"Visit, Lord, mine humiliation and have mercy on mine orphanhood and pity^ me, the For lo I, ^Master, fled from all and sought afflicted. •"

Lo * I refuge with thee ^the only friend of men. left all the good things of the earth and sought !

refuge with thee. Lord, in sackcloth and ashes, naked

om. clause. yr.

defenceless "

thou. Lord."

solitary."

and solitary.^ Lo now I put off my royal robe of fine linen and of crimson stuff interwoven with gold and have put on a black tunic of mourning. f

have loosed my golden girdle ^and cast it from me ^ and girded myself with rope and sackcloth. Lo my diadem and my mitre I have cast from mine head and I have sprinkled myself with cinders, Lo the floor of my chamber that was paved with many-coloured and purple stones, which was formerly moistened with ointments and was dried with bright linen cloths, is now moistened with my tears and hath been dishonoured in that it is strewn with ashes. Lo my Lord, from the cinders and my tears much clay hath been formed in my chamber as on a broad road. Lo my Lord, my royal dinner and the meats I have given to the dogs. Lo I have ^also, Master,^ been fasting seven days and seven nights and neither ate bread nor drank water, and my mouth is dry as ''a wheel ^ and my tongue as horn and my lips as a potsherd, and my face hath shrunk, and mine eyes have failed from shedding tears.^ But thou, Lord my God, deliver me from my many ignorances, and forgive me for that, being a virgin and unknowing, I have gone astray. Lo now all ^ the gods whom I worshipped before in ignorance I

Lo

solitary."

atiire is shortened.

mouth cinders" (p. 45, 1. 8). ;

have now known to have been deaf and dead idols, and I brake them in pieces and gave them to be trampled on by all men, and the thieves spoiled them, who were gold and silver, and with thee I sought refuge. Lord God, "^the only compassionate one and friend of men.^ Forgive me, Lord, for

committed many sins against thee in ignorance and have spoken blasphemous words against my lord Joseph, and knew not, ^l the that

he is thy son. Lord, since the wicked men urged by envy said to me Joseph is son of a shepherd from the land of Canaan,' and I the miserable one have believed them and gone astray, and I set him at naught and have spoken wicked things about him, not knowing that he is thy son. For who among men begat or will ever beget such beauty ? or who else is such as he, wise miserable,^

that

and mighty as the all-beauteous Joseph ? thee. Lord, I commit him,

because for

But to

my part I

more than my soul. Keep him safe in the wisdom ^ of thy grace, and commit me to him for an handmaid and a bondwoman, that I may wash his feet and make his bed and minister to him ""and serve him,^ and I will be a bondwoman to him for the times of my life." love him

The Archangel Michael visits Asenath.