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

CAP. II.

[verse 1] The threttenthe ȝer of Nabugodonosor king, the two and twentithe dai of the firste moneth, ther is don a woord in the hous off Nabugodonosor, king of As|siries, that he shulde defenden hym. [verse 2] And he clepede to hym alle the more thurȝ birthe, and alle the dukis, his fiȝteres; and he hadde with hem the priuyte of his counseil. [verse 3] And he seide his thenk|ing in hym to ben, that al the erthe he shulde vnder ȝoke to his empire. [verse 4] The whiche sawe whan it pleside to alle men, king Nabugodonosor clepede Olofernes, [verse 5] prince of his chiualrie, and seide to hym, Go out aȝen eche reume of the west, and aȝen hem nameli, that despiseden myn empire. [verse 6] And thi eȝe spare not to any reume, and alle strengthid cite thou shalt vnderȝoke to me. [verse 7] Thanne Olofernes cle|pyde dukis and the maister domys men of the vertue of Assiries, and noumbrede men in to the speding, as the king co|maundede to hym, an hundrid and twenti thousend of fiȝtende foot men, and horse men and archeris twelf thousend. [verse 8] And al his ost redi he made to go before in multitude of vnnoumbrable camailis, with thoo that shulden suffisen plenteuousli to the ostis, of oxen also droues, and flockis of shep, of the whiche was no noumbre. [verse 9] Whete of al Cirie in his going he ordeynede to be maad redi. [verse 10] Myche forsothe gold and siluer of the hous of the king he toc ful myche. [verse 11] And he wente forth, he, and al the ost, with foure horsid cartis, and horse men, and archeris, that

couereden the face of the erthe, as lo|custus. [verse 12] And whan he hadde ouerpassid the coostus of Assiries, he cam to the grete hillis of Auge, that ben fro the lift side of Cicilie; and he steȝede vp alle the castelis of hem, and weldede eche hold strengthid. [verse 13] Forsothe he brac out the most riche cite Melothi, and spoilide alle the sonus of Tarsis, and the sonus of Is|mael, that weren aȝen the face of desert, and at the south of the lond of Celeon. [verse 14] And he passide ouer Eufraten, and cam in to Mesopotanee, and brac alle the heȝe cites that weren there, fro the strem of Mambre vn to it be ful come to the se. [verse 15] And he ocupiede the termes of it fro Cicilie vn to the coostus of Jafeth, that ben to the south. [verse 16] And he broȝte alle the sonus of Madian, and spoilide alle the richessis of hem; and alle with stondende to hym he sloȝ in the mouth of the [Om. C pr. m.] swerd. [verse 17] And after these thingus he cam doun in to the feldis of Damasch, in the daȝes of rep, and he brende vp alle the sowen thingus, and alle trees and vynes he made [verse 18] to ben hewen doun; and the drede of hym fel vp alle the dwelleris in the lond.