The true copye of a prolog wrytten about two C. yeres paste by Iohn Wycklife (as maye iustly be gatherid bi that, that Iohn Bale hath writte[n] of him in his boke entitlid the Summarie of famouse writers of the Ile of great Brita[n]) the originall whereof is founde written in an olde English Bible bitwixt the olde Testament and the Newe. Whych Bible remaynith now in ye Kyng hys maiesties chamber.

The. xv Chapter.

EOr as mych as Christ seith that the gospel shal be prea chid in all the worlde, and Dauid seyth of y^• Apostlis and here preachyng, y^e sowne of hem yede out into eche londe, & the wor∣dis of hem yeden oute into the endes of the worlde: & efte Dauid seith, the Lorde shall tell in the scriptures of puples, and of these pryncis y^t werē in it, that is in holye chirche: as Ie∣•…•…ome seyth on that verse, holy wryte is the scripture of puples, for it is made y^• al puples shuldē know it, and the princis of the chirch y^t werē ther∣in, benthe Apostlis y^• haddē autoritie

to writen holye wryte (for by that same that the Apostlys wryttyden here scripturis by autoryti and con∣fyrmynge of the holy goste, it is holy scripture and feyth of chrysten men) And thys dygnitie hath no man af∣tir hem, be he neuer so holy, neuer so kūnynge (as Ierome wytnessyth on that verse) also Chryste seyth of the Iewis that criden Osanna, to him in the temple, that though they werē styll, stonis shoulden crye: and by stonis he vnderstōdith heathen men, that worshipen stonis for here God∣dis: and we English men ben cōmen of heathen men, therfore we ben vn∣derstonden bithese stones that shulē crye holy write, and (as Iewes inter pretyd knoleching) singnifien clerks, that shulden knowlech to Godde by repentaūce of synnis, and bi voice of Gods heriynge: so oure lewide men suing the corner stone Christ, moun be syngnyfyede by stonys that bene

harde and abydinge in the foūdemēt for though couetouse clarkys bene wode bi simoni heresie, & mani other sinnis, and dispisen and stoppen ho∣ly write as mych as they moune, yet the lewde puple cryethe after holye wryt to kun it and kepe it with grete cost and perile of here lyfe. For these reasones and other, wyth cōmune charitye to saue al mē in our rewme which God wol haue sauide: a sym∣ple creature hath translatyde the Bi ble oute of latyne into Englishe.

Fyrste thys symple creature, had mych trauaile wyth diuers felowis & helpars to gather mani eld Bibles and other doctouris & comune glo∣•…•…is, & to make oo latine Bible some∣dell trwe, and than to studie it of the newe, the text with the glose, & other doctours as he might get: and speci∣ally Lire on the elde testamente, that helpyd full miche in hys werke The thyrde tyme to Counsell wyth elde

elde gramariens and elde diuinis, of harde wordis and harde sentensis, how thy myght beste be vnderstan∣den & translated. The fourth tyme, to translate as cle•…•…rly as he could to y^e sentence, and to haue many good fe∣lowis and kūnyng, at the correctinge of the translation. First it is to know that y^• beste transsatyng out of La∣tyne into Englysh is, to translate af∣ter•…•…he sentence, and not onely after the wordis.

So that the sentence be as opyn (either opener) in Englyshe as in la∣tyne, and go not farre fro the letter. And if the letter may not be suid in y^• translatynge, let the sentence euer be whole and open. For the wordis o∣wen to serue to y^e entente and sentēce: and ellis the wordis bene superflu∣ouse either false. In translatyng in∣to English, many resolusiōs moune make the sentēce opē, as an ablatyfe case absolute maye he resolued into

these thre words w^t couenable verb the while, for, if, as gramariēs seine. As thus. The master reding, Istōd maye be resolued thus, while y^• ma∣ster readith, I stonde. Either if the master read, ether for the master. &c. And somtime it wold accord well w^t the sentēce to be resoluid into whan, ether into aftirward, thus, whā the master red, Istode. Either, after the master read I stode. And sometime it may well be resolued into a verbe of the same tyme, as other ben in the same reason, and into this worde et, that is, and, in English, as thus. Are∣sentibus hominibus pre timore. That is And men shulen wexe drie for dread. Also a participle of a presente tens, either pretertens of actyfe voicis, ei∣ther passife: may be resolued into a verbe of the same tens, and a coniūe∣tion copulatyfe, as thus. Dicens. that is seynge maye be resolued thus, and seythe, eyther that seythe.

