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

CAP. VIII.

[verse 1] Forsoth greet persecucioun was maad in that day in the chirche, that was in Jerusalem. And alle men weren scaterid by the cuntrees of Judee and Samarie, out takun apostlis. [verse 2] Forsoth men drede|ful `curiden, or [Om. MOPQTVY.] birieden, Stheuene, and maden greet moornyng on him. [verse 3] Forsoth Saul greetli [Om. Y.] distroyede the chirche, en|tringe [and entride V.] by howsis, drawynge [and drow V.] men and wymmen, bitook into kepyng, `or prisoun [Om. OQX.] . [verse 4] Therfore thei that weren scaterid, pass|yden forth, euangelisynge [prechyng O.] the word of God. [verse 5] Forsoth Philip comynge [cam V.] down in|to a citee of Samarie, prechide [and prechide V.] to hem Crist. [verse 6] Forsoth the cumpanyes ȝauen tent to thes [thos S.] thingis [Om. V.] that weren seid of Phi|lip,

`to gidere [with OO wille V.] heeringe and seynge the signes that he dide. [verse 7] Forsothe [For V.] manye of hem that hadden vnclene spiritis, cryinge [crieden V.] with greet vois, wenten [and wente V.] out. [verse 8] Forsothe manye syke in palasye, and crokid, ben [weren V.] heelid. [verse 9] Therfore gret ioye is [was V.] maad in that citee. Forsoth ther was sum [a MPQTY. Om. V.] man, Symound by name, the [Om. V.] which bifore was in the citee a wicche, disseyuynge the folk of Samarie, seiynge him silf for [Om. MPQSTXY.] to be sum greet man. [verse 10] To [Om. V.] whom alle herken|yden, fro the leeste til [Om. O.] to [Om. G pr. m.] the mooste, seiynge [and seiden V.] , This is the vertu of [Om. K.] God, the [Om. V.] which is clepid greet. [verse 11] Forsothe alle [thei V.] bi|helden him, for this thing, that moche tyme he hadde maad hem mad [wood O.] , `or wood [Om. OQX.] , with his wicchingis. [verse 12] Sothli [Forsoth O.] whanne thei hadden bileuyde to Philip, euangelysinge of the kyngdom of God, in the name of Jhesu Crist, men and wymmen weren bap|tiside. [verse 13] Thanne [Thanne also V.] Symound `and he [himself V.] bileuyde; and whanne he was baptysid, he clyuede [drew O.] to Philip; he seynge [say V.] signes [also signes AGMNOPQSTY. also that singnes V.] and moost vertues `for to be [to be SX. weren V.] maad, dredinge [and he dredde, and V.] won|dride. [verse 14] Forsoth whanne apostlis [the apostlis PQTY.] that weren at Jerusalem, hadden herd for [that V.] Sa|marie receyuede [resceyue K.] the word of God, thei senten to hem Petre and John. [verse 15] The [Om. V.] whiche whanne thei camen, preieden for hem, that thei schulden receyue the Hooly [verse 16] Gost; forsoth [for V.] not ȝit he cam into ony of hem, but thei weren baptysid oonly in the name of the Lord Jhesu. [verse 17] Thanne thei puttiden [putten X.] hondis on hem, and thei receyu|eden the Hooly Gost. [verse 18] Forsoth whanne Symound hadde seyn, for [that OV.] the Hooli Gost was ȝouun by puttyng on [to Q.] of the hond [hondis O.] of [verse 19] apostlis [the apostolis ST.] , he offride [profride V.] to hem money, sey|inge [and seide V.] , `Ȝyue ȝe [Ȝiue OS. Ȝiue ȝee also V. Ȝifeth X.] to me and this power, that [Om. V.] to [on O.] whom euere I schal putte on hondis, he receyue [resceyued Q pr. m. T.] the Hooly Gost. For|soth [verse 20]

