1   Sotheli manye cumpanyes stondinge aboute, so that thei troden ech othir, he bigan to seie to his disciplis, Be &yogh;e war of the sourdow&yogh; of Pharisees, which is ypocrisye. 2   Forsoth no thing is hilid, which schal not be schewid; nether hid, that schal not be wist. 3   Forwhi tho thingis that &yogh;e han seyd in derknessis, schulen be seid in li&yogh;t; and `this that

&yogh;e han spoken in eere in the cowchis, schal be prechid in rooues. 4   Forsothe I seie to &yogh;ou, my frendis, `be &yogh;e not a feerd of hem that slen the body, and aftir thes thingis han no more what thei schulen don. 5   Sothli I schal schewe to &yogh;ou, whom &yogh;e schulen drede; drede &yogh;e him, which aftir that he hath slayn, hath power to sende in to helle. So I seie to &yogh;ou, `drede &yogh;e hym. 6   Wher fiue sparrowis ben not seeld for tweyne halpens; and oon of hem is not in for&yogh;eting bifore God? 7   But and alle the heeris of &yogh;oure heed ben noumbrid. Therfore nyle &yogh;e drede; &yogh;e ben of more priys than many sparowis. 8   Treuli I seie to &yogh;ou, `ech man which euer schal knowleche me byfore men, and mannis sone schal knowleche him bifore the aungelis of God. 9   Forsoth he that schal denye me bifor men, schal be denyed bifore the aungelis of God. 10   And ech man that seith a word a&yogh;ens the sone of man, it schal be for&yogh;ouun to him; sothli it schal not be for&yogh;ouun to him, `that blasfemeth a&yogh;ens the Hooly Gost. 11   Forsoth whanne thei schulen leede &yogh;ou in to synagogis, and to magestatis, and to potestatis, nyle &yogh;e be bisy, how ether what &yogh;e schulen answere, ether what &yogh;e schulen seye. 12   Forsoth the Hooly Gost schal teche &yogh;ou in that our, what it bihoueth &yogh;ou of seye. 13   Forsoth sum man of the cumpany seith to him, Maistir, seie to my brother, that he departe with me the eritage. 14   And he seyde to him, A! man, who ordeynede me domesman, ether departer, on &yogh;ou? 15   And he seyde to hem, Se &yogh;e, and `be &yogh;e war `of al auarice; for `the lyf of a man is not in

the haboundanse of tho thingis whiche he weldith. 16   Sothli he seide to hem a liknesse, seiynge, The feeld of sum riche man brou&yogh;te forth plentenous02Q0012 fruytis. 17   And he thou&yogh;te with ynne him silf, seyinge, What schal I do, for I haue not whidir I schal gedere my fruytis? 18   And he seith, `I schal do this thing; I schal distrye my bernis, and I schal make grettere, and thidir I schal gedere alle thingis that growen to me, and alle my goodis. 19   And I schal seye to my soule, Soule, thou hast many goodis kept in to ful manye &yogh;eeris; reste thou, ete, drynke, and `ete thou plenteuously. 20   Sothli God seide to him, Fool, in this ny&yogh;t thei schulen axe of thee thi soule. Forsothe whos schulen tho thingis be, whiche thou hast maad redy? 21   So is he that tresourith to him silf, and is not ryche in God. 22   And he seide to his disciplis, Therfore I seie to &yogh;ou, nyle &yogh;e be bisy to &yogh;oure lyf, what &yogh;e schulen ete, nethir to &yogh;oure body, with what &yogh;e schulen be clothid. 23   The lyf is more than mete, and the body more than clothing. 24   Biholde &yogh;e crowis, for thei sowen not, nether repen, to whiche is no celer, nether beerne, and God fedith hem. How myche more `&yogh;e ben of more prys than thei. 25   Forsothe who of &yogh;ou bythenkynge may adde o cubite to his stature? 26   Therfore if &yogh;e mown not `this that is the leeste, what ben &yogh;e bisy of othere thingis? 27   Biholde &yogh;e lilies of the feeld, how thei wexen; thei trauelen not, neither spynnen. Sothly I seye to &yogh;ou, for nether Salomon in al his glorie was clothid as oon of these. 28   Forsothe if God