And thys wole in many placis make the sentence open: where to englyshe it after the word, wold be derke and doubtfull. Also a relatyfe whyche maye be resoluyd into hys anticedēt wyth a cōiunciō copulatife: as thus, which ren•…•…ith. And he renneth. Also whan oo worde is once sette in a rea¦sone it maye be set forth as ofte as it is vnderstondē, either as ofte as rea, sone and •…•…e axen. And this worde autem either, vero maye stonde for forsoth, eyther for but. And thus I vse cōmunlye. And sometime it may sto•…•…de for and, as elde gramariens seyne. Also whan ryghtful construc∣tion is lettyd by relation, I resolue openly thus. Where thys reason

Dum formidabunt aduersarii, eius shuld be englyshid thus bi the letter. The lorde hys aduersaries sholden dred: I english it thus by resolucyon The aduersaries of the lorde shulen dread hym. And so of other reasons

that bene like. At the byginynge I purposyde wyth Goddys helpe: to make the sentence as true & open in englyshe as it is in latine, either more trwe and moore open than it is in latyne. And I praye for charitie and cōmune profyte of chrysten soulys, that if any wysemā fynd any defaut of the trueth of translation: let hym set in the true sentence and open the holy wryte. But loke y^t he examyne trulye hys latyn byble: for no doubt he shall fynde many byblis in latyne ful false, if he loke mani. And namely newe, and the cōmune latyne bybles han more nede to be correctyd (as many as I haue sene in my life) thā hath the english bible late trāssated. And where the Hebru, by witnes of Ierom of Lire & other expositours dyscordith fro our Latyne biblis: I haue set in y^e margent bi māner of a glose what y^e Hebreu hath & howe it is vnderstouden in some place. And

I did this most in the psalter, y^t of al our bokis discordith most fro Hebru For the chirch readith not the psalter by the laste translātion out of Hebru into Latine: but an other translacion of other men y^t haddē mich lasse kun∣ninge, and holinesse thā Ierome had. And in fulfewe bokis the chirch rea∣dith the translacion of Ierome, as it maye be preued by the propre origi∣nallis of Ierome whiche he gloside. And wher I haue translatid as opē∣ly or openlier in English as in latin•…•…, lete wyse mē deme that knowne wel boeth langagis, and knowen well y^e sentence of holy scripture. And wher I haue do thus or naye, ne doubt, they that kunne well the sentence of holy wryte and Englishe togider, & wolē trauayle w^t goddis grace there aboute: moune make y^e bible as true & as opine, yea & opinliar in Englysh than it is in Latyne. And no doubte to a simple man, w^t goddis grace &

great trauayle mē mighten expoune mich opēlier & shortlier the Bible in englysh: thā the elde great doctours han expoūid it in latine & mich sharp lier & groūdlier thā mani late Postil latours either expositours han don. But God of his great merci yeue to vs grace to liue wel, & to seie y^• truth in couenable maner, & acceptable to God & his puple, & spil not our time, be it shorte be it long at Gods ordy∣naūce. But some y^• semē wise & holy: seine thus. If mē now werē as hol•…•… as Ierōe was: thei mightē translate oute of latine into englysh, as he dyd out of Hebrue & greke into latine, & els thei shuldē not trāslatte now, as hem thynkith, for defaut of holynes & kūing. Thow this replicaciō seme colourable: it hath no good grounde nether reson nether chariti. For why this replicaciō is more ayens. s. Ie∣rom, & ayens y^e first lxx. trāslators & ayēs holi chirch, thā ayēs simple mē

that translaten nowe into Englyshe. For Seinte Ierome was not so ho∣ly as the Apostlis and Euangelestis whose bokis he translatid into La∣tyne, neither he had so high yistis of the holy goste as they hadden. And myche more the. lxx. translatouris weren not so holy, as Moses, and y^e Prophetis, and specially Dauid. Neither they hadden so greate yestis of God, as Moses & the Prophe∣tis hadden. Forthermore, holy chirch appreueth not only the true transla∣cion of meane Chrysten men, stidfast in Chrysten fayth: but also of opine Heretikis, that dyden aweye manye mysteries of Iesu Chryst by gyleful translacion, as Ierome wytnessithe in oo Prologe on Iob, and in y^e pro∣loge on Daniel. Mych more lette the Chirche of Englande appreuie the trew and holye translacion of simple men, that wollen for no good in erth by hir wyttynge and powre put a∣waye

the lest truth, yea the lest letter eyther tytle of holy wryte, that bea∣reth substaunce either charge. And dispute they not of the holines of mē nowe lyuyng in this deadly lyfe: for thei knowē not therō, & it is reserued only to godis dome. If they knowē anye notable faute by the transla∣tours either helpars of hem, let hem blame the defaute by charitie, and mercye, and let hem neuer dampne a thynge that maye be done lefully by goddis lawe. As wearing of a good cloth for a tyme, eyther rydinge on an horse for a greate iourney: whā they wytten not wherfore it is done. For such thyngis moune be done of sim∣ple men, wyth as greate charitie, and vertue: as some y^t holdē hem greate and wyse, kunnen ryde in a gylte sadle, eyther vse •…•…uissins and beddis and clothis of golde and of sylke w^t other vanities of the worlde. God graunte pitie, mercie, and charitie &

loue of comon profite, and put a∣w ay suche domis that bene ayens reason and charitie.

