Wycliffe (Early) [1850], THE HOLY BIBLE, CONTAINING THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS, WITH THE APOCRYPHAL BOOKS, IN THE EARLIEST ENGLISH VERSIONS MADE FROM THE LATIN VULGATE BY JOHN WYCLIFFE AND HIS FOLLOWERS: Edited by THE REV. JOSIAH FORSHALL, F.R.S. etc. Late Fellow of Exeter College, and SIR FREDERIC MADDEN, K.H. F.R.S. etc. Keeper of the MSS. in the British Museum (OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, OXFORD) [word count] [B02010].
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[Prologue on the First book of Esdras.]
This firste book of Esdre, whiche was a wurthi man among Jewis, and writer of
the lawe of God, tellith, that Cyrus, the king of Persis, stirid by the Spirit of God,
ordeynde Esdre, the scryuein, ledere to al the peple of Juda, that was translatid in to
Babiloyne, to bringe hem a&yogh;en in to her lond, with alle the vessels that weren of the
hous of the Lord, and &yogh;af gold and siluer in greet plente, to make sacrifise to the Lord
in Jerusalem.
[Prologue to the books of Esdras.]
Whether it be hardere to do that &yogh;ee asken, or to denyen, I haue not &yogh;yt demed;
for nouther to &yogh;ou any thing comaundende is of sentence to forsaken, and the gretnesse
of charge put vpon oure nollis bereth doun, that rathere it be to fallen doun vndir the
berthene, than to reren. The studies of enuyouse men ne&yogh;hen to this, that alle thing
that we wryten, weenen repref wrthi, and other while concience repugnende a&yogh;en hemself,
opinli thei to-tern that thei reden priueli; in so myche that I am constreyned to
crien, and sein, Lord, deliuere my soule fro wicke lippis, and fro a trecherous tunge.
The thridde &yogh;er is that euer mor &yogh;ee wrijten and a&yogh;een wrijten, that the boc of Esdre
and Ester I translate to &yogh;ou fro Ebrue, as thof &yogh;ee han not Grekis and Latynes
volumus, or what euere thing that is that of vs is turned, not anon of alle men it be to
be dispisid. In vein forsothe, as seith sum man, to enforcen, n other thing in trauailing
sechen but hate, is of vttermost wodnesse. And so, I beseche &yogh;ou, my derworthest
Domynyon and Rogacian, that &yogh;e apa&yogh;ed bi priuat lessoun, ber not out the bokis in to
comun, lest &yogh;ee profre metis to vggli men; and eschewe &yogh;ee the pride of hem, that onli
to demen of othere, and thei themselue knewen no thing to do. If any forsothe of
brethern ben, to whom ouren displesen not, to them &yogh;iueth a saumpler, amonestende
that the Ebrue namus, of the whiche in this volume is gret plente, distinctli and bi
spacis thei transcryue; forsothe no thing it profitide to han amendid bokis, but the
amending be kept bi diligence of writeris. Ne any man moue it, that o boc is maad of
vs, ne delite he in the sweuenes of the writen thingus withoute autorite of the thridde
and of the ferthe boc; for and anentis the Ebrues the woordis of Esdre and of Noemye
in o volume ben togidere drawen, and thoo thingus that ben not had anentis hem, `ne
ben not of the foure and twenti olde men, ben worthi to be cast awei aferr. If any
man forsothe a&yogh;en legge to vs the seuenti remenoures, of whom the saumpleris the
diuersete shewith hem to-torn and turned vpsodoun, ne forsothe it mai not ben
-- --
afermed soth that that is diuers, sendeth hym to the euangelies, in the whiche many
thingus ben put of the olde testament, the whiche anent the seuenti remenoures ben
not had, as that, For Nazare he shal ben clepid; and, Fro Egipt I clepede my sone;
and, They shul seen in whom thei pungeden; and manye othere thingus, the whiche
we reseruen to a braddere werc; and asketh of hym, where thei ben writen; and whan
