Part 10

All these are the .xij. tribes of Israel/ & this is that which their father spake vnto them wh[~e] he blessed them/ euery man with a severall blessinge. And he charged them and sayde vnto them. I shall be put vnto my people: se that ye burye me with my fathers/ in the caue that is in the felde of Ephron the Hethyte/ in the double caue that is in the felde before Mamre in the lande of Canaan. Which felde Abraham boughte of Ephron the Hethite for a possessio to burye in. There they buryed Abraha and Sara his wyfe/ there they buryed Isaac & Rebecca his wyfe. And there I buried Lea: which felde & the caue that is therin/ was bought of the childern of Heth.

When Iacob had commaunded all that he wold vnto his sonnes/ he plucked vp his fete apon the bedd and dyed/ and was put vnto his people. And Ioseph fell apon his fathers face/ and wepte apon him/ and kyssed him.

The .l. Chapter.

And Ioseph commaunded his seruauntes that were Phisicions/ to embawme his father/ and the Physicios [~e]bawmed Israel .xl. dayes loge/ for so loge doth y^e embawminge last/ & the Egiptians bewepte him .lxx. dayes.

And when the dayes of wepynge were ended/ Ioseph spake vnto y^e house of Pharao saynge: Yf I haue founde fauoure in youre eyes/ speake vnto Pharao and tell him/ how that my father made me swere and sayde: loo/ I dye/ se that thou burye me in my graue which I haue made me in the lande of Canaan. Now therfore let me goo and burye my father/ ad tha will I come agayne. And Pharao sayde/ goo and burye thy father/ acordynge as he made the swere.

And Ioseph went vp to burie his father/ and with him went all the seruauntes of Pharao that were the elders of his house/ ad all y^e elders of Egipte/ and all the house of Ioseph ad his brethern & his fathers house: only their childern & their shepe and their catell lefte they behinde them in the lande of Gosan. And there went with him also Charettes and horsemen: so that they were an exceadynge great companye.

And when they came to y^e feld of Atad beyonde Iordane/ there they made great & exceadinge sore lamentacio. And he morned for his father .vij. dayes. When the enhabiters of the lande the Cananytes sawe the moornynge in y^e felde of Atad/ they saide: this is a greate moornynge which the Egiptians make. Wherfore y^e name of the place is called Abel mizraim/ which place lyeth beyonde Iordane. And his sonnes dyd vnto him acordynge as he had commaunded them.

And his sonnes caried him in to the land of Canaan and buryed him in the double caue which Abraha had boughte with the felde to be a place to burye in/ of Ephron the Hethite before Mamre. And Ioseph returned to Egipte agayne and his brethern/ and all that went vp with him to burye his father/ assone as he had buryed him.

Wh[~e] Iosephs brethern sawe that their father was deade/ they sayde: Ioseph myghte fortune to hate us and rewarde us agayne all the euell which we dyd vnto him. They dyd therfore a commaundment vnto Ioseph saynge: thy father charged before his deth saynge. This wise say vnto Ioseph/ forgeue I pray the the trespace of thy brethern & their synne/ for they rewarded the euell. Now therfore we praye the/ forgeue the trespace of the servauntes of thy fathers God. And Ioseph wepte when they spake vnto him.

And his brethern came ad fell before him and sayde: beholde we be thy servauntes. And Ioseph sayde vnto them: feare not/ for am not I vnder god? Ye thoughte euell vnto me: but God turned it vnto good to bringe to passe/ as it is this daye/ euen to saue moch people a lyue Feare not therfore/ for I will care for you and for youre childern/ and he spake kyndly vnto them.

Ioseph dwelt in Egipte and his fathers house also/ ad lyved an hundred & .x. yere. And Ioseph sawe Ephraims childern/ eu[~e] vnto the thyrde generation. And vnto Machir the sonne of Manasses were childern borne/ & satt on Iosephs knees.

And Ioseph sayde vnto his brethern: I die And God will suerlie vysett you and bringe you out of this lande/ vnto the lande which he sware vnto Abraham/ Isaac and Iacob. And Ioseph toke an ooth of the childern of Israel ad sayde: God will not fayle but vysett you/ se therfore that ye carye my boones hence. And so Ioseph dyed/ when he was an hundred and .x. yere olde. And they enbawmed him and put him in a chest in Egipte.

The end of the first boke of Moses.

¶ A table expoundinge certeyne wordes.

Abrech/ tender father/ or as some will/ bowe the knee.

Areke/ a shippe made flatte as it were a chest or cofer.

Bisse: fyne whyte/ whether it be silke or linen.

