1   Symount Petre, seruant and apostle of Jhesu Crist, to hem that han take with us the euene miche feith, in ri&yogh;twisnesse of oure God and sauyour Jhesu Crist, grace to &yogh;ou `and pees be fulfillid, 2   in the knowinge of oure Lord Jhesu Crist. 3   Hou alle thinges of his godliche vertu, that ben to lijf and pitee, ben &yogh;ouun to us, bi the knowing of him, that clepide us for his owne glory and vertu. 4   Bi whom he &yogh;af to us moost and preciouse biheestes; that bi thes thingis &yogh;e shulden be maad felawes of Goddis kynde, fleynge the corupcioun of that coueytise, that is in the world. 5   Forsothe `&yogh;e vndir beringe, `or &yogh;euynge, al cure, mynistre in &yogh;oure feith vertu, sotheli in vertu science, `or kunnynge; 6   in science sotheli abstinence, in abstinence forsothe pacience, in pacience sotheli pitee; in pitee sotheli loue of britherhede, 7    forsothe in loue of britherhede charite. 8   Forsothe if thes ben with &yogh;ou, and ouercomen, `or ben plenteuous, thei shulen not ordeyne &yogh;ou voyde, ne with outen fruyt, in the knowinge of oure Lord Jhesu Crist. 9   Forsothe to whom thes ben not redy, he is blynd, and bi hond temptynge,

`or assayinge, receyuynge for&yogh;etingnes of the purgynge of his olde trespassis. 10   Wherfore, britheren, more bisye &yogh;e, that bi goode werkis &yogh;e make &yogh;oure clepynge `and chesynge certeyn; 11   sotheli &yogh;e doynge thes thinges, shulen not synne ony tyme. Forsothe thus the entringe `in to euerelastinge kyngdom of oure Lord `Jhesu Crist `and sauyour, shal be mynistrid to &yogh;ou plenteuously. 12   For which thing I shal bigynne for to moneste &yogh;ou euermore of thes thingis; and sotheli I wole &yogh;ou wityng and confermid in present treuthe. 13   Forsothe I deme iust, `hou longe I am in this tabernacle, for to reyse &yogh;ou in monestinge; 14   I certeyn for the puttyng off of my tabernacle is swift, up that oure Lord Jhesu Crist hath signyfied to me. 15   Forsothe I shal &yogh;iue werk, `or bisynesse, and ofte for to `haue &yogh;ou aftir my deeth, that &yogh;e do the mynde of hem. 16   Sotheli we not suynge vnwijse taales, han maad knowun to &yogh;ou the vertu and prescience, `or bifore knowing, of oure Lord Jhesu Crist; but maad biholders of his greetnesse. 17   Sotheli he takinge of God the fadir honour and glory, sich maner voys sliden doun to him fro the greet glory, This is my `loued sone, in whom I haue plesid to me; `here &yogh;e him. 18   And we herden this voys brou&yogh;t to fro heuene, whan we weren with him in the holy hyl. 19   And we han a sadder word of the prophet, to which &yogh;e &yogh;euynge tent don wel, as to a lantern &yogh;euynge li&yogh;t in a derk, `or mysty, place, til the day bigynne for to &yogh;iue li&yogh;t, and the day sterre springe in &yogh;oure hertis. 20   First vndirstondinge this thing, that ech prophecie of

scripture is not maad bi propre, `or owne, interpretacioun. 21   Forsothe prophecie is not brou&yogh;t to bi mannus wille, but the holy men of God inspirid with the Holy Goost spaken. CAP. II.

1   Forsothe ther weren and false prophetes of the puple, as and in &yogh;ou shulen be maystirs li&yogh;ers, that shulen bringe in sectes of perdicioun; and thei denyen `the ilke Lord that bou&yogh;te hem, `aboue ledynge to hem silf hasty perdicioun, `or dampnacioun. 2   And many shulen sue her leccheries, bi whiche the weye of treuthe shal be blasfemyd; 3   and thei shulen marchaundise of &yogh;ou in coueitise bi feynyd wordis. To whom `now doom `sum tyme ceesith not, and the perdicioun of hem nappith not. 4   Forsothe if God sparide not to aungels, but bitoke hem `to be turmentid, drawen with boondis of helle in to helle, for to be kept in to doom; 5   and sparide not to the first world, but kepte Noe, the ei&yogh;tthe, bifore goer of ri&yogh;twisnesse, bringynge in the `diluuye, or greet flood, to the world of vnpitouse men; 6   and he driuynge in to poudre the citees of men of Sodom and of men of Gomor, dampnide bi turnynge upsedoun, puttinge ensaumple of hem that weren to doynge yuel, `or vnpitously; and deliueride iust Loth, 7   oppressid fro the wrong `of curside men, and leccherous conuersacioun; 8   sotheli in si&yogh;t and heringe he was iust, dwellinge anentis hem that fro day in to day turmentiden with wickide werkis a iust soule. 9   The Lord knew for to delyuere pitouse men of temptacioun, sotheli for to kepe wickide men

