A   Now whan Festus was come in to the countre, ouer thre dayes he wente vp from Cesarea to Ierusalem. Then appeared the hye prestes and the chefe of the Iewes before him agaynst Paul, and intreated him, and desyred fauoure agaynst him, that he wolde sende for him to Ierusalem, and layed wayte for him, that they might slaye him by the waye. Then answered Festus, that Paul shulde be kepte at Cesarea, but that he himselfe wolde shortly go thither agayne. Let them therfore (sayde he) which are able amonge you, come downe with vs to accuse the man, yf there be ought in him.

Whan he had taried amonge them more then ten dayes, he wente downe to Cesarea. And on the nexte daye he sat downe on the iudgment seate, and commaunded Paul to be broughte. Whan he was come, þe; Iewes which were come downe from Ierusalem, stode rounde aboute him, and broughte vp many and greuous quarels agaynst Paul, which they coulde not proue, whyle he answered for himselfe: B   I haue nether offended ought agaynst the lawe of the Iewes, ner agaynst the t&ebar;ple, ner agaynst the Emperoure.

But Festus wyllinge to shewe the Iewes a pleasure, answered Paul, and sayde: Wilt thou go vp to Ierusalem, and there be iudged off these thinges before me? But Paul sayde: I stonde at the Emperours iudgm&ebar;t seate, where I ought to be iudged: to the Iewes haue I done no harme, as thou also knowest very well. Yf I haue hurte eny man, or committed eny thinge worthy off death, I refuse not to dye. But yf there are no soch thinges as they accuse me off, then maye no man delyuer me vnto them. I appeale vnto the Emperoure. Then spake Festus with the Councell, and answered: Thou hast appealed vnto the Emperoure, to the Emperoure shalt thou go.

After certayne dayes came kynge Agrippa and Bernice to Cesarea to welcome Festus. And whan they had taried there many dayes, Festus rehearsed Pauls cause vnto the kynge, and sayde: C   There is a man left bounde of Felix, for whose cause the hye prestes and Elders of the Iewes appeared before me whan I was at Ierusalem, and desyred a sentence agaynst him. Vnto whom I answered: ^note It is not the maner off the Romaynes to delyuer eny man that he shulde

perishe, before that he which is accused, haue his accusers presente, and receaue libertye to answere for him selfe to the accusacion. Wh&abar; they were come hither together, I made no delaye, but sat the nexte daye in iudgment, and commaunded the man to be broughte forth. Of whom, whan the accusers stode vp, they broughte no accusacion of soch thinges as I supposed: But had certayne questions agaynst him of their awne supersticions, and of one Iesus deed, whom Paul affirmed to be alyue. Howbeit because I vnderstode not the question, I axed h&ibar;, whether he wolde go to Ierusal&ebar;, and there be iudged of these matters. But wh&abar; Paul had appealed, that he might be kepte vnto the knowlege of the Emperoure, I c&obar;maunded him to be kepte, tyll I mighte sende him to the Emperoure.

D   Agrippa sayde vnto Festus: I wolde fayne heare the man also. He sayde: Tomorow shalt thou heare him. And on the nexte daye came Agrippa ∧ Bernice with greate pompe, and w&ebar;te in to the comon hall with the captaynes ∧ chefe m&ebar; of the cite. And at Festus c&obar;maundement, Paul was brought forth. And Festus sayde: Kynge Agrippa, and all ye men which are here with vs, ye se this man, aboute whom all the multitude of the Iewes haue entreated me, both at Ierusal&ebar; and here also, and cried, that he ought not to lyue eny lenger. But whan I perceaued that he had done nothinge worthy off death, and that he himselfe also had appealed vnto the Emperoure, I determyned to sende him, of wh&obar; I haue no certayne thinge to wryte vnto my lorde. Therfore haue I caused h&ibar; to be broughte forth before you, specially before the (O kynge Agrippa) that after examinacion had, I might haue somwhat to wryte. For me thynke it an vnreasonable thinge to sende a presoner, and not to shewe the causes which are layed agaynst him.

Previous section

Next section