¶ Yonge Tobias rechened by vnto hys father the plea∣sures that the aungell dyd hym. He offred vnto the aungell holfe the goodes that he brought with hym.
CAPI. XII.
THen Tobyas called his sonne vnto [unspec A] hym, and sayde: What may we geue thys holy man / that wente with the? To∣bias answered hys father / and sayde: Fa∣ther / what rewarde shall we geue him? Or what thynge can deserue his benefytes? He hath bene my gyde, and brought me safe a∣gayne: he receaued the money frō Gabelus he caused me to get my wyfe / he droue the euyll spryte from her / be hath bene an occa∣syon of gladnesse to her father and mother: he delyuered me / that I was not deuoured of the fyshe, he hath made the to se the lyght of heauen, yee we all haue receaued greate good of him. Howe shulde we worthely de∣serue these thynges vnto him? But I praye the my father, that thou wylt desyre him / yf happly he wyll voutch safe / to take wt hym the halfe of all that we haue brought.
So the father and the sonne called hym / [unspec B] toke him asyde / and beganne to praye hym, y• he wolde be cōtent to take in good worth / the halfe parte of al that they had brought. Then sayde he secretly vnto them. Prayse ye the god of heauen, and geue thankes vn to hym before all men lyuynge / for he hathe shewed his mercy vnto vs. It is good to hy¦de the kinges secrete, but to shew & to praise y• worckes of god, it is an honorable thyng. Prayer is good with fastinge, and mercy is better, then to hoorde vp treasures of gold. For mercy delyuereth from death / clenseth synne, and causeth to fynde euerlasting lyfe. But they that do synne & vnrighteousnes, are the enemyes of theyr owne soule.
Wherfore I tell you the truth, and wyll [unspec C] hyde nothinge from you. When thou pray∣edst with teares, and buryedst the deed, and leftest thy dyner, and hiddest the deed in thy house vpon the day tyme / that thou mygh∣test buryē them in the nyghte / I offred thy prayer before the Lorde. And because thou wast accept and beloued of God, it was ne∣cessary that temtacyon shulde trye the. And now hath the Lord sent me to heale the, and to delyuet Sara thy sonnes wyfe from the euyll spryte. For I am Raphael an aungel, one of the seuen that stande before God.
When they hearde thys / they were sore [unspec C] afrayed / and trembled / and fell downe vpon theyr faces vnto the grounde. Then sayde the Aungel: Peace be with you, feare not. Where as I haue bene with you / it is the wyll of God: geue prayse and thanckes vnto hym.
You thought that I dyd * 1.1 eat and dryncke with you / but I vse meate that is inuysy∣ble / and drincke that cannot be sene of men,
Nowe therfore is the tyme that I muste rurne agayne, vnto him that sent me: but be ye thanckfull vnto God, and tel out all hys wonderous worckes.
And when he had spoken these wordes / he was taken awaye out of theyr syghte / so that they sawe hym nomore. Then tell they downe flat vpon their faces by the spaces of thre houres, & praysed God: when they rose vp, they tolde all hys wonderous worckes.