in to the day of dome for to be turmentid; forsothe more hem that walken aftir flesch, 10    in coueitinge of vnclennesse, and despijsen lordscheping, bolde, dreden not to bringe in sectes `plesinge to hem, blasfemynge; wher aungels, 11   whan thei ben more in strengthe and vertu beren not a&yogh;ens hem the execrable, `or cursid, doom. 12   `Thes sotheli as vnresounable beestes, kyndeli in to capcioun, `or takinge, and in to deeth, blasfemynge in thes thingis that thei knowen not, shulen perische in her corupcioun, receyuynge the hijre of vnri&yogh;twisnesse, 13    gessynge `the voluptees of the day delijces of defoulinge and of wemme, `with delijcis flowinge, in her feestis doynge leccherie with &yogh;ou, 14   hauynge i&yogh;en ful of auoutrie, and vncesynge trespasse, deceyuynge vnstedefast soules, hauynge the herte excercisid in coueitise, the sones of cursynge, 15   forsakinge the ri&yogh;t weie, erreden, suynge the weie of Balaam of Bosor, the which louede hijre of wickidnesse. 16   Sotheli he hadde correpcioun, `or reprouyng, of his woodnesse; a doumbe beest vndir &yogh;ok, spekinge with voys of man, forbede the vnwisdom of the prophet. 17   Thes ben welles with oute watir, and cloudis, `or mijstis, driuun with `whirlinge wijndis, to whom the thicke mijst of derknessis is reserued. 18   Sotheli thei spekinge in pride of vanyte, deceyuen in desijris of flesch of leccherie hem, that `a litel scapen. The whiche lyuynge in errour, 19   bihotinge liberte, `or fredom, to hem, whan thei ben seruauntes of corupcioun. Sotheli of whom ony man is ouercome, `of him and

`he is seruaunt. 20   Forsothe if men forsakinge the defoulinges, `or vnclennesses, of the world, in the knowinge of oure `Lord and sauyour Jhesu Crist, eftsoone inwlappid in thes, ben ouercome, the latter thingis ben maad to hem worse than the former. 21   Sotheli it was betere `to hem for to not knowe the weie of ri&yogh;twisnesse, than for to turne a&yogh;en aftir the knowinge, fro that holy maundement that was bitakun to hem. 22   Sotheli `the ilke thing of verrey prouerbe bifel to hem, An hound turned a&yogh;en to his woom, `or castyng vp, and a sowe waschun in the walewinge, `or slowe, of cley, `or fen. CAP. III.

1   Lo! I wrijte to &yogh;ou this secounde epistle, in which I stire &yogh;oure cleer soule in monestinge to gydere, 2   that &yogh;e be myndeful of the wordis, that I bifore seide of holy prophetis, and of the maundementis of holy apostlis of the Lord sauyour; 3   first witynge this thing, that in the laste dayes illusours, `or scorners, or deceyuours, shulen come in deceyt, goynge aftir hir owne coueitinges, 4   seiynge, Where is biheste, or the comyng, of him? forsothe sith fadirs slepten, so alle thinges lasten fro the bigynnynge of creature. 5   Sotheli it daarith hem willinge this thing, that heuenes weren bifore, and the erthe of watir and bi watir beynge, `or stondinge, to gydere bi Goddis word; 6   bi whiche thingis `that ilke world clensid thanne perischide. 7   Forsothe the heuenes that now ben, and the erthe, bi the same word

`put a&yogh;en, ben kept to fijr in to the day of dome and perdicioun of vnpitouse men. 8   Forsothe, &yogh;e moost dere, oo thing `daare &yogh;ou not, `or be not unknowun, for oo day anentis God as a thousynd &yogh;eeres, and a thousynd &yogh;eer as oo day. 9   The Lord tarieth not his biheest, as `sum men gessen, but he doith paciently for &yogh;ou, `not willinge ony for to perische, but alle for to turne a&yogh;en to penaunce. 10   Forsothe the day of the Lord shal come as a theef, in which heuenes with greet bire, `or feersnesse, shulen passe, sotheli elementes shulen be dissolued bi heete, forsothe the erthe, and alle werkes that ben in it, shulen be brent. 11   Therefore whan alle thes thinges shulen be `to be dissolued, what maner men bihoueth &yogh;ou for to be in holy lyuyngis and pitees, 12   abidynge and hi&yogh;inge in to the comynge of the day of oure Lord Jhesu Crist, bi whom heuenes brennynge shulen be dissolued, and elementes bi brennynge, `or heete, of fijr `shulen fayle. 13   Sotheli we abijden up his biheestes newe heuenes and newe erthe, in whiche ri&yogh;twisnesse dwellith. 14   For which thing, &yogh;e moost dere, abijdinge thes thinges, bisye for to be founde to him in pees vnspottid and vnfoulid. 15   And deme &yogh;e the longe abijdinge of oure Lord &yogh;oure helthe, as and oure moost dere brother Poul wroot to &yogh;ou, up wisdom &yogh;ouun to him. 16   As and in alle epistlis spekinge `in hem of thes thingis; in whiche ben summe harde thinges in vndirstondinge, the whiche vnwijse, `or vntau&yogh;t, and vnstable men deprauen, as and othere scriptures, to her owne perdicioun. 17   Therfore &yogh;e, britheren, bifore witynge kepe &yogh;ou silf, lest &yogh;e ouerled, `or deceyued, bi errour of

vnwijse men, falle awey fro &yogh;oure owne sadnesse. 18   Forsothe wexe &yogh;e in grace and knowinge of oure Lord Jhesu Crist and oure Sauyour; to him glory and now and in to the day of euerelastingenesse. Amen. Heere endeth the secounde pistle of seynt Petre, and now bigynneth the first pistle of seynt Joon.

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