A   And he answered me, sayinge. The most Hyest made thys worlde for many, but the worlde to come for fewe. I will tell the a symylitude, Esdras: As when thou askest the earth, it shall saye vnto þe;, that it geueth moch moulde, where of earthen vessels are made, but litle of it that golde commeth of. Eu&ebar; so is it with the worcke of thys world. ^noteThere be many created, but fewe shall be preserued. Then answered I and sayde: The swalowe vp the wytt (thou soule) and deuoure the

vnderstandyng, for thou art argreed to herken and to geue eare, and wyllynge to prophecie: for thou hast no l&obar;ger space geuen þe;, but onely to lyue. O Lord, wilt thou not geue thy serua&ubar;t leaue, that we maye praye before the, and that thou mayest geue sede vnto oure herte, ∧ buylde oure vnderst&abar;dyng, that there maye come frute of it: ∧ that euery one which is corrupte, and beareth þe; state and place of a man, maye lyue?

For thou art alone, ∧ we all are one worckmanshype of thy h&abar;des, lyke as thou hast sayd, and lyke as the body is fashioned now in the mothers w&obar;be, ∧ thou geuest the m&ebar;bres, and thy creature is preserued in fyre &abar;d water: ∧ .ix. monethes doth thy worke suffre thy creature, which is fashioned in her: but the thing that preserued, and it that is preserued, shal both be kepte together: and wh&ebar; tyme is, the wombe delyuereth the thynge that is kepte and growne in her.

For thou hast commaunded þe; brestes to geue mylck vnto the frute, that the thynge which is created and fassioned, maye be norished for a tyme: and then thou dysposest ∧ ordrest it with thy mercy, bryngest it vp &wt; thy ryghteousnes, nurturest it in thy law, ∧ refourmest it with thy vnderstanding, mortifiest it as thy creature, ∧ makest it lyu&ibar;ge as thy worcke. Seynge then that thou destroyedst h&ibar;, which with so great labours is created and fashyoned thorowe thy commaundem&ebar;t, thou couldest lyghtly ordeyne, also, that the thinge which is made, myght be preserued.

B   And this I speake now of all men in generall: as þu; knowest: but of thy people: for whose sake I am sory: and of thy inherita&ubar;ce: 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 selfe ∧ for th&ebar;, for I se the fall of vs, euen of vs, that dwell vpon earth. But I haue herde the swyftnes of the iudge, which is to come: therfore heare my voyce, and vnderstande my wordes, and I shall speake before the.

This is the begynninge of the wordes of Esdras, before he was receaued: O Lorde, thou that dwellest in euerlastingnesse, whose eyes are lyft vp &ibar; the ayre, whose stoole is exceading hye, whose glory ∧ maiesty maye not be comprehended, before whom the Hostes of heauen stande with tremblyng, whose kepinge is turned in wynde ∧ fyre, whose worde is true, whose talckynge is stedfast, whose commaundement is stronge, whose ordinaunce is fearfull, whose loke drieth vp the depthes, whose wrath maketh the moutaynes to melt awaye, and whose trueth beareth wytnes: O heare the prayer of thy seruaunt, and marck with thyne eares the peticion of thy creature.

For whyle I lyue, I wyll speake, and so longe as I haue vnderstandyng, I wyll answere. O loke not vpon the synnes of thy people, whych serue in the trueth. Haue no respecte vnto the wicked studies of the Heathen, but to the desire of those that kepe thy testymonyes wyth sorowes. Thyncke not vp&obar; those that haue walked faynedly before the, but vpon them, which with will haue knowne thy feare.

Let it not be thy wyll to destroye them, which haue had beastly maners, but to loke vp&obar; th&ebar; that haue clearly taught thy lawe. Take thou no indignaci&obar; at th&ebar;, which are worse then beastes: but loue them, that all waye put theyr trust in thy ryghteousnes ∧ glory: for we ∧ oure fathers haue all the same sycknes and dysease, but because of oure synnes thou shalt be called mercyfull.

