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

[verse 1] Soþly Crist seynge þe peple, he wente up in-to an hylle: & whan he had sette hym downe, his discyplys come to hym: [verse 2] , [verse 3] & he openynge his mowþe tauȝt [tauȝt in marg. 1st corr.; in text tauthe in a late hand on erasure, S. tauȝte P. techinge D.] hem, seyenge, Blessyd be

pore in speryte: for here is þe rewme of heuenes. [verse 4] Blessyd be þe mylde: for þei schal haue þe lond of lyf. [verse 5] Blessyd be þei þat waylen: for þei schal be comfortyd. [verse 6] Blessyd be þei þat hungren & þrusten ryȝtwysnes: for þei schal be fulfyllyd. Blessyd be mercyful men: for [S folio 137] þei schal swe mercy. [verse 7] , [verse 8] Blessyd be men of clene herte: for þei schal se God. [verse 9] Blessyd [D folio 6b] be pesyble men: for þei schal be cleped Godes chyldren. [verse 10] Blessyd be þey [ȝe D. þ. y added later, S.] þat suffren purswynge for ryȝtwysnes: for here is þe rewme of heuenes. [verse 11] Blessyd schal ȝe be whan þat men schal curse ȝow, & whan þei haue purswed ȝow, & whan þei haue seyd al yuel aȝeyns ȝow, lyȝenge, for me. [verse 12] Ioye ȝe, & be glad: for ȝoure hyre is muche in heuene: soþly so þei haue purswed þe prophetis þat were byfore ȝow. [verse 13] Ȝe beþ salt of þe erþe: & ȝif þe salt vanysche awey, in what þing schal þe erþe be saltyd? þis salt is not worþi after, but to be cast oute & be defoulyd of men. [verse 14] Ȝe ben lyȝt of þe world. A cytee sett on an hylle may not be hyd. [verse 15] Nor men lyȝte not a lanterne & putte it vndir a buschel, but þei sette it on a kandelsteke, þat it ȝeue lyȝt to alle þat beþ in þe hous. [verse 16] & so schyne ȝoure lyȝt byfore men, þat þei se ȝoure goode werkes, & so þanke ȝoure Fadir þat is in heuene. [verse 17] Wele ȝe not gesse þat I come to lose [lese P.] þe lawe ne prophetys: I come not to vn-do hem, but for-to fylle hem. [verse 18] Soþly I seye to ȝow, To þat heuene & erþe passe, an i ne a tytyl schal not passe fro þe lawe byfore alle þinges be done. [verse 19] Þerfore [D folio 7] who doþ not on of þe leeste comawndementis, he schal be cleped leest in þe kyngdom of heuene; and soþly he þat doþ þes comawnde|mentes & techeþ [techiþ hem D.] , he schal be cleped greet in þe kyngdom of heuene. [verse 20] Soþly I sey to ȝow, But if ȝoure ryȝtewysnes habounde more þan of [of scribis P, in late hand, in marg. S.] þese [þe P; þese...lawe underlined, S.P.] wyse men of þe [S folio 137b] lawe & of [above the line, S. om. D.] þe Pharyseus, ȝe schal not entre in-to þe kyngdom of heuene. [verse 21] Soþly ȝe haue herd þat it is seyd to men of þe olde lawe, Þou schalt not sle; forsoþe he [in margin, S.] þat sleþ, he schal be [verse 22] coupable in þe dome; soþly I sey to ȝow, þat who-so [þat P.] is wroþ

