1   Forsothe a maner womman of the wiyuys of prophetis cryede to Helise, seyinge, Thy seruaunt, my man, is deed, and thou hast knowen for thy seruaunt was dreedynge God; and loo! a creaunsure came, that he take my two sonys to seruen to hym. 2   To whom seyde Helisee, What wilt thou that I doo to thee? sey to me, what hast thou in thin hous? And sche answerde, I thi seruaunt haue not eny thinge in my hous, bot a lytill of oyle, by the whiche I be anoyntid. 3   To whome he seith, Goo, and aske by borwynge of alle thi ney&yogh;bours voyd vessellis not fewe.

4   And goo in, and close thi dore, whanne thou and thi sonys weren with inne forth; and putte therof in to alle these vessellis; and whanne thei weren ful, thou schalt take. 5   And so the woman wente, and closede the dore vpon hir silf and vpon hir children, thei offerden vesselis, and sche heelde in. 6   And whanne the vesselis weren fulle, sche seyde to hire sone, Brynge to me &yogh;it a vessel. And he answerde, I haue not. And the oyle stode. 7   Sche forsothe came, and schewide to the man of God; and he, Goo, he seith, sylle the oyle, and &yogh;eelde to thi creaunser; thou forsothe and thi sonys liuith of the remnaunt. 8   Forsothe a maner day is done, and Helisee passed thor&yogh; Suna cyte; forsothe ther was there a grete womman, that heelde hym, that he ete brede. And whann oft sithes he passede thens, he turnede asyde to hyre, that he ete brede. 9   The whiche seyde to hyre man, I perceyue that this is an holy man, that oft sithis passith bi us; 10   thanne make we to hym a litill soupynge place, and putte we in it to hym a lityll bed, and a borde, and a lytyll seete, and a candilstyke; that whanne he comith to us, he dwelle ther. 11   Thann a maner day is done, and commynge he turnede asyde in to the soupynge place, and restyde there. 12   And he seide to Gyazi, his child, Clepe this Sunamyte. The whiche whanne hade clepyd hyre, and sche hadde stonden beforn hym, he seide to his childe, Speke to hire, Lo! 13    bisily in alle thingis thou hast serued to us; what wilt thou that I do to thee? Whethir hast thou a nede, and wilt that I speke to the kyng, or to the prince of chyualrye? The whiche answerd, In the mydil of my peple I dwelle. 14   And he seith, What thanne sche wille that I do to hyre? And Giazi seide to hym, Ne

aske thou, forsothe sche hath no sone, and hyre man is olde. 15   And so he comaundid, that he clepe hyre. The whiche whanne was clepid, and hade stonden byfore the doore, 16   he seyde to hyre, In this tyme and in this same houre, &yogh;if the liyf were leder, thou schalt haue a sone in thy wombe. And sche answerde, Wylle thou not, I beseche, my lord, man of God, wylle thou not ly&yogh;en to thin hond womman. 17   And the womman conceyuede, and bare a chijlde in tyme, and in the same houre, that Helise hadde seyde. 18   Forsothe the child wexe; and whan ther was a maner day, and he was gon oute to his fadir, 19   and to the repers, he seith to his fadir, Myn heued `I aake, my heued `I aake. And he seyde to a childe, Take, and leed hym to his modir. 20   The whiche whanne he hadde taken, and lade to his modir, sche putte hym upon hir knees vnto the mydday, and he is deed. 21   Forsothe sche stei&yogh;ede up, and leyde hym vpon the bed of the man of God, and closede the dore. And sche gon oute, clepyde hyre man, 22   and seith, Sende with me, I bisech, oon of the childre, and a sche asse, and I schal rennen oute vnto the man of God, and turnen a&yogh;ein. 23   The whiche seith to hyre, For what cause gost thou to him? to day ben not kalendis, ne sabot. The whiche answerde, I schal goon. 24   And sche greythede the sche asse, and comaundid to the chijlde, Driyf, and go forth; ne make thou to me abijdynge in goynge, and that doo that I comaunde to thee. 25   Than sche wente forthe, and came to the man of God, in to the hill of Carmele. And whan the man of God hade seen hyre forn a&yogh;eynst, he seith to Giazi, his chijld, Lo! that Sunamyte; go than in to a&yogh;ein commynge of hyre, 26    and seye to hyre, Whethir ri&yogh;t it is don aboute thee, and thi man, and thi chylde?

