Prolog to the epistle to Tyte.
Tyte he counceilith, and enformeth
of the ordynacioun `of prest and of
spiritual conuersacioun, and of heretikis
`to be auoydid, the whiche bileuen in
Jewis wrytinge; he writith fro Nicopolis.
Here endith the prolog, and bigynneth
the epistle to Tyte.
The epistle to Tyte.
CAP. I.
1 Poul, the seruaunt of God, apostle of
Jhesu Crist, vp the feith of the chosene
of God, and knowynge of the treuthe,
the which is vp pite,
2 in hope of euere
lastyng lyf, that God bihi&yogh;te, that lyeth
not,
3 bifore `worldly tymes; forsoth he
schewide in his tymes his word, `or sone,
in preching, that is bitakyn to me vp the
-- --
comaundement of oure sauyour God,
4 to
Tyte, biloued sone vp the comun feith,
grace and pees of God the fadir, and of
Crist Jhesu, oure sauyour.
5 For grace,
`or cause, of this thing I lefte thee at
Crete, that thou amende tho thingis that
faylen, and ordeyne `by cytees prestis, as
and I disposide to thee.
6 If ony man is
withouten cryme, `or greet synne, housbonde
of o wyf, hauynge feithful sones,
not in accusacioun of leccherie, or not
suget.
7 Forsoth it bihoueth a bischop
for to be withoute crime, as dispendour
of God, not proud, not wrathful, not
`vynolent, that is, `moche &yogh;ouun to wyn,
not smytere, not coueitous of foul wynnynge;
but holdinge hospitalite,
8 benygne,
prudent, sobre, iust, hooly, contynent,
biclippyng that `trewe word,
9 `that is vp
doctryn; that he be my&yogh;ti for to amoneste
in hoolsum teching, and to reproue
hem that `a&yogh;en seyn.
10 Forsoth ther
ben manye vnobedient, and veyn spekeris,
and disceyuers, moost thei that ben of circumcisioun,
11 whom it bihoueth for to be
reprouyd; the whiche subuerten alle
housis, teching whiche thingis it bihoueth
not, for grace, `or loue, of foul wynnyng.
12 Summe oon of hem, `the propre
prophete of hem, seide, Men of Crete
euermore lyeris, yuel beestis, `slow of
wombe.
13 This witnessing is trewe. For
what cause blame hem sore, that thei be
hool in feith,
14 not &yogh;yuynge tent to fablis of
Jewis, and to maundementis of men, turnynge
`hem awey fro treuthe.
15 Sotheli alle
thingis ben clene to clene men; forsoth
to vnclene men and vnfeithful no thing is
-- --
clene, but and the soule, `or resoun, and
conscience `of hem ben maad vnclene.
16 Thei knowlechen hem for `to haue
knowe God, forsoth by dedis thei denyen;
whanne thei ben abomynable, and vnbylueful,
and reprouable to al good werk.
CAP. II.
1 `Forsothe speke thou the thingis that
bicomen hoolsum teching;
2 that olde men
be sobre, chast, prudent, hool in feith, in
loue,
3 and pacience; also olde wymmen
in hooly habite, not bacbiteris, `or seyinge
fals blame on othere men, not seruynge
moche to wyn,
4 wel techinge, that
thei teche prudence; &yogh;onge wymmen,
that thei loue her housebondis, that thei
loue sones;
5 thei prudent, chast, sobre,
hauynge cure of `the hous, benyngne,
suget to her housebondis, that the word
of God be not blasfemyd.
6 Also moneste
&yogh;onge men, that thei be sobre.
7 In alle
thingis &yogh;yue thi silf ensaumple of good
werkis, in teching, in hoolnesse, `withoute
sclaundre, in sadnesse.
8 An hool word,
vnreprouable; that he that is on `that
othir syde, be aschamed, `or aferd, hauynge
noon yuel thing for to seye of &yogh;ou.
9 Seruauntis, for to be suget to her lordis;
in alle thingis plesinge, not a&yogh;en seiynge,
not defraudinge,
10 but in alle thingis schewynge
good feith, that thei ourne in alle
thingis the doctryn of `oure sauyour God.
11 Forsoth the grace of God, oure sauyour,
hath apperid to alle men,
12 techinge, `or
lernynge, vs, that we, forsakynge vnpite,
and wordly desyris, lyue sobreli,
-- --
and iustli, and piteuously, in this world,
13 abidinge the blesside hope and the comynge
of the glorie of greet God, and oure
sauyour Jhesu Crist;
14 that &yogh;af hym silf for
vs, that he schulde a&yogh;en bye vs fro al
wickidnesse, and `made clene a peple
acceptable `to him silf, suere of good
werkis.
15 Speke thou these thingis, and
moneste, and arguwe, `or proue, or reproue,
with al comaundement, `or hardynesse;
no man dispise thee.
CAP. III.
1 Amoneste, `or comaunde, hem, for to
be sugettis to princes, and poweris; for
to obeische to seyinge, for to be redy
to al good werk;
2 for to blasfeme no man,
for to be not litygious, `or ful of chiding,
but temperaunt, `or pacient, schewinge
al myldenesse to alle men.
3 Forsoth
and we weren sum tyme vnwyse,
vnbileueful, erringe, and seruynge to desyris,
and dyuerse voluptees, in malice
and enuye doynge, hateful, `or worthi
for to be hatid, hatynge to gidere.
4 Forsoth
whanne the benygnyte, and humanite,
`or manhed, of `oure sauyour God
apperide,
5 not of workis of ri&yogh;twysnesse
that we diden, but vp his mercy he made
vs saaf, by waischynge, `or baptym, of
a&yogh;en bigetyng, and a&yogh;en newyng of the
Hooly Gost,
6 whom he schedde out in to vs
plenteuously by Jhesu Crist, oure sauyour,
that we iustifyed bi his grace,
7 be eyris
vp hope of euerlastyng lyf.
8 A trewe
word is, and of thes thingis I wole thee
for to conferme othere men, that thei
that bileuen to God, curen, `or do bisynesse,
for to be bifore in goode werkis.
-- --
Thes thingis ben goode and profitable to
men.
9 Forsoth eschewe thou foltische
questiouns, and genelogies, and stryues,
and fi&yogh;tingis of the lawe; forsoth thei
ben vnprofitable and veyn.
10 Schonye
thou a man heretyk, aftir oon and the
secunde coreccioun, `or correpcioun, or reprouyng;
11 witinge for he that is such
maner man is subuertid, and trespassith,
dampned bi his owne dom.
12 Sothli whanne
I schal sende to thee Arteman, or Tytik,
hy&yogh;e, `or haste, thou for to come to me
to Nicopolis; forsoth I haue purposid
for to dwelle in winter ther.
13 Bisily
`sende bifore Zenam, a wyse man of
lawe, and Apollo, that no thing fayle to
hem.
14 Forsothe and oure men lerne for
to be bifore in good werkis, to necessarie
vses, that thei be not vnfruytouse.
15 Alle
men that ben with me greeten thee wel.
Greete thou wel hem, that louen vs in
feith. The grace of God with &yogh;ou alle.
Amen.
Here endith the epistle to Tyte, and
bygynneth the prolog to Filomon.
-- --
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].
