and all passed thorow the see were all baptised vnder Moses in the cloude and in the see and dyd all eate of one spirituall meate and dyd all drynke of one spirituall drynke but they dronke of the spirituall rocke that folowed thē which rocke was Christ. Neuertheles in many of them had God no delyte for they were smytten downe in the wyldernesse These are ensamples vnto vs y t we shulde not lust after euell thinges as they lusted Nether be ye worshippers off ymages as were some of them Acordinge as it is wryttē The people sat downe to eate and drynke and rose vp to playe Nether let vs commytte whordome as some of them cōmytted whordome and fell in one daye thre twenty thousande Nether let vs tempte Christ as some of them tempted him and were destroyed of serpētes Nether murmur ye as some of them murmured and were destroyed thorow the destroyer All these thinges happened vnto thē for ensamples but they are wryttē to warne vs vpon whom the ende of y e worlde is come Therfore let him that thinketh he stondeth take hede lest he fall There hath yet no tēptacion ouertaken you but soch as foloweth the nature of man Neuertheles God is faithfull which shal not suffre you to be tempted aboue youre strength but shal in the myddes of y e temptacion make a waye to come out that ye maye beare it Wherfore my dearly beloued fle from worshippinge of Idols I speake vnto them which haue discreciō iudge ye what I saye The cuppe of thākesgeuynge wherwith we geue thankes is it not the partakinge of the bloude of Christ The bred that we breake is it not y e partakinge of y e body of Christ For we many are one bred one body in as moch as we all are partakers of one bred Beholde Israel after the fleszhe They y t eate the sacrifices are they not partakers of the altare What shal I now saye then Shal I saye that the Idoll is eny thinge Or that it which is offred vnto the Idoll is eny thinge Nay But this I saye that loke what the Heythen offre that offre they vnto deuels and not vnto God Now wolde I not that ye shulde be in the fellishippe of deuels Ye can not drynke of the cuppe of the LORDE and of the cuppe of the deuels Ye can not be partakers of the LORDES table and of the table of deuels Or wyl we prouoke the LORDE I maye do all thinges but all thinges are not profitable I maye do all thinges but all thinges edifye not Let noman seke his awne profit but let euery man seke anothers welth What soeuer is solde in the fleshmarket that eate and axe no question for conscience sake For the earth is the LORDES and all y t therin is Yf eny of thē y t beleue not byd you to a feast and yf ye be disposed to go what soeuer is set before you that eate axinge no question for conscience sake But yf eny man saye vnto you This is offred vnto Idols thē eate not of it for his sake that shewed it and for hurtinge of conscience The earth is the LORDES and all that therin is Neuertheles I speake of consciēce not thine but of y e other For why shulde my liberty be iudged of another mās cōscience For yf I take my parte w t thankesgeuynge why am I euell spoken of for y t thinge wherfore I geue thankes Therfore whether ye eate or drynke or what so euer ye do do all to y e prayse of God Be not ye an occasion of fallinge nether to the Iewes ner to the Gentyles ner to the congregacion of God euē as I also please all men in all thinges not sekinge myne awne profit but the profit of many that they mighte be saued Folowe ye me as I do Christ. The XI Chapter I Commende you brethren that ye remembre me in all poyntes and kepe the ordinaunces euē as I delyuered them vnto you But I certifye you that Christ is the heade of euery man As for y e man he is the heade of y e woman but God is Christes heade Euery man that prayeth or prophecieth and hath eny thinge on his heade shameth his heade But euery woman that prayeth or prophecieth with vncouered heade dishonesteth hir heade For it is euen a lyke moch as yf she were shauen Yf the womā be not couered let hir heer also be cut of But yf it be vncomely for a woman to haue hir heer cut of or to be shauen then let hir couer hir heade Neuertheles the man oughte not to couer his heade for so moch as he is the ymage and glory of God but the womā is the glory