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

CAP. IX.

[verse 1] And `a man was [ther was a man I.] of Beniamyn, `Cys bi name [that hiȝte Cys I.] , the sone of Abiel, sone [the sone I.] of Seor, sone [the sone I.] of Bethor, sone [the sone I.] of Aphia, sone [the sone I.] of the [a I. Om. N.] man Gemyny [of Gemyny CX pr. m. that hiȝt Gemyny I.] , strong [a strong man I.] in bodili myȝt. [verse 2] And to hym was a sone, Saul bi name, chosun and good [chosun and good, with out notable wem of vices; good, bi resoun of goode maneris and of vertues. C.] ; and no man [no man, and so forth, not onely he was good, but also of ex|cellent good|nesse. Lire here. C.] of the sones of Israel was betere than he; fro the schuldur and aboue [upward I.] he apperide ouer al [Om. I.] the puple. [verse 3] Sotheli [And I.] the femal [sche I.] assis of Cys, the fadir of Saul, perischyden [weren lost I.] [perischiden, that is, stray|eden, for tho perischiden not outirly, that weren foundun aftirward. Lire here. C.] . And Cys seide to Saul his sone, Take with thee oon of the children, and rise thou, and go, and [Om. I.] seke the femal [sche I.] assis. And whanne [verse 4] thei hadden go [gon forth I.] bi the hil of Effraym, and bi the lond of Salisa, and hadden [thei hadden I.] not foundun [foundun hem I.] , thei passiden [passiden forth I.] also bi the lond of Salym, and tho [thei I.] weren not there; but also `thei passiden [Om. I.] bi the lond of Gemyny, and founden [ȝit thei founden I.] not. [verse 5] Sotheli [Forsothe plures. And I.] whanne thei hadden come in to the lond of Suph, and hadden [thei hadden I.] not founde, Saul seide to his child that was with hym, Come thou, and turne we aȝen; lest perauenture my fadir hath [haue I.] lefte [lefte to charge I.] the [thes E. his K. Om. L.] femal [Om. I.] assis, and is bisy [bisy in herte or careful I.] for vs. [verse 6] Which [And the I.] child seide to hym, Lo! the [a I.] man of God is in this citee, a noble man; al thing that he spekith, cometh with out doute. Now therfor go we thidir, if perauenture he schewe to vs [vs the cause I.] of oure weie, for which we camen. [verse 7] And Saul seide to his child, Lo! we schulen go; what schulen we bere to the man of God? Breede failide [hath failid I.] in oure scrippis, and we han no present [present monei neither ony other thing I.] , that we ȝyue to the man of God, `nether ony othir thing [Om. I.] . [verse 8] Eft the child answeride to Saul, and seide, Lo! the fourthe part of `a stater, that is, a cicle, of siluer [a siluern sicle I.] is foundun in myn hond; ȝyue we [we it I.] to the man of God, that he schewe to vs oure weie [wher we schul go ferther or no I marg.] . [verse 9] Sumtyme in Israel ech man

