1   Forsothe twelue apostlis clepid to gidere, Jhesu &yogh;af to hem vertu and power on alle deuelis, and that thei schulde heele sykenessis. 2   And he sente hem for to preche the kyngdom of God, and for to heele syke men. 3   And he seith to hem, `Take &yogh;e no thing in the weye, nethir &yogh;erd, nethir scrippe, nethir breed, nethir

money, and nethir haue &yogh;e twey cootis. 4   And in to what euere hous &yogh;e schulen entre, `dwelle &yogh;e there, and go &yogh;e not out thennis. 5   And who euere schulen not receyue &yogh;ow, &yogh;e goynge out of that citee schake of also the poudir of &yogh;oure feete in to witnessinge on hem. 6   Sothli thei gon out, cumpassiden bi castels, euangelisinge and heelinge euerewhere. 7   Forsoth Eroude, `the fourthe prince, herde alle the thingis that weren don of him, and he doutide, 8   for that it was seid of sum men, for Joon roos a&yogh;en fro deede men; forsoth of sum men, for Elye apperide; sothli of othere men, for oon of the olde prophetis roos. 9   And Eroude seith, I haue bihedid Joon; sothli who is this, of whom I heere thes thingis? And he sou&yogh;te for to se him. 10   And apostlis turnynge a&yogh;eyn toolden to him, what euere thingis thei diden. And hem takun to, he wente on anothere half in to desert place, which is Bethsayda. 11   Which thing whanne the cumpanyes hadden knowen, thei folowiden him. And he receyuyde hem, and spak to hem of the kingdom of God; and heelide hem that hadden nede of cure. 12   Sothli the day bigan for to bowe doun, and the twelue comynge ny&yogh; seiden to him, Leeue the cumpanyes, that thei goynge `turne in to castels and townes, that ben aboute, that thei fynde metis, for we ben here in a desert place. 13   Forsothe he seith to hem, &YOGH;yue &yogh;e to hem to ete. And thei seiden, Ther ben not to vs more than fyue loouys and tweye fischis, no but perauenture and we go, and byen metis `in to al the cumpany. 14   Sothli the men

weren almoost fyue thousynde. Forsothe he seith to his disciplis, Make hem to sitte to mete by feestis, fyftyes. 15   And thei diden so, and thei maden alle men sitte to the mete. 16   Forsothe fyue looues and tweye fysches takun, he byheld in to heuene, and blesside hem, and brak, and delide to his disciplis, that thei schulden putte bifore the cumpanyes. 17   And alle men eeten, and `weren fillid; and `this that lefte to hem `of broken metis was taken, twelue coffyns. 18   And it was don, whanne he was aloone preiynge, and his disciplis weren with him, and he axide hem, seiynge, Whom `seyn the cumpanyes me to be? 19   And thei answeriden, and seiden, John Baptist, forsothe othere seyen Elye, but othere seyen, for o prophete of the formere hath risun. 20   Sothli he seide to hem, But whom seye &yogh;e me to be? Symound Petre answeringe seide, The Crist of God. 21   And he blamynge hem comaundide hem that thei schulden seie to no man, 22   `and seith `thes thingis, For it bihoueth mannis sone to suffre manye thingis, and to be repreued of the eldere men, and of princes of prestis, and of scribis, and for to be slayn, and in the thridde day to ryse a&yogh;en. 23   Forsothe he seide to alle men, If ony man wole come aftir me, denye he him silf, and take he his cross euery day, and sue he me. 24   Sothli he that schal wilne to make his lyf saaf, schal leese it; forwhi he that schal leese his lyf for me, schal make it saaf. 25   Forsothe what profitith it to a man, if he wynne al the world, sothli leese him silf, and do peyringe of him