of the man For the man is not of the woman but the woman of the man Nether was the man created for the womans sake but the womā for the mans sake Therfore ought the woman to haue a power vpon hir heade for the angels sakes Neuertheles nether is the man without y e woman nether the woman without the mā in the LORDE For as the woman is of the man euen so commeth the man also by the woman but all of God Iudge ye by yo selues whether it be comly y t a womā praye before God bare headed Or doth not nature teach you y t it is a shame for a man yf he weere lōge heer a prayse to y e womā yf she weere lōge heer For hir heer is geuē heer to couer her withall But yf there be eny man amōge you that hath lust to stryue let him knowe that we haue no soch custome nether the congregacions of God But this must I warne you of I commende it not that ye come together not after a better maner but after a worse First whan ye come together in the congregacion I heare that there are discensions amonge you and I partly beleue it For there must be sectes amonge you that they which are perfecte amonge you mighte be knowne Now whan ye come together the LORDES supper can not be kepte For whan it shulde be kepte euery mā taketh his awne supper afore And one is hōgrie another is dronkē Haue ye not houses to eate and drynke in Or despyse ye y e cōgregacion of God and shame them that haue not What shal I saye vnto you Shal I prayse you in this prayse I you not That which I delyuered vnto you receaued I of the LORDE For the LORDE Iesus the same nighte in the which he was betrayed toke the bred gaue thankes and brake it and sayde Take ye eate ye this is my body which is broken for you This do in the remembraunce of me After the same maner also he toke y e cuppe whan supper was done and sayde This cuppe is the new Testament in my bloude this do as oft as ye drynke it in the
reputed in my sighte this daye so let y e LORDE repute my soule in his sighte delyuer me from all trouble Saul saide vnto Dauid Blessed be thou Dauid my sonne thou shalt do it be able But Dauid wente his waye and Saul turned agayne vnto his place The XXVII Chapter DAuid thoughte in his hert One of these dayes shal I fall in to the handes of Saul It is better that I get me my waye in to y e londe of y e Philistynes that Saul maye leaue of from sekynge me in all the coastes of Israel so shall I escape his handes And he gat him vp and wente ouer with the sixe hundreth men that were with him vnto Achis the sonne of Maoch kynge of Gath. So Dauid remayned by Achis at Gath with his mē euery one with his housholde and Dauid with his two wyues Ahinoam the Iesraelitisse and Abigail Nabals wife of Carmel And whan worde came to Saul that Dauid was fled vnto Gath he soughte him nomore And Dauid sayde vnto Achis Yf I haue founde grace in thy sighte then let there be geuen me a place in one of the cities of the londe that I maye dwell therin Wherfore shulde thy seruaunt dwell in the kynges cite with the Then Achis gaue him Siclag the same daye Therfore belongeth Siclag to the kynges of Iuda vnto this daye The tyme that Dauid dwelt in the londe of the Philistynes is foure monethes Dauid wente vp with his men and fell in to the londe of the Gessurites and Girsites and Amalechites for these were the inhabiters of this londe of olde as thou commest to Sur vnto the lōde of Egipte But whā Dauid smote y e londe he let nether man ner woman lyue and toke the shepe oxen asses Camels and rayment and returned and came to Achis So whan Achis spake Whither fell ye in to daye Dauid sayde Towarde the south parte of Iuda towarde y e south parte of the Ierahmielites towarde the south parte of the Kenites But Dauid let nether man ner woman come lyuynge vnto Geth and thoughte They mighte peraduēture speake reporte agaynst vs thus dyd Dauid and this was his maner as longe as he dwelt in y e londe of the Philistynes Therfore Achis gaue credence vnto Dauid and thoughte he hath made him selfe stynke before his people of Israel therfore shal he be my seruaunt for euer The XXVIII Chapter IT fortuned at y e same tyme that the Philistynes gathered their hoost together to the battayll to go agaynst Israel And Achis sayde vnto Dauid Thou shalt knowe that