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

Also Romayns weren of Jewis and hethene men, and bileeueden to Crist; and by proude stryf thei wolden enhaunce hem silf ech part aboue othere. For whi Jewis seiden, We ben the peple of God, whiche he louede and norischide fro the bigynnyng; we ben circumcidid, and camen of the kyn and holy generacioun of Abraham; and God was knowen first oonly at Jewis. We weren delyuered fro Egipt by myraclis and vertues of God, and passiden the reed see with drie foot, whan greuouse wawis drenchiden oure enemyes; and reynede to us manna in the desert, and mynystride heuenly mete to vs, as to hise sonys. By day and nyȝt God ȝede bifore vs in a piler of cloude and of fier, to schewe weye to vs in the place without weye. And that we holde stille othere benefices of God aboute vs, we aloone weren worthi to take the lawe of God, and to heere the voys of the Lord spekynge, and to knowe his wille; in which lawe Crist was bihiȝte to vs. Also he witnesside, that he hymsilf was comen to vs, and seide, Y cam not, no but to the scheep of the hous of Israel, that weren perischide, whan he clepide ȝou doggis rather than men. Therfor whether it is riȝtful, that ȝe that forsaken ydols to day, whiche ȝe serueden at the bigyn|nyng, be comparisond to vs, and be not rather arettid in to the place of comelynges, by auctorite of the lawe and by custome? And ȝe disserueden not this, no but for Goddis mercy, which is euer large, wolde resseyue ȝou to oure suynge, that is, to sue vs. Aȝenward hethene men answer|eden thus, In as myche as ȝe tellen gretter benefices of God anentis ȝou, by so myche ȝe schulen schewe, that ȝe ben gilty of gretter synne; for ȝe weren euer vnkynde to alle tho benefices. For with

the feet by whiche ȝe passiden the drie see, ȝe pleieden bifore ydols, whiche ȝe maden; and by that mouth, by which ȝe songen heriynges a litle bifore for the deeth of aduersaries, whiche God killide by myracle, ȝe axiden symylacris to be maad to ȝou. With tho iȝen, by whiche ȝe weren wont to biholde the worchipful thingis of the Lord in the cloude either in fier, ȝe bihelden symylacres. Also ȝe wlatiden manna, and euer in the desert ȝe grucchiden aȝens the Lord, and wolden go aȝen in to Egipt, fro whennes he hadde caste ȝou out with strong hond. What moo thinges? Ȝoure fadres wraththiden so the Lord bi ofte terrynge to wraththe, that alle dieden in desert, and no mo of the oolde men of hem, no but tweyne, entriden in to the lond of biheest. But what rehersen we eelde synnes? sithen thouȝ ȝe hadden not do tho, for this aloone, that not oonly ȝe nolden resseyue the Lord Jesu Crist, bihiȝt to ȝou euere by the voices of profetes, but also ȝe killiden him by worst deeth, no man schulde deme ȝou worthi to haue forȝeuenesse. Which Lord we bileeueden anoon, aftir that we knewen, thouȝ no thing was bifore seid to vs of him. Wherby it is preued, that this, that we serueden ydols, schal not be aretted to hardnesse of synne, but to ignoraunce. For we that suen anoon the Lord knowen, wolden haue sued him in tyme passid, ȝif we hadden knowe him bifore. And ȝif ȝe auaunten ȝou of the nobley of kyn, as ȝif the suynge of vertues maketh not to be sones of seyntes, more than fleishly natiuite doth, forsothe Esau and Ismael, thouȝ thei ben of the generacioun of Abraham, ben not arettid either noumbred with sones. Therfor the postle setteth him a meene bitwixe the peples striuynge thus, and assoileth so the questiouns of the partyes, that he affermeth, that neuer neither of hem deseruyde helthe by his owne riȝfulnesse, and that bothe peplis synneden wityngly and greuously; that Jewis dispisiden God by brekynge of the

lawe; and hethene men, whanne thei ouȝten worschipe the creatour as God, whom thei knewen by creatures, chaungiden his glorie into symylacris maad with mannes hondis. Also the postle scheweth by verreiest resoun, that euereither peple gat forȝeuenesse, and ben euene; moost sithen he schew|eth, that it was bifore seid in the same lawe, that bothe Jewis and hethene men schulden be clepid to the feith of Crist. Wherfor Poule maketh hem meke, now this peple, and now that peple, and monesteth hem to pees and acordynge.

Al this is set in a prologe writen in summe bookis on this pistle, and the Comyn Glose in the bigynnynge at Poule, hath the same sentence.