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

[verse 1] Soþely [C ^m 8 on erasure in the margin, C. þ ^e viii chap ^e in a late XVI^th century hand, S.] þat daye was grete persecucione done in holy chirche þat was atte Ierusalem; ande alle þei wore dis|parpulde ande wente isonder [om. S.P.D.] bi [into alle þe kyngdom S.P.D.] þo kendames of Iurye ande Samary, outtaken þo apostuls þat dwelled stille in Ierusalem. [verse 2] Men [but precedes in a late hand, P.] ful dredfulle biried saynte Steuen, ande made grete wepinge ande sorowe ouer hym. [verse 3] Saule forsoþe wastud holi chirche ande destroyde hit [om. S.P.D.] , ande ȝode into howses, ande drowe oute men ande wymmen, ande putte hem into holde [holdes S.P.D.] . [verse 4] Ande þei þerfore þat wore spredde obrode ȝode

prechande þo gospelle of God, how he was Goddes sone. [verse 5] Philippe ȝode into þo cyte of Samarye, ande preched Criste vnto [to S.P.D.] hem. [verse 6] Þo folke soþely gafe gode hede vnto [to S.P.D.] þo wordes þat Philippe saide, herande hym holly togider ande alle wiþ o wille, ande bihelde vnto [to S.P.D.] þo wonders [wordus S.P.] ande [C folio 31b] tokens whiche þat he wroghte. [verse 7] Many soþely of hem þat haden in hem yuel spirittes cryed [S folio 99] wiþ grete voyce ande [said follows, expunged, C.] ȝode awaye oute of hem. [verse 8] Many þat haden þo palsy, ande alsso þat woren crokude, woren maked alle hole. [verse 9] Ande þerfore [þat follows, P.] was þer maked grete ioye in þat cite. Symon soþely Magus [symon magus repeated in marg., 1st corr. S.] , þat was bifore in þat cite, made hymseluen [hym S.P.] grete as a [om. S.P.] god, ande many folke of Samarye hade he deceyued ande saide hem forsoþe þat he [verse 10] was a god: ande alle hym herkende, fro þo leeste vnto [to S.P.D.] þo meeste [moste S.P.D.] , sayande, He þis es þo vertewe of God þat es called Mag[n]a [magna P; S has n inserted later; Maga C.D.] . [verse 11] Þei ¹²gafe tente vnto¹² [^12-12 toke heede to S.P.D.] hym, wharfore longe tyme wiþ hise fals craftes he made hem wode. [verse 12] Bot soþely whanne þei schulde haue trowed vnto [to S.P.D.] Philippe, prechinge vnto [to S.P.D.] hem of þo kengdome of heuen in þo name of Iesu [Crist follows, S.P.D.] , þere wore baptized many men ande wymmen. [verse 13] ¹⁴Þanne trowed he þat Symon¹⁴ [^14-14 & þanne þ ^t Symon byleued S.P.] ; ande ¹⁵whanne he schulde be baptised, he drowe hym vnto [to S.P.D.] Philippe; ande¹⁵ [^15-15 om S.P.] whanne he sawe þo vertewes ande þo [om. S.P.] wondurs þat bi Philippe wore done, þerfore [þer of S.P.D.] he was amerueylde wondurfully. [verse 14] Whan þo apostuls hade harde þat Samary hade receyued Goddes worde, þei sende vnto [to S.P.D.] hem Peter ande Ioon. [verse 15] Ande whanne þei wore komen, þei preyed for hem þat wore [komen expunged, follows, C.] turned, þat þei myghte take þo Holygoste: [verse 16] ȝitte [ȝif P.] he kome [C folio 32] noghte into iche of hem, bot only þei [þei þat S.P.D.] wore baptized in þo name of Iesu, oure Lorde. [verse 17] Þanne putten þei þer hende vpon hem, ande þanne þei token þo Holygoste. [verse 18] Whanne þat Symon hade [S folio 99b] sene þat þurghe þo puttynge to [om. S.P.D.] one [on S.P.D.] of þo apostuls [postelys S.P.] hende þo Holygoste was gifen vnto [to S.P.D.] hem,