thou and thy men shal go forth with me in the hoost Dauid sayde vnto Achis Well thou shalt se what thy seruaūt shal do Achis saide vnto Dauid Therfore wyll I ordene the to be the keper of my heade as longe as I lyue As for Samuel he was deed and all y e people had mourned for him buried him in his cite Ramath So Saul had dryuen the soythsayers and expounders of tokens out of y e londe Now whan the Philistynes gathered them selues together and came and pitched their tentes at Sunem Saul gathered all the people together they pitched at Gilboa But whan Saul sawe the hoost of the Philistynes he was afrayed and his hert was discoraged and he axed councell at the LORDE But y e LORDE gaue him no answere nether by dreames ner by the lighte ner by prophetes Thē sayde Saul vnto his seruauntes Seke me a womā which hath a sprete of soythsayēge that I maye go vnto her and axe at her His seruauntes sayde vnto him Beholde at Endor is there a woman which hath a sprete of soythsayenge And Saul chaunged his clothes and put on other and wente his waye and two men with him and came by nighte vnto the woman and sayde Prophecye vnto me I pray the thorow the sprete of soythsayenge and brynge me him vp whom I shal name vnto the. The womā saide vnto him Beholde thou knowest what Saul hath done how he hath roted out the soythsayers witches from the londe wherfore wilt thou brynge my soule then in to y e nett that I maye be slayne But Saul sware vnto her by y e LORDE and sayde As truly as the LORDE lyueth there shall no harme happen vnto the for this Then sayde y e woman Whom shal I brynge vp vnto the He sayde Brynge me vp Samuel Now whan y e woman sawe Samuel she cryed loude and sayde vnto Saul Wherfore hast thou begyled me Thou art Saul And the kynge sayde vnto her Feare not what seist thou The woman sayde vnto Saul I se goddes cōmynge vp out of y e earth He sayde How is he shapened She sayde There commeth vp an olde man and is clothed with a longe garment Then perceaued Saul that it was Samuel bowed him selfe downe w t his face to the grounde and worshiped him Samuel saide vnto Saul Why hast thou disquyeted me to cause me be broughte vp ▪ Saul sayde I am sore troubled the Philistynes fighte against me God is departed fro me geueth me no answere nether by prophetes ner by dreames therfore haue I called the y t thou mightest shewe me what I shal do Samuel sayde What wilt thou axe at me seynge the LORDE is departed from the and is become thine enemye The LORDE shal do vnto the euen as he spake by me and shall plucke the kyngdome out of thy hande and geue it vnto Dauid thy neghboure because thou hast not herkened vnto the voyce of the LORDE ner perfourmed the displeasure of his wrath agaynst Amalek Therfore hath the LORDE done this now vnto the. Morouer the LORDE shal delyuer Israel with the also in to the handes of the Philistynes tomorow shalt thou and thy sonnes be with me And the hoost of Israel shal the LORDE delyuer in to the handes of the Philistynes Then fell Saul immediatly vnto the earth for he coulde not stonde and was sore afrayed at these wordes of Samuel so that there was nomore strength in him for he had eaten no bred all that daye and all that night And the woman wente in to Saul sawe that he was sore vexed and sayde vnto him Beholde thy handmayde hath herkened vnto thy voyce and I haue put my soule in my hande so that I haue herkened vnto y e wordes which thou spakest vnto me Therfore folowe thou also the voyce of thy handmayde I wil set a morsell of bred before the to eate that thou mayest come to thy strength go y e waye But he refused and sayde I wil not eate Then his seruauntes the woman cōpelled him so that he herkened vnto their voyce And he rose vp from y e grounde and sat vpon the bed The woman had a fat calfe at home so she made haist and kylled it and toke meell and dyd kneet it and baked swete cakes broughte them forth before Saul before his seruauntes And whan they had eaten