Blesse: godes blessinges are his giftes/ as in the firste chaptre he blessed them saynge: growe & multiplye & haue dominion &c. And in the .ix. chaptre he blessed Noe & his sonnes & gaue th[~e] dominio over all beestes & authoryte to care th[~e] And God blessed Abraha with catell ad other ryches. And Iacob desyred Esau to receaue y^e blessinge which he brought him/ y^t is the preasent & gifte. God blessed the .vij. daye/ y^t is/ gaue it a prehemynence y^t men shuld rest therein from bodely laboure & lerne to know the will of god & his lawes & how to worke their workes godly all the weke after. God also blesseth all nations in Abrahams seed/ that is/ he turneth his loue & favoure vnto th[~e] and geveth th[~e] his spirite and knowledge of the true waye/ ad lust and power to walke therin/ and all for christes sake Abrahams sonne.

Cain/ so is it writen in Hebrue. Notwithstodinge whether we coll him Cain or caim it maketh no matter/ so we vnderstand the meaninge. Euery lande hath his maner/ that we call Ihon the welchemen call Evan: the douch hace. Soch differ[~e]ce is betwene the Ebrue/ greke and laten: and that maketh them that translate out of the ebrue varye in names from them that translate out of laten or greke.

Curse: Godes curse is the takynge awaye of his benefytes. As god cursed the erth and made it baren. So now hunger/ derth/ warre/ pestilence and soch like are yet ryght curses and signes of the wrath of God vnto the vnbeleuers: but vnto them that knowe Christ/ they are very blessinges and that wholsome crosse & true purgatorye of oure flesh/ thorow which all must go that will lyue godly ad be saued: as thou readest Mat .v. Blessed are they that suffre persecution for rightewesnes sake. &c. And hebrewes .xi. The lorde chastyseth whom he loveth and scorgeth all the children that he receaveth.

Eden: pleasure

Firmament: the skye.

Fayth is the belevinge of goddes promesses & a sure trust in the goodnesse and truth of god. Which faith iustifyeth Abraha gene .xv. and was the mother of all his good workes which he afterward did. For faith is the goodnesse of all workes in the sight of God. Good workes are thinges of godes comaundem[~e]t wrought in faith. And to sow a showe at the commaundement of god to do thy neyghboure service withall/ with faith to be saved by Christ (as god promyseth vs.) is moch better th[~e] to bild an abbay of thyne awne imagination/ trustinge to be saved by the fayned workes of hypocrites. Iacob robbed Laban his vncle: Moses robbed the Egiptians: And Abraha is aboute to slee and burne his awne sonne: And all are holye workes/ because they were wrought in fayth at goddes commaundement. To stele/ robbe and murther are no holye workes before worldly people: but vnto them that haue their truste in god: they are holye when god commaundeth them. What god commaundeth not getteth no reward with god. Holy workes of mens imagination receave their rewarde here/ as Christ testyfyeth Math .vj. How be it of fayth & workes I haue spoken abundantly in mammon. Let him that desyreth more seke there.

Grace: fauoure/ As Noe founde grace/ that is to saye favoure and love.

Ham and Cam all one.

Iehovah is goddes name/ nether is any creature so called. And it is as moch to saye as one that is of him self and dependeth of nothinge. Moreouer as oft as thou seist LORde in great letters (excepte there be any erroure in the pr[~e]tinge) it is in hebrewe Iehovah/ thou that arte or he that is.

Marshall/ in hebrue he is called Sar tabaim/ as thou woldest saye/ lorde of the slaughtermen And though that Tabaim be tak[~e] for cokes in many places/ for the cokes did sle the beastes th[~e] selues in those dayes: yet it may be taken for them that put men to execution also. And that me thought it shuld here best signifye in as moch as he had the oversight of the kinges preson and the kinges presoners were they neuer so great m[~e] were vnder his custodye. And therfore I call him cheffe marshall an officer as is the lefetenaunte of the toure/ or master of the marshalsye.

Slyme was their morter .xi. Chapter/ And slyme pittes .xiiij. chapter: that slyme was a fattenesse that osed out of the erth lyke vnto tarre/ And thou mayst call it cement/ if thou wilt.

Siloh after some is as moch to saye as sent/ & after some happie/ and after some it signifieth Mesias/ y^t is to say annoynted and that we call Christe after the greke worde. And it is a prophesie of Christ: For after y^t all y^e other tribes were in captiuite & their kyngdom destroyed/ yet the tribe of Iuda had a ruler of the same bloud/ even vnto the comynge of Christ. And aboute the com[~i]ge of Christ the Romayns conquered them/ and the Emperoure gaue the kyngdom of tribe Iuda vnto Herode which was a straunger/ even an Edomite of the generacyon of Esau.

Testam[~e]t here/ is an appoyntem[~e]t made betwene god and ma/ and goddes promyses. And sacram[~e]t is a signe representinge soch an appoyntement and promeses: As the raynebowe representeth the promyse made to Noe/ that god will no more drowne the worlde. And circumcision representeth the promyses of god to Abraham on the one syde/ and that Abraha and his seed shuld circumcyse and cut off the lustes of their fleshe/ on the other syde/ to walke in the wayes of the lorde: As baptysme which is come in the roume therof/ now signifieth on the one syde/ how that all that repent and beleve are washed in Christes bloud: And on the other syde/ how that the same must quench ad droune the lustes of the flesh/ to folow the steppes of Christ.

