ihesu, for thy myld myyth,
As thu art kynge and knyyt,
"Jesus, [I ask] for thy mild might,
As you are king and knight,
14 'Lene me wisdome to answere here ryyth,
And schylde me fram the fovle wyyth!
"Lend me wisdom to answer here right,
And shield me from the foul(evil) being!.
15 'Hewene ys heyer than ys the tre,
Helle ys dypper than ys the see.
"Heaven is higher than is the tree
Hell is deeper than is the sea.
16 'Hongyr ys scharpper than [ys] the thorne,
Thonder ys lodder than ys the horne.
"Hunger is sharper than is the thorn,
Thunder is louder than is the horn.
17 'Loukynge ys longer than ys the way,
Syn ys rader than ys the day.
Looking[1] is longer than is the way,
Sun is redder than is the day.
18 'Godys flesse ys better than ys the brede,
Payne ys strenger than ys the dede.
"God's flesh (sacriment) is better than is the bread,
Pain is stronger than is death.
19 'Gras ys grenner than ys the wode.
Loue ys swetter than ys the notte.
"Grass is greener than is the woods,
Love is sweeter than is the nut.
20 'Thowt ys swifter than ys the wynde,
Ihesus ys recher than ys the kynge.
"Thought is swifter than the wind,
Jesus is richer than is the king.
21 'Safer is yelner than ys the wexs,
Selke ys softer than ys the flex.
"Saffron is yellower than is the wax,
Silk is softer than the flax.
22 'Now, thu fende, styl thu be;
Nelle ich speke no more with the!'
"Now thou fiend (devil), still thou be,
Will not I speak no more with thee!"
From Additions and Corrections: "I was unaware of the existence of this very important copy until it was pointed out to me by my friend Professor Theodor Vetter, of Zürich, to whom I have been in other ways greatly indebted. It is from a book acquired by Walter Pollard, of Plymouth, in the 23d year of Henry VI, 1444–5, and the handwriting is thought to authorize the conclusion that the verses were copied into the book not long after. The parties are the fiend and a maid, as in C, D, which are hereby evinced to be earlier than A, B. The “good ending” of A, B, is manifestly a modern perversion, and the reply to the last question in A, D, ‘The Devil is worse than eer woman was,’ gains greatly in point when we understand who the so-called knight really is. We observe that in the fifteenth century version, 12, the fiend threatens rather than promises that the maid shall be his: and so in E."
Inter Diabolus Et Virgo- Rawlinson Manuscript. D. 328, fol. 174 b, Bodleian Library, in a hand of about 1450.
1 Wol ȝe here a wonder thynge
Betwyxt a mayd and þe fovle fende?
2 Thys spake þe fend to þe mayd:
'Beleue on me, mayd, to day.
3 'Mayd, mote y thi leman be,
Wyssedom y wolle teche the:
4 'All þe wyssedom off the world,
Hyf þou. wolt be true and forward holde.
5 'What ys hyer þan ys [þe] tre?
What ys dypper þan ys the see?
6 'What ys scharpper þan ys þe þorne?
What ys loder þan ys þe horne?
7 'What [ys] longger þan ys þe way?
What is rader þan ys þe day?
8 'What [ys] bether than is þe bred?
What ys scharpper than ys þe dede?
9 'What ys grenner þan ys þe wode?
What ys sweetter þan ys þe note?
10 'What ys swifter þan ys the wynd?
What ys recher þan ys þe kynge?
11 'What ys ȝeluer þan ys þe wex?
What [ys] softer þan ys þe flex?
12 'But þou now answery me,
Thu schalt for soþe my leman be.'
13 'Ihesu, for þy myld myȝth,
As thu art kynge and knyȝt,
14 'Lene me wisdome to answere here ryȝth,
And schylde me fram the fovle wyȝth!
15 'Hewene ys heyer than ys the tre,
Helle ys dypper þan ys the see.
16 'Hongyr ys scharpper than [ys] þe thorne,
Þonder ys lodder than ys þe horne.
17 'Loukynge ys longer than ys þe way,
Syn ys rader þan ys the day.
18 'Godys flesse ys better þan ys the brede,
Payne ys strenger þan ys þe dede.
19 'Gras ys grenner þan ys þe wode.
Loue ys swetter þan ys the notte.
20 'Þowt ys swifter þan ys the wynde,
Ihesus ys recher þan ys the kynge.
21 'Safer is ȝelner than ys the wexs,
Selke ys softer þan ys the flex.
22 'Now, thu fende, styl thu be;
Nelle ich speke no more with the!'
Inter diabolus et virgo (same text with modern text characters)
1 Wol ye here a wonder thynge
Betwyxt a mayd and the fovle fende?
2 Thys spake the fend to the mayd:
'Beleue on me, mayd, to day.
3 'Mayd, mote y thi leman be,
Wyssedom y wolle teche the:
4 'All the wyssedom off the world,
Hyf thou. wolt be true and forward holde.
5 'What ys hyer than ys [the] tre?
What ys dypper than ys the see?
6 'What ys scharpper than ys the thorne?
What ys loder than ys the horne?
7 'What [ys] longger than ys the way?
What is rader than ys the day?
8 'What [ys] bether than is the bred?
What ys scharpper than ys the dede?
9 'What ys grenner than ys the wode?
What ys sweetter than ys the note?
10 'What ys swifter than ys the wynd?
What ys recher than ys the kynge?
11 'What ys yeluer than ys the wex?
What [ys] softer than ys the flex?
12 'But thou now answery me,
Thu schalt for sothe my leman be.'
13 'Ihesu, for thy myld myyth,
As thu art kynge and knyyt,
14 'Lene me wisdome to answere here ryyth,
And schylde me fram the fovle wyyth!
15 'Hewene ys heyer than ys the tre,
Helle ys dypper than ys the see.
16 'Hongyr ys scharpper than [ys] the thorne,
Thonder ys lodder than ys the horne.
17 'Loukynge ys longer than ys the way,
Syn ys rader than ys the day.
18 'Godys flesse ys better than ys the brede,
Payne ys strenger than ys the dede.
19 'Gras ys grenner than ys the wode.
Loue ys swetter than ys the notte.
20 'Thowt ys swifter than ys the wynde,
Ihesus ys recher than ys the kynge.
21 'Safer is yelner than ys the wexs,
Selke ys softer than ys the flex.
22 'Now, thu fende, styl thu be;
Nelle ich speke no more with the!'
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Footnotes with corrections:
2[2]. Be leue.
3[1]. the leman. 32. theche.
13[2]. knyçt seems to be altered to knyt.
14[2]. fold: Cf. 12.
19[2]. lowe.
Pollarde is written in the left margin of 221. and WALTERVS POLLARD below the last line of the piece.
[‘Inter Diabolus et Virgo’ is printed by Dr Furnivall in Englische Studien, XXIII, 444, 445, March, 1897.] —
Findlay’s MSS, I, 151, from J. Milne.
‘What’s greener than the grass?
What’s higher than the clouds?
What is worse than women’s tongues?
What’s deeper than the floods?’
‘Hollin’s greener than the grass,
Heaven’s higher than the clouds,
The devil’s worse than women’s tongues,
Hell’s deeper than the floods.’