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 book of Job.]
In this book of Joob is contened, first, the possessioun and prosperite of the iust
man Joob; and, aftirward, how God suffride him to be temptid of Sathan, by los of
hise worldli goodis, and of hise children; and afterward bi sijknesse of his owne flesch,
and bi repreef of hise frendis, and of his owne wijf; and ensaumple to vs, that no man
is temptid more than he mai withstonde, if he be iust and pacient, with preier of the
help of God.
Incipit prologus in libro Job.
I am constreyned bi alle the bokis of Godis scripture to answern to the euele sawis
of aduersaries, that sinfulli putten to me, that my remenyng I shulde make into the
vndernymyng of the Seuenti remenoures; as tho&yogh;, anent the Grekis, Aquila, Simacus,
and Theodocian, or woord of woord, or sens of sens, or of either mengd, and tempred
maner of mene translacioun tolden out; and Origenes alle the volumes of the
Olde Testament markide with signe of a &yogh;erde, `and with signe of a sterre, the whiche
or addid, or taken of Theodocian, sette in to the olde translacioun, prouende to han
failid that is added. Thanne lerne my bacbiteres to resceyuen in the hoole, that in
parcelis thei resceyueden, or to shauen awey my remenyng with ther sterre signes. Ne
forsothe it may be do, that whom they beheelde manye thingus to han lafte of, not the
same men also in summe thingus to han errid thei knowlechen, nameli, in Job, to
the whiche that if tho thingus, that vnder sterre signe ben addid, thou withdrawe, the
most part of thi volume shal be kut of; and that only anent the Grekis. But and anent
the Latynes, befor that translacioun, that vnder sterre signes and &yogh;erde signes not &yogh;ore
we maden out, seuene hundrid almest or ei&yogh;te hundrid vers failen; with the whiche the
boc shortid, and to-torn and to-bite, sheweth openli to the rederes his foule defaute.
This forsothe translacioun non remenour of the olde folewith, but of that Ebru and
Arabik woord, and other while Cire, now woordis, now sens, now either togidere shal
tellen out. Also forsothe al the boc anent the Ebrues is seid derc and slidery, and that
the cheef spekeris of Grekis clepen defaute of comun maner of speche, whil other thing
-- --
is spoken and other thing is don; as if thou woldest an eel or a laumprun holde with
streite hondis, how myche strengerli thou thristis, so myche the sunnere it shal sliden
awey. I haue remembrid me, Liddium, a maner doctour, that anent the Ebruis the
firste was weened to ben had, for the vnderstonding of this volume not with fewe
penys to han hirid, with whos doctrine if any thing I profitede, I wot neuere; this oon
I wot wel, me not to han mo&yogh;t remene, but that before I hadde vnderstonde. And so
fro the begynnyng of the volume vnto the woordis of Job, anent the Ebruys the
enditing is prose; but fro the woordis of Job, in the whiche he seith, Pershe the dai
in the whiche I am born, and the ny&yogh;t, in whiche it is seid, a man is conseiued, vnto
that place wher befor the end of the volume it is write, Therfor I myself reproue, and
do penaunce in colis and asken, ben vers of sixe feet, rennende with dactile and sponde
feet, and for the langage of the tunge ofte takende and othere feet, not of the same
silablis, but of the same times. Otherwhile also that sweete rym and sweteli sounende
is told with noumbris loosid with lawe; the whiche thing versifioures more than a
symple redere vnderstonden. Fro the foreseide vers forsothe vnto the ende of the boc,
the litle distinccioun that leueth with prose enditing is wouen. The whiche thing if
to any man is seen vntrouable, metre, that is, to be anent the Ebrues, and in maner of
oure Flacci, and Graccy, Pindarie, and Alchei, and Saffo, that weren Grek poetis, or the
Sauter, or the Lamentaciouns of Jeremie, or alle almest the Kanticulis of scripturis
to ben comprehendid, that is to seye, in metre, rede he Filonem, Josefum, Origenem,
Cesariensem Eusebeum, and bi the witnesse of hem he shal proue me to sey soth.
Here therfore myn houndis, therfore me in this volume to han trauailid, not that the
olde remenyng I repreue, but that tho thingis, that in it or ben derc, or ben laft of, or
cèrtis bi the vice of writeres depraued, shulden be maad more open bi oure remenyng;
the whiche and the Ebrues sermoun a parti wee han lerned, and in Latin fulli fro the
cradelis among gramarienes, and retorikis, and filosofres wee ben defoulid. That if
anent the Grekis, aftir the making of the Seuenti, now the euangelie of Crist shynende,
Jew Aquila, and Simacus, and Theodocian, Jewinge eretikis, ben founde, that manye
mysterijs of the Saueour bi treccherous remenyng hidden, and nerthelatere in sixe
exaumpleris ben had anent the chirches, and ben expouned of chirchemen; myche
more I, a Cristene man, born of fader and moder Cristene, and the baner of the cros
in my forhed berende, whos studie was to telle a&yogh;een laft of thingus, and to amende the
depraued, and the sacramens of the chirche with pure and trewe sermounes to openen,
or of proude men or of shreude reders I a&yogh;te not to be repreued. Haue that wiln olde
bokis, and in rede skynnes with gold and siluer writen, or with capital lettris, as comunli
men sein, chargis grauen out more than bokis, so that to me and to myne thei suffre
to han pore scrowis, and not as myche faire bokis as amendid. Eithir forsothe translacioun,
and the Seuenti after Grekis, and myn after the Ebrues, in Latin bi my trauaile
is translatid; chese eche man that he wile, and proue he hymself more studious than
euel willid.
Anothir prolog.
If forsothe a iunket with resshe I shulde make, or the leues of palmys I shulde
platte, that in the swot of my chere I shulde ete bred, and the werc of the wombe
with besi mynde treten, no man shulde bite, no man shulde repreue. Now forsothe for
-- --
after the sentence of the Saueour, I wile werke the mete that persheth not, the olde
weie of Godys volumys to purgen fro thornes and busshis, double errour is pi&yogh;t in to
me; a fals corectour of vices I am clepid, and erroures not to taken awei, but to sowen.
So myche forsothe is the custum of oldnesse, that also other while confesid vicis
plesen, whil more faire bokis they wiln han than amendid. Wherfore, O! moost looued
brethern, oon exsaumpler of noblehed for the werelis, lepis, basketis, and litle &yogh;iftis of
munkis, these spirituel and &yogh;iftis to dwelle taketh; and blisful Job, that &yogh;it anent Latynes
lai in the drit, and with wermes of erroures brac out, hool and withoute wem io&yogh;eth.
What maner forsothe, after prouyng and victorie, double to hym alle thingus ben
&yogh;olden, so I in to &yogh;oure tunge, that hardili I speke, haue maad hym to han that he
hadde lost. Therfor and &yogh;ou and eche redere I warne `to gidere with besy before
telling, and in the begynnyngus of bokis the same thingus euermor ioynende, I pre&yogh;e,
`that wher euermor litle &yogh;erdis goende beforn &yogh;ee shul see, witeth tho thingis that ben
vnder leid in Ebru volumys not to ben had; but wher the image of a sterre shyneth
beforn, of Ebru in oure sermoun ben added. Also and thoo thingus weren seen to ben
had in Grek, and so weren corupt, that the wit to the reders thei token awei, &yogh;ou
pre&yogh;ende, with gret trauaile I amendide; wenende more what profitable thing to comyn
of myn hate to the chirchis of Crist, than of other mennys besinesse.
Here endeth the prolog of Job, and now bigynneth the book.
Incipit liber Job.
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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