1   And the folewere began to sein, that seith of the strengthe of king, O men! 2    whether men ben not passendely strong, that erthe and se holden, and alle thingus that in hem ben? 3   The king forsothe ouer alle thingus passith, and hath lordshipe of hem, and alle thing, what euere he shal sei to them, thei don. 4   And if he sende hem to fi&yogh;teres, thei gon, and destro&yogh;en hillis, and wallis, and touris; 5   thei ben slain, and slen, and the woord of the king thei passe not; for if thei ouercomen, thei bringe to the king alle thingus, whateuere thingus thei han spoilid euermor, 6   and alle othere thingus. And hou fele euere bern not kni&yogh;thod, ne fi&yogh;ten, but eren the lond, eftsone whan thei weren repende, thei bringe tributus to the king. 7   And he oon alone; and if he seie to slen, thei slen; and if he seie to for&yogh;iuen, thei for&yogh;iuen; 8   and if he seie to

smyten, thei smite; if he seie to outlawen, thei outlawen; if he seie to bilden, thei bilden; 9   if he seie to fallen of, thei fallen of; if he seie to plaunten, thei plaunten; 10   and alle folc and vertues hym obeshen; and ouer these thingus he shal sitte, and drinke, and slepen. 11   These forsothe in enuyroun kepen hym, and moun not go eche, and do ther werkis, but and in woord men ben obeshende to hym. 12   What maner wise the king passeth not befor, that thus is losid? And he heeld his pes. 13   The thridde, that hadde seid of wymmen, and of treuthe; this is Sorobabel; 14   began to speke, Men! not gret the king, and manie men, ne win passeth beforn; who is thanne that hath lordshipe of hem? 15   Whether not wymmen geete king, and al the puple, that lordshipe to the se, and to the erthe, and of hem ben born? 16   And thei bro&yogh;ten forth hem that plaunteden vines, of the whiche win is maad. 17   And thei maken the stolis of alle men, and thei don glorie to men, and men moun not ben seuered fro wymmen. 18   If thei gedere togidere gold and seluer, and alle fair thing, and seen a womman in good abite, and in good fairnesse, alle these thingis forsakende, 19   in to hir thei taken heede, and the mouth opened, beholden, and hir drawen to more than gold or siluer, or any precious thing. 20   A man hys fader shal forsaken, that nurshide hym, and his regioun, and to a womman ioyneth togidere, 21   and with a womman leueth the lif, and nouther fader remembreth, ne moder, ne regioun. 22   And therfore it behoueth vs to knowen, for wymmen han lordshipe of vs. Whether sorewe &yogh;ee not? 23   And a man take his swerd, and goth in the weie to do theftis, and mansla&yogh;teris, and to seilen ouer the se and flodis; 24   and a leoun he seeth, and in dercnesse he goth in; and whan he hath don thefte, and gilis, and raueines, he bringeth to his leef. 25   And eft a man looueth his wif mor than fader

or modir; 26   and manie woode men ben maade for ther wiues, and thrallis ben made for hem; 27   and manie pershiden, and ben stranglid, and synneden for wymmen. 28   And now leeueth to me; for gret is the king in his power, for alle regiouns ben aferd to touchen hym. 29   I sa&yogh; ner the latere Apemen, the do&yogh;ter of wndirful man Besacis, the secundarie wif of the king, sittende biside the king at the ri&yogh;t side; 30   and takende awei the diademe fro his hed, and puttende on to hirself, and with the hondis she smot the king of the lift hond. 31   And ouer these thingus, the mouth opened, he beheeld hir, and if she loowe to hym, he loo&yogh;, and if she were wroth to hym, he glosith, to the time that he be recounsilid `in to grace. 32   O men! whi ben not wymmen strengere? Gret is the erthe, and hee&yogh; is heuene, that these thingus don. 33   And thanne the king and the purprid men beheelden either in to other; and he began to speken of treuthe. 34   O men! whether stronge ben not wymmen? Gret is the erthe, and he&yogh; is heuene, and swift is the cours of the sunne; it is turned in the cumpas of heuene, and eft it renneth a&yogh;een in to the same place o dai. 35   Whether not a gret doere is he, that maketh these thingus? and treuthe gret, and strengere beforn alle thingis? 36   Al erthe treuthe inwardli clepeth, heuene also it blesseth, and alle werkus ben moued and dreden it; and ther is not with it any thing wicked. 37   Wicked king, wicked wymmen, and wicked alle the sonis of men, and wicked alle the werkis of hem, and ther is not in hem treuthe, and in ther wickednessis thei shuln pershen; 38   and treuthe dwellith, and waxeth in to with oute ende, and liueth, and weldeth, in to worldis of worldis. 39   And to taken persones and differencis is not anent it; but thoo thingis that ben ri&yogh;twis it doth, to alle vnri&yogh;twise and euele men; and alle men ben maad benigne in his werkis. 40   And

