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

CAP. XLIV.

[verse 1] Forsothe Joseph comaundid the dispen|dere of his hous, and seide, Fille thou her sackis with wheete, as myche as tho [thei IKS.] moun take, and putte thou the money of ech in [verse 2] the hiȝnesse [heiȝthe IS.] of the sak; forsothe put thou in the mouth of the sak [mouth DG. sackis mouth I. sak mouth S.] of the ȝongere [ȝoungest IS.] my silueren [siluer DIS.] cuppe, and the prijs of wheete [the wheete I.] which he ȝaf; and it was doon so. [verse 3] And whanne the morewtid roos, thei weren de|lyuered with her assis. [verse 4] And now thei had|den go out of the citee, and hadden go forth a litil; thanne Joseph seide, whanne the dispendere of his hous was clepid, Rise thou, pursue [and pursue DIS.] the men, and seye thou whanne thei ben takun, Whi han ȝe ȝolde yuel for good? [verse 5] The cuppe, which ȝe han stole, is thilk in which my lord drynkith, and in which he is wont to dyuyne; ȝe han do a ful [Om. K.] wickid thing. [verse 6] He dide as Joseph comaundid, and whanne thei weren takun, he spak bi ordre. [verse 7] Whiche [these thingis; the whiche I. thees thingis; whiche S.] answer|iden, Whi spekith oure lord so, that thi seruauntis han do so greet trespas [a trespas DGQRT. trespassis K.] ? [verse 8] We brouȝten aȝen to thee fro the lond of Cha|naan the monei which [that IS.] we founden in the hiȝnesse [heiȝte IS.] of sackis [oure sackis IS.] , and hou is it suynge that we han stole fro `the hows of thi lord [thi lordis hous IS.] gold ether [or ILPS.] siluer? [verse 9] At whom euere of thi seruauntis this that thou sekist is foundun, die he, and we schulen be ser|uauntis of my lord. [verse 10] Which seide to hem, Be it doon bi ȝoure sentence; at whom it is foundun, be he my seruaunt; forsothe ȝe schulen be gilteles. [verse 11] And so thei diden

doun hastili the [her S.] sackis on erthe [the erthe IS.] , and alle [verse 12] openyden [thei openyden IS.] tho [hem IS.] whiche [the whiche I.] he souȝte; and bigan [he bigan IS.] at the more [mooste IS.] til to the leeste, and foond [he foond IS.] the cuppe in `the sak of Benia|myn [Beniamyns sak I. Beniamyn sak S.] . [verse 13] And whanne thei hadden `to-rent her clothis [to-rent h. c. for scerowe I. for sorew to-rent h. c. s.] , and hadden chargid eft the [here I.] assis, thei turneden aȝen in to [Om. S.] the citee. [verse 14] And Judas entride `the firste [firste G. Om. S.] with bri|thren [his britheren IKS.] to Joseph; for he [Joseph IS.] hadde not go ȝit fro the place; and alle felden [thei fellen IS.] togidere on erthe [the erthe IS.] bifore hym. [verse 15] To whiche [whom IS.] he seide, Whi wolden ȝe do so? whether [what D. wher plures, ut passim.] ȝe witen not, that noon is lijk me [to me IS.] in the kunnyng of dyuinyng [dyuynowring I.] ? [verse 16] To whom Judas seide, What schulen we answere to my lord, ether [or LP.] what schulen we speke, ether [or LP.] moun [what moun we IS.] iustli aȝenseie? God hath founde the wickid|nesse [wickidnessis DGQRT.] of thi seruauntis; lo! alle we ben the seruauntis of my lord, bothe we and he at whom the cuppe is foundun. [verse 17] Joseph answeride, Fer be it fro me, that Y do so; he be my seruaunt that stal the cuppe; forsothe go ȝe fre to ȝoure fadir. [verse 18] Sotheli Judas neiȝede neer, and seide tristili, My lord, Y preye [praye thee IS.] , thi seruaunt speke a word in thin eeris, and be thou not wrooth to thi seruaunt; for aftir Farao thou art my lord. [verse 19] Thou axidist first thi seruauntis, Han ȝe a fadir, ether [LP.] a brother? [verse 20] And we answeriden to thee [Om. K.] , my lord, An eld fadir is to vs, and a litil child that was borun in his eelde, whos brother of the same wombe is deed, and his modir hath hym aloone; forsothe his fadir loueth hym ten|dirli. [verse 21] And thou seidist to thi seruauntis, Brynge ȝe hym to me, and Y schal [Om. G.] sette myn iȝen on hym. [verse 22] We maden suggestioun to thee, my lord, the child may not forsake his fadir; for if he schal leeue the [his I.] fadir, he [his fadir IS.] schal die. [verse 23] And thou seidist to thi seruauntis, If ȝoure leeste [ȝoungist IS.] brother schal not come with ȝou, ȝe schulen no more se my face. [verse 24] Therfor whanne we hadden

stied [gon vp I. stied vp S.] to thi seruaunt, oure fadir, we telden to hym alle thingis whiche my lord spak [spak to vs IS.] ; [verse 25] and oure fadir seide, Turne ȝe aȝen, and [verse 26] bie ȝe to ȝou a litil of wheete; to whom we seiden, We moun not go; if oure leeste brother schal go doun with vs, we schulen go forth togidere; ellis, if he is absent, we doren [dar I.] not se the `face of the lord [lordis face IS.] . [verse 27] To whiche thingis the [oure IS.] fadir answeride, Ȝe witen that my wiif childide twei sones to [verse 28] me; oon ȝede out, and `ȝe seiden [thei seiden plures.] , a beeste deuouride hym, and hidir to he apperith [apperide GL.] [verse 29] not; if ȝe taken also this sone, and ony thing bifallith [bifalle S.] to hym in the weye, ȝe schulen lede forth myn hoor heeris with morenyng to hellis. [verse 30] Therfor if Y entre to [aȝen to IS.] thi seruaunt, oure fadir, and the [his S.] child faile, sithen his lijf hangith of the lijf of [verse 31] the [this plures.] child, and he se that the [this I.] child is not with vs, he schal die, and thi seruauntis schulen lede forth hise hoor heeris with sorewe to hellis. [verse 32] Be Y propirli thi ser|uaunt, which resseyuede this child on my feith, and bihiȝte [I bihiȝte I.] , and seide, If Y schal not brynge aȝen [Om. S.] hym, Y schal be gilti of [verse 33] synne aȝens my fadir in al tyme; and so Y schal dwelle thi seruaunt for the child in to the seruyce of my lord, and the child [verse 34] stie [go vp I. stie vp S.] with hise britheren; for Y may not go aȝen to my fadir, if the child is [be IMS.] absent, lest [lo DRT.] Y stonde a [Om. G.] witnesse of the wretchid|nesse that schal oppresse my fadir.