A fourteenth century English Biblical version, edited by Anna C. Paues ...

[verse 1] Ande [C ^m 19^m in later hand, on erasure, C. The xix c ^o in XVI^th cent. hand, S.] hit bifelle, whanne Apollo was at Corynthy, þat Poule hade gone þo ouer contrees, ande kome vnto [to S.P.D.] Ephesum; [verse 2] ande he fonde summe of þo disciples, ande saide vnto [to S.P.D.] hem, If ȝhe [we P.] haue taken þo Holygoste trowande? Ande þei sayde to hym, Bot we haue noghte harde if [om. S.P.D.] þo Holygoste es. Ande Poule saide, In whom þanne ben ȝhe baptised? [verse 3] Ande þei saiden, In þo bapteme of Iohn. [verse 4] Poule saide, Iohn baptised in bapteme of penaunce þo pupul, techande, þat þei schulde trowe in hym þat was to come efter hym, þat es, in Iesu. [verse 5] Ande whanne þei hade harde þis, þei wore baptised in þo name of oure Lorde Iesu Criste. [verse 6] Ande whanne Poule hade laide on hem hise hende [honde S.P.D.] , þo Holygoste come vpon [on S.P.D.] hem; ande þei speke wiþ tunges ande prophecyed. [verse 7] Ande alle þo men wore nerehande [ny honde S.P.D.] twelue. [verse 8] Ande Poule entered into þo synagoge, ande tristely he speke by þree monythis, disputande ande techande of þo kengdome of God. [verse 9] Ande [C folio 54b] for summe were indurate ande wolde noghte trowe, waryande [cursynge S.P.D.] þo way of God bifore þo multitude, he, goande fro hem, departed þo discipuls, disputande iche daye in þo scole of a tyraunte fro þo houre of sexte [þe sixþe S.P.D.] to þo houre of tenne. [verse 10] Ande þis he dide bi twoo ȝere; in so myche þat men þat wonned in Asye harde þo worde of God, boþe þo Iewes ande gentiles. [verse 11] Ande [verse 12] many vertewes did God by þo hende [honde S.P.D.] of Poule: in so myche þat men broghten sudaries [ande] [S.P.D.] girdels from hise body, ande layde hem vpon [on S.P.D.] þo seke, ande þe sekenes wente fro hem, ande þo wikked spirittes wente oute of men [hem S.P.] . [verse 13] Ande summe of þo exorcistes of þo Iewes þat wente aboute, assayde forto calle þo name of Iesu vpon [on S.P.D.] hem þat hade yuel spirittes, & saide, We coniure ȝowe bi Iesu whom Poule preches. [verse 14] Ande þer wore in a house of a Iewe, þat was prince of prestes, seuen sones þat diden þis. [verse 15] Ande þo wikked spiritte [wicked spirite repeated in marg. 1st corr. S.] ansuerande