ther is not in his dom wickednesse, but strengthe, and reume, and power, and mageste of alle duringis aboue time. Blessid be the God of treuthe! 41   And he lafte in speking. And alle puplis crieden, and seiden, Gret is treuthe, and beforn passeth. 42   Thanne the king seith to hym, Aske, if any thing thou wilt more ouer, than ther ben writen, and I shal &yogh;iue to thee, aftir that thou art founde wisere; and next to me thou shalt sitte, and my cosin thou shalt be clepid. 43   Thanne he seith to the king, Be thou myndeful of the vou, that thou vouwidist, to bilde Jerusalem, in the dai that thou toke the reume; 44   and alle the vesselis, that ben taken of Jerusalem, to senden a&yogh;een, the whiche Cirus seuerede, whan he slo&yogh; Babiloine, and wolde senden a&yogh;een thoo thingus thider. 45   And thou woldist bilden vp the temple, that Idumeis brenden vp, for Jude is put out of termes fro Caldeis. 46   And now this is that I aske, lord, and that I bidde; this is maieste that of thee I aske, that thou do the vou, that thou vouwedist to the king of heuene, of thi mouth. 47   Thanne Darie, the king, risende kiste hym, and wrot epistolis to alle the dispensatouris, and prefectis, and purprid men, that thei shulden leden hym forth, and hem that with hym weren, alle ste&yogh;ende vp to bilde Jerusalem. 48   And to alle the prefectis that weren in Cirie, and Fenice, and Liban, he wrot epistolis, that thei shulden drawe cedre trees fro Liban in to Jerusalem, that thei bilde vp with hem the cite. 49   And he wrot to alle the Jewis, that ste&yogh;eden vp fro the reume in Jude, for fredam, alle my&yogh;ti man, and maister iuge, and prefect, to not comen ouer to the &yogh;atus of hem, 50   and eche regioun, that thei hadden weldid, to be free fro hem; and Idumeis laften the castelis, that thei weldeden of the Jewis, 51   and in to the making of the temple to &yogh;iue bi &yogh;eris twenti talentis, vnto the time that it be ful bildid; 52   and to offren ostis eche

dai vp on the place of sacrid thingus, as thei han heste; othere ten talentus to offren bi alle &yogh;eris; 53   and to alle men, that gon forth fro Babiloine, to make cite, as fredam were, bothe to hem, and to the sonus of hem, and to alle the prestis that gon beforn. 54   Forsothe he wrot and the quantite; and the sacrid stole he comaundede to be &yogh;iue, in the whiche thei shulden serue; 55   and to the Leuitis he wrot to &yogh;iue wagis, vnto the dai that the hous shulde be fulli endid, and Jerusalem maad out; 56   and to alle men kepende the cite he wrot, to &yogh;iue to hem lotis and wagis. 57   And he lafte alle the vesselis, that Cirus hadde seuered fro Babiloine; and alle thingis, whateuere Cirus seide, also he comaundede to be don, and to be sent to Jerusalem. 58   And whan that &yogh;unge man hadde go forth, rerende the face in to Jerusalem, he blesside the king of heuene, and seide, 59   Of thee is victorie, and of thee is wisdam, and clernesse, and I am thy seruaunt. 60   Blessid thou art, for thou hast &yogh;iue to me wisdam, and I knouleche to thee, Lord of oure fadris. 61   And he toc the epistolis, and wente forth in to Babiloine; and cam, and tolde to alle his brethern that weren in Babiloine. 62   And thei blesseden the God of ther fadris, that &yogh;af to hem for&yogh;iuenesse and refreshing, that thei ste&yogh;en vp, 63   and bilde Jerusalem, and the temple, where is his name nemnyd in it; and thei io&yogh;eden ful out with musikis and gladnessys seuene da&yogh;es.

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