Yet worldly clerkis axen greatly, what spirite makith Idiotis hardy to translate nowe the bible into En∣glishe, sethe the foure great doctours dursten neuer do this. This replica∣tion is so lewid that it nedith none answer, no but stilnes either curties scorne. For these greate doctouris weren none Englyshe men, neyther they weren conuersaunt amonge E∣gleshe men neyther in caase they co•…•…∣den the langage of Englyshe men. But they ceasydē neuer tyl they had∣den holy write, in here mother tonge of here owne puple. For Ierō that was a Latyne man of byrth tran∣slatyd the Byble bothe out of Hebru and oute of Greke into Latyne, and expounded full mych therto.

And Austyne, & many mo Latins, expouneden the Bible for many par∣tis

into Latyne, to Latyne men, a∣monge whiche they dwellyden. And Latine was a commone langage to here puple about Rome: and biyan∣dis and on this halfe: as Englishe is commone langage to our puple, & yete this daye: the comō puple in I∣talye speakith Latten corrupt, as trwe men seine that han bene in Ita∣lye. And the noumber of translatou∣ris out of Greke into Latine: passith mans knowynge: as Austyne wyt∣nesseth in the. ii boke of chrysten tea∣chynge: and seyth thus. The transla∣touris oute of Hebrue into Greke, moune be noumbred.

But Latyne translatoures, eyther they y^t translatidē into Latine, moune not be noumbred in any maner. For in the fyrste tymes of feyth, ech man as a Greke boke came to him and he semed to hymselfe to haue some kun: nynge of Greke and of Latyne, was hardy to translate.

And this thinge helped more thā let∣tyd vnderstondynge if readars be not negligente. For whye, the bihol∣ding of many bokis, hath shewid oft either declarid, some derker sentēcis. Thus seyth Austyne ther. Therfore Grosted seyth y^t, it was goddis wyl, that diuers men translatiden, & that diuers translations be in the chirche. For wher one seyd derkly, one either more seyden openly. Lorde God, sithin at y^• bigynyng of feyth so ma∣ny men translatiden into Latine, and to greate profite of Latyne men: lete oo simple creature of God, translate into Englishe for profite of English mē. For if worldly clarkis lokē, well here Cronicles and bokis, they shulē fynd that Bede translatid the Byble and expowned mych in saxon, y^t was Englishe either comone langage of this londe in his tyme. And not one∣ly Bede but also Kyng Alured that founded Oxenforde: trāslated in his

last daies, y^e bigining of the Psalter into Saxō, & wold more, if he had li∣ued longer. Also Frenshmē, Bemers and Britons, han the Byble & other bokis of deuocion and of exposition, translated in here Mother langage. Whye shuldē not Englishe mē, haue the same in here Mother langage? I can not wit. No but for falsenes and neglegence of clerkis either for oure puple is not worthy to haue so great grace & yist e of God in peyne of here olde synnes. God for his mercye a∣mēd these euil causis: & make our pu∣ple to haue and kunne and kepe truly holy wryte to lyfe and deathe. But in translatyng of wordis equiuoke (y^t is, that hath many significaciōs vn∣der oo letter) maye lyghtly be perile. For Austine seyth in y^e. ii boke of chri sten teachinge, y^t if equiuoke word is be not translated into y^e sence either vnderstonding of the autoure it is erroure. As in that place of y^• Psal∣ter

The feete of hem be swyfte to shed oute blude: the greke worde is equiuoke to sharpe and swyfte. And he that translatyd sharpe feete: erryd. And a boke that hath sharpe feete, is false and mut be amendyd. As that sentence. Unk•…•…nde younge trees shulen not yeue depe rootis: oweth to be thus. Plantyngis of a∣uoutre: shulen not yeue depe roots

Austine saith this there. Therfore a translatoure hath greate nede to studye well the sentence both before and after: & loke that such equiuoke wordys accorde wyth the sentence. And he hath nede to lyue a clene lyfe and be ful deuout in praiers, & haue not his wyt occupied about world∣ly thyngis, that the holy spirite, au, toure of wysdome and kunyng and trueth: dresse hym in hys werke, and suffer hym not for to erre. Also thys worde ex syngnyfyeth somtyme of, and somtime it sygnyfyeth by as Ie rome

seyth. And thys worde Enim. signyfyeth cōmonly forsoth, and as Ierom seyth, it syngnifyeth cawese as thus. For why. And thys worde Secūdum. is taken for after, as mani men sayne and comonlye. But it sing nyfyeth wel: by, eyther, vp, thus. By youre worde, eyther vp youre word Many such Aduerbis, cōiunctions and prepositiōs: ben set ofte one for an othere, & at fre choyse of autoris somtyme. And nowe tho shoulenne be taken: as it accordyth best to the sentence. By thys maner wyth good lyuynge and greate traueyle: men moūe com to trueth and clere trans∣latynge, and trwe vnderstond ing of holye wryte, seme it neuer so harde at the begynynge.

God graūt to vs al to kune wel and kepe wel holy write and suffer ioifully some peyne for it at y^• last.

Amen