[verse 19] he profured hem money, ande saide, Haue þis, ande gife me þat power, þat whom [whom so S.P.D.] I putte vpon [om. S.P.D.] my honde, he schal haue þo Holygoste. [verse 20] Ande Peter soþely ansuered hym [hym answerde S.P.D.] & saide, Þi money ande þi catelle be with þe in dampnacyon, for þow trow[ed]este [S.P.D.; troweste C.] þat þe gifte of God wiþ money myghte be boghte. [verse 21] Neþer þow haueste parte ne lote in þis worde: for soþely þi [þin S.P.D.] hertte es noghte rightwise bifore God. [verse 22] Ande þer|fore do penaunce for þi wikkednes, ande preye þanne God, in auenture þat he wole [wolde P.] forgife þe þis wikked þoghte of þine hertte. [verse 23] For soþely in galle of bitternes ande in bonde of wikkednes I see þat þow erte. [verse 24] Þanne soþely Symon ansuered & saide, Preye ȝhe [om. S.P.] vnto [to S.P.D.] God for me, þat none of alle [om. S.P.D.] þise falle vpon me whiche þat ȝhe haue sayde. [verse 25] Ande þei soþely witnessed ande spaken Goddes worde, ande ȝede vnto [to S.P.D.] Ieru|salem agayne; ande [in] [S.P.D.] many kengedams of Samarytanes ¹⁰tawghten þei ande¹⁰ [^10-10 om. S.P.D. Vulg. evangelizabant.] preched. [verse 26] An aungel of [C folio 32b] God vnto [to S.P.D.] Philippe saide [spak & seyde.] , ande spake, Rise, ande wende to [into S.P.D.] meridiane, vnto [to S.P.D.] þo way þat gos downe fro Ierusalem into Gaȝam [ȝ erased S; Gaam P.] , þat es a deserte place. [verse 27] Ande vppe he ros ande ȝede; ande þer he mette wiþ a man of Ethiopes, þat was a myghty man wiþ a [þe S.P.D.] qweene of Candacis of Ethiopes, þo [S folio 100] whiche was ouer alle hire tresure, ande was a geldynge þat hade hire in kepinge; he [verse 28] kome to worschippe ande forto [to S.P.D.] preye in [into S.P.D.] Ierusalem: ande he was turned agayne, sittande vpon [on D.] hise charre, redande Ysay þo prophete. [verse 29] Ande þo spiritte sayde vnto [to S.P.D.] Philippe, Kome nerre, ande ioyne þe to þis carte. [verse 30] Ande Philippe ranne þerto, ande harde hym redande Isaye þo prophete, ande he saide, Trowes þow, þat þow vndurstondes noghte þat þow redes? [verse 31] Ande he saide, How myghte I [vnderstonde follows, P. underston in marg. 1st corr. S.] , bot if any hade tawghte hit me? Ande he preyde Philippe, þat he wolde kome vppe ande sytte wiþ hym. [verse 32] Þo place þat he redde [reode D.] of was þis in þat prophecye, As a schepe vnto [to S.P.D.] þo slawghter [slawþe P.]

was he ledde, ande as a lombe bifore þo clippar [For þo clippar S.P.D. have þat scheriþ hym.] wiþouten voice, so he opunde not hise mowþe. [verse 33] In meknes he bare his dome awaye ande his rightwise vengeance: hise generacyone who schal hit telle? For his life [C folio 33] es taken awaye oute of [of þe S.P.D.] erþe. [verse 34] Þo geldynge ⁴ansuered agayne ande sayde vnto Philyppe⁴ [^4-4 answerde to phylyp & seyde S.P.D.] , I preye þe, of what prophete sais he þis? of hym-seluen, or of an [eny S.P.D.] -oþer? [verse 35] Þanne soþely Philyppe tawghte hym, ande declared, bigynnande atte þat place þat he redde of þo prophecye, ande tolde hym of Iesus. [verse 36] Ande þo [whylis S.P.] whileste þei kome [ȝede S.P.D.] by þo waye, þei kome vnto [to S.P.D.] a water; ande ⁹þanne saide þo geldynge, Lo, here es water⁹ [^9-9 þe geldyng seyde lo her ys water at the bottom of the page, 1st corr. S. follows in the text, P. om. D.] , ande [om. S.P.] who schal lette me here to be baptised? [verse 37] Ande Philippe saide vnto [to S.P.D.] hym, If þow trowe wiþ alle þine hertte, hit es leffulle vnto [S folio 100b] þe. Ande he [inserted above the line, S.P.] ansuered ande saide, I trowe þat Iesu Criste es Goddes son. [verse 38] Ande he comawnded þo carte to stonde, & boþe þei ȝode downe into þo water, Philippe ande he [þe geldynge S.P. geld... on erasure in 1st corrector's hand, S. þe comelyng D.] , ande þer he baptised hym [in margin, C.] . [verse 39] Soþely whan þei wore wente vp oute [om. S.P.D.] of þo water þo spirytte of God rauysched Philippe away; & after sawe he hym nomore. He ȝode soþely bi þo waye makande ioye. [verse 40] Ande Philippe was fownden soþely in Aȝoto [a ȝoto with oto on erasure, S. a ȝate D. a gate P.] , þat was an-oþer cyte; ande þer he ȝode abowte prechande vnto [to S.P.D.] alle [alle þe S.P.D.] cytes, tille [fort S.D.] he kome to Cesarye.