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

CAP. IX.

[verse 1] And there was a man of Beniamyn, Cys bi name, the sone of Abyel, sone [the sone E pr. v.] of Seor, sone [the sone E pr. v.] of Bethor, sone [the sone E pr. v.] of Aphya, sone [the sone E pr. v.] of the man of Gemyny, stronge bi strength. [verse 2] And ther was to hym a sone, Saul bi name, chosyn and good; and there was not a man of the sones of Israel betere than he; fro the shuldre and aboue he peeryde aboue al the puple. [verse 3] For|sothe the shee assys of Cys, fadre [the fadre E pr. v.] of Saul, weren lost. And Cys seide to Saul his sone, Tak with thee oon of the chil|dren, and rysynge go, and seche the she assis. The which whanne thei hadden [verse 4] passid bi the mount of Effraym, and bi the loond of Saliza, and thei hadden not foundun, thei passiden also bi the loond of Salym, and there was noon; bot and by the loond of Gemyny, and thei founden not. [verse 5] Forsothe whanne thei weren comen into the loond of Suph, and hadden not foundun, Saul seide to his chijld that was with hym, Come, and turne we aȝen; lest perauenture my fadre leeue the she assis, and be bysie for vs. [verse 6] The which seith to hym, Loo! the man of God is in this cytee, a noble man; al that he spekith, with out dout it cometh. Now thanne goo we thidre, if perauenture he shewe to vs of oure weye, for the which we ben comen. [verse 7] And Saul seyde to his child, Loo! we shulen go; what shulen we brynge to the man of God? Breed faylith in oure sackis, and a lepe we han not, that we ȝyuen to the man of God, ne eny other thing. [verse 8] Eft the child answerde to Saul, and seith, Loo! there is founden in myn hoond the feerth part of a sicle of siluer; and ȝyue we to the man of God, that he shewe to vs oure weye. [verse 9] Sumtyme in

Yrael thus spak echon goynge to coun|seyle God, Cometh, and goo we to the seer; forsothe he, that to day is seid a prophet, sumtyme was clepid seer. [verse 10] And Saul seide to his child, Altherbest is thi word; com, go [and go CE.] we. And thei wenten into the cyte, in the which was the man of God. [verse 11] And whanne thei stieden vp the hil of the citee, thei founden children wymmen goynge out to drawe watir, and thei seiden to hem, Whether here is the seer? [verse 12] The which answerynge seiden to hem, Here he is, loo! before thee; hye nowe, forsothe to day he cam into the cytee; for to day is sacrifice of the puple in the heiȝe. [verse 13] Goynge into the cyte anoon ȝe shulen fynde hym, or he stie vp into the hiȝe for to eete; forsothe ne the pu|ple is to eete to the tyme that he come, for he shal blesse to the oost, and there after shulen eete that ben clepid. Nowe thanne stieth vp, for to day ȝe shulen fynde hym. [verse 14] And thei stieden vp into the cytee. And whanne thei wenten in [into A.] the mydil of the cyte, Samuel aperyde go|ynge out metynge to hem, that he stye vp into the heiȝ. [verse 15] Forsothe the Lord hadde toold the litil eer of Samuel before [verse 16] o day, that Saul cam, seiynge, This same our that nowe is to morwe, Y shal seende to thee a man of the loond of Beniamyn, and thow shalt anoynt hym duyk vpon my puple Yrael, and he shal saue my puple fro the hoond of Philistyens; for I haue biholden my puple, forsothe the crye of hem is comen to me. [verse 17] And whanne Samuel hadde beholden Saul, the Lord seide [seith CE.] to hym, Loo! the man that I seide to thee; this shal lordship to my [the E pr. m.] puple. [verse 18] Forsothe Saul neiȝede to Samuel in the mydil of the ȝate, and seith, Shewe to me, Y preye, where is the hows of the seer? [verse 19] And Samuel answerde to Saul, sei|ynge,

Y am the seer; sty vp before me into the heiȝ, that thou eete with me to day, and Y shal leeue thee the morwe|tide, and alle thingis that ben in thin herte Y shal shewe to thee. [verse 20] And of the assis `the which [that C pr. m.] thre days hens thou lostist, ne be thow bysy, for thei ben foundun; and of whom shulen be alle the best thingis of Yrael, whether not to thee, and to al the hows of thi fader? [verse 21] Forsothe Saul answerynge seith, Whe|ther not the sone of Gemyny Y am, of the leest lynage of Yrael, and my kyn|rede the last among alle the meynees of the lynage of Beniamyn? Whi thanne hast thou spoken to me thes [this CEH.] wordis [worde B. woord CE. word FH.] ? [verse 22] And so Samuel takynge Saul, and hys child, brouȝte hem into the hows of thre benchis, and he ȝaf to hem a place in the cheefe [heuyd E.] of hem that weren boden [byden BCF. bedyn EH.] to meet; forsothe there weren as thretti men. [verse 23] And Samuel seide to the cook, Ȝif thow the part that I ȝaf to thee, and co|maundide, that thow shulde lay aside anentis thee. [verse 24] And the cook reryde the shuldre, and putte before Saul. And Sa|muel seide, Loo! that is laft, put before thee, and ete; for of purpos it is kept to thee, whanne Y clepide the puple. And Saul eet with Samuel in that day. [verse 25] And thei wenten down fro the heiȝ into the burȝ town; and he spak with Saul in the solere, and he beddide Saul in the solere, and he slepte [shepte A.] . [verse 26] And whanne eerly thei weren rysen, and nowe the day wexe liȝt, Samuel clepide Saul into the solere, sey|ynge, Ryse, that [thou E pr. m.] Y leeue [schal leeue E pr. m. exp. s. m.] thee. And Saul roos, and bothe thei wenten oute, he, that is, and Samuel. [verse 27] And whanne thei weren goo down in the vttermost parti of the cytee, Samuel seide to Saul, Sey [Seide A.] to the child, that he goo before vs,

and passe forth; forsothe thow stoond stil a litil, while that Y shewe to thee the word of the Lord.