lordis seien, we wolen þat it be so. Two maneres of sekyng þer ben of men: sum men seken men to do hem good and worship; and þus þre kingis souȝten oure Lord Jesus; and sum men seken a man to do him harm and dispit; and þus Heroude and his servantis souȝten Jesus Crist; and þei wolden have kilid Crist. And þus þei souȝten Cristis liif; for his spirit þei myȝten not dere; and his bodi þei tolden litil bi, but þei wolden not þat his spirit hadde quiked his bodi.
And Joseph roos and took þe child and his modir also, and cam in to þe lond of Israel; but warli, as þe aungel tauȝte him. And, whanne Joseph herde þat Archelaus, Heroudis sone, rengnede in Judee for his fadir, he dredde for him to go þidir. And Joseph was amoneschid in sleep bi angel how he shulde go; and wente into Galile. And Joseph cam and dwelte in a citee of þat contre, þat was clepid Nazareth; for to fulfille þe prophecie þat Jesus shulde be clepid of Nazareth. And so he was; for Pilat wroot upon his cros þis writing, as þe gospel telliþ; Jesus of Naza|reth, King of Jewes. And so, as Luk telliþ, oure Ladi was grett in þe citee of Nazareth, and þer she conceyvede Crist; and þus bi many resons was Crist clepid of Nazareth.
Beside lettre of þis gospel, mai men meeve [move, E.] doutis of scole; but me þinkiþ now, it is bettre to touche lore of vertues. We shal bileve þat al þe gospel, be it nevir so literal, techiþ what þing shal bifalle, and how þat men shal lyve. And so, as Crist in his ȝoungþe was pursued by many men to dispise him and slee him in his owne persone; so, unto þe dai of dome is he pursued in his membres, and algatis in Goddis cause, bi resoun of Goddis lawe. We shulden not presume, but hope, þat we ben membris of Crist; but wel we witen, ȝif men haten us and pursuen us for Cristis cause, þanne þei pursuen Crist in his membris, and haten þe cause of Crist. For betere cause myȝte not Crist have þan defending of his lawe; for þis cause made Crist be deed many weies bifore oþer; and Crist, for þe beste cause, suffride here martirdome. Studie wel Goddis lawe, and þe treuþe þat sueþ ofit, and defende it booldli,—boþe to preestis and to þe world,—and þou shalt have enemyes to
