CAP. V.
1 And I si&yogh;e in the ri&yogh;thalf of the
sittinge vpon the troone, a book writun
with inne and with oute, and seelid with
seuen seelis.
2 And I si&yogh;e a strong aungel,
preching with greet voys, Who is worthi
for to opene the boke, and for to vnbynde
the signetes of it?
3 And `no man mi&yogh;te in
heuene, nether in erthe, nether vndir erthe
opene the book, ne biholde it.
4 And I
wepte miche, for `no man is founden
worthi for to opene the book, nether for
to see it.
5 And oon of the eldre seide to
me, Wepe thou not; lo! a lyoun of the
-- --
lynage of Juda, the rote of Dauid, hath
ouercomen for to opene the book, and for
to vnbynde the seuen signetes of it.
6 And
I si&yogh;e, and lo! in the mydle of the troone,
and `in the mydle of foure beestes, and in
the mydle of eldre, a lomb stondinge as
sleyn, hauynge seuene hornes, and seuen
i&yogh;en, the whiche ben seuen spirites of
God, sent into ech lond.
7 And he cam,
and toke of the ri&yogh;thond of the sittinge
in troone the book.
8 And whan he hadde
openyd the book, foure beestes and foure
and twenty eldre fellen doun bifore the
lomb; hauynge ech of hem harpes, and
golden fioles ful of saueringis, whiche ben
the preyers of seyntis.
9 And thei sungen
a newe song, seiynge, Lord, thou art
worthi for to take the boke, and for to
opene the signetes of it; for thou were
slayn, and a&yogh;en bou&yogh;tist us to God in thi
blood, of al lynage, and tunge, and puple,
and nacioun;
10 and madist us `to oure
God kingdom, and prestis; and we shulen
regne vpon erthe.
11 And I si&yogh;e, and herde
the voys of many aungels in cumpas of
the trone, and of beestes, and of eldre.
And the nombre of hem `was a thousynd
of thousyndis,
12 seiynge with greet voys,
The lomb that is slayn, is worthi for to
take vertu, and `diuynite, or godhed, and
wisdom, and strengthe, and honour, and
glory, and blessing.
13 And ech creature that
is in heuen, and that on erthe, and vnder
erthe, and the se, and whiche thinges ben
in it, I herde alle seiynge, To the sittynge
in troone, and to the lomb, blessing, and
honour, and glory, and power, in to worldlis
of worldlis.
14 And the foure beestes
seiden, Amen. And the foure and twenty
`eldre men felden doun `in to her facis,
-- --
and worschipeden the lyuynge in to worldlis
of worldlis.
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].
