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 Jeremiah.]
This profete Jeremye tolde openli thingis to comynge, and not in derk speche, as
Ysaie and othere profetis; for he telde vtterli the destruccioun of Jerusalem to be doon
of Caldeis, and the cite and the hous of God to be brent with fijr; but warnynge hem
bifore to leue her synnes, and her idolatrie, and to come a&yogh;en to the trewe wurschiping
of God, schewinge the grete merci of God, not willinge ony man to perische, that wole
come to amendement.
Prolog to Jeremie, prophete.
Jeremye, the profete, to whom this prologe is ascriued, as anent the Ebrues is
seen to ben booistousere than the sermoun of Isaie, and of Osee, and than othere
profetes; but in wittes he is euene, sithen that in the same spirit he profeciede; but
the symplenesse of speche fel to hym of the place in whiche he was born. Forsothe he
was of Anatoth, that vnto this dai is a litil town, bi thre myle beende fro Jerusalem;
a prest of prestus, and in his moder wombe halewid; thur&yogh; his maidenhed halewende
to the chirche of Crist a gospel man. This a child bigan to profecien; and the caitifte
of the chef cite, and of Jewerie, not only in spirit, but and with e&yogh;en of flesh beheeld.
Now forsothe Assiries hadden translatid the ten lynagis of Irael in to Meedis; now
the townes of Jentiles weldeden the londis of them. Wherfore in Jewere onli and
Beniamyn he profeciede; and of his cite the fallingus with fourefold abece, he weilede,
the whiche wee han &yogh;olden to the mesure of metre `and vers. Therfore the ordre of
viseouns, that anent Grekes and Latynes outerli is confoundid, to the rathere feith wee
han amendyd. The boc forsothe of Baruch, his notorie, that anent the Ebrues is not
rad, ne had, wee han laft; for alle these thingus curses of enemys abidende, to whom
nede is me to answern bi my werkis a rowe. And this I suffere, for &yogh;ee constreynen,
O! Paule and Eustoche; but more ri&yogh;t it were, to the shorting of euel, to putte mesure
to the wodnesse of them bi my silence, than to eche dai sum what of newe thing
writende, to terre the wodnesse of the enuyouse.
Another Prolog.
God is redi to &yogh;yue good, to punshen a tariere; whan forsothe he my&yogh;te gilti men
withoute witnessing `of thing to come to be punshid, no wher that he doth; but also
-- --
if he shul condempne, that he seith biforn, that thei be delyuered by penaunce, that
weren dampned bi gilte. Nynyuytes weren dampned synneres of God; &yogh;it forsothe
thre da&yogh;es, and Nynyue was to be turned vp so doun; God wolde not with
silence punshe condempned men, but, &yogh;yuende to them place of penaunce, sente an
Ebru profete, that shulde seyn, &YOGH;it thre da&yogh;es, and Nynyue shal be turned vp so
doun; lest persheden, that is, that weren dampned, but doende penaunce, thei
shulden purchacen mercy. Sodomytes also and Gomorreis now to hard torment
weren ordeyned, as the sermoun of God to Abraham shewide; nerthelatere that
theiris was, the aungelis diden, wylnende hem to sauen, that sheweden hemself
vnwrthi helthe; and seiende to Loth, Is ther any man to thee heer sone in lawe, or
sones, outher do&yogh;tris? ne thei vnknewen hem not `to ben to folewen Loth, but thei
sheweden hern to gidere and his benygnete and loue that hem hadde sent. Lijc sum
what in Jeremye wee finden. Notid is forsothe the tyme of his profecye, whan he gan,
or hadde endid to profecyen. Seith therfore sum man, What to me the tyme of the
storie? for he began to profecien in the da&yogh;es of Josie, sone of Amos, the king of Juda,
vnto the threttenthe &yogh;er in his regne. Ther after he profeciede in the da&yogh;es of Joachym,
sone of Josie, the king of Juda; and bi thre kingus his profecie is stra&yogh;t out, vnto the
caitifte of Jerusalem. In the fifte monyth condempnede God Jerusalem for his synnes,
and that was the laste sentence, that caitif thei shulden be forsake; but sithen God is
the makere of men, ne any man wile to pershen, bifor that the tyme of destruccioun
shulde stonden in, he sente and this profete, that shulde bidde to penaunce. He sente the
same also vnder the secounde king after the puple; he sente also vnder the thridde.
Now the caitifte stod on, and &yogh;it to helthe God stirede, &yogh;yuende and biforn o dai place
of penaunce; wherfore it is write, vnto the caitifte of Jerusalem, and vnto the fifte
moneth, to han profecied to Jerusalem. Now the bondis of the enemys hadden streyned
the hondis, and nerthelatere this God seide, Lo! caitif &yogh;ee ben mad, doth penaunce;
tho&yogh; late, pre&yogh;eth me, and I shal spare to &yogh;ou; I mai delyuere fro the caitifte, that I haue
take &yogh;ou, vn to the ful ending of the elleuenthe &yogh;er of Sedechie, sone of Osie, king of
Juda. This also of vs wee moun vnderstonde, a synnere forsothe to be taken to Sathan;
no thing is ferr fro it, that Jewis ben taken to Nabugodonosor, that as hem God
grauntide to the aduersarie for ofte vsid vnpitousnesse, so wee ben taken for oure
synnes to spirituel Nabugodonosor, that whom he hath take to Sathan, thei lerne to
not blasfemen. Weenest thou hou myche euel it is to synnen, that he take to Sathan,
caityuende the soules of them that ben forsaken of God? not withoute cause, that is, ne
with oute dom. Whan forsothe he shal sende reyn vp on the vyne, and that reyn shal
bringe forth thornes, what shal he do, but that he comaunde to the wederes, that thei
reyne not vp on the vyne weder? Ny&yogh; therfore is and oure caitifte, if wee do not
penaunce, that wee be take to Nabugodonosor, king of Babiloyne, whiche now liende
ny&yogh;, the wrdis of profetis, of the lawe, of the apostolis, and of the selue Crist `ful
out biden vs to penaunce, stern to helthe. If wee heren, wee leeuen to hym that seide,
I shal do penaunce of alle the euelis, that I spac to do to them.
Here endith the prolog, and bigynneth the book.
-- --
Here begynneth the boke of Jeremye,
the prophete.
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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