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

CAP. XVI.

[verse 1] And whanne Dauid hadde goon a litil the cop of the hil, Ciba, the child of Myphibosech, aperide into aȝen com|ynge of hym, with two assis, that weren chargid with two hundrid loouys, and an hundred bundels of dried grapis, and an hundred peysis of fijgis [dried figgis E pr. m.] pressid, and with two botels of wyn. [verse 2] And the kyng seide to Cyba, What to hem wolen thes thingys? And Ciba answerde, My lord kyng, the assis, that the hoomli men of the kyng sitten on; the loouis and the fijgis, to thi children for to eete; forsothe the wyn, that he drynke, who so failith in deseert. [verse 3] And the kyng seith, Where is the sone of thi lord? And Ciba an|swerde to the kyng, He abood [bood BEFH. bod. C.] stille in Jerusalem, seiynge, To day shal the `hows of Yrael restore to me [Lord restoren to me the housis of Israel and E pr. m.] the kyngdam of my fader. [verse 4] And the kyng seith to Cyba, Alle thingis [Om. CEFH.] that weren of Miphibosech ben thin. And Cyba seide, I preye, fynde I grace before thee, my lord kyng. [verse 5] Thanne kyng Dauid cam into Bahurym, and loo! there wente out a man thens of the kynrede of the hows of Saul, Semei bi name, the sone of Gera; he wente [verse 6] forth goynge out, and cursyde. And he sente stonus aȝens Dauid, and aȝens alle the seruauntis of king Dauid; forsothe al the puple, and alle the fiȝters fro the riȝt and fro the left side of the kyng wenten. [verse 7] Forsothe thus spak Semei, whanne he curside to the kyng, Go out, go out, thou man of bloodis, and man of [verse 8] Belial! The Lord hath ȝoldyn to thee al the blood of the hows of Saul, for thou hast reued the kyngdam fro [for BCEF.] hym; and the Lord hath ȝouun the kyngdam in the hoond of Absolon, thi sone; and loo! thin euels beren thee doun, for a man

of blodis thou art. [verse 9] Forsothe Abisai, the sone of Seruye, seide to the kyng, Whi cursith this dog to diynge [dien C.] to my lord kyng [the kyng C.] ? I shal goo, and girde of his heed. [verse 10] And the kyng seith, What is to me and to ȝou, ȝe sonys of Saruye? Letith hym, that he curse; forsothe the Lord comaundide to hym that he curse Dauid; and who is that dar seie, Whi thus he doth? [verse 11] And the kyng seith to Abisai, and to alle his seruauntis, Loo! my sone, that is goon out fro my wombe, sechith my lijf; mych more now this sone of Geminy `cursith to me [Om. E pr. m.] ? Letith hym, that he curse after the heest of the [verse 12] Lord; if perauenture the Lord beholde my tourmentynge, and ȝeelde to me good for this cursynge to dai. [verse 13] And so Dauid wente, and his felawis, bi the weie with hym; forsothe Semei wente cursynge aȝens hym bi the cop [ȝok E pr. m.] of the hil aside, and [and he E pr. m.] sendynge stoonus aȝens hym, and the erthe sprengynge. [verse 14] And so kyng Dauid cam, and al the puple with hym wery, and there thei ben refreshid. [verse 15] For|sothe Absolon, and al the puple of Irael wenten into Jerusalem, but and Achi|tophel with hym. [verse 16] Forsothe whann Cusay Arachites [Archites A.] , the freend of Dauid, was comen to Absolon, he spak to hym, Heil, kyng [Om. H.] ! [verse 17] heil, kyng! To whom Absolon, This is, he seith, thi grace to thi freend; whi hast thou not goo with thi freend? [verse 18] And Cusai answerde to Absolon, Nay, for of hym I shal be, whom the Lord chesith, and al this puple, and al Yrael; and with hym Y shal dwelle. [verse 19] `But and this I shal brynge [That and these thingus I brynge E pr. m.] yn, to whom am I to serue? whe|ther not to the sone of the kyng? as I obeysshide to thi fadir, so and I shal obeishe to thee. [verse 20] Forsothe Absolon seide to Achithophel, Goo ȝe into counseyl, what we owen to doon. [verse 21] And Achithophel seith to Absolon, Go into the secundarye wyues

of thi fadre, `the whiche [that C pr. m.] he hath laft at the hows to be kept; that whanne al Yrael herith, that thou hast defoulid thi fader, the hoondis of hem ben strengthid with thee. [verse 22] Thanne thei strauȝten out to Absolon a tabernacle in the solere, and he wente into the secundarye wyues of his fader before al Irael. [verse 23] Forsothe the counseil that Achithophel ȝaf in thoo dais, as if a man counseilde God; so was al the counseil of Achithophel, and whanne he was with Dauid, and whanne he was with Absolon.