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

Another Prolog [No rubric in C.] .

God is redi to ȝyue good, to punshen a tariere; whan forsothe he myȝte gilti men withoute witnessing `of thing [Om. E pr. m.] to come to be punshid, no wher that he doth; but also

if he shul condempne, that he seith biforn, that thei be delyuered by penaunce, that weren dampned bi gilte. Nynyuytes weren dampned synneres of [to K.] God; ȝit for|sothe thre daȝes, and Nynyue was to be turned vp so doun; God wolde not with silence punshe condempned men, but, ȝyuende to them place of penaunce, sente an Ebru profete, that shulde seyn, Ȝit thre daȝes, and Nynyue shal be turned vp so doun; lest persheden, that is, that weren dampned, but doende penaunce, thei shulden purchacen mercy. Sodomytes also [Om. E pr. m.] and Gomorreis now to hard torment weren ordeyned, as the sermoun of God to [Om. K.] Abraham shewide; nerthelatere [neuer the latere ceteri passim.] that theiris [theris C pr. m.] was, the aungelis diden, wylnende hem to sauen, that sheweden hemself vnwrthi helthe; and seiende to Loth, Is ther any man to thee heer sone in lawe, or sones, outher [or AEGH.] doȝtris? ne thei vnknewen hem not `to ben [Om. E pr. m.] to folewen Loth, but thei sheweden hern [here A. theris C pr. m.] to gidere and his benygnete and loue that hem hadde sent. Lijc sum what in Jeremye wee finden. Notid is forsothe the tyme of his profecye, whan he gan [began AEGHK.] , or hadde endid to [his E pr. m.] profecyen. Seith therfore sum man, What to me the tyme of the storie? for he began to profecien in the daȝes of Josie, sone [the sone AEK.] of Amos, the [Om. AGHK.] king of Juda, vnto the threttenthe [thritithe AGHK.] ȝer in his regne [rewme EK.] . Ther after he profeciede in the daȝes of Joachym, sone of Josie, the [Om. AEGHK.] king of Juda; and bi thre kingus his profecie is straȝt out, vnto the caitifte of Jerusalem. In the fifte monyth condempnede God Jerusalem for his synnes, and that was the laste sentence, that caitif thei shulden be forsake; but sithen God is the [Om. AGHK.] makere of men, ne any man wile to pershen, bifor that [Om. C pr. m.] the tyme of destruccioun shulde stonden in, he sente and this profete, that shulde bidde to penaunce. He sente the same also vnder the secounde king [Om. C pr. m.] after the puple; he sente also vnder the thridde. Now the caitifte stod on, and ȝit to helthe God stirede, ȝyuende [and ȝyuende C.] and biforn o dai place of penaunce; wherfore it is write, vnto the caitifte of Jerusalem, and vnto the fifte moneth, to han profecied to Jerusalem. Now the [to the A.] bondis [hondis AHK.] of the enemys hadden streyned the hondis, and nerthelatere this God seide, Lo! caitif ȝee ben mad, doth penaunce; thoȝ late, preȝeth me, and I shal spare to ȝou; I mai delyuere fro the caitifte, that I haue take ȝou, vn to the ful ending of the elleuenthe ȝer of Sedechie, sone of Osie, king of Juda. This also of vs wee moun vnderstonde, a synnere forsothe [Om. AGHK.] to be taken to Sathan; no thing is ferr fro it, that Jewis ben taken to Nabugodonosor, that as [is AGHK.] hem God grauntide to the [thee and the AG pr. m. HK.] aduersarie for ofte vsid vnpitousnesse, so wee ben taken for oure synnes to spirituel Nabugodonosor, that whom he hath take to Sathan, thei lerne to not blasfemen. Weenest thou hou myche euel it is to synnen, that he take to Sathan, caityuende the soules of them that ben forsaken of God? not withoute cause, that is, ne with oute dom. Whan forsothe he shal sende reyn vp on the vyne, and that reyn shal bringe forth thornes, what shal he do, but that he comaunde to the [Om. A.] wederes, that thei reyne not vp on the [Om. A.] vyne weder? Nyȝ therfore [forsothe A.] is and oure caitifte, if wee do not penaunce, that wee be take to Nabugodonosor, king of Babiloyne, whiche now liende [longe A sup. ras. lyuynge H.] nyȝ, the wrdis of profetis [the prophetis K.] , of the lawe, of the apostolis, and of the selue Crist [Crist, ben C. Crist, wee ben E pr. m.] `ful out biden vs [ful out bede E pr. m. bidden vs ful out K.] to penaunce, stern to helthe. If wee heren, wee leeuen to hym that seide, I shal do penaunce of alle the [Om. G pr. m. HK.] euelis, that I spac to do to them.

Here endith the prolog, and bigynneth the book [From K. Here endith the prolog, and now sueth the booc of Jeremye. E. No rubric in ACGH.] .