Leest in the rewme of hevenes: but he that doth, and techith, schal be clepid greet in the kyngdom of hevenes. And I seye to you that but your rigtwisnesse be more plentuous thanne of Scribis and Farisees, ye schul not entre in to the kyngdom of hevenes. Ye han herd that it was seide to olde men: thou schalt not sle, and he that sleeth, schal be gilty to doom. But I seye to you that ech man that is wroth to his brothir schal be gilty to doom, and he that seith to his brother, fugh, schal be gilty to the counsell; but he that seith, fool, schal be gilty into the fire of helle. Therfore if thou offrist thi gifte at the auter, & there thou bithenkist that thi brother hath somwhat agens thee, leve there thi gifte bifore the auter, and go first to be recounseilid to thi brothir, and thanne thou schalt come and schalt offre thi gifte. Be thou consenting to thin adversarie soone, while thou art in the weye with him, lest peraventure thin adversarie take thee to the domesman, and the domesman take thee to the mynistre, and thou be sent in to prisoun. Treuly I sey to thee thou schalt not go out fro thennes till thou yelde the laste ferthing. Ye han herd that it was seid to olde men thou schalt not do leecherie. But I seye to you that every man that seeth a womman to coveyte hir hath now do leecherie bi hir in his herte. That if thi right yghe sclaundre thee, pull it out, and caste fro thee; for it spedith to thee that oon of thi membris peresche, than that al thi bodi go in to helle. And if thi right hond sclaundre thee kitte him away and caste fro thee, for it spedith to thee that oon of thi membris perische, than that al thi bodi go in to helle. And it hath ben seid, whoevere leveth his wyf, give he to hir a libel of forsaking. But I seye to you that every man that leveth his wyf, out teke cause of fornicacioun makith hir to do leecherie, and he that weddith the forsaken wyf doth avowtrie. Eftsoone ye han herd that it was seid to olde men thou schalt not fors were but thou schalt yeld thin othis to the lord. But I seye to you, that ye swere not for any thing, neither bi hevene for it is the trone of god. Neither bi erthe, for it is the stool of his feet; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the citee of a greet kyng. Neither thou schalt swere bi thin heed, for thou maist not make oon heer whyt ne black. But be your word ghe ghe, nay nay, and that, that is more than these is of yvel. ghe han herd that it hath be seid yghe for yghe, and toth for toth. But I seye to you that ye aghenstonde not an yvel man, but if ony smyte thee in the right cheke, schewe to him also the oother. And to him that stryve with thee in doom, and take away thi coate, leeve thou

also to Him thi mantel. And whoever constreynith thee a thousynd pacis: go thou with him other tweyne. Give thou to him that axith of the, and turne thou not awey fro him that wole borowe of thee. ghe han herd that it was seid thou schalt love thi neighbore, and hate thin enemy. But I seye to you, Love ye your enemyes, do ye wel to hem that haten you, and prie ye for hem that pursuen and sclaundren you. That ye be the sones of your fadir that is in hevenes, that makith his sunne to rise upon gode, and yvel men, and reyneth on just men and unjust. For if ye loven him that loven you, what meede shulen ye have? whether pupplicans don not this? if ghe greeten youre bretheren oonly, what schulen ye do more? ne don not hethene men this? Therefor be ye parfit, as your hevenly fadir is parfit.

T

CHAP. VI.

