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

CAP. XI.

[verse 1] The ferthe ȝer, regnende Ptholome and Cleopatra, Dositheus, that a prest and of Leuy kinrede seide hymself to be, and Ptholome, his sone, broȝten this epistil of furim, the whiche thei seiden, Silima|cum, the sone of Ptholome, in Jerusalem to han remened. This forsothe was the begynnyng in the comun translacioun, that nouther in Ebru, ne anent any of the [Om. AH.] remenours is told. [verse 2] The secounde ȝer, regnyng Artaxerse the moste, the firste dai of the moneth Nysan, Mar|doche, the sone of Jari, sone of Semei, sone of Cis, of the linage of Beniamyn, [verse 3] a man Jeu, that dwelte in the cite of

Susis, a gret man, and among the firste of the kingus halle, saȝ a sweuene. [verse 4] For|sothe he was of the noumbre of caityues, whom Nabugodonosor, king of Babiloyne, hadde translatid fro Jerusalem with Je|conye, king of Jude. [verse 5] And this was his sweuene. There semeden voisis, and noisis, and thundris, and erthe quaues, and dis|turbing [disturbling AH.] vp on the erthe. [verse 6] And lo! two grete dragounes, redi aȝen hemself in to [verse 7] bataile; at whos cri alle naciouns ben stirid togidere, that thei fiȝte aȝen the folc off riȝtwis men. [verse 8] And that dai was of dercnessis, and of perile, of tribulacioun, and of anguysh, and gret fer vp on erthe. [verse 9] And disturbid [disturbling AH.] is the folc of riȝtwis men, dredende ther euelis, and maad redi to the deth. [verse 10] Thei crieden to God; and hem criende out, a litle welle wex in to the moste flod, and in to manye watris re|dundede. [verse 11] Liȝt and the sunne is sprun|gen; and meke men ben enhauncid, and thei deuoureden the gloriouse. [verse 12] The whiche thing whan Mardoche hadde seen, and risen of the bed, he thoȝte, what God wolde do, and ficchid he hadde in the inwit, coueitende to wite, what the sue|uene shulde betocne.