The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

The prolog of Josue [From B. Prologus Josue C. No initial rubric in AEFH.] .

AT the last endid [ende I.] the fyue bokis of Moises, as of greet boond delyuered, to Josue [Jesu EFH.] , the sone of Naue, we putten [putteth E.] hoond, whom Ebrews clepen [callen I.] Josue Ben Nun, that is, Josue, the sone of Nun; and to the book of Jugis, whom thei clepen [callen I.] Sophyn; and to Ruth, and to Hester, the whiche with the same names thei tellen out. And we moneishen [moneste C.] the reder, that the wode of Ebrew names, and distyncciouns bi membris dyuydid the bisy wryter keep wel, lest and oure traueyl and the studie of hym peryshe; and that in the fyrst, that oft Y haue witnessid, wite he me not in to [the A.] repre|uynge

of oold men newe thingis to sti|thie [studye H.] , as my freendis putten blame; but for foul [mannys E prima vice, liȝte sec. vice; foul alia man.] paart to offre [office I.] of my tonge, to men, whom [the whiche E pr. m.] neuerthelater [nerthelatere C.] oure saum|pleers delyten, that for the sixe saum|pleers of Greekis, the whiche and neden cost and moost traueil, haue thei oure makynge. And ȝife [ȝife thei AE sec. m.] where euere thei dowten in redynge of oold volyms, thei togidre berynge thes to [till I.] thilk [thoo C. thei I.] , fynden that thei sechen; moost sith anentys La|tyns so feele ben saumpleers, how feele bokis, and echon [eche C.] after his doom other [or CE.] addide or withdrewe, that is seen to hym; and forsothe it may not be sooth that discordith [myssoun|eth E pr. m.] . Wherfor the scorpioun ceese to ful ryse aȝens vs with crokid wounde, and leeue he [Om. I.] of hooli werk to reproue with venymyd tonge, or takynge if it plese, or dispisynge if it displese; and haue he mynde of tho [thes I.] verse, Thi mouth aboundide with malice, and thi tonge wrouȝte trecheries; sittynge aȝens thi brother thow speek, and aȝens the sone of thi moder thou puttist [puttidest I.] sclaundre; thes thingis thow didist, and Y heelde my pees; thou eymedist wickidli [wickeli C.] , that Y shal be of the lijk; Y shal vndurnyme thee, and sette thee aȝens thi face. For|sothe what profit is of the herer, or of the reeder, vs to sweete in traueilynge, and to traueile in bacbytynge? other to soru [scorn A.] the Jewis, that of chalengynge of [to CE.] hem and of scornynge Cristen be `doon a wey [offered E pr. m.] occasioun, and men of the chirche it to dispise, also and to tere, wherof ad|uersaries ben tourmentid? And if the oold oonliche interpretacioun plese to hem, the which and to me [men I.] displesith not, and no thing thei [Om. E pr. m. that I.] with out wenen to be taak; whi tho thingis that vndur signes of a sterre [storye A.] , and vndur signes of an arowe, or ben addyd, or kut awey, thei reden, and dispisen? Whi Danyel after the transla|cioun of Theodosiun chirchis han res|seyued? Whi Origen thei merueilen, and

Eusebe of [and of C.] Pamphili, alle makyngis also expownynge [disputynge E pr. m.] ? Other [or C.] what foli was, after that thei seiden sooth thingis, to brynge forth tho that ben fals? Where of forsothe in the Newe Testament thei mowen preue [not preue C.] the taken [takynge E pr. m.] witnessyngis, `the whiche [that C.] in oold bokis ben not had? These thingis we seyn, lest we ben seen vtterli to be stil to wrongful chalengers. Ferthermore after the deeth of `the holi womman [seynt E pr. m.] Paule, whos lijf is saumple [a saumple I.] of vertue, and thes [after thes E pr. m.] bokis, `the whiche [that C.] to the mayden of Crist, Eustochie, Y myȝte not denye, we han demed, while the spiryt shal gouern thes lymes, to sitten to the explanacioun of the [Om. C.] prophetis, and to `turnen aȝen to the now [turne aȝen to the newe A. torne aȝeyn E prima vice. to repete as with a manere of aȝeyn tornynge the nowe sec. vice. torne aȝeyn to the nowe alia man. Om. I.] long laft werk, as bi a maner turnynge aȝen after outlawynge; nameli sith Pawmachie, an hooli man and merueilows, this same thing askith bi lettres, and we, hiynge to the contre [contrairie A pr. m.] , owen to ouerpasse with a deef [doumbe E pr. m.] eer the `deth berynge [dedely E pr. m.] songis of mer|mynns.

Here eendith the prolog of Josue and Judicum and of Ruth, and nowe bigyn|neth the book of Josue [Here endeth the prolog, se now the book of Josue. I. No rubric in CEFH.] .