to his broþer, he schal be gylty to [on erasure, 1st corr. S. in D.] þe dome; soþly he þat haþ seyd [seyþ for haþ seyd, P.] to his broþer, Raca, he schal be gylty to [on erasure, 1st corr. S. in D.] þe counseyl; soþly he þat haþ seyd [seyþ for haþ seyd, P.] to his broþer, Þou foole, he is worþi þe fyre of helle. [verse 23] Þerfore if þou brynge þi ȝifte to þe auter, & þere þou hast byþouȝt þee þat þi broþer haþ sum [verse 24] þinge aȝeyns þee, leeue þi ȝifte þere byfore þe auter, & go ferst to be reconsyled to þi broþer (þat is, be at on wiþ þi broþer), & þanne þou schalt come & offre þi ȝifte. [verse 25] Be þou assentynge soone to þyn enemy, þe whylis þou art in þe wey wiþ hym, en awnter þyn enemy take þee to þe domus-man, & þe domes-man bytake þee to þe jayleer, & [D folio 7b] þou be putt in-to prysown. [verse 26] Soþly I sey to þee, Þou schalt not go oute fro þi prysoun, to þou hafe ȝeue aȝeyn þe leste ferþing. [verse 27] Ȝe haue herd þat it was seyd to þe olde men, Þou schalt not do [verse 28] auowtrye: soþly I sey to ȝow, þat eche man þat haþ sey a womman & coueyte [coueytiþ D.] for-to haf hire, he haþ don [doþ P.] auowtrye wiþ hire in his herte. [verse 29] If it so [so it P.] be þi ryȝt eyȝe sclawndir þee, drawe it oute, & caste it fro þee: for soþly it is more spedynge to þee þat one of þi membres per-sche, þan al þi body be sente in-to helle. [verse 30] & ȝif þi ryȝt hond sclawnder þee, kutte it a-wey, & caste it fro þee: for soþly it spedeþ to þee, þat raþere on of þi membris persche [S folio 138] þan al þi body go in-to helle. [verse 31] Soþly it is seyd to olde men, Whoso lefeþ his wyf, [verse 32] hym byhoueþ ȝefe to hire a lybel of forsakyng: soþly y [it (changed into y) is (dotted out) sey with erasure of d, S.] sey to ȝow, þat eche man þat lefeþ his wyf, outetake cause of fornycasyoun, he makeþ hire to do avowtrye: & he þat weddeþ hire þat is left of hire housbonde, he [om. D.] doþ avowtrye. [verse 33] Eft ȝe hafe herd þat it was seyd to þe olde men, Þou schalt [verse 34] not forswere þee, for þou schalt ȝefe to God þi swerynge: but soþly it is seyd [I sey D.] to ȝow noȝt to swere in eny manere; neyþer [verse 35] by heuene, for it is þe [D ends with for it is þe written as catchwords at the bottom of fol. 7b.] trone of God; neyþer by þe erþe, for it is scaffold of his feet; noyþer by Ierusalem, for it is þe cyte of þe grete Kyng. [verse 36] Nor þou schalt not swere by þin heuyd, for þou mayst not make one heer whȝit or blak.

[verse 37] Soþly ȝoure worde schal be, ȝe, ȝe; or nay, nay; soþly what so is more þan þis, it is of yuel. [verse 38] Ȝe hafe herd þat it was seyd, Eyȝe for eyȝe, & a toþ for a toþ (þat is to seye, a man schulde be punysched in þe same membre in þe whuche he disseyfede [verse 39] his neyȝebores) [gloss underlined, S.P.] : but soþly I sey to ȝow nouȝt to [om. P.] wiþstonde þe yuel: but whoso smyteþ þee in þe ryȝt cheke, ȝif to hym þe [þ ^t P.] toþer. [verse 40] & whoso wyle stryue wiþ þee in þe dome, & take fro þee þi kote, lefe þou to hym also þi palle. [verse 41] & whoso angreþ þee a þousande paas, go wiþ hym oþer two þousande. And whoso wyle borowe of þee, ne turne þou not awey. [verse 42] , [verse 43] Ȝe hafe herd þat it was tolde to olde men, Þou schalt loue þi frend, & þou schalt hate þin enemy. [verse 44] But [S folio 138b] soþly I sey to ȝow, Loue ȝe ȝowre enemyes, do ȝe good to hem þat haten ȝow, & [verse 45] preye ȝe for hem þat purswen ȝow, & chalange ȝow falsly; þat ȝe [om. P.] be þe sones of ȝoure Fadir þat is in heuene, þat makeþ his sunne sprynge on goode men & yuele, & reyneþ up-on iuste men & vniuste. [verse 46] For if ȝe louen hem þat loueþ ȝow, what meede schal ȝe haue? siþ puplycans don þus. [verse 47] & if ȝe greten only ȝoure breþeren, what schal ȝe do more? Ne don not heþene men þus? [verse 48] Þerfore be ȝe parfyte, as ȝoure Fadur of heuene is parfyte.