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

I. TIMOTHY.

[This prologue is from p.] Poul the apostil writith this epistil to Tymothe, the which Tymothe was the sone of a feithful womman, outher cristen womman, and he was geten of an hethene fadir. And whanne he was not circumsidid, and was hethene, britheren that weren at Listus and at Yconye ȝauen good witnessinge to him. Poul wolde haue this Tymothe to go with him self, and therfore he circumsidide him, for Jewis that weren in tho placis. And Tymothe was lerned bothe in dyuyne scripturis and liberal sciencis. Poul made this Tymothe a bischop, and therfore he monestith

him, that he be bisi in ordynaunce of the chirche. Tymothe was bischop in Asie. The apostil writith of bischops office, that is, how he shal aȝenstonde false apostlis, how he schal teche the chirche, what maner preestis and dekenes he schal ordeyne, what maner widowis he schal honoure, how he schal haue him silf in the chirche.

Here bigynneth anothir prologe to the i. pistil to Tymothe [This prologue is from y.] .

The apostil writith fro Rome to Tymothe, whom he ordeinede and maad bischop in Asia. And it is his wille to infoorme in him what thingis perteyneth to the offis of a bischop. And this epistil is departid into tweie partis. In the first part he informeth in him to haue in hate the doctryne of fablis and genologies, that ben not of the lawe of God; and how a bischop owith to haue him to hem that ben without the chirche, that is to seie, how he schal aȝenstonde false apostils and fals prechouris. In the ii. part he infoormeth him, how he schal haue him to hem that ben in the chirch, and how he schal teche hem, and what maner prests and dekenes he schal ordeine, and what maner widows he schal honoure, and how he schal haue him silf in the chirche.