27   The whiche answerde, Ri&yogh;t. And whann sche was commen to the man of God, in to the hyll, sche cau&yogh;te his feete; and Giazi wente ni&yogh;, for to meuen hyre aweye. And the man of God seith, Lete hyr; forsothe the liyf of hyre is in bytternesse, and the Lord hath hillid fro me, and hath not schewed to me. 28   The whiche seyde to hym, Whethir I askide my sone of my lord? Whethir I seyde not to thee, Ne begijle thou me? 29   And he seith to Giazy, Gyrde thi reenys, and take my staf in thin hond, and goo; &yogh;if eny man a&yogh;ein comme to thee, ne salute thou hym; and &yogh;if eny man salutith thee, answere thou not to hym; and putte my staf vpon the face of the chylde. 30   Bot the moder of the chyld seith, The Lord lyueth and thi soule lyueth, I schal not leue thee. Thanne he roos, and folowed hyre. 31   Giazi forsothe wente before hem, and putt the staf upon the face of the chyld; and ther was not voice, ne witte. And he turned a&yogh;ein in to `a&yogh;ein commynge of hym; and he tolde to hym, seyinge, The child hath not rysen. 32   Than Helisee wente in to the hous, and lo! the child laye deed in the bed of hym. 33   And goon in he closede the dore vpon hym, and vpon the chyld; and he preyed the Lord. 34   And he stei&yogh;ide up, and laye vpon the chyld; and he putte his mouth vpon the mouth of hym, and his ee&yogh;en vpon the ee&yogh;en of hym, and his hondis vpon the hondis of hym. And he bowede hym silf vpon hym; and made hoote is the flesche of the chyld. 35   And he eft `turnede a&yogh;ein in the hous oonys hydre and thidre; and he stei&yogh;ide vp, and laye vpon hym, and the chyld brethed seuen sithes, and opnede the ee&yogh;en. 36   And he clepide Giazi, and seyde to hym, Clepe this Sunamyte. The whiche clepid wente in to hym. The whiche seith, Take thi

sone. 37   Sche came, and felle at hys feet, and honourede vpon the erthe; and sche toke hyre sone, and wente oute. 38   And Helisee turnede a&yogh;ein in to Galgala. Forsothe ther was hunger in the lond, and the sonys of prophetis dwelliden before hym. And Helisee seyde to oon of his childre, Sete a grete potte, and seethe potage to the sonis of prophetes. 39   And oon wente oute in to the feelde, that he gedre wijld herbis; and he foond as a wijld vyne, and he gederde of it wijld gourdis of the feeld. And he fulfillide his mantylle, and turnede a&yogh;ein, and hewede to gydre in to the pott of potage; he wyst not forsothe what it was. 40   Thanne they helden in to felawis, that thei my&yogh;ten eten; and whanne thei haden tastyden of the seethinge, thei crieden oute, seyinge, Deth in the pott! deth in the pott! man of God. And thei my&yogh;ten not eeten. 41   And he, Bryngith to, he seith, mele. And whanne thei haden brou&yogh;t, he putt in to the pott, and seith, Heeldith in to the puple, that thei eten; and there was no more eny thing of bytternesse in the pott. 42   Forsothe a maner man came fro Balsalisa, bryngynge to the man of God loouys of first fruytes, and tenne barly loouys, and newe whete, in his bagge. And he seide, &YOGH;eue to the puple, that it ete. 43   And his seruaunt answerde to hym, Howe myche is this, that I putt before an hundreth men? Eft he seith, &YOGH;eue to the puple, that it ete; these thingis forsothe seith the Lord, Thei schul eten, and ther schal leuen ouer. 44   And so he sette before hem, the whiche eeten; and ther laft ouer, aftir the worde of the Lorde.

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