A   And he answered me, say&ebar;ge: The most hyest made this worlde for many, but the worlde to come for few. I wyl tell the a symilitude, E&esset;dras: As whan thou axest the earth, it shal saye vnto the, that it geueth moch moulde, wherof erthen vessels are made, but litle of it þt; golde c&obar;meth of.

Euen so is it with the worke of this worlde. ^noteThere be many created, but few shall be preserued. Then answered I ∧ sayde: Then swalowe vp the witt (thou soule) and deuoure the vnderstondinge, for thou art agreed to herken and to geue eare, and wyllinge to prophecie: for thou hast no longer space geuen the, but only to lyue. O LORDE, wilt thou not geue thy seruaunt leue, þt; we maye praye before the, and that thou mayest geue sede vnto oure hert, and buylde oure vnderstondinge, that there maye come frute of it: and that euery one which is corrupte, and beareth the state and place of a man, maye lyue?

For thou art alone, and we all are one workmanshipe of thy handes, like as thou hast sayde, and like as the body is fashioned now in the childe&esset;bed, and thou geuest the membres, and thy creature is preserued in fyre and water: ∧ ix. monethes doth thy worke suffre thy creature, which is fashioned in her: but the thinge that preserueth and it þt; is preserued, shal both be kepte together: ∧ whan tyme is, the childe&esset;bedd delyuereth þe; thinge, that is kepte and growne in her.

B   For thou hast commaunded the brestes to geue mylck vnto the frute, that the thinge which is created and fashioned, maye be norished for a tyme: and then thou disposest and ordrest it with thy mercy, bryngest it vp with thy righteousnes, nurturest it in thy lawe, and refourmest it with thy vnderstondinge, mortifiest it as thy creature, and makest it lyuynge as thy worke. Seinge then that thou destroyest him, which &wt; so greate labours is created and fashioned thorow thy commaundement, thou coudest lyghtly ordene also, that the thinge which is made, might be preserued.

And this I speake now of all men in generall, as thou knowest: but of thy people, for whose sake I am sory: and of thy inheritaunce, for whose cause I mourne: and of Israel, for whom I am wofull: and for Iacob, for whose sake I am greued: therfore begynne I to praye before the, for my self and for them, for I se the fall of vs, euen of vs, that dwell vpon earth. But I haue herde the swiftnes of the iudge, which is to come: therfore heare my voyce, and vnderst&obar;de my wordes, and I shal speake before the.

C   This is the begynnynge of the wordes of E&esset;dras, before he was receaued: O LORDE, thou that dwellest in euerlastyngnesse, whose eyes are lift vp in the ayre, whose stole is exceadinge hye, whose glory and maiesty

maye not be compreh&ebar;ded, before whom the hoostes of heauen stonde with tremblinge, whose kepinge is turned in winde and fyre, whose worde is true, whose talkynge is stedfast, whose commaundement is stronge, whose ordynaunce is fearfull, whose loke dryeth vp the depthes, whose wrath maketh the mountaynes to melt awaye, ∧ whose trueth beareth wytnes: O heare þe; prayer of thy seruaunt, and marck with thine eares the peticion of thy creature.

For whyle I lyue, I wil speake: and so l&obar;ge as I haue vnderstondinge, I will answere. O loke not vp&obar; the synnes of thy people, which serue þe; in the trueth. Haue no respecte vnto the wicked studies of the Heithen, but to the desyre of those that kepe thy testimonies with sorowes. Thinke not vpon those that haue walked faynedly before the, but vpon them, which with wyll haue knowne thy feare.

Let it not be thy wyll to destroye them, which haue had beastly maners, but to loke vpon them that haue clearly taught thy lawe. Take thou no indignacion at them, which are worse then beastes: but loue them, that allwaye put their trust in þi; righteousnes and glory: for we and oure fathers haue all the same sicknes and disease, but because of oure synnes thou shalt be called mercifull.

