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

CAP. XXVIII.

[verse 1] Forsothe it was doon in tho daies, Filisteis [the Filisteis I.] gaderiden [gaderiden to gidre I.] her cumpenyes, that thei schulden be maad redi aȝens Israel to batel. And Achis seide to Dauid, Thou witynge `wite now [schalt knowe I.] , for thou schalt go out with me in [in to K.] castels [tentis I.] , thou and thi men. [verse 2] And Dauid seide to Achis, Now thou schalt wyte what thingis thi seruaunt schal do. And Achis seide to Dauid, And Y schal sette thee kepere of myn heed in alle dayes. [verse 3] Forsothe [Certis I.] Samuel was deed, and al Israel biweilide hym, and thei birieden hym in Ramatha, his citee. And Saul dide awey fro the lond witchis and fals dyuynours [false dy|vynours; this that sueth, and he killide hem that hadden fendis spekinge in the wombe, is not in Ebreu, nether is of the text. Lire here. C.] , `and he slouȝ hem that hadden [Om. A pr. m. BCEFLNPRU.] `charmers of [Om. A pr. m. BCDEFGIKLMNOPQRSUWX. charmers and b.] deuelis [Om. A pr. m. BCEFLNPRU. fendis spekinge DIKMOSWX.] `in her wombe [in the wombe DGKMOQSWX. Om. A pr. m. BCEFLNPRU.] . [verse 4] And Filisteis weren gaderid, and camen, and settiden tentis in Sunam; sotheli and Saul gaderide al Israel, and

cam in to Gelboe. [verse 5] And Saul siȝ the cas|tels of Filisteis, and he dredde, and his herte dredde greetli. [verse 6] And he counselide the Lord; and the Lord answeride not to hym, nether bi preestis, nether [ne EILP.] bi dremes, nether [ne EILP.] bi profetis. [verse 7] And Saul seide to hise seruauntis, Seke ȝe to me a womman hau|ynge a feend spekynge in the [Om. I.] wombe; and Y schal go to hir, and Y schal axe [enquere I.] bi hir. And hise seruauntis seiden to hym, A womman hauynge a feend spekynge in the wombe is in Endor. [verse 8] Therfor Saul chaungide his clothing, and he was clothid with othere clothis; and he ȝede [ȝede forth I.] , and twei men with hym; and thei camen to the womman in the nyȝt. And he [Saul I.] seyde, Dy|uyne thou to me in [Om. C.] a fend spekynge in the wombe, and reise thou to [up to I.] me whom Y schal seie to thee. [verse 9] And the womman seide to hym, Lo! thou woost hou grete thingis Saul hath do, and hou he dide [hath do I.] awei fro the lond witchis, and fals dyuyn|ours; whi therfor settist thou tresoun to my lijf, that Y be slayn? [verse 10] And Saul swoor to hir in the Lord, and seide, The Lord lyueth; for no thing of yuel schal come to thee for this thing. [verse 11] And the womman seide to hym, Whom schal Y reise [reise up I.] to thee? And he [Saul I.] seide, Reise thou Samuel to [up to I.] me. [verse 12] Sotheli whanne the womman hadde seyn Samuel, sche criede with greet vois, and seide to Saul, Whi hast thou disseyued me? for [certis I.] thou art Saul. [verse 13] And the kyng seide to hir, Nyl thou drede; what hast thou seyn? And the womman seide to Saul, Y siȝ goddis stiynge [stiynge up I.] fro erthe [the erthe I.] . [verse 14] And Saul seide to hir, What maner forme is of hym? And sche seide, An eld man stieth [stieth up I.] , and he is clothid with a mentil. And Saul vndirstood that it was Samuel [Saul vndur|stood that it was Samuel. Seynt Austin in his Pistle to Simplycian, rehersith tweyne opyny|ouns; oon seith, that Samuel ap|peride verili in soule bi Goddis ordenaunce, to telle to Saul his deth and the scateryng of the puple of Israel; the tother opyny|oun seith, that the deuel ap|peride in the licnesse of Samuel; and Austyn enclyn|eth more to this opynyoun, as it is teld in Decrees, in xxvi. cause, v. ques|tioun, c^o. nec myrum. For the deuel trans|figurith him|silf in to an aungel of liȝt, as Poul seith, and bi the maner of spek|ing of scrip|ture, a licnesse takith the name of a thing, whos licnesse it berith, and the euydensis for the con|trarie part moun liȝtly be asoilid. Lire here. C.] ; and Saul bowide hym silf on his face to the erthe, and worschipide. [verse 15] Sotheli [And I.] Sa|muel seide to Saul, Whi hast thou disesid me, that Y schulde be reisid? And Saul