And

Akith heed that ye do not your rigtwisnesse bifore men, to be seyn of hem; ellis ye schul have no meede at your fadir that is in hevenes. Therfore whanne thou doist almes, nyle thou trumpe bifore thee as ypocrites don in synagogis and stretis, that thei be worschipid of men; sothely I sey to you thei han resseyved her meede. But whanne thou doist almes, knowe not thei left hond what thi right hond doith. That thin almes be in hidlis, and thi fadir that seeth in hidlis schal quyte thee. And whanne ye preyen, ye schulen not be as ypocrites that loven to preye stondynge in synagogis, and corneris of streetis, to be seyn of men, treuly I sey to yow thei han resseyved her meede. But whanne thou schalt prie, entre into thi couche, and whanne the dore is schitt, prie thi fadir in hidlis, and thi fadir that seeth in hidlis, schal yelde to thee. But in priyng nyle ye speke myche, as hethene men don for thei gessen that thei ben herd in her myche speche. Therfore nyle ye be maad lyk to hem for your fadir woot what is nede to you, bifore that ye axen him. And thus ye schulen prye. Our fadir that art in hevenys; halewid be thi name. Thi kyngdom come to, be thi wil done in erthe as in hevene. Give to us this day oure breed ovir othir Substaunce. And forgive to us our dettis as we forgiven to oure dettouris. And lede us not into temptacioun: but delyvere us from yvel amen. For if ye forgiven to men her synnes, your hevenly fadir schal forgive to you your trespassis. Sothely if ye forgiven not to men, nether your fadir schal forgive you youre synnes. But whanne ye

fasten nyle be ye maad as ypocritis sorowful, for thei defasen hem silf to seme fastynge to men, treuly I seye to you thei han resseyved her meede. But whanne thou fastist anoynte thin heed, and waische thi face: That thou be not seen fastynge to men, but to thi fadir that is in hidlis, and thi fadir that seeth in hidlis schal yelde to thee. Nile ye tresoure to you tresouris in erthe were rust and mought distryeth, and where thefes delven out and stelen. But gadir ye to you tresouris in hevene, where neither rust ne mought distrieth and where thefis deluen not out; ne stelen. For where thi tresour is, there also thin hert is. The lanterne of thi bodi is thin iye, if thin iye be symple, al thi bodi schal be ligtful. But if thin yghe be weyward al thi bodi schal be derk. if thanne the light that is in thee be derknessis, how grete schul thilke derknessis be? No man may serve twey Lordis for either he schal hate the toon and love the tother: either he schal susteyne the toon, and despise the tother: ye moun not serve god and richesse. Therefor I sey to you that be ye not besy to youre lyf, what ye schul ete neither to your bodi, with what ye schul be clothid. whether lyf is not more than mete, and the body more than the cloth? Biholde ye the foulis of the eir, for thei sowen not, neither repen, neither gaderen in to bernes, and your fadir of hevene feedith hem.. whether ye ben not more worthi than thei? But who of you thenkynge, may putte to his stature o cubit? And of clothing what ben you bisy? biholde ye the lilies of the feeld hou thei wexen, thei traveilen not neither spynnen. And I sey to you that Salomon in al his glorie was not kevered as oon of these. And if god clothith thus the hey of the feeld, that to dey is, and to morowe is cast in to an ovene, hou myche more you of litil feith? Therfore nyle ye be bisy seiynge, what schul we ete, or what schul we drynk, or with what thing schul we be kevered? Forsothe hethene men seken alle these thingis, and your fadir wot that ye han nede to alle these thingis. Therfore seke ye first the kyngdom of god and his rigtwisnesse: and alle these thingis schul be cast to you. Therfore nyle ye be bisy in to the morrowe for the morrowe schal be bisy to him self; for it suffisith to the daie his owne malice.

N

CHAP. VII.

Yle ye deme that ghe be not demed. For in what doom ye demen: ye schulen be demed, and in what mesure ye meten it schal be meten agen to you. But what seest thou a