thei schul not moun tellen, rede &yogh;ee of thoo saumpleris, the whiche, sum time maad
of vs, ben stikid eche dai with the tungus of euele spekeris. But that to short tretee
I come; certis that I `am to concluden is most ri&yogh;twis; haue I maad any thing that is
not had in Greec, or that otherwise is had than off me is turned? Wherto the remenour
thei to-tern? Aske thei the Ebrues, and bi thoo autouris, to my translacioun or &yogh;iue thei
feith or withdrawe. Certis another is, for thei wiln myssein to me, that it is seid, with
closid e&yogh;en, and thei folewen not the studie and the weel willing of Greekis, the whiche
aftir the seuenty remenoures, now shinende the euangelie of Crist, and curiousli reden
Jewis and Hebionytis, remenoures of the olde lawe, Aquilam, that is, Symachum, and
Theodocian, and bi the trauaile of Origenes thei halewiden to chirchis in sixe maner
translaciouns. Myche more Latin men a&yogh;ten to be kinde, that thei beholden Grece
gladende of hem any thing to borewen. The firste forsothe is of gret costis and of difficulte
withoute ende, to moun han alle the exsaumpleris; also theraftir thei that han,
and ben vnkunnende of Ebrue speche, more shuln erren, vnknowende who of manye
trewliere seith. The whiche also fel sum time to a most wis man amongis the Grekis,
that otherwhile leuende the sens of scripture he folewide the errour of eche remenour.
Wee forsothe that nameli of Ebru tunge han a litil kunnyng, and Latin speche &yogh;it
hider to failith not to vs, that of othere more we moun demen, and thoo thingus that
wee vsself vnderstonden, in oure owne tunge shewin. And so thof the serpentt hisse
and the ouercomere if he throwe not brennyngus vp, neuer my speche shal be stille,
Crist helpende; also the tunge kut of it shal blaberen. Rede thei that wiln; that wiln
not, caste thei awei. And serche thei out the letteris, and falsli acuse thei the lettris;
more bi &yogh;oure charite I shal ben stirid to studie, than I shal ben agast bi the hate and
the bacbiting of hem.
Another prolog.
Esdras and Neemye, helpere, that is, and comfortour fro the Lord, in o volume
ben drawen. Thei enstoren the temple; the wallis of the cite thei maken vp. And al that
cumpanye of the puple turnende a&yogh;een in to the kuntre, and the descripcioun of prestus,
and of Leuitus, and of the conuertide to the folc of Irael, and by alle the meynes of the
wallis and touris the werkis deuidid, other thing bern in the rinde, other thing they
holdin in the mar&yogh;.
Here folewith the comendacioun of Esdre.
This aftir Jude brend vp of the Caldeis, whil the Jewis weren turned a&yogh;een into
Jerusalem, alle the bokis of the olde testament reparaileide, and enspirid with Godis
Spirit alle the volumys of profetis, that weren of the Jentilis corupt amendide; wherfore
it is writen, Esdras ste&yogh;ide vp fro Babiloyne, and he a swift scribe in the lawe of
Moises, swift, that is, for more redi figuris of lettris, than the Ebrues beforhond
hadden, he fond.
Here eendeth the prolog of Esdre; se now the book.
-- --
Here begynneth the fyrst book of
Esdre.
Wycliffe (Early) [1850], THE HOLY BIBLE, CONTAINING THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS, WITH THE APOCRYPHAL BOOKS, IN THE EARLIEST ENGLISH VERSIONS MADE FROM THE LATIN VULGATE BY JOHN WYCLIFFE AND HIS FOLLOWERS: Edited by THE REV. JOSIAH FORSHALL, F.R.S. etc. Late Fellow of Exeter College, and SIR FREDERIC MADDEN, K.H. F.R.S. etc. Keeper of the MSS. in the British Museum (OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, OXFORD) [word count] [B02010].
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