¶ He reioyseth to heare of the fayth and loue of Philemon whom he desyreth to forgyue his setuaunt Onesimus, & lo¦uyngly to receyue him agayne.
❧ The Epystle of S. Paule vnto Philemon. (Book Philemon)
PAule the prysonner of [unspec A] Iesu Christ, & brother Timothe Unto Philemon the beloued and our helper, and to the belo∣ued Appia, & to Archippus oure felow soudier and to the congregacion that is of thy house.
* 1.1 Grace be vnto you, & peace, from God our father, & from the Lorde Iesus Christe.
I thanke my God, makyng mēcyon al∣wayes of the in my prayers, when I heare of thy loue & fayth, which thou hast toward the Lorde Iesu, and towarde all sayntes, so [unspec B] that the fellishyppe of thy fayth is frutefull in the knowledge of euery good {fleur-de-lys} (worke) which is in you towarde Iesus Christ. For we haue great ioy & consolacion in thy loue: because that by the (brother) the saintes her∣tes are comforted.
Wherfore, though I might be bold ī Christ to cōmaūde the, y• which was thy dewtye to do: yet for loues sake I rather beseche the, though I be as I am, euē olde Paul, & now a presoner of Iesu Christ. I beseche the for my sonne * 1.2 Onesimus whō I haue begottē in my bōdes, (which in tyme passed was to y• vnprofitable but now {pro}fitable both to the & to me) whō I haue sent home againe. Thou therfore receyue hī, that is to say mine owne [unspec C] vowels, whō I wolde fayne haue retayned wt me, y• ī thy stead he myght haue ministred vnto me in y• bondes of the Gospell. Neuer∣thelesse, without thy mynde wolde I do no∣thing, that the good which thou doest, shuld not be as it were of necessyte, but willyngly
For happly he therfore departed for a sea¦son, that thou shuldest receyue him for euer, not now as a seruaūt: but aboue a seruaūt, euen a brother beloued, specially to me: but how much more vnto the, both in the fleshe, and also in the Lord? If thou coūt me ther∣fore a felowe, receyue him as my selfe. If he [unspec D] haue done the any hurt, or oweth the ought, y• lay to my charge.) I Paul haue written it with myne owne hande) I wyl recompence it. So that I do not say to the, how that thou owest vnto me euē thyne owne self also. Euē so brother, let me enioy the in the Lorde: Cō∣forte my vowels in the Lord. Trustynge in thyne obediēce, I wrote vnto the, knowyng that thou wylt also do more then I say. Mo¦reouer, prepare me lodgīg: for I trust y• tho∣row the helpe of your prayers. I shalbe gy∣uen vnto you. There salute the, Epaphras my felowe prisoner in Christ Iesu, Marcus Aristarcus, Demas, Lucas, my helpers. The grace of our Lord Iesu Christ be with your spirite:
Amen.
¶ Sente frome Rome by Onesymus a Ser∣uaunte.