daye they stickte vp Holofernes heade vpon the walles and euery man toke his weapen and so they wente out with an horrible crye Whan the spyes sawe that they ranne vnto Holofernes tent And they that were within the teÌ„t came before his chamber and made a greate russzhinge to wake him vp because they thought with the noyse to haue raised him For there durst not one of the Assirians knocke go in ner to open But whan the captaynes and prynces and all the chefe in the kynge of the Assirians hoost came together they saide vnto the chamberlaynes Go youre waye in and wake him vp for the myse are crepte out of their holes and darre prouoke vs vnto battayll Then wente Vagao in to his chamber stode before the bed and clapped with his handes for he thought he had bene slepynge with Iudith But whaÌ„ he had herkened perfectly with his eares and coude perceaue no sterynge he wente nyer to the bed and lift it vp and then sawe he the deed body of Holofernes lyenge there without a heade weltred in his bloude vpon the earth Then cried he with loude voyce and with wepynge rent his clothes and wente in to Iudiths tent and founde her not And so he leapte out vnto the people and sayde one womaÌ„ of y e Iewes hath brought all Nabuchodonosors people to shame For lo Holofernes lyeth vpoÌ„ the grounde and hath no heade Whan the chefe of the assirians hoost herde that they rente their clothes and there fell an intollerable feare and tremblinge vpoÌ„ them so y t theyr myndes were sore afrayed And there was an exceadynge greate crye in the whole hoost The XV. Chapter NOw whan all the hoost herde that Holofernes was headed their mynde and councell fell from them and soch a feare came vpon them that they vndertoke to defende themselues by flyenge awaye one spake not to another but hanged downe their heades left all behynde them and made haist to escape from the Hebrues for they herde that they were haistinge to come after with their weapens and so they fled by the wayes of the feldes and thorow all the fote pathes of the dales And whan y e children of Israel sawe that they fled they folowed vpon them and wente downe with troÌ„pettes blowinge and makynge a greate crie after theÌ„ As for the Assirians they had no ordre and kepte not theÌ„ selues together but fled their waye Neuerthelesse the children of Israel fell vpon them with one company and ordre and discomfited as many as they might gett And Osias sent messaungers vnto all the cities and couÌ„trees of Israel So all the regions and euery cite sent out their best men after them in harnesse smote them with the swerde tyll they came to y e vttemost parte of their borders And the other that were in Bethulia came into the teÌ„tes of the Assirians and toke all that they which were fled had left behynde them and so they founde greate good And they that came agayne to Bethulia from the battayll toke with them soch thinges as had bene theirs there was no noÌ„bre of the catell and of all costly Iewels so that from the lowest vnto the hyest they were all made riche of the spoyles of them And Ioachim the Hye prest at IerusaleÌ„ came to Bethulia with all the elders that they might se Iudith Now whan she came out vnto them they beganne all to prayse her with one voyce sayenge thou worshipe of the cite of Ierusalem thou ioye of Israel thou hono r of oure people thou hast done manly and thy hert is comforted because thou hast loued clenlynes and chastyte hast knowne no man but thine owne huszbande therfore hath the haÌ„de of the LORDE comforted the and blessed shalt thou be for euer And all people sayde so be it so be it In thirtie dayes coude the people of Israel scarse gather vp the spoyles of the Assirians But all that belonged vnto Holofernes and had bene his specially whether it were of golde of syluer precious stones clothinge and all ornamentes they gaue it vnto Iudith And all the people reioysed both wemen maydens and yonge people with pipes and harpes The XVI Chapter THen sange Iudith this songe vnto the LORDE Begynne vnto the LORDE vpon the tabrettes singe vnto the LORDE vpon the cymbals O synge vnto him a new songe of thankesgeuynge be ioyfull and call vpon his name It is the LORDE that destroyeth warres euen the LORDE is his name Which hath pitched his tentes in the myddest of his people that he might delyuer vs from the hande of all oure enemies Assur came out of the mountaynes in the multitude of his strength His people stopped the water brokes and their horses couered the valleys