D   For yf thou hast mercy vpon vs, thou shalt be called mercifull, where as we haue no workes of righteousnes: for þe; righteous which haue layed vp many good workes together, shall out of their dedes receaue rewarde. For what is man, that thou shuldest take displeasure at him? Or what is the corruptible mortall generacion, that thou shuldest be so rough towarde him?

^noteFor of a trueth there is no man amonge them that be borne, but he hath dealt wickedly: and amonge the faithfull there is none, which hath not done amysse. For in this (O LORDE) thy righteousnes ∧ thy goodnes shalbe praysed and declared, yf thou be mercifull vnto them, which are not rych in good workes.

Then answered he me and sayde: Some thinges hast thou spoken a right, and acordinge vnto thy wordes it shal be. For I wil not verely c&obar;sidre the worke of them, which haue synned before death, before the iudgment, before destrucci&obar;, ^note but I wyll reioyse ouer the worke and thought of þe; righteous. I wil remembre also the pilgramege, the holymakynge and the rewarde. Like as I haue spoken now, so shall it come to passe. For as the hu&esset;b&abar;d man soweth moch sede vpon the grounde, and planteth many trees, and yet allwaye the thinge that is sowne or pl&abar;ted is not all kepte safe, nether doth it all take rote: Euen so is it of them that are sowne in the worlde, they shal not all be preserued.

E   I answered then ∧ sayde: Yf I haue founde grace, then let me speake. Like as the husb&abar;de mans sede perisheth, yf it receaue not rayne in due season, or yf there come to moch rayne vpon it: Euen so perisheth man also, which is created with thy handes, and is like vnto thine owne ymage and to thy self, for whose sake thou hast made all thinges, and lickened him vnto the hu&esset;bande mans sede. Be not wroth at vs (O LORDE) but spare thy people, and haue mercy vpon thine owne inheritaunce: O be mercifull vnto thy creature.

Then answered he me and sayde: Thinges present are for the present, and thinges to come for soch as be to come. For thou w&abar;test yet moch, seynge thou mayest loue my creature aboue me: I haue oft times drawne nye vnto the, but neuer to the vnrighteous. In this also thou art maruelous before the Hyest, in that thou hast humbled thy self, as it becommeth the, and hast not regarded thine owne self, þt; thou art had in soch honoure amonge the righteous. F   Therfore shal greate wrechidnes and mysery come vpon them, that in the latter tyme shal dwell in þe; worlde, for they haue walked in greate pryde.

But vnderstonde thou for thy self, and seke out glory for soch as be like the: for vnto you is paradyse opened, the tre of life is pl&abar;ted, the tyme to come is prepared, plenteousnes made ready: a cite is builded for you, and a rest is prepared, yee perfecte goodnes and wy&esset;dome. The rote of euell is marked from you, the weaknes and moth is hyd from you, ∧ into hell flyeth corrupcion in forgetfulnes. Sorowes are vanyshed awaye, and in the ende is shewed the treasure of immortalite. And therfore axe thou no more questions, c&obar;cernynge the multitude of them that perishe. For they haue taken libertie, despysed the Hyest, thought scorne of his lawe, and forsaken his wayes.

G    ^noteMorouer, they haue troden downe his righteous, and sayde in their hert, that there is no God, yee and that wittingly, for they dye. For like as the thinge that I haue spoken of, is made ready for you: Eu&ebar; so is thyrst and payne prepared for them. For it was not his wil that man shulde come to naught: but

they which be created, haue defyled the name of him that made them, and are vnthanfull vnto him, which prepared life for them. And therfore is my iudgment now at hande. These thinges haue I not shewed vnto all men, but vnto few: namely, vnto the, and to soch as be like the.

Then answered I and sayde: Beholde O LORDE, now hast thou shewed me the multitude of the tokens, which thou wilt begynne to do at the last: but at what tyme and whan, thou hast not shewed me.

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