Petre seide to him, Thi money be with thee into perdicioun, for thou gess|idist the ȝifte of God for [Om. SX.] to be had, `or weeldid [Om. OQX.] , by [with O.] money. [verse 21] Part is not to thee, nethir sort [grace V.] , in this word, for thin herte is not riȝtful bifore God. [verse 22] `And so [Therfore V.] do thou penaunce fro [for V.] this thi wickidnesse, and preie God, if perauenture this thouȝt of thin herte be forȝouun [forȝiue M.] to thee. [verse 23] Forsoth [For I see that thou art V.] in galle of bittirnesse and [and in V.] bond of wick|idnesse `I se thee for [Om. SX.] to be [Om. V.] . [verse 24] Forsoth Symound answeringe [answeride and V.] , seide, Preie ȝe for me to the Lord, that no thing of thes [this O.] that ȝe han seid, come on me. [verse 25] And thei witnessinge [witnessiden V.] and [in K.] spekinge [spaken V.] the word of the Lord, ȝeden [and ȝeden V.] aȝen to Jerusalem, and euangelisiden to manye cuntrees of Sama|ritans. [verse 26] Forsoth an aungel of the Lord spak to Philip, seyinge [and seide V.] , Ryse thou, and go aȝens the south [sone O.] , to the weye that goth doun fro Jerusalem into [to O.] Gasam; this is `desert weye [deseert, either forsaken V.] . [verse 27] And he risynge [roos and V.] , wente forth. And lo! a man of Ethiopie, `geld|yng, myȝti [a myȝty geldinge GMPQTY. a geldyng myȝti N. miȝti gelding SX. a miȝty man seruaunt onest and chaast V.] of the queene Candace of Ethiopiens [Ethiopiis MOPQTY.] , the [Om. V.] which was on [vpon MY.] alle hir richessis, cam for [Om. SX.] to worschipe in Jeru|salem. [verse 28] And he turnyde aȝen, sittinge on his chare, and redynge Ysaie, the pro|phete. [verse 29] Forsoth the spirit seide to Philip, `Come to [Neiȝ thou V.] , and ioyne thee to this chare. [verse 30] Forsoth Philip `rennynge to [run to, and V.] , herde hym redinge Ysaie, the prophete. And he seyde, Gessist thou, wher thou vndir|stondist, what thingis thou redist? [verse 31] The [Om. V.] which seith [seide V.] , And how may I [I vndirstonde V.] , if `sum man schal not [noon V.] schewe to me? And he preiede Philip, that he schulde stiȝe vp, and sitte with him. [verse 32] Forsothe the place of scripture that he radde, was this, As a [Om. G pr. m.] scheep to sleyng he was led, and as a

lomb bifore a man scheringe [clippynge N.] him is doumb with oute vois, so he openyde not his mouth. [verse 33] In mekenesse his dom is [was V.] takyn vp; who schal telle out the gene|racioun of hym? For his lyf schal be takyn awey fro the [Om. N.] erthe. [verse 34] Forsoth the `gelding answeringe [onest seruaunt and chast answeride V.] to Philip, seide [and seide V.] , I biseche thee, of what prophete seith he this thing? of him [him silf MOPTV.] , or [either V.] of ony othir? [verse 35] Forsothe Philip openynge [openide V.] his mouth, and bigynnynge [bigan V.] at this scripture, euangelis|ide [and euangelizide V.] to hym Jhesu. [verse 36] And the [to O.] while thei wenten bi the weye, thei camen to sum watir. And the `geldyng seith [onest seru|aunt and chaast seide V.] , Loo! wa|tir; who forbedith me for [Om. SX.] to be baptysid? [verse 37] Forsoth Philip seide [seith O.] , If thou bileuyst of [in O.] al the [Om. G pr. m. thin OQ.] herte, it is leefful. And he an|sweringe [answeride V.] , seith [seide N. and seide VX.] , I bileue the [in the N. that Jhesu Crist is the V.] sone of God `for to be Jhesu [to be Jhesu SX. Om. V.] . [verse 38] And he comaund|ide the chare for [Om. SX.] to stonde. And thei wenten doun bothe into the watir, Philip and the gelding [onest seruaunt and chaast V.] , and he [Filip V.] baptisyde him. [verse 39] Forsothe whanne `he stiȝede [thei stiȝeden V.] vp of [fro O.] the watir, the spirit of the Lord rauyschide Philip, and the geldyng [onest seruaunt and chaast V.] syȝ [seeth T.] him no more. Forsoth he wente ioyinge by his weye. [verse 40] Forsoth Philip is [was V.] foundun in Asoto [Azotus V.] ; and he `passinge forth [passide forth and V.] , euangeliside to alle citees, til he cam to Cesarye.