saide, Iesu I knewe, ande Poule I knowe [knewe S.P.D.] ; bot who [what S.P.D.] ben ȝhe? [verse 16] Ande þo man in whom þo [þe wicked S.P.D.] fende was lepe to hem, ande he [om. P.] hade maisterschippe of boþe, ande was myghtye agayne, in so myche þat wonded ande naked þei fledde fro þo [þ^t S.P.D.] house. [verse 17] Ande þis was made knowne vnto [to S.P.D.] alle þe Iewes ande gentiles þat dwelled atte Ephesy; ande grete drede felle vpon [on S.P.D.] alle hem, ande [C folio 55] þei loued þo name of oure Lorde Iesu. [verse 18] & many of þo trowande [þat troweden S.P.D.] come, schriuande, ande schewande þer dedes. [verse 19] Ande many alsso [om. S.P.D.] þat [þ^t byfore S.P.D.] vsed curiostes broghte þer bokes, ande brente hem bifore alle: ande whanne þei hade acownted þo price of hem, þei fonde money of fifty thowsande penyes (þat es, so myche wore þei worþe in price). [verse 20] Ande so wexe þo worde of God ande was confermed. [verse 21] Ande whan þise wore ended, Poule purposed in spiritte to go vnto [by S.P.D.] Macedonye ande Achaye [S folio 119] , ande so forto goo vnto [to S.P.D.] Ierusalem, ande saide to hymseluen, þat efter þat I haue ben þore, me bihoues to see Rome. [verse 22] Ande he [om. S.P.D.] sende two of þoo þat mynisterde unto [to S.P.D.] hym, Tymothe ande Eraste, into Macedonye, ande he dwelled vnto [to S.P.D.] a certayne tyme in Asye. [verse 23] Ande in þat tyme was grete turbacione of þo waye of God. [verse 24] For one, whos name [d in the margin, S.] was Demetrye, þat was a siluer-maker, ande made þo thabernacles of þo goddes [þe goddesse repeated in the marg. 1st corr. S.] Dyane of syluer, he gafe vnto [to S.P.D.] þo [verse 25] warke-men grete money, ande called [cleped S.P.D.] hem togider, ande saide vnto [to S.P.D.] hem þat wore of þat [þe P.] crafte, Ȝe men, ȝhe wyten wele þat of þis crafte es oure getynge ande lyuynge. [verse 26] Ande ȝhe seen ande heren, þat noghte onely at Ephesum, bot alsso alle þo multitude of Asye, he þis Poule bi his techinges haues turned, ande teches, þat þoo ben noghte goddes þat ben made [verse 27] wiþ hende [honde S.P.D.] : ande noghte onely [C folio 55b] schal oure crafte perische ande be in reproue to vs; bot alsso þo temple of þo grete Dyane, oure goddes, schal be destroyed ande broghte to noghte, ande hire mageste schal be vndone, þo whiche alle Asie ande alle þo worlde worschippes. [verse 28] Ande whanne þise

wordes woren harde, þei wore fulfilled [fyllyd S.D.] wiþ [in S.P.D.] ire, ande þei cryed, sayande, Þo grete Dyane of Ephesye. [verse 29] Ande þo cyte was fulfilled wiþ confusione: ande wiþ one hertte þei made an hastines into þo spectacle; ande þore þei toke Gaye ande Aristarke, men of Macedonye, þo felowes of Poule. [verse 30] Ande Poule wolde haue gone into þo puple, ande þo discipuls wolde noghte suffure hym go [to goo S.P.D.] . [verse 31] Ande summe of þo princes of Asye, þat wore hise frendes, sente vnto [to S.P.D.] hym ⁵ande preyed hym⁵ [^5-5 om. S.P.D.] þat he schulde [not] [S.P.D.] sytte atte þo spectacle. [verse 32] Ande summe cried ande saide oþerwise; ande þo chirche was confused [S folio 119b] , ande many wiste noghte for whatte cause þei wore comen togider. [verse 33] Ande þei wiþdrowe Alexander fro þo company, þe Iewes puttande hym forþe. Ande Alexander made token of cylence wiþ hise honde, in wille forto [to S.P.D.] schewe hise skille to þo puple. [verse 34] Ande onone as þei knewe þat he was a Iewe, onone was bot [it S.P.D.] as one voice of alle, fully two houres cryande, Þo grete Dyane of Ephesye. [verse 35] Ande whanne þe scribe [C folio 56c] hade stilled þo com|panyse [cumpanye S.P.D.] , he saide, Ȝhe men of Ephesie, whatte man es þat þat knowes noghte þo cytee of Ephesie worschippar of þo grete Diane, ande of Iouys hire childe? [verse 36] Ande siþen none may agaynesay þis, hit bihoues ȝowe to be stille, ande to do no þinge folily. [verse 37] For ȝe han broghte hider þise men, þat noþer are fownden [foule S.P.D.] giltye, nor blasphemares [blasphemys S.P.D.] of ȝoure goddes. [verse 38] Bot if Demetryus, ande þo warke-men þat ben wiþ hym, haue any cause agaynes any, gider hem wiþoute-forþe [Cf. Vulg. conventus forenses aguntur.] ; ande þer [om. S.P.D.] ben proconsuls, late hem accuse þem togider bifore hem. [verse 39] Ande if any oþer þinge be þat ȝhe [he P.] asche, in þo lawful chirche hit may be assoyled. [verse 40] Ande we ben in perele to be reprehendid of þo sedicione of þis daye, siþen þere es none blame-worþi, of whom we may gife skille (or [of P.] , wyte) of þis con|course. Ande whanne he hade saide þis, he lefte þo chirche. [epistola follows, C.]