saynctes dyd I shut vp in preson, and had receaued auctoryte of the hye Prestes. And when they were put to deeth, I gaue the sen¦tence. And I punysshed them ofte in euery synagoge, & cōpelled them to blaspheme: & was yet more mad vpon them, & persecuted them, euen vnto straunge cites. About whi∣che thīges as I went to Damasco with au•• toryte & lycence of the hye Prestes, euen at mydday (O king) I sawe in the way a light from heauen aboue the bryghtnes of the sonne shyne rounde about me, & them whi∣che iorneyed with me. When we were al fal∣len [unspec D] to the erthe, I hearde a voyce speakyng vnto me, and saying in the Hebrue tonge: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
It is harde for the to kicke agaynste the pryckes. And I sayde. Who art thou Lorde And he sayde: I am Iesus whom thou per∣secutest, but ryse and stand vpon thy fete.
For I haue apered vnto the for thys pur∣pose, to make the a mynyster and a wytnes both of those thinges which thou hast sene, and of those thynges in the whyche I wyll appere vnto the, delyuering the frō the peo∣ple, and from the gentils, vnto whom nowe I sende the, to open theyr eyes, that they maye turne from the darcknes to lyghte, & from the power of Satan vnto God, that they may receaue forgeuenes of sinnes, and inheritaunce amonge them which are sanc∣tifyed by fayth that is towarde me. Wher∣fore [unspec E] (O kynge Agryppa) I was not disobe∣dient vnto the heauenly vision: but shewed fyrst vnto them of Damasco, and at Ieru∣salem, and thorowe oute all the coastes of Iewry, & then to the gētyls, that they shulde repent, and turne to God, and do such wor∣kes as become them that repent. For thys cause the Iewes caught me in the temple, & went about to kyl me. Seyng therfore that I haue obtayned helpe of God: I contynue vnto this day, witnessyng both to smal and to greate, sayinge none other thynges, then those which the prophetes and Moses dyd saye shuld come: that Christe shulde suffer, and that he shuld be the first that shuld ryse frō deeth, & shuld shewe lyght vnto the peo∣ple, [unspec F] and to the gentyls. As he thus spake for hym selfe: Fest us sayde with a loude voyce: Paul, thou act besyde thy selfe. Much lear∣ning doth make the mad. And Paul sayde: I am not mad (most deare Festus) but spea¦ke the wordes of trueth and sobernes. For the kyng knoweth of these thynges, before whom I speake frely: neither thinke I that any of these thynges are hydden from hym. For this thyng was not done in a corner. Kynge Agrippa beleuest thou the Prophe∣tes? I wote wel that thou beleuest. Agrypa sayde vnto Paul: Sumwhat thou bringest me in mynde for to become Christen. And Paul sayde: I wolde to God that not onely thou: but also all that heare me to day, were not somwhat onely, but altogether, such as I am, except these bondes. And when he had thus spoken, the kynge rose vp, and the de∣bite, & Bernice, & they that sate with them. And when they were goue aparte, they tal∣ked betwene them selues, saying: This mā doeth nothyng worthy of deeth, nor of bon∣des. Then sayde Agrippa vnto Festus. Thys man myght haue bene let loose, yf he had not appealed vnto Cesar.