Wycliffe (Late) [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] [B02020].
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[Prologue on the First book of Kings.]
In this book of Kingis the first is contened, how Anna, the wijf of Helchana, that
was longe tyme bareyn, axide of God to haue a sone, and God &yogh;af to her axing; which
sone Anna &yogh;af in to the seruyse of the Lord, in the tabernacle of boond of pees, vndur
Heli the hei&yogh;este prest. And God chees Samuel, and spak to him alle thingis, and
forsook Heli and hise sones, for wickidnesse that the sones diden, wherfore thei
perischiden alle in o dai. And Samuel anoyntide Saul in to king on Israel; and
whanne Saul fulfillide not the hestis of God, God forsook him; and Samuel anoyntide
Dauith in to king, whanne he kepte hise fadris scheep; wherfor Saul hatide Dauith,
and pursuwide him, til to the dai of veniaunce of the Lord cam; and Saul perischide,
and hise sones, and al his hous.
[Prologue to the four books of Kings.]
The langage of men Sirus, and of Caldeis
also, witnessith that there ben two an
twenty lettris, the which of a greet partie
is acordynge to Ebrew; for also thei han
two and twenti elementis in the same sown,
and in dyuerse pryntis. Also Samaritans
writen the fyue bookis of Moyses with
so many lettris, oonly dyuersynge in the
figuris and prentis; and it is certeyn, that
Esdras, the scribe and a doctour of the
lawe, foond other lettris, which we vsen
now, aftir that Jerusalem was taken, and
aftir restorynge of the temple vndur Zorobabel;
for vnto that tyme weren the same
lettris and fyguris of Samarytans and of
Ebrews vsid. Also in book of Numeri
the same noumbrynge is mistily schewid
vndir the noumbre of dekenes and prestis;
and we han founden the hie name of the
-- --
Lord Tetragramaton in summe bookes of
Grew expressid with olde lettris vnto this
day. But also the salmes of the Sauter,
as the xxxvj. salm, and the hundrid and
x. salm, and the hundrid and aleuene salm,
and the hundrid and xviij. salm, and the
hundrid and xliiij. salm, al be it that thei
ben writen with dyuerse metre, netheles
thei ben writen and wouen to gideris with
the abece of the same noumbre; and the
Lamentaciouns of Jeremye, and the Preier
of him, and also the Prouerbis of Salamon,
in the ende, fro that place in which
he seith, Who shal fynde a strong womman,
be noumbryd with the same abeces
of merkyngis. Forsothe the fyue double
lettris anentis the Ebrews ben thes, Caph,
Men, Num, Phe, Sade; for bi these lettris
thei writen other while the bygynnyngis
and the myddes of wordes, and in anothir
maner the endis. Wherfor these fyue
bookes, Samuel, Malachim, Dabre Jamyn,
Esdras, and Jeremye with Cynnoth, that
is, his Lamentaciouns, ben gissid of sum
men to be dowble bookes. Therfor as
there ben xxij. lettris, by which we writen
in manere of Ebrews alle thingis that we
speken, and mannes vois taken with the
bigynnynges of hem, so xxij. volyms ben
noumbrid, by the whiche as by lettris
and byginnynges the &yogh;onge tendre and &yogh;it
soukynge childhod of the ri&yogh;twise man is
enformed in the doctryne of God. The
first book anentis hem is clepid Bresith,
whiche we clepen Genesis; the secounde,
Elesmoch, which is clepid Exodi; the
thridde, Vagetra, that is, the book of
Leuyticy; the fourthe, Vagetaber, which
we clepen Noumbre; the fyfte, Addabarim,
the which is bifore notid Deutronomye.
These ben the fyue bookes of
Moyses, the whiche thei clepen propurly
Thorath, what is to seie, the lawe.
Thanne thei maken the secunde ordre of
profetis, and bygynnen at Jhesu, the sone
of Naue, that anentis hem is seid Josue
Benum. Fro thennus thei ioyneden yn
-- --
Sophim, that is, the book of Juges; and
in to the same thei putten in Ruth, for in
the dayes of Juges her storie is teeld to be
fulfillid. The thridde book folewith, that
is clepid Samuel, which we seyn the Firste
and the Secounde book of Kynges. The
fourthe is Malachim, that is, of Kyngis,
which is conteyned in the thridde and the
iiij. volym of Rewmes; and myche betere
it is to seie Malachym, that is, of Kynges,
than Maletoch, that is, of rewmes; for he
discryueth not the rewmes of many folkis,
but the rewme of o puple of Israel, that
is conteyned in xij. lynagis. The fifte is
Isaie; the sixte Jeromye; the seuenthe
Ezechiel; the ei&yogh;te in the book of xij.
profetis, that anentis hem is clepid Thariasrai.