He purposed to haue breÌ„t vp my londe and to slaye my yonge men with the swerde He wolde haue caryed awaye my children and virgins in to captiuyte but the allmightie LORDE hurte him and delyuered him in to the handes of a woman which brought him to confucion For their mightie was not destroyed of the yonge men It was not the sonnes of Titan that slew him nether haue the greate giauntes sett them selues agaynst him but Iudith the daughter of Merari w t hir fayre bewtye hath discomfited him and brought him to naught For she layed awaie hâ—r widdowes garment and put on the appared of gladnesse in the reioysinge of the children of Israel She anoynted hir face and bounde vp hir hayre in an hooue to begyle him Hir slippers rauyshed his eyes hir bewtye captyuated his mynde with the swerde smote she of his neck The Persians were astonnyed at hir sted fastnesse and the Medes at hir boldnes Then howled the armyes of y e Assirians whan my symple appeared drye of thyrst The sonnes of the daughters haue pearsed them thorow and slayne them as fugityue childreÌ„ they peryshed in the battayll for the very feare of the LORDE my God Let vs synge a songe of thaÌ„kesgeuynge vnto the LORDE a new songe of prayse wyl we synge vnto oure God LORDE LORDE thou art a greate God mightie in power whom no man maye ouercome All thy creatures shulde serue the for thou spakest but the worde they were made thou sente thy sprete they were created and no man maye withstonde thy voyce The mountaynes shal moue from the foundacions with the waters the stony rockes shal melt before the like waxe But they that feare the shal be greate with y e in all thinges Wo vnto the people that ryse vp against my generacion for the allmightie LORDE wyll auenge him self of them in the daye of iudgmeÌ„t wyl he vyset them For he shall geue fyre wormes in to their flesh that they maye burne and fele it for euermore After this it happened that after the victory all the people came to Ierusalem to geue prayse and thankes vnto the LORDE And whaÌ„ they were purified they offred all their brent sacrifices and their
brought to shame amoÌ„ge his neghbours whaÌ„ he heareth it it maketh him to sighe All wickednes is but litle to the wickkednes of a woman y e porcion of the vngodly shal fall vpon her Like as to clymme vp a sondy waye is to y e fete of the aged eueÌ„ so is a wife full of wordes to a still quyete man Loke not to narowly vpon the bewtye of a woman lest thou be prouoked in desyre towarde her The wrath of a woman is dishonoure and greate confucioÌ„ Yf a woman gett the mastrie then is she contrary to hir huszbande A wicked wife maketh a sory hert an heuy countenaunce and a deed wounde Of the woman came y e begynnynge of synne and thorow her we all are deed Geue thy water no passage no not a litle nether geue a wicked woman hir will Yf she walke not after thy hande she shall confounde the in the sight of thy enemies Cut her of then from thy flesh that she do not allwaye abuse the. The XXVI Chapter HAppie is the man that hath a vertuous wyfe for the noÌ„bre of his yeares shal be dubble An honest woman maketh hir huszbande a ioyfull man she shall fyll y e yeares of his life in peace A vertuous woman is a noble gift which shal be geuen for a good porcion vnto soch as feare God Whether a man be rich or poore he maye haue euer a mery hert a chearful countenauÌ„ce There be thre thinges y t my hert feareth and my face is afrayed of the fourth Treason in a cite a sedicious people and noysome tonges all these are heuyer then the death But whan one is gelous ouer his wife it bryngeth payne and sorowe vnto the hert and a woman that telleth out all thinges is a scourge of the tonge Whan one hath an euell wife it is euen as whan an vnlike parâ— of oxen must drawe together he that getteth her getteth a scorpion A dronken woman is a greate plage for she can not couer hir owne shame The whordome of a woman maye be knowne in the pryde of hir eyes and eyelydlyddes Yf thy daughter be not shamefast holde her straitly lest she abuse hirself thorow ouermoch liberte Bewarre of all the dishonesty of hir eyes and maruell not yf she do agaynst the. Lik as one that goeth by the waye and is thyrstie so shall she open hir mouth