Abraham and Sarah as Father and Mother of Israel: Cleanness line 112

Abstract

THE first extended Biblical narrative in the Middle English poem Cleanness is the poet’s paraphrase of the Matthean parable of the ‘Son’s Wedding and the Guest without a Wedding Garment’ (Matthew 22:1–14).1 The parable concerns a king who holds a wedding feast. When the preparations are all ready, the persons who had been invited to the feast offer excuses and refuse to come; some of the invited guests even mistreat and kill the servants who were sent to invite them. The king then destroys the city where these malefactors lived. Afterwards, to fill the place of those unwilling to come, the king sends his servants out into the highways and they invite anyone they can find to come to his feast. When, however, one of these newly invited guests is found to be dressed inappropriately, the king has his servants cast him into outer darkness for his presumption. Although the language of the poem is not explicit, it would seem that the Cleanness poet interprets the conclusion of the parable in terms of sexual purity, a concern that is one of the central themes of the poem. The phrasing of the beginning of this narrative, however, is quite difficult, and the poet’s account of the summoning of the newly invited wedding guests includes one line in particular which the various editors and commentators have not satisfactorily explained. Thenne þe sergauntez, at þat sawe, swengen þeroute, And diden þe dede, þat demed as he deuised hade, And with peple of alle plytez þe palays þay fyllen; Hit weren not alle on wyuez sunez, wonen with on fader. Wheþer þay wern worþy oþer wers, wel wern þay stowed, Ay þe best byfore and bryʒtest atyred,(109–114)2 Then the officers, at that word, rush outside And performed the deed which was appointed, as he had specified. And they fill the palace with people of all conditions. [They] were not all the sons of one woman, begotten by one father. Whether they were of higher or lower rank, they were well placed, With those of highest rank and most splendidly attired always in front.