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

[The epistle to the Colocensis [From M. The pistle to Colosensis. PQ. Here bigynneth the pistle. W. No initial rubric in AGNSTV.] .] CAP. I.

[verse 1] Poul, apostle of `Crist Jhesu [Jhesu Crist GMNOPQTVY.] , by the [verse 2] wille of God, and Tymothe, brother, to hem that ben [beth O.] at Colose [Colocense GMNPQT.] , hooly and feith|ful [verse 3] britheren [brether GT.] in Crist Jhesu, grace to ȝou

and pees of God oure [the O.] fadir and of the Lord Jhesu Crist. We don thankingis to God, and [and to N. Om. O.] the fadir of oure Lord Jhesu [verse 4] Crist, euermore `for ȝou preiynge [preiynge for ȝou V.] , we [Om. SX.] heeringe ȝoure feith in Crist Jhesu, and the loue that ȝe han into [to VX.] alle hooly men, [verse 5] for the hope that is kept to ȝou in [in to G.] he|uenes. The [Om. V.] which ȝe herden in the word [verse 6] of treuthe of the gospel, that cam to ȝou, as and it is in al the world, and makith fruyt, and wexith, as [as it is N. as and OV.] in ȝou, of [fro V.] that day in which ȝe herden and knewen the grace [grace of God NV.] in treuthe. [verse 7] As ȝe lerneden [lereden SX.] of Epaphras, oure euene seruaunt moost dereworthe, the [Om. V.] which is a trewe mynistre of Jhesu [verse 8] Crist for ȝou; the [Om. V.] which also schewide to vs ȝoure louyng [lyuyng K.] in spirit. [verse 9] Therfore and we fro the day in which we herden, ceessen not for ȝou preiynge, and axynge, that ȝe be fulfilled [fillid V.] with the [Om. SY pr. m.] knowynge of his will in al wysdom and goostly vn|dirstondyng [verse 10] ; that ȝe walke worthily to God `by alle plesynge [pleesinge by alle V.] thingis, makinge [that ȝe make S.] fruit in al good werk, and wexynge in [verse 11] the science of God, `in al vertu comfortid [coumfortid in al vertu V.] vp [after GMPQT. bi V.] the myȝt of his cleernesse, in al pa|cience [verse 12] and [in QT.] long abidinge with ioye, do|ynge thankingis to God the [and the V.] fadir, the [Om. VX.] which [that X.] made vs [ȝou V.] worthi in to the [Om. G pr. m.] part [party O.] of sort [sort, or grace QT. eritage V.] of hooly men in liȝt [heiȝt S.] . [verse 13] The [Om. V.] which delyuerede [delyuere G.] vs fro the [Om. G.] power of derk|nessis [derknesse Y.] , and translatide into [vs into NV.] the kyng|dom [verse 14] of the [his WY pr. m.] sone `of his [Om. G pr. m.] louynge, in whom we han aȝenbyinge and remyscioun of synnes. [verse 15] The [Om. V.] which is the ymage of God inuysible [visible O. vnuysible V passim.] , that may not be seyn [Om. GMOPQTX. either that may not be seyn V.] , the firste bigetun of ech creature. [verse 16] For in hym alle thingis ben maad, in heuenes and in erthe, visyble and invisyble, ether trones, ether domynaciouns, ethir princi|patis, ether potestates [potestis G.] , alle thingis ben

[verse 17] maad of noȝt by him, and in him, and he is bifore alle, and alle thingis ben in hym. [verse 18] And he is heed [heuyd G. heued OQT.] of the body of the chirche; the [Om. VX.] which is the [Om. XY.] bigynnynge, `or the firste thing of alle [Om. OX. or firste thing of alle Q. or the firste of alle SY pr. m.] , and the [Om. QT.] firste bi|getun [geten X.] of deede men [Om. X.] , that he be holdinge primacie [the firste dignyte O.] , `or the firste dignyte [Om. OX.] , in alle thingis. [verse 19] For in hym it [Om. S.] pleside `to gidere [Om. V.] [verse 20] al plente for [Om. SX.] to inhabite, and by him alle thingis for [Om. SX.] to be reconsylid in to hym, he pesynge [pesing, or maad pees N. pesende to S pr. m.] by the blood of his cross, ether tho thingis that ben in erthis, ether [or GX.] that ben in heuenes. [verse 21] And whanne ȝe weren sum tyme aliened, `or maad straunge [Om. OX. and maad straunge S.] , [verse 22] and enemyes by witt in yuel werkis, now forsothe he hath recouncilid ȝou [Om. G pr. m. O.] in the body of his fleisch bi deeth, for [Om. SX.] to haue ȝou hooly, and vnwemmid, and with oute re|prof bifore hym. [verse 23] If nethelees ȝe dwellen in the feith, foundid, and stable [stabled O.] , and vnmou|able fro [for Q.] the hope of the gospel that ȝe han herd, the [Om. V.] which is prechid in al [Om. K.] creature that is vndir heuene. Of which [the whiche S.] I [verse 24] Poul am maad mynistre, `the which now [and now V.] I [Om. SX.] haue ioye in passiouns [passioun V.] for ȝou, and [and I QT.] fulfille [fulfille, as is ordeyned to me and eche seynte QT. fulle S. I fille V.] tho [the PWX.] thingis that faylen of the passiouns of Crist [Crist, the whiche in my lot fallen to me to fulfille QT.] in my fleisch, for his body, that is the chirche. [verse 25] Of the [Om. QSTX.] which I Poul am maad mynistre [seruaunt Q. a seruaunt T.] , `or seruaunt [Om. OPVX.] , vp [after QT. bi V.] the dispensacioun of God, that is ȝouun to me in ȝou, that I fulfille [fille V.] the [verse 26] word of God, the mysterie, `or priuete [Om. OX.] , that was hid fro worldis [the world S. the worldis XY.] and genera|ciouns. Now forsoth it is schewid to his [verse 27] seyntis, to whom [whiche V.] God wolde [will S. wole Y.] make `the richessis knowun [knowun the richessis V.] of the glorie of this [his QT.] sacrament in hethen men, that [the whiche sacrament QT. which V.] is Crist in ȝou, the hope of glorie. [verse 28] Whom we [ȝe G.] schewen, reprouynge ech man, and tech|inge ech man in al wysdom, that we

ȝyuen [offre V.] ech man parfyt [perfit, bothe Jewe and hethen man QT.] in Crist Jhesu. [verse 29] In which thing and I trauele, stryuynge [in stryuynge V.] vp [after QT. bi V.] the worchinge of him, that he worchith in me in vertu.