The first tome or volume of the Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Newe Testamente

The .xxv. Chapter.

[ The texte.] Whan Festus had receiued the office, after three daies, he ascended f••ō Cesarea vnto Ie∣rusalē. Than enformed him the high Priestes & the chief of the Iewes, of Paule. And they besought him & desired fauour agaynst hym, that he would send for him to Ierusa∣lem, & they laid awaite for him in the way, to kil him, Festus answered, y^e Paul shoulde be kepte at Cesarea, but that himselfe would shortely departe thyther, let thē therefore (sayd he) which among you are able, cum doune w^t vs, & accuse him, if there be any faulte in the man.

WIthin three dayes after Festus came to hys prouynce, he went frō Cesarea to Ierusalem. But whan the Iewes hearde tel y^t a newe president was cum, their malice was newely kyn∣dled agayne. For byanby the high pryestes & chiefe rewlers of the Iewes came vnto him and desired his fauour y^e it myghte please him to sende for Paule to Ierusalem, forasmuche as it was not so cōmodious to haue y^e matter pleaded at Cesarea. For they trusted, that y^e president (which, by reason that he late came into that prouince, was ignoraunt of those thynges, y^t had bene done) would soone in this so smal a mat∣ter shewe thē fauour.* 1.1 But the Iewes were at this p••ynete, that yf Festus had graūted thē theyr request they would haue layed watche, & haue slaine Paule by the way. But Festus beyng more indyfferent then they woulde he shoulde haue bene, made answere: y^t Paul should remaine in custody at Cesarea, & that he within fewe dayes, would repaire thyther, & heare their matter. Wherefore sayed he, if there be anye amonge you that be mete men to folowe this matter, leate thē go with me downe to Cesarea, there shal he be arrayned before you. And yf this man that you speake of, be giltie, they maye accuse hym.

[ The texte.] Whan he had taried there among thē more then ten daies, he went down vnto Cesarea, and the next day sate down in the iudgement seate, & cōmaunded Paul to be broughte, which whan he was cum, the Iewes, which were come from Ierusalem, stoode aboute him: & layde many & greuous cōplayntes agaynst Paul which they coulde not proue, as long as he answered for him selfe, that he had neyther agaynst the lawe of the Iewes neyther agaynste the temple, nor yet agaynst Cesar, offended any thing at all.

And whan he had continued there among thē more then ten daies, he wente to Cesarea. And the nexte daye he sat in the place of Iudgement, and commaun∣ded Paule to be brought before him. And after that he was brought forth, the Iewes, whiche came from Ierusalem, stoode rounde about him, laiyng many and sore matters to his charge, but none of them were they hable to proue: for Paul answered for himselfe, and euidently declared, that he had neyther offe∣ded the Iewes lawe, forasmuche as he had diligently kepte it, neyther yet had

prophaned or suspended the churche, seyng that he had purely and peaceablye been conuersaunt therin, nor had offended againste themperoure at any time.

[ The texte.] ¶Festus wyllyng to dooe the Iewes a pleasure, answered Paule, and saied: wilte thou go vp to Ierusalem, and there be iudged of these thinges before me? Thā said Paul: I stande at Cesars iudgement seate, where I ought to be iudged. To the Iewes haue I ••o harme doen, as thou very well knoweste. If I haue hurte thē, or cōmytted any thing worthy of death. I refuse not to die, yf none of these thinges are, wherof they accuse me, no man maye deliuer me to them, I appeale vnto Cesar. Than spake Festus with deli∣beracion, and answered. Thou haste appealed vnto Cesar: vnto Cesar shalte thou goe.

But whan Festus perceyued on thone parte the innocencie of Paule, and on the other, the hatred that the Iewes bare against Paule, whiche neuer woulde bee satisfyed, endeuouryng himselfe so to gratifye the Iewes, that he myghte seme yet to doe the partye whiche was accused no wronge, sayde vnto Paule: wylt thou go to Ierusalem and there be iudged before me? For he supposed that this woulde please the Iewes well, forasmuche as it was theyr owne re∣quest before: Than Paule beyng assured of thyntent of the Iewes, made aun∣swere: I see no cause wherefore this matter shoulde be dyfferred vntil an other tyme, for there is no let, but that euen here I may be eyther quit, or caste: I am attained nowe at the barre before themperours officer, in this citie of Cesarea, & here nedes muste I receyue my iudgement. I haue doen the Iewes no hurte or iniurye, as you your selfe knowe right well. But yf that I haue noied them in any thinge, or haue committed any thing whereby I haue deserued deathe, I am well content to dye. But yf all those thinges, which these men haue layed to my charge, be false, it is not the parte of a Iudge contrarye to ryghte and iustice, to permitte them to handle me, accordynge as they of conceyued malyce and hatred, would desire to doe. For the iudge can not for fauoure of any per∣son, condemne a man that is attained, and I appeale to themperoure. Than Festus after that he had communicacion with the councel of the Iewes, made answere vnto Paul. Seyng that thou hast appealed to the Emperoure, to the Emperour shalte thou goe. For the Iewes were better content y^e Paule should be sente to themperoure, then that he should be quit: for they trusted that some thing woulde chaunce whereby they at the last might ryd him out of the waye.

