the women followed her with timpanes and chords, and
she went tofore singing Cantemus domino. Then
Moses brought the children of Israel from the sea
into the desert of Sur, and walked with them three
days and three nights and found no water, and came
into Marah, and the waters there were so bitter that
they might not drink thereof. Then the people
grudged against Moses, saying: What shall we drink?
And he cried unto our Lord which showed to him a tree
which he took and put into the waters, and anon they
were turned into sweetness. There our Lord ordained
commandments and judgments, and there he tempted him
saying: If thou hearest the voice of thy Lord-God,
and that thou do is rightful before him, and obeyest
his commandments, and keep his precepts, I shall not
bring none of the languors ne sorrows upon thee that
I did in Egypt. I am Lord thy saviour. Then
the children of Israel came in to Elim, where as were
twelve fountains of water, and seventy palm trees,
and they abode by the waters. Then from thence
went all the multitude of the children of Israel into
the desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai,
and grudged against Moses and Aaron in that wilderness,
and said: Would God we had dwelled still in Egypt,
whereas we sat and had plenty of bread and flesh;
why have ye brought us into the desert for to slay
all this multitude by hunger? Our Lord said then
to Moses: I shall rain bread to you from heaven,
let the people go out and gather every day that I
may prove them whether they walk in my law or not;
the sixth day let them gather double as much as they
gather in one day of the other. Then said Moses
and Aaron to all the children of Israel: At even
ye shall know that God hath brought you from the land
of Egypt, and to-morn ye shall see the glory of our
Lord. I have well heard your murmur against our
Lord, what have ye mused against us? what be we? and
yet said Moses; Our Lord shall give you at even flesh
for to eat and to-morn bread unto your fill, for as
much as ye have murmured against him; what be we?
Your murmur is not against us but against our Lord.
As Aaron spake to all the company of the children
of Israel they beheld toward the wilderness, and our
Lord spake to Moses in a cloud and said: I have
heard the grudgings of the children of Israel; say
to them: At even ye shall eat flesh and to-morn
ye shall be filled with bread, and ye shall know that
I am your Lord God. And when the even was come
there came so many curlews that it covered all their
lodgings, and on the morn there lay like dew all about
in their circuit. Which when they saw and came
for to gather, it was small and white like to coriander.
And they wondered on it and said: Mahun, that
is as much to say, what is this? To whom Moses
said: This is the bread that God hath sent you
to eat, and God commandeth that every man should gather
as much for every head as is the measure of gomor,
and let nothing be left till on the morn. And
the sixth day gather ye double so much, that is two