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.
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].
