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

CAP. V.

Wise Plato knew not thes thingis; nether De|mostenes the faire spekere knew these thingis; for God seith, "I shal spille the wisdom of wise clerkis [men F.] , and I shal repreue the prudence of pru|dent men of the world." Verry wisdom shal spille false wisdom, and al be it that the foly of prechyng be holde [Om O sec. m.] in the cros, netheles Poul spekith wisdom among parfit men; not wisdom of this world, which is distryed, ne of princes of this world; but he spekith wisdom of God hid in mys|terie, that God ordeynede bifore worldis [the worldes F.] . Crist is the wisdom of God, for "Crist is the vertu of God and the wisdom of God." This wisdom is in mysterie hid, of which the title of the nynthe salm is bifore [tofore F.] notid, "for the hid thingis of the sone of God," in whom ben alle the tresours of wisdom and of kunnyng of God hid; and he that was in mysterie hid, is bifore ordeyned tofore the worldis; also bifore ordeyned and byfore fygurid in the lawe and profetis. Wherfor the profetis weren clepid seeris, for they saien him, whom othere men saien not. "Abraham say the day of him, and he [Om. F.] was glad [ful glad F.] ." Heuenes weren opened to Ezechiel, the [Om. F.] whiche weren closid to the synful peple. Dauyth seith, "Lord, opene thou myn yȝen, and I shal biholde the meruels of thi lawe." For the lawe is spirituel [special O.] , and therfor it hath nede of [to F.] open reuelacioun, that it be vndirstonde, that with open face we moun [may F.] se the glorie of God. The book in the Apocalips is schewid seelyd with seuene seelis,

which thouȝ thou ȝyue to a man knowynge lettris, `for he shulde [that he O sec. m.] rede, he shal answere thee [to thee F.] , I may not rede it, for it is aselid. Hou many men weenen this day that thei han knowen lettris, and holden the book seelid, and moun not opene, but if [Om. F.] he vnlouke that hath the keie of Dauith, "which openeth and no man closith, and closith and no man openeth." In the Dedis of Apostlis the hooly geldyng [chast chaumberleyn F.] , ȝhe, the hooly man, for so hooly writ clepith him, whanne he redde Ysaye, the profete, he was askid of Filip, "trowist thou that thou vndirstondest thilke wordis that thou redist?" and he answeride, "hou may [miȝte F.] I vndirstonde, but sum who hadde tauȝt me." I that I [Om. FX.] speke among othere [Om. FX.] of my silf, am not hoolyere than this geldyng [chast chaumber|leyn F.] , neithir more studiouse, the [Om. F.] which from Ethiopie, that is, from the vttemeste coostis of the world, cam to the temple, and forsook the kyngus halle, and was so greet a louere of knowyng [the science F.] of God and his lawe, that he wolde rede hooly lettris in his chare; and ȝit whanne he helde the book, and con|ceyuede the wordis of the Lord in his thenkyng, and redde hem with tunge, and spak with lippis [his lippes F.] , he knew not him whom he worshipede vnwitynge in the book [bookes FX.] . Thanne Filip cam, and shewyde to him Jhesu, `the which [that F.] restide pryuely closid in the lettre. O the meruelouse vertu of the doctour! the same our the geldyng [chast man F.] byleuede in God, and was baptysid, feithful and hooly, and of a disciple was maad a maistir; he foond more fruyt in the desert welle of hooly chirche, than in the golden temple of the synagoge of Jewis.