CAP. V.
1 And Y say in the ri&yogh;thond of the
sittere on the trone, a book writun with
ynne and with out, and seelid with seuene
seelis.
2 And Y say a strong aungel, prechynge
with a greet vois, Who is worthi to
opene the book, and to vndon the seelis of
it?
3 And noon in heuene, nether in erthe,
nether vnder erthe, my&yogh;te opene the book,
nether biholde it.
4 And Y wepte myche,
for noon was founde worthi to opene the
book, nethir to se it.
5 And oon of the
eldre men seide to me, Wepe thou not;
lo! a lioun of the lynage of Juda, the
-- --
roote of Dauid, hath ouercomun to opene
the book, and to vndon the seuene seelis
of it.
6 And Y say, and lo! in the myddil
of the trone, and of the foure beestis, and
in the myddil of the eldre men, a lombe
stondynge as slayn, that hadde seuene
hornes, and seuene i&yogh;en, whiche ben
seuene spiritis of God, sent in to al the
erthe.
7 And he cam, and took of the
ri&yogh;thond of the sittere in the trone the
book.
8 And whanne he hadde opened the
book, the foure beestis and the foure and
twenti eldre men fellen doun bifore the
lomb; and hadden ech of hem harpis,
and goldun violis ful of odours, whiche
ben the preyeris of seyntis.
9 And thei
sungun a newe song, and seiden, Lord
oure God, thou art worthi to take the
book, and to opene the seelis of it; for
thou were slayn, and a&yogh;enbou&yogh;tist vs to
God in thi blood, of ech lynage, `and
tunge, and puple, and nacioun;
10 and
madist vs a kyngdom, and prestis to oure
God; and we schulen regne on erthe.
11 And Y say, and herde the vois of many
aungels al aboute the trone, and of the
beestis, and of the eldre men. And the
noumbre of hem was thousyndis of thousyndis,
seiynge with a greet vois,
12 The
lomb that was slayn, is worthi to take
vertu, and godhed, and wisdom, and
strengthe, and onour, and glorie, and
blessing.
13 And ech creature that is in
heuene, and that is on erthe, and vndur
erthe, and the see, and whiche thingis
ben in it, Y herde alle seiynge, To hym
that sat in the trone, and to the lomb,
blessyng, and onour, and glorie, and
power, in to worldis of worldis.
14 And
the foure beestis seiden, Amen. And
-- --
the foure and twenti eldre men fellen
doun on her faces, and worschipiden
hym that lyueth in to worldis of worldis.
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].
