Content

CAP 2
1 Forsothe it is foundun in writyngis of Jeremye, the profete, that he comaundide hem that passiden ouer, for to take fier, as it is signefied, and as he bad to men `passynge ouer.
2 And he yaf to hem the lawe, leste thei foryaten the heestis of the Lord; and that thei schulden not erre in soulis, seynge goldun and siluerne symylacris, and ournementis of hem.
3 And he seide othere siche thingis, and monestide, that thei schulden not remoue the lawe fro her herte.
4 Sotheli it was in that writyng, hou the profete bad, bi Goddis answere maad to hym, that the tabernacle and `the arke folowe with hem, til he wente out in to the hil in which Moises ascendide, and siy the eritage of God.
5 And Jeremye cam, and foond ther a place of denne, and brouyte in thidur the tabernacle, and `the arke, and auter of encense, and stoppide the dore.
6 And summen camen togidere that folewiden, for to marke the place to hem, and miyten not fynde.
7 Forsothe as Jeremye knew, he blamede hem, and seide, that the place schal be vnknowun, til God gadere the congregacioun of puple, and be maad helpful.
8 And thanne the Lord schal schewe these thinges, and the maieste of the Lord schal appere; and a cloude schal be, as and to Moises it was schewid, and as whanne Salomon axide, that the place schulde be halewid to greet God, this cloude schewide;
9 and as hauynge wisdom he offryde sacrifice of halewyng, and of performyng of the temple.
10 As and Moises preiede to the Lord, and fier cam doun fro heuene, and wastide the brent sacrifice; as and Salomon preiede, and fier cam doun fro heuene, and wastide the brent sacrifice.
11 And Moises seide, For that it is not clensid, that was for synne, and it was wastid.
12 Also and Salomon in eiyte daies made solempne the halewyng.
13 Forsothe and these same thingis weren put yn in discripciouns, and exposiciouns of Neemye; and as he makide a litle bible, and gaderide bookis of cuntrees, and bookis of profetis, and of Dauid, and epistlis of kyngis, and of yiftis.
14 Also sotheli and Judas gaderide alle tho thingis which he lernyde bi batel, that bifelle to vs, and thei ben anentis vs.
15 Therfor if ye disiren these, send ye whiche schulen bere to you.
16 Therfor we to doynge purifiyng, han write to you; therfor ye schulen do wel, if ye schulen do these daies.
17 Forsothe it is God that delyueride his puple, and yeldide his eritage to alle, and rewme, and presthod,
18 and halewyng, as he bihiyte in the lawe, we hopen that soone he schal haue merci on vs, and schal gadere fro vndur heuene in to the hooli place; for he delyuerede vs fro grete perelis,
19 and purgide the place.
20 Sotheli of Judas Machabeus, and hise britheren, and of purifiyng of the greet temple, and of halewyng of the auter;
21 but and of the batels, that perteynen to Antiok noble, and his son Eupator;
22 and of liytnyngis that weren maad fro heuene, to hem that strongli diden for Jewis, so that, whanne thei weren fewe, thei auengiden al the cuntre, and dryuun an hethene multitude,
23 and rekyueriden the most famouse temple in al the world; and delyueriden the citee, that and lawis that weren don a wei weren restorid; for the Lord was maad helpful to hem, with al pesiblete.
24 And also we asaieden for to abregge in o book, thingis comprehendid of Jason of Cirenen in fyue bookis.
25 Forsothe we bihelden the multitude and hardnesse of bookis, to men willynge for to bigynne the tellyngis of stories, for multitude of thingis;
26 and sotheli we hadden bisinesse, that it were likyng of soule to men willynge for to rede;
26 forsothe to studiouse men, that thei miyten liytliere bitake to mynde; forsothe that to alle men redynge profit be youun.
27 And sotheli we token to vs silf that resseyueden this werk, bi cause of abreggyng, not esi trauel, but sotheli a werk ful of wakynges and swoot.
28 As these that maken redi a feeste, and seken for to plese to the wille of othere men, for grace of many men, we suffren wilfuli trauel;
29 forsothe we graunten the treuthe of alle autoris, but we vs silf studien to schortnesse, bi the fourme youun.
30 Forsothe as it is to the cheef carpenter of `a newe hous, to be bisie of al the bildyng; to him sotheli that bisieth for to peynte, tho thingis ben to be souyt out, that ben couenable to ournyng; so it is to be gessid also in vs.
31 Forsothe for to gadere vndurstondyng, and ordeyne a word, and ful bisili for to enquere alle partis of the storie, ech bi hem silf, acordith to an autour;
32 forsothe for to sue schortnesse of seiyng, and for to eschewe out suyngis of thingis, is to be grauntid to the breggere.
33 Therfor fro hennus forth we schulen bigynne the tellyng; be it ynow for to haue seid so myche of `bifor spekyng; for it is foli for to flete out, ether be long, bifore the stori, but in that stori for to be maad schort.