[ The texte.] ¶And after a certayne dayes, ••ynge Agrippa and Bernice came vnto Cesarea to salute Festus. And whan they had been there a good season, Festus rehearsed Paules cause vn∣to the kyng, saying: there is a certaine man lefte in pryson of Felix, aboute whome whan I came to Ierusalem, the hye priestes and elders of the Iewes enformed me, and desired to haue Iudgement againste him. To whom I answered: It is not the maner of the Ro∣mayn••s, for fauour to delyuer any man, that he shoulde peryshe, before that he which is accused, haue the accusers before him: & haue licence to answere for himself, concerning y^e crime layed against him. Therefore, whan they were come hither together, without anye delaye, on the morow I sate to geue iudgemēt, & cōmaunced the man to be brought furth. Against whom, whan the accusers stode vp, they brought none accusaciō of such thinges as I supposed: but had certaine questions against him of their owne supersticion and of one Iesus whiche was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alyue. And because I douted of suche maner of questions, I asked him, whether he would go to Ierusalem, and there be iudged of these matters. But whan Paul had appealed to be kept vnto the knowleage of Ceasar, I commaunded him to be kept til I might send him to Ceasar.

In the meane space within a fewe dayes, kynge Agrippa, whiche had succeded Herode his father in the kyngdom, whom the Aungel of god had striken, came to Cesarea with his wyfe Bernice, to salute and to welcome the newe presy∣dent Festus. And when they had continued there a good sorte of daies, Festus by occasion rehersed vnto the kynge, Paules matter, in this wyse: Felix whiche

was my predecessor, hath left here a certain man in holde, whom the high prie∣stes and chief rewlers of the Iewes complayned on, whan I was at Hierusa∣lem, and defired me for their sakes to geue sentence against him. Unto whom I made answere, y^e the Romaynes wer not accustomed to geue sentēce of death on any mā for fauour of any person, before that his accusers appeared, & gaue sufficient euidence against him, and he had liberty to answere to such thinges, as shoulde be layed againste him. And soe whan his accusers were cumme hyther, I without any delaye, sate the nexte daye in iudgement, and wylled the prisoner that was accused, to appere before me. And whan as his accusers came foorth, they laied no such matters to his charge, as I thought they would haue doen, but certaine questions demaunded they of him, concernynge theyr owne supersticion, and layde to his charge, that he shoulde affirme one Iesus, whiche was dead, to be arisen from death to lyfe again, and that he also is now alyue. But I perceiuyng that it was the leste parte of myne office, to make enquirie of such questions, neyther wel knowing what I might saye in y^e mat∣ter, asked him whether that he were willyng to go to Hierusalem▪ and there to stande to iudgement, as concerning those thynges that were layed vnto hym, forasmuche as the priestes, Scribes and Phariseis, knew better how the mat∣ter stoode, then I. But when as Paul had refused that, and appealed to Cesar, in wyll to be arrained before him, I cōmaunded y^t he in the meane space should be kept in custodie, vntil such time y^e I might haue occasiō to send him to Cesar.

[ The texte.] Agrippa said vnto Festus: I would also heare the man my self. To morow (sayd he) thou shalt heare him. And on the morow whā Agrippa was cum & Bernice with great pompe, and wer entred into the councel house, w^t the captaines & chief men of the citie, at Festus commaundement was Paule brought foorthe. And Festus saydt: kyng Agrippa, and all ye men whiche are here present with vs, ye se this manne, about whom all the multitude of the Iewes haue entreated me, both at Hierusalem and also here, criyng that he ought not to lyue any longer. Yet found I nothing worthie of death y^t he had cōmitted. Neuer∣theles, seyng that he hath appealed to Cesar. I haue no certaine thing to write vnto my lord. Wherefore, I haue brought him vnto you, and specially vnto the, O king Agrippa, that after examinacion had, I might haue sumwhat to write. For me thinketh it vnrea∣sonable for to sende a prisoner, and not to shew the causes whiche are layde against him.

Whan Agrippa had heard this, he saide vnto Festus: I haue of late hearde much speakyng of that same Iesus, and of his disciples, and therfore would I my self heare that felowe before he goe to Cesar. Than saied Festus: To mo∣rowe shall you heare him. The nexte day, after y^t Agrippa and his wyfe Ber∣nice had with much pompe and a great trayne, entred with the captaynes and the chiefe of the citie into the common hall, Festus commaunded Paule to be brought before him. Than Festus, iest y^t he should seme to haue brought furth Paule onely to get fauour of the kyng, spake in this wyse: king Agrippa, and you all that are here present, ye se the man, whom al the Iewes haue complay∣ned on to me, as well at Hierusalem, as here also in this citie, & haue with great clamour cried, that it was pitie of his life. But I haue made enquirie, and can not see that he hath any waye deserued deathe. Albeit forasmuche as he hath of his owne free wil appealed to the Emperour, I am in full mynd to sende hym thyther. And yet I cannot wel tell, what I maye certifye vnto his maiestie in wrytyng. Wherfore I haue here brought him furth before you, and especially before you, kyng Agrippa, that we may examyne him, and to haue sumwhat to wryte. For me thinketh it standeth with no reason, to sende a prysoner and not to shewe withal what is layde to his charge.

Notes

• * 1.1

  And they la••ed await for hym on the waye to kyll hym.