The thridde ordre weldith Agiografa,
that ben hooly writen ensaumplis;
and the firste book bygynneth fro Job;
the secounde fro Dauith, which men holden
in fyue dyuysiouns, and in o volym of
Salmes; the thridde is of Salomon, hauynge
iij. bookes, as Prouerbis or Parablis,
that is clepid Maloth; the iiij. Ecclesiasten,
that is clepid Coelech; the fyfethe
is the Song of Songis, whom thei biforen
seien bi title Sirassirym; the sixte is Daniel;
the seuenthe Debraiamyn, that is to
seie, the wordis of daies, the which more
kouthly may be clepid the Cronycle of
Goddis stories; the which book anentis vs
is writen Paralipomenon the Firste and the
Secounde; the ei&yogh;tithe book is Esdras, the
which also in lijk maner, bothe anentis
Grekis and Latynes, is departid in to twey
bookis; the nynthe is the book of Ester.
And that is to seie, fyue booke of Moyses,
and ei&yogh;te bookes of the profitis, and neyne
of Agiogrofis, that is to seie, of expresse
ensaumplis of holynesse; al be it that sum
men writun Ruth and Synoth among the
Agiografis, and thei weenen that thes
bookes shulden be rekened in her noumbre,
and be that to ben xxiiij. bookes of
olde lawe; which the Apocalips of Joon
bryngeth yn, vndur the noumbre of xxiiij.
-- --
eldris onourynge the lomb, and offrynge
her crownes, with her cheris cast doun,
and stondynge bifor the foure beestis that
weren i&yogh;ed bifore and bihynde, that is to
seie, biholdynge in to the tyme that is
passid, and in to the tyme that is to come,
and criynge with contynuel vois, without
feyntise, Hooly, Holi, Holy, Lord God
Almy&yogh;ti, that was, and that is, and that
is to comen! This prologe of Scripturis
as an helmed princeple mai acorde to alle
the bookes which we han turned fro Ebrew
in to Latyn, that we moun knowun that
what euere writynge is out of these, is
to be put amonge the Apocrifas, that is,
amonge thilke wrytynges whos auctours
ben vnknowe of alle hooly chirche. Therfore
the book of Sapience, that comynly is
writen to be the book of Salomon, and the
book of Jhesu, the sone of Sirak, and the
book of Judith, and Thobie, and Pastor,
be not in the canoun. I found the Firste
book of Makabeus of Ebrews langage; the
Secounde book is Grew, that may be preued
of the sittinge and of the speche. The
which thingis, siththe thei han in sich
manere, thou reder, I byseche thee, deeme
thou not my trauayle to be maad in repreuynge
of old men. For ech man offrith
in to the tabernacle of God that he mai,
aftir his power; sum men offren gold,
and siluer, and precious stoonys; othere
men offren biys, and purpur, and scarled,
and iacynt. With vs it is weel, if we offren
skynnes, and the heeris of geet; and netheles
the Postle schewith opynly, that
oure foule thingis and contemptible ben
more needful than sum faire thingis.
Wherfore al the fairnesse of the tabernacle,
that was distinccioun and figure of
hooly chirche that is now, and that is
aftir to comynge, by alle her semelynesses
is kyuerid with skynnes, and with heeris;
and tho thingis that ben foulere letten
the brennynge of the sunne, and the dispitousnesse
of reynes and stormes. Thanne
rede thou first Samuel, and my book Malachim,
-- --
&yogh;he, myn forsothe, myn; fore what
euere we han lerned in ofte turnynge of
bookes, and in more bisily amendynge, if
we holden it in oure hertis, it is ouris, it
is ouris. And whanne thou vndurstondist
that biforn hond thou knewe not, thanne
or deme thou me to be a trewe drawere
out of hooly writ, if thou art kynde, or
ellis a false spekere, if thou art vnkynde;
al be it that I haue no conscience to my
silf, me to haue chaungid ony thing fro
Ebrews treuthe. Certis, if thou art hard
of byleeue, rede the bookis of Grew and
of Latyn, and leie hem to gideris with
these litil werkes, whiche we han teld
aboue; and where euer thou seest hem discorde
bitwixe hem silf, axe thou ony mon
of the Ebrewis, to whom thou shuldist
&yogh;yue more feith to, and if he confermeth
oure writyngis, I trowe thou shalt not
deeme him a coniecture of lesyngis, that
he hath dyuyned in the same place in lijk
manere with me. But also I preye &yogh;ou,
Paula and Eustochie, seruauntis of Crist,
which anoynten the heed of the Lord,
sittinge doun with the moost preciouse
myrre of bileeue, the whiche seken not
oure Sauyour in the sepulcre, to whos
bileeue Crist hath stied vp to his fadir,
I preie &yogh;ou, that &yogh;e putte the scheeldis of
&yogh;oure good preieris a&yogh;ens the berkynge
houndis that wexen cruel a&yogh;ens me with
wood mouth, and gon aboute the citee,
and in that demen hem to be wise, whanne
thei bacbiten othir men. Therfor I, knowynge
my lownesse, shal euermore haue
mynde of that sentence, [I] seid, I shal kepe
my weies that I trespasse not [in] my tonge;
I haue ordeyned a warde to my mouth,
whan the synful trespasour stood a&yogh;enus
me; I bicame doumbe, and was lawid, and
held my pees fro good thingis.
-- --
Here biginnith the firste book of
Kingis.
Wycliffe (Late) [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] [B02020].
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