and drynke of euery nexte water that she maye gett By euery hedge shal she syt her downe opeÌ„ hir quyuer against euery arowe A louynge wyfe reioyseth hir huszbande and fedeth his bones with hir wyszdome A woman of few wordes is a gift of God and to a well nurtured mynde maye nothinge be compared An honest and manerly woman is a gyft aboue other giftes and there is no waight to be compared vnto a mynde that can rule it self Like as the Sonne whan it aryseth is an ornament in the hye heauen of y e LORDE so is a vertuous wife y e bewtye of all hir house Like as the cleare light is vpon y e holy caÌ„delstick so is the bewtye of the face vpoÌ„ an honest body Like as the goldeÌ„ pilers are vpon the sockettes of syluer so are the fayre legges vpon a woman that hath a coÌ„stant mynde Perpetuall are the fouÌ„dacions that be laied vpon a whole stonye rocke so are y e commaundementes of God vpon an holy woman There be two thinges y t greue my hert and in the thirde is a displeasure come vpon me When an experte man of warre suffreth scarsenes and pouerte Whan men of vnderstondinge and wyszdome are not set by And whan one departeth from righteousnes vnto synne Who so doth soch the LORDE hath prepared him vnto the swerde There be two maner of thinges which me thyncke to be herde and perylous A marchaunt can not lightly kepe him from wronge nether a tauerner himself from synne The XXVII Chapter BEcause of pouerte haue many one offended and he that seketh to be riche turneth his eyes asyde Like as a nale in the wall sticketh fast betwixte two stones euen so doth synne sticke betwixte y e byer and the seller Yf he holde him not diligently in y e feare of the LORDE his house shall soone be ouerthrowne Like as whan one sifteth the fylthynes remayneth in the syue So remayneth there some vncleane thinge in the thought of man The ouen proueth the potters vessell so doth tentacion of trouble trye righteous men The tre of the felde is knowne by his frute so is the thought of maÌ„s hert knowne by his wordes Prayse no maÌ„ excepte thou haue harde him for a man is knowne by his wordes Yf thou folowest righteousnes thou shalt get her and put her vpon y t as a fayre garment And thou shalt dwell with her and she shal defende the for euer and in y e daye of knowlege thou shalt fynde stedfastnesse The byrdes resorte vnto their like so doth the trueth turne vnto them that be occupied withall The lyon wayteth for y e praye so do the synnes lurke vpon the workes of wickednes The talkinge of him that feareth God is nothinge but wyszdome as for a foole he chaungeth as y e Moone Yf thou be amonge the vndiscrete kepe thy worde to a conuenient tyme but amonge soch as be wyse speake on hardely The talkinge of fooles is abhominacioÌ„ and their spoâ—te is volupteousnesse and mysnurtoure Moch swearynge maketh the hayre to stonde vp and to stryue with soch stoppeth the eares The stryfe of the proude is bloudsheddynge their blasphemynge is heuy to heare Who so discouereth secretes leseth his credence and fyndeth no frende after his will Loue thy frende and bynde thyself in faithfulnes with him but yf thou bewrayest his secretes thou shalt not get him agayne For like as the maÌ„ is that destroyeth his enemye so is he also that dealeth falsly in the frendshipe of his neghboure Like as one that letteth a byrde go out of his honde can not take her agayne Euen so thou yf thou geue ouer thy frende thou canst not get him agayne Yee thou caÌ„st not come by him for he is to farre of He is vnto the as a Roo escaped out of the snare for his soule is wounded As for woundes they maye be bounde vp agayne and an euell worde maye be reconcyled but who so bewrayeth the secretes of a frende there is no more hope to be had vnto him He that wyncketh with the eyes ymagineth some euell and no man shal take him from it Whan thou art present he shal hylie commende and prayse thy wordes but at the last he shall turne his tayle and slauÌ„der thy sayenge Many thinges haue I hated but nothinge so euell for the LORDE himself also abhorreth soch one Who so casteth a stone an hye it shal fall vpon his owne heade and he that smyteth with gyle woundeth himself Who so diggeth a pytt shal fall therin and he that layeth