Or

litil mote in the yghe of thi brothir, and seest not a beem in thin owne yghe? Or hou seist thou to thi brother, brother suffre, I schal do out a mote fro thin yghe, and lo a beem is in thin owne yghe? Ypocrite do out first the beem of thin yghe, and thanne thou schalt se to do out the mote of the yghe of thi brother. Nile ye gyve hooly thing to houndis, neither caste ye youre margaritis bifore swyn, lest peraventure thei defoule hem with her feet, and the houndis ben turned, and al to tere you. Axe ye and it schal be gyven to you; seke yee, and yee schulen fynde: knocke ye: and it schal be openid to you. For ech that axith, takith, and he that sekith, fyndith: and it schal be opened to him that knockith. What man of you is, that if his sone axe him breed: whether he wole take him a stoon? if he axe fish, whether he wole give him an Eddre? Therfore if ye, whanne ye ben yvel men, kunnen give gode giftis to youre sones: how myche more your fadir that is in hevenes schal give goode thingis to men that axen him? Therfore alle thingis, whatever thingis ye wolen that men do to you, do ye to hem; for this is the Lawe, and the prophetis. Entre ye bi the streit gate, for the gate that ledith to perdicioun is large, and the wey is brood, and thei ben many that entren bi it: Hou streit is the gate and the wey narrowe that ledith to lyf, and ther ben fewe that fynden it. Be ye war of false prophetis, that comen to you in clothingis of scheep, but withynne forth thei ben as Wolves of raveyne. Of her fruytis ye schulen knowe hem; whether men gadren grapis of thornes or figis of brieris? So every good tre makith gode fruytis; but an yvel tree makith yvel fruytis. A good tree may not make yvel fruytis; neither an yvel tree may make gode fruytis. Every tree that makith not good fruyt, schal be kitt doun, and schal be cast in to the fire. Therfore of her fruytis ye schul knowe hem. Not ech man that seith to me, Lord, Lord, schal entre into the kyngdom of hevenes, but he that doth the wille of my fadir that is in hevenes, he schal enter into the kyngdom of hevenes. Many schul sey to me in that dei Lord, Lord, whether we have not prophecied in thi name, and han cast out Feendis in thi name, and han do manie vertues in thi name? And thanne I schal knowleche to hem, that I knewe you never, departe awey fro me ye that worcken wickidnesse. Therfore ech man that heerith these my wordis, and doth hem; schal be maad lyk to a wise man that hath bildid his hous on a stoon: And reyn feldown, and flodis camen, and wyndis blewen, and ruschiden into that hous & it felde not down, for it was foundid

on a stoon. And every man that herith these my wordis, and doith hem not is lyk to a fool that hath bildid his hous on gravel. And reyn cam doun, and flodis camen, and wyndis blewen and thei hurliden agen that hous and it felde doun, and the fallyng doun thereof was greet. And it was don whanne Jhesus had endid these wordis: the puple wondride on his teachynge. For he taughte hem as he that hadde power: and not as the scribis of hem, and Farisees.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

Exodus, chap. xx.

veyn

And the Lord spak alle these wordis, Y am thi Lord God, that ladde thee out of the lond of Egipt, fro the hous of seruage. Thou schalt not haue alien goddis bifore me. Thou schalt not make to thee a grauun ymage, nethir ony licnesse of thing which is in heuene aboue, and which is in erthe bynethe, nether of tho thingis, that ben in watris vndur erthe; thou schalt not herie tho, nether thou schalt worschipe; for Y am thi Lord God, a stronge gelouse louyere; and Y visite the wickidnesse of fadris in to the thridde and the fourthe generacioun of hem that haten me, and Y do mercy in to a thousynde, to hem that louen me, and kepen myn heestis. Thou schalt not take in the name of thi Lord God, for the Lord schal not haue hym giltles, that takith in veyn the name of his Lord God. Haue thou mynde, that thou halowe the dai of the sabat; in sixe daies thou schalt worche and schalt do alle thi werkis ; forsothe in the seuenthe day is the sabat of thi Lord God; thou schalt not do ony werk, thou, and thi sone, and thi doughtir, and thi seruaunt, and thin handmaide, thi werk beeste, and the comelyng which is withynne thy ghatis; for in sixe dayes God made heuene and erthe, the see, and alle thingis that ben in tho, and restide in the seuenthe dai; herfor the Lord blesside the dai of the sabat, and halewide it. Onoure thi fadir and thi moder, that thou be long lyuyng on the lond, which thi Lord God schal ghyue to thee. Thou schalt not sle. Thou schalt do no letcherie. Thou schalt do no theft. Thou schalt not speke fals witnessyng aghens thi neighbore. Thou schalt not coueyte the hous of thi neighbore, nether thou schalt desyre his wijf,

486