seide, Y am constreyned greetli; for Fi|listeis [the Filisteis I.] fiȝten aȝens me, and God ȝede [hath gon I.] awei fro me, and he nolde [wolde not I.] here me, nether bi the hond of profetis [prestys ELP. dyuynours I sed expunxit sec. m.] , nether [ne ELP.] bi dremes; therfor Y clepide thee, that thou schuldist schewe to [Om. I.] me what Y schal do. [verse 16] And Samuel seide, What axist thou me, whanne God hath go awei fro thee [the A.] , and passide [hath passid I.] to thin enemy? [verse 17] For [Sothli I.] the Lord schal do to thee as he spak [hath spoke I.] in myn hond, and he schal kitte awey thi rewme fro thin hond, and he schal ȝyue it to Dauid, thi neiȝ|bore; [verse 18] for thou obeiedist not to [Om. I.] the vois of the Lord, nether didist [thou didist I.] the `ire of hys strong veniaunce [feers wraththe of the Lord I.] in Amalech. Therfor the Lord hath do to thee to day that that [verse 19] thou suffrist; and the Lord schal ȝyue also Israel with thee in the hond of Fi|listeis. Forsothe to morewe thou and thi sones schulen be with me; but also the Lord schal bitake the castels of Israel in the hond of Filistiym [Philistees I.] . [verse 20] And anoon Saul felde [felle doun I.] stretchid [and was stretchid I.] forth to [upon the I.] erthe; for he dredde the wordis of Samuel, and strengthe was not in hym, for he hadde not ete breed in al that dai and al [al that I.] nyȝt. [verse 21] Therfor thilke womman entride to Saul, and seide; for he was disturblid greetli; and sche seide to hym, Lo! thin handmayde obeiede [hath obeied I.] to thi vois, and Y haue put my lijf in myn [thin OKX sup. ras.] hond [in myn hond; that is, Y dide at thyn axyng a werk forbedun vndur the peyne of deth. Lire here. C.] , and Y herde thi wordis, whiche thou spakist to me. [verse 22] Now [And now I.] therfor and [Om. I.] thou here the vois of thin handmaide, and Y schal sette a mussel [morsel I.] of breed bifor thee, and that [Om. C.] thou etynge wexe strong, and maist do the [thi I.] iourney. [verse 23] And he forsook [forsook it I.] , and seide, Y schal not ete. Sothely [But I.] hise seruauntis and the womman compelliden hym [compelliden him; that is, bi bisi preyeris; and so he was coumfortid in party, and assentide to hem. Lire here. C.] ; and at the laste, whanne the vois of hem was herd, he roos [roos up I.] fro the erthe, and sat on the [a I.] bed. [verse 24] Sotheli [And I.] thilke wom|man hadde a fat calf in the [hir I.] hows, and `sche hastide [hee hastide E. hee castid L.] , and killide hym [it I.] ; and sche took mele, and meddlide it [it togidre I.] , and made

[verse 25] therf breed; and settide [sche sette forth I.] bifor Saul and bifor hise seruauntis, and whanne thei hadden ete, thei risiden [resin EP. resen up I.] , and walkiden bi [in I.] al that [the I.] nyȝt.