1   In the meane time there arose a murmuring of the people, as it were repyning for labour, against our Lord. Which when our Lord had heard, he was angrie. And the fire of our Lord being kinled against them, deuoured the vttermost part of the campe.

2   And when the people had cried to Moyses, Moyses prayed to our Lord, and the fire was quenched.

3   And he called the name of that place, Kindling: for that the fire of our Lord had bene kindled against them.

4   For ^note the common vulgar people, that came vp with them, burned with desire, sitting and weeping, the children of Israel being ioyned together with them, and said: Who shal geue vs flesh to eate?

5   We remember the fishes that we did eate in Ægypt gratis: the cucumbers come vnto our minde, and the melons, and leekes and onions and garlike.

6   Our soule is drie, our eies behold nothing els but Manna.

7   And the Manna was as it were the seede of Coriander, of the colour of bdellion.

8   And the people went about, & gathering it, grounde

Manna. it in a milne, or braied it in a morter, boyling it in a potte, and making cakes therof of the taist as it were of oyled bread.

9   And when the dew fel in the night vpon the campe, the Manna also fel withal.

10   Moyses therfore heard the people weeping by their families, euerie one at the doores of his tent. And the furie of our Lord was exceding wrath: but to Moyses also it semed an intolerable thing.

11   and he said to our Lord: Why hast thou afflicted thy seruant? wherfore do I not finde grace before thee? and why hast thou laid the weight of al this people vpon me?

12   Haue I conceaued al this multitude, or begotten them, that thou shouldest say to me: Carie them in thy bosome as the nource is wont to carie the litle infant, and beare them into the land, for the which thou hast sworne to their fathers?

13   Whence shal I haue flesh to geue to so great a multitude? they whine against me, saying: Geue vs flesh that we may eate.

14   I alone can not sustaine al this people, because it is heauie for me.

15   But ^note if it seme vnto thee otherwise, I beseche thee to kil me, and let me finde grace in thine eies, that I be not molested with so great euils.

16   And our Lord said to Moyses: Gather me seuentie men of the ancientes of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the ancientes of the people and maisters: and thou shalt bring them to the doore of the tabernacle of couenant, and shalt make them to stand there with thee,

17   that I may descend and speake to thee: and ^note I wil take of thy spirit, and wil deliuer to them, that they may sustaine with thee, the burden of the people, and thou onlie be not burdened.

18   To the people also thou shalt say: Be sanctified: to morrow you shal eate flesh? for I haue heard you say: Who shal geue vs meates of flesh? it was wel with vs in Ægypt. That the Lord may geue you flesh, and you may eate:

19   not one day, nor two, or fiue or ten, no nortwentie,

20   but euen to a moneth of daies, til it goe out a your nosethrils, and be turned to lothsomenes, because you haue reiected the Lord, who is in the middes of you, and haue whyned before him, saying: Wherfore came we out of Ægypt?

21   And Moyses said: There are six hundred thousand footemen of this people, & sayest thou: I wil geue them flesh to eate a whole moneth?

22   Why, shal a multitude of sheepe and oxen be killed, that it may suffise for meate? or shal al the fishes of the sea be gathered togeather, for to fil them?

23   To whom our Lord answered: Why,

Seuentie Ancients. is the hand of the Lord vnable? Now presently thou shalt see whether my word shal be accomplished in deede.

24   Moyses therfore came, and told the people the wordes of our Lord, assembling seuentie men of the ancientes of Israel, whom he caused to stand about the tabernacle.

25   And our Lord descended in a cloude, and spake to him, taking away of the spirit that was in Moyses, and geuing to the seuentie men. And when the spirit had rested on them, they prophecied, neither ceased they any more.

26   And there had remained in the campe two men, of the which one was called Eldad, and the other Medad, vpon whom the spirit rested. ^notefor they also had bene enrolled, and were not gone forth to the tabernacle.

27   And when they prophecied in the campe, there ran a boy, and told Moyses, saying: Eldad and Medad do prophecie in the campe.

28   Forthwith Iosue the sonne of Nun, the minister of Moyses, and chosen of manie, said: My Lord Moyses forbid them.

29   But he said: Why hast thou emulation for me? O that al the people might prophecie, and that our Lord would geue them his spirit?

30   And Moyses returned, and the ancientes of Israel into the campe.

31   And a winde coming forth from our Lord, taking quailes ouer the sea brought them, and let them fal into the campe the space of one daies iourney, on euerie side of the campe round about, and they did flie in the ayre two cubites high ouer the earth.

32   The people therfore rising vp al that day, and the night, and the next day, gathered togeather a multitude of quailes, he that did least, ten cores: and they dried them round about the campe.

33   As yet the flesh was in their teeth, neither had that kind of meate failed: and behold the furie of our Lord being prouoked against the people, stroke them with an exceding great plague.

34   And that place was called, ^noteThe Sepulchres of concupiscence: for there they buried the people that had lusted. And departing from the Sepulchres of concupiscence, they came vnto Haseroth, and taried there.

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