For yf thou hast mercy vpon vs, þu; shalt be called mercyfull, where as we haue no worckes of ryghteousnes: for þe; ryghteous whych haue layed vp many good worckes together, shal out of theyr dedes receaue rewarde. C   For what is m&abar;, that thou shuldest take displeasure at him? Or what is the corruptible mortall generaci&obar;, that thou shuldest be so rough towarde hym?

^noteFor of a truthe there is no man am&obar;ge them that be borne, but he hath dealt wyekedly: and am&obar;ge the faythfull there is none, which hath not done amysse. For in thys (O Lord) thy ryghteousnes and thy goodnes shalbe praysed and declared, yf thou be mercyfull vnto them, which are not rych in good worckes.

Then answered he me and sayde: Some thynges hast thou spok&ebar; a ryght, and according vnto thy wordes it shall be. For I wil not verely consydre the worckes of them, which haue synned before death, before the iudgement, before destruccion, but ^note I wyll reioyse ouer the worcke and thought of the ryghteous. I will rem&ebar;bre also the pylgremage, the holy makynge and the rewarde. Lyke as I haue spoken now, so shall it come to passe. For as the husbande man soweth moche sede vpon the gro&ubar;de, and planteth many trees, and yet alwaye the thinge that is sowne or planted is not all kepte safe, nether doth it all take rote: Eu&ebar; so is it of th&ebar; that are sowne in the worlde, they shall not all be preserued.

I answered then and sayde: If I haue founde grace, th&ebar; let me speake. Like as the husbande mans sede perisheth, yf it receaue not rayne in due season, or yf there come to moch rayne vp&obar; it: Euen so perysheth man also, which is created with thy handes, and is lyke vnto thyne awne ymage and to thy selfe, for whose sake thou hast made all thinges,

and lykened hym vnto the husbande mans sede. Be not wroth at vs, O Lorde, but spare thy people, and haue mercy vpon thyne awne inherytaunce: O be mercyfull vnto thy creature.

D   Then answered he me ∧ sayde. Thynges present are for the present, and thinges to come for soch as be to come. For thou lackest yet moch, seynge þu; mayest loue my creature aboue me: I haue oft tymes drawne nye vnto the, but neuer to the vnryghteous. In this also thou art maruelous before þe; hyest in that thou hast humbled thy selfe, as it becommeth the, and hast not regarded thyne awne selfe, that thou art had in soch honoure am&obar;ge þe; ryghteous. Therfore shal great wrechednes and misery come vpon th&ebar;, that in the latter tyme shall dwell in the worlde because they haue walcked in greate pryde.

But vnderstand thou for thy selfe, and seke out glory for soch as be lyke the: for vnto you is paradyse opened, the tre of lyfe is planted, the tyme to come is prepared, plenteousnes made ready, a cytie is buylded for you, ∧ a rest is prepared, yee perfecte goodnes and wysdome. The rote of euell is marcked from you, þe; weaknes, and moth is hyd fr&obar; you, ∧ into hell flyeth corrupcion in forgetfulnes. Sorowes are vanyshed awaye, and in the ende is shewed the treasure of immortalite. And therfore aske thou nomore questions concernynge the multitude of th&ebar; that perishe. For they haue taken libertye: despysed the hyest, thought scorne of his lawe, and forsaken his wayes.

Moreouer, they haue troden downe hys ryghteous, and ^note sayde in theyr herte, that there is no God, yee and that wyttingly, for they dye. For lyke as the thynge that I haue spoken of, is made ready for you: Eu&ebar; so is thyrst ∧ payne prepared for them. For it was not hys wyll that man shulde come to naught, but they which be created haue defyled the name of hym that made them, and are vnth&abar;ckfull vnto hym, which prepared lyfe for them. And therfore is my iudgem&ebar;t now at hand. These thinges haue I not shewed vnto all men, but vnto fewe, namely vnto the, and to soch as be lyke the.

Then answered I and sayd: Beholde O Lorde, now hast thou shewed me the multitude of the tokens, which thou wylt begyn to do at the last: but at what tyme ∧ when, thou hast not shewed me.

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