clothith thus the hey, which to day is in the feeld, and to morwe is sent in to a furneys; how moche more &yogh;ou of litel feith? 29   And nyle &yogh;e seke, what &yogh;e schulen ete, ethir what &yogh;e schulen drynke; and nyle &yogh;e be reysid `in to an hi&yogh;. 30   Forsoth folkis of the world seken alle thes thingis; sothli &yogh;oure fadir woot, for &yogh;e neden thes thingis. 31   Nethelees seke &yogh;e first the kyngdom of God, and alle thes thingis schulen be cast to &yogh;ou. 32   Nyle &yogh;e, litil floc, drede, for it pleside to &yogh;oure fadir to &yogh;yue to &yogh;ou a kyngdom. 33   Sille &yogh;e `tho thingis that &yogh;e welden, and &yogh;yue &yogh;e almes. Make &yogh;e to &yogh;ou sachels that wexen not olde, tresour `not failinge in heuenes, whidur a theef ney&yogh;eth not, neyther mow&yogh;te distryeth. 34   Forsothe where `thi tresour is, there also thin herte schal be. 35   Be &yogh;oure leendes gird by fore, and lanternes brennynge in &yogh;oure hondis; 36   and be &yogh;e lyk to men abydinge her lord, whanne he schal turne a&yogh;en fro weddingis, that whanne he schal come, and knocke, anoon thei opene to him. 37   Blessid ben tho seruauntis, whiche whanne the Lord schal come, he schal fynde wakynge. Treuli I seie to &yogh;ou, that he schal bifore girde him, and `he schal make hem to sitte at the mete, and he passinge schal mynystre to hem. 38   And if he schal come in the secunde wakyng, and yf he schal come in the thridde wakynge, and schal fynde so, tho seruauntis ben blessid. 39   Forsoth wite &yogh;e this thing, for if an hosebonde man wiste, in what our the theef wolde come, sothli he schulde wake, and `not suffre his hous to be mynyd. 40   And be &yogh;e redy, for in what our &yogh;e gessen not, mannis sone schal come. 41   Forsothe Petre seith to him, Lord, seist thou this parable to vs, ether

to alle? 42   Sothli the Lord seide, Who, gessist thou, is a feithful dispender, and prudent, whom the lord ordeynede on his meyne, that he &yogh;yue to hem in tyme a mesure of whete? 43   Blessid is that seruaunt, whom whanne the lord schal come, he schal fynde `doynge so. 44   Verili I seie to &yogh;ou, for on alle thingis which he weldith, he schal ordeyne him. 45   That if thilke seruaunt schal seye in his herte, My lord makith `tariynge to come; and bigynne to smyte children, and handmaydens, and ete, and drynke, and be fillid ouer mesure, 46   the lord of that seruaunt schal come, in the day that he hopith not, and our that he wot not; and schal departe him, and schal putte his part with vnfeithful men. 47   Forsothe thilke seruaunt that knew the wille of his lord, and made `not him redy, and dide not vp his wille, schal be betun with many woundis. 48   Sothli he that knew not, and dide worthi thingis of woundis, schal be beten with fewe. Forsoth to ech man to whom moche is &yogh;ouun, moche schal be axid of hym; and thei schulen axe more of him, to whom thei bitoken moche. 49   I cam to sende fier in to erthe, and what wole I, no but that it be kyndelid? 50   Sothli I haue to be baptisid with baptym, and hou `am I constreyned, til it be perfytli don? 51   `Gessen &yogh;e, for I cam to &yogh;yue pees in to erthe? 52   Nay, I seye to &yogh;ou, but departynge. Forsoth `fro this tyme ther schulen be fyue departid in oon hous; thre `schulen be departid a&yogh;ens tweyne, and tweyne `schulen be departid a&yogh;ens thre; 53   the fadir a&yogh;ens the sone, and the sone a&yogh;ens

his fadir; the modir a&yogh;ens the dou&yogh;tir, and the dou&yogh;tir a&yogh;ens the modir; the hosebondis modir a&yogh;ens the sones wyf, and the sones wyf a&yogh;ens hir hosebondis modir. 54   `Forsoth he `seid and to the cumpanyes, Whanne &yogh;e schulen se a cloude rysinge fro the sunne goynge doun, anon &yogh;e seyn, Reyn cometh; and so it is don. 55   And whanne `&yogh;e seen the south blowynge, &yogh;e seyen, For heete schal be; and so it is don. 56   Ypocritis, &yogh;e han knowe to proue the face of heuene and of erthe, but hou prouen &yogh;e not this tyme? 57   `Forsothe whi and of &yogh;ou silf deme &yogh;e not `this thing that is iust? 58   Forsothe whanne thou goist with thin aduersarie to the prince in the weye, &yogh;yue thou bisynesse to be delyuered fro him; lest perauenture he drawe thee to the domesman, and the domesman bitake thee to the wrongful axere, and the wrongful axere sende thee in to prisoun. 59   I seie to thee, Thou schalt not go thennis, til thou &yogh;elde also the last ferthing.

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