goynge to counsel God [with God I.] spak thus, Come ȝe, and go we to the seere; for he, that is seid `to dai [now I.] a profete, was clepid sum|tyme a seere. [verse 10] And Saul seide to his child, `Thi word is the beste [Ful good is thi word I.] ; come thou, go we [we to him I.] . And thei ȝeden in to the citee, `in which [that I.] the man of God was [was ynne I.] . [verse 11] And whanne thei stieden [stieden up I.] in to the hiȝnesse of the citee, thei founden damesels goynge out to drawe watir, and thei seiden to the dameselis, Whether the seere is here? [verse 12] Whiche [And the I.] dame|selis answeriden, and seiden to hem, He is here; lo! he is bifor thee; `haste thou [and haste C. haste thee D. haste ȝou E. hie thee I.] now [Om. GQ. forsothe I.] , for to day he cam in to the citee; for to dai is sacrifice of the puple in the hiȝ place. [verse 13] Ȝe schulen entre [entre forth I.] in to the citee, and anoon ȝe schulen fynde hym, bifor that he stie [wende up I.] in to the hiȝ place to ete; for the puple schal not ete til [til that I.] he come, for he schal blesse the sacrifice, and afterward thei schulen ete that ben clepid. Now therfor stie ȝe [ȝe up I.] , for to day ȝe schulen fynde hym. [verse 14] And thei stieden [wenten up I.] in to the citee. And whanne thei ȝeden in [in to A pr. m.] the [Om. EIL.] myddis of the citee, Samuel apperide goynge out aȝens hem, that he schulde stie [stie up I.] in to the hiȝ place. [verse 15] Forsothe [And the dai before that Saul came I.] the Lord `hadde maad [made I.] reuelacioun in the eere of Samuel `bifor o dai, that Saul cam [Om. I.] , [verse 16] and seide, In this same our which [that I.] is now to morewe, Y schal sende to thee a man of the lond of Beniamyn, and thou schalt anoynte hym duyk on [upon I.] my puple Israel, and he schal saue my puple fro the hond of Filisteis; for Y haue biholde my puple [Y haue bi|holde, etc.; that is, with iȝe of mersy. Lire here. C.] , for [forsothe I.] `the cry of hem [her cry.] cam [hath come I.] to me. [verse 17] And whanne Samuel hadde biholde Saul, the Lord seide to Samuel, Lo! the man, whom Y seide to thee; this man schal be lord of my puple. [verse 18] Forsothe [And I.] Saul neiȝede to Sa|muel in the myddis of the ȝate, and seide, Y preye [preye thee I.] , schewe thou to me, where is the hows of the seere? [verse 19] And Samuel an|sweride

to Saul, and seide, Y am the seere; stie thou [thou up I.] bifor me in to the hiȝ place, that thou ete with me to dai, and Y schal delyuere thee in the morewtid, and Y schal schewe to thee alle thingis that ben in thin herte. [verse 20] And be thou not bisy of the femal [Om. I.] assis, whiche [whom I.] thou lostist the [in the I.] thridde dai agoon, for tho [thei I.] ben foundun; and whose schulen be alle the beste thingis of Israel, whether not to thee, and to al the hows of thi fader [to the hous of thy fadir; for Saul was kyng, and alle the beste thinges of the peple ben the kingis in nede, and Abner, prince of the knyȝ[t]hod,and othere myȝty men of the hows of Saul, hadden the beste thingis of the rewme; and so schulden her eyris haue had, if Saul hadde stonde in his good|nesse. Lire here. C.] ? Sotheli [And I.] Saul answeride, and seide, [verse 21] Whe|ther Y am not a [the I.] sone of Gemyny, of the leeste lynage of Israel, and my kynrede is the laste among alle the meynees of the lynage of Beniamyn? Whi therfor hast thou spoke to me this word? [verse 22] Therfor [And so I.] Samuel took Saul, and his child, and ledde [he ledde I.] hem in to the [a I.] chaumbur of thre ordris [seetis I.] , and he ȝaf to hem a place in the bigyn|nyng of hem that weren clepid [boden to the mete I.] ; for [and I.] thei weren as thretti [a thretti I.] men [men at mete I.] . [verse 23] And Samuel seide to the cook, Ȝyue thou [thou him I.] the part, which [that I.] Y ȝaf to thee, and comaundide, that thou schuldist kepe bi it silf anentis thee. [verse 24] Sotheli [And I.] the cook reiside [toke up I.] the [a I.] schuldir, and settide [he sette it I.] bifor Saul. And Samuel seide, Lo! that, that lefte [hath left I.] , `sette thou [take I.] bifor thee, and ete; for of purpos it was kept to thee, whanne Y clepide the puple [puple hidere I.] . And Saul eet with Samuel in [Om. I.] that dai. [verse 25] And thei camen doun fro the hiȝ place in to the citee; and Samuel spak with Saul in the [a I.] soler, and Saul `araiede a bed in the soler [beddide him there I.] , and slepte. [verse 26] And whanne thei hadden rise eerli, and `now it [the day I.] bigan to be cleer, Samuel clepide Saul in to the [a I.] soler, and seide, Rise thou [thou up I.] , that Y delyuere thee. And Saul roos [roos up I.] , and bothe ȝeden out, that is, he, and Sa|muel. [verse 27] And whanne thei ȝeden doun in the laste part of the citee, Samuel seide

to Saul, Seie thou to the [thi I.] child, that he go bifor vs, and passe [passe forth I.] ; forsothe [and I.] stonde thou [thou stille I.] a litil, that Y schewe to thee the word of the Lord.