ÞE GOSPEL ON SEINT BARTULIMEW DAI.
[SERMON CXV.]
Facta est contencio inter [In the Roman Missal this gospel is assigned to the feast of St. Apol|linaris (July 23); that for St. Bar|tholomew's day is taken from Luke vi. 12-19. The writer of these ser|mons, like the Prayer-book, follows the Sarum use.] .—LUK. xxii. [24.]
MEN seien þat Seint Bertolomew was nobleste of þe apostlis [Referring to this legend, Cave says, in his Antiq. Apostolicae,—'By some [St. Bartholomew] is thought to have been a Syrian of noble extract, and to have derived his pedigree from the Ptolomies of Egypt, upon no other ground, I believe, than the mere analogy and sound of the name.'] : and herfore in þis daie is þis gospel red. Men seien þat Cristis apostlis streven for a good cause; for þei wolden have a captain aftir þat Crist was deed. But I can not excuse hem of a vein wille. But however it be of þis, þis gospel semeþ to teche us þat synne of prelatis now-a-daies passiþ þis presumpcioun. For apostles streven þanne, not who shulde be more to God, ne more to þe world, but, who shulde be holde more; for ellis miȝte strif be among hem which shulde be put bifore, and decisioun of þis myȝte oonys for ever ceesse þis discord. But