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

CAP. VIII.

[verse 1] Forsothe [And I.] it was don, whanne Samuel hadde [Om. I.] wexide [waxen EKL.] eld, he settide [sette I.] hise sones iugis [to be iugis I.] on [of DEIKLMOX.] Israel. [verse 2] And the name of his firste gendrid [goten I.] sone was Johel, and the name of the secounde was [Om. I.] Abia, iugis [that weren iugis I.] in Bersabee. [verse 3] And hise sones ȝeden [wenten I.] not in `the weies of hym [his weies I.] , but thei bowiden after aueryce, and thei token ȝiftis, and per|uertiden [misturneden I.] doom. [verse 4] Therfor alle the grettere men in birthe of Israel weren gaderid [gaderid togidere I.] , and camen to Samuel in to Ramatha. [verse 5] And thei seiden to hym [Samuel I.] , Lo! thou hast wexid [wexe I.] eld, and thi sones goen not in thi weies; ordeyne thou a kyng to vs, `that he deme vs [Om. K.] , as also alle naciouns [othere naciouns I.] han. [verse 6] And the word displeside in the iȝen [siȝt I.] of Samuel, for thei hadden seid, Ȝyue thou to vs a kyng, that he deme vs. And Samuel preiede to the Lord. [verse 7] Forsothe [And I.] the Lord seide to Samuel, Here thou the vois of the puple in alle thingis whiche [that I.] thei speken to thee; for [forsothe I.] thei han not caste awey thee [thee fro hem I.] , but me, that Y regne not on [upon I.] hem. [verse 8] Bi alle her [the I.] werkis whiche [that I.] thei diden [han do I.] , fro the day in whiche Y ledde hem out of Egipt `til to [vnto I.] this dai, as thei forsoken [han forsake I.] me, and seruyden [thei han serued I.] alien goddis, so thei doon also to thee. [verse 9] Now therfor here thou her vois; netheles [and netheles b.] witnesse [take I.] thou to [Om. I.] hem [hem togidere and witnesse thou to hem I.] ; bifor|seie [and biforseie IL.] thou to hem [hem and witnesse thou to hem KX.] the riȝt of [on K.] the kyng,

that schal regne on [upon I.] hem. [verse 10] Therfor [Thanne I.] Sa|muel seide alle the wordis of the Lord to the puple, that hadde axid of him a king; [verse 11] and he seide, This schal be the `riȝt of the kyng [kyngis riȝt I.] [This schal be the riȝt of the kyng. Alle thingis teld here of Samuel ben of the riȝt of rewme and kyng set in nede for comyn good of the rewme, for in sich a caas alle goodis of the rewme ben the kingis, netheles tho schulen be set forth and spendid for commyn profit and good. If the riȝt of the king is takun in an other maner out of nede, so ful many thingis ben expressid of Samuel, that perteynen not to the riȝt of a kyng, as alle tho thingis that maken the pu|ple suget ser|uyle ethir thral, and whiche thingis bihold|en not comyn good, but more the wille of a singuler man set in the rewme; and Samuel bifor seide siche thingis to hem, to withdrawe hem that they schulden not axe a kyng, for it was not spedeful to hem. And for gouernail is turned liȝtly in to tirauntrie, for greetnesse of power grauntid to kyngis, therfor it sueth and ȝe schulen be ser|uauntis to him, that is, if the gouernail is turned in to tirauntrie, whiche thing is doon liȝtly, nameli in parti for the greet power of the king. Therfor in xvij. c<sup>o</sup>. of Deut<sup>o</sup>. a king is comaundid to kepe him silf fro pride, co|uetyse and ty|rauntrie. Lire here. C.] , that schal comaunde to ȝou; he schal take ȝoure sones, and schal [he schal I.] sette [sette hem I.] [verse 12] in hise charis; and he schal make hem `to hym silf [Om. I.] rideris, and biforegoeris of hise cartis; and he schal ordeyne to hym tribunes, `that is, souereyns of a thou|synd [or souereyns on thousindis I. Om. X. pr. m.] , and centuriouns, `that is, soue|reyns of an hundrid [Om. IX pr. m.] , and eereris [tilieris I.] of hise feeldis, and reperis of cornes [his cornes I.] , and smythis of hise armeris, and charis [of his charis I.] . [verse 13] Also he schal make ȝoure douȝtris makeris of `oynementis to hym silf [his oyne|mentis I.] , and fueris [his fire makers I.] , and bakeris [his makers of bred I.] . [verse 14] And he schal take ȝoure feeldis and vyneris [ȝoure vyneris I.] and the beste places of olyues, and schal [he schal I.] ȝyue [ȝyue tho I.] to hise ser|uauntis. [verse 15] But also he schal take the tenthe part of ȝoure cornes, and rentis [the rentis I.] of vyneris [ȝoure vyneris I.] , that he ȝyue [ȝyue tho I.] to his chaum|berleyns and seruauntis. [verse 16] Sotheli [and I.] he schal take awey ȝoure seruauntis and [and ȝoure I.] hand|maydes [handmaydens DEI.] , and beste [ȝoure beste I.] ȝong men, and assis [ȝoure assis I.] , and schal [he schal I.] sette [sette these I.] in his werk. [verse 17] Also he schal take the tenthe part of ȝoure flockis, and ȝe schulen be `seruauntis to hym [his seruauntis.] . [verse 18] And ȝe schulen crye in that dai fro the face of ȝoure kyng, whom ȝe han chose to ȝou; and the Lord schal not here ȝou in that dai; for ȝe axiden a kyng to ȝou. [verse 19] Sotheli [And I.] the puple nolde [wolde not I.] here the vois of Samuel, but thei seiden, Nay [Nay; that is, the Lord schal not for|sake to here vs, if we han a king. Lire here. C.] , for [certis I.] a kyng [verse 20] schal be on [upon I.] vs; and we also [Om. I.] schulen be as alle folkis [folkis ben I.] , and oure kyng schal deme vs, and he schal go out [forth I.] bifor vs, and he schal fiȝte oure batel [batels BCIW.] for vs. [verse 21] And Samuel herde alle the wordis of the puple, and `spak tho [he spak hem I.] in the eeris of the Lord. [verse 22] For|sothe [And I.] the Lord seide to Samuel, Here thou `the vois of hem [her voices I.] , and ordeyne thou a kyng on [upon I.] hem. And Samuel seide to the men of Israel, Ech man go in to his citee.