silf? 26   Forwhi who that schal schame me and my wordis, and mannis sone schal schame him, whanne he schal come in his mageste, and of the fadir, and of the hooly aungels. 27   Forsoth I seye to &yogh;ou, verily ther ben summe stondinge here, whiche schulen not taste deeth, til thei seen the rewme of God. 28   Sothli it was don aftir thes wordis almoost ei&yogh;te dayes, and he took Petre and James and John, and he sti&yogh;ede in to an hil, that he schulde preie. 29   And the while he preiede, the liknesse of his cheere was maad othir maner, and his clothing whit schynynge. 30   And loo! tweye men spaken with him, 31   forsothe Moyses and Elye weren seyn in mageste; and thei seyden his goynge out, which he was to fillinge in Jerusalem. 32   Forsothe Petre, and thei that weren with him, weren greuyd with sleep, and thei wakinge sy&yogh;en his mageste, and tweye men that stooden with him. 33   And it was don, whanne thei departiden fro him, Petre seith to Jhesu, Comandour, it is good to vs for to be here, and make we here thre tabernaclis, oon to thee, and oon to Moyses, and oon to Elye; not witinge what he schulde seye. 34   Sothli him spekinge thes thingis, a cloude was maad, and schadewide hem; and thei dredden, hem entringe in to the clowde. 35   And a voys was maad fro the clowde, seyinge, This is my dereworthe sone, heere &yogh;e him. 36   And the while the vois was maad, Jhesu was founden aloone. And thei helden pees, and `seide to no man in tho dayes ou&yogh;t of tho thingis, whiche thei hadden herd. 37   Forsothe it was don in the day suynge, hem comynge doun of the hil, myche cumpanye of peple renneth to hem. 38   And

loo! a man of the cumpanye criede, seyinge, Maistir, I biseche thee, byhold in to my sone, for he is `oon aloone to me; and lo! 39   a spirit takith him, and sudenly he crieth, and hurtlith down, and `todrawith him with froth, and vnnethe he goth awey to-drawinge him. 40   And I preiede thi disciplis, that thei schulde caste him out, and thei my&yogh;ten not. 41   Sothli Jhesu answeringe seide to hem, A! vnfeithful generacioun and weyward, hou longe schal I be anentis &yogh;ou, and schal suffre &yogh;ou? leed hidur thi sone. 42   And whanne he cam ny&yogh;, the fend hurlide him doun, and `to-brayd. And Jhesu blamede the vnclene spirit, and heelide the child, and &yogh;eld him to his fadir. 43   Sothli alle men wondriden greetly in the greetnesse of God. And alle men wondringe in alle thingis whiche he dide, he seide to his disciplis, 44   Putte &yogh;e `thes wordis in &yogh;oure hertis, for it is to comynge, that mannis sone be bitrayed in to the hondis of men. 45   And thei knewen not this word, and it was hid bifore hem, that thei feeliden it not; and thei dreden to axe him of this word. 46   Forsothe a thou&yogh;t entride in to hem, who of hem schulde be more. 47   And Jhesu seynge the thou&yogh;tis of the herte of hem, takynge a child, settide him bisydis him silf; 48   and seith to hem, Who euere schal receyue this child in my name, receyueth me; and who euere schal receyue me, receyueth hym that sente me; for whi he that is lesse among &yogh;ou alle, is the more. 49   Forsoth John `answeringe seide, Comaundour, we sy&yogh;en sum man castinge out fendis in thi name, and we han forbodyn him, for he sueth not thee with vs. 50   And Jhesu seith to him, Nyle &yogh;e forbede, forsothe he that is not a&yogh;ens

&yogh;ou, is for &yogh;ou. 51   Sothli it was don, whanne the days of his takynge vp weren fillid, and he settide faste his face, that he schulde go in to Jerusalem; 52   and he sente messangeris bifore his si&yogh;t. And thei goynge entriden in to a citee of Samaritans, that thei schulden make redy to him. 53   And thei receyueden not him, for the face `was of him goynge in to Jerusalem. 54   Forsothe whanne James and John, his disciplis, hadden seyn, thei seiden, Lord, wolt thou `we seye, that fier come doun fro heuene, and waaste hem, `as Helye did? 55   And he turned blamyde hem, seyinge, &YOGH;e witen not, whos spiritis &yogh;e ben; 56   forsothe mannis sone cam not for to leese soulis, but for to saue. And thei wenten in to another castel. 57   Forsoth it was don, hem walkynge in the weye, sum man seide to him, I schal sue thee, whidur euere thou schalt go. 58   And Jhesu seide to him, Foxis han dennys, and briddis of the eyr han nestis, but mannis sone hath not where he schal reste his heed. 59   Forsothe he seide to another, Sue thou me. Sothli he seide, Lord, suffre me first to go, and to burie my fadir. 60   And Jhesu seide to him, Suffre that deede men burie her deede; but go thou, and telle the kyngdom of God. 61   And anothir seide, Lord, I schal sue thee, but first suffre me to telle a&yogh;en to hem that ben at home. 62   Forsothe Jhesu seith to him, No man sendynge his hond to the plou&yogh;, and biholdinge a&yogh;en, is able to the rewme of God.

Previous section

Next section