There were tyrantes in the erth in those dayes/ for the sonnes of god sawe the daughters of men. &c. The sonnes of god were the prophetes childerne/ which (though they succeded there fathers) fell yet from the right waye/ and thorow falsehod of hypocrysye subdued the world vnder them and became tyrantes/ As the successours of the apostles haue played with vs.

Vapor/ a dewymiste/ as the smoke of a sethynge pott.

To walke with god is to lyve godly and to walke in his commaundementes. Enos walked with god and was no moare sene: that is/ he lyved godly and dyed/ God toke him awaye: that is/ god hyd his bodye/ as he did Moses ad Aarons: lest haplye they shuld haue made an Idoll of him/ for he was a great preacher and an holye man.

Zaphnath paenea/ wordes of Egipte are they (as I suppose) and as moch to saye: as a man to whome secrete thinges be opened/ or an expounder of secrete thinges as some enterprete it.

That Ioseph brought the egiptians in to soch subiection wold seme vnto some a very cruell deade: how be it it was a very equall waye. For they payde by the fifte parte of that that grewe on the grounde. And therwith were they qwytt of all duetyes/ both of rent/ custome/ tribute & toll. And the kinge therwith founde them lordes and all ministres and defended them. We now paye half so moch vnto the prestes only/ besyde their other craftye exactions. Then paye we rent yerely/ though there grow never so litle on the grounde/ And yet when the kinge calleth paye we neuer the lesse. So that if we loke indifferently/ their condition was easyar th[~e] oures/ and but even a very indiffer[~e]t waye/ both for the comen people and the kynge also.

Se therfore that thou loke not on the ensamples of the scripture with worldly eyes: lest thou preferre Cain before Abel/ Ismael before Isaac/ Esau before Iacob/ Ruben before Iuda/ Sarah before Pharez/ Manasses before Ephraim. And euen the worst before the best/ as the maner of the worlde is.

¶ Emprented at Malborow in the lande of Hesse/ by me Hans Luft/ the yere of oure Lorde .M.CCCCC.xxx. the .xvij. dayes of Ianuarij.

Transcriber's Notes (continued):

In the list below biblical references are to chapters and paragraphs. The latter usually extend over more than a single "verse".

"To the Reader": "sirt" changed to "sitt" (para 2); "cxvix" to "cxix" (para 7).

"Prologue": "wo" changed to "we" and "arene" to "awne" (para 1); "y^e" to "y^t" (para 9).

II: "herbee" changed to "herbes" (para 2).

IV: the text of the sidenote to para 4 is uncertain; in para 4 itself, "hi" changed to "h[~i]".

V: "MetHusala" changed to "Methusala" (para 8).

VII: "u" removed (para 2); "he" changed to "the" (para 5).

IX: "y^t" changed to "y^e" (para 5).

X: "Mes:" changed to "Mesa" (para 6).

XIII: "fro" changed to "fro" (para 3).

XV: "oue" changed to "out" (para 2).

XIX: "he" changed to "the" (para 1).

XXI: "lamdes" changed to "lambes" (para 8).

XXII: "th" changed to "the" (para 6).

XXIV: "pither" changed to "pitcher" (para 5); "LoRDe" to "LORde" (para 8); the texts of the sidenotes to paras 10 and 17 are uncertain; "emnies" changed to "enimes" (para 17).

XXV: "Iacksam" changed to "Iacksan" and "haue" to "gaue" (para 1); "lyvige" to "lyv[~i]nge" (para 2).

XXVI: "Abin elech" changed to "Abimelech" and "myhhtier" to "myghtier" (para 3).

XXVII: "lessed" changed to "blessed" (para 6).

XXIX: "boholde" changed to "beholde" (para 2) and "mayely e" to "may lye" (para 5).

XXX: "ourney ibetwixte" changed to "iourney betwixte" (para 8).

XXXI: "y^e" changed to "y^t" (para 3); "be" to "he" (para 4); "wtih" to "with" (para 6); "xnto" to "vnto" (para 7).

XXXII: "sayder" changed to "sayde:" (para 1).

XXXIV: hyphen omitted after "sonne" (para 6).

XXXVI: "kynreddds" changed to "kynredds" (para 12).

XXXIX: "ORde" changed to "LORde" (para 1).

XLI: "cares" changed to "eares" (twice, para 7); "asene" to "agene" and "beiokeneth" to "betokeneth" (para 9).

XLII: "thryd" changed to "thyrd" (para 5); "countte" to "countre" and "bretren" to "brethren" (para 9).

XLIV: "servauntes" changed to "servauntes" (para 3); "fox" to "for" (para 9).

XLV: "m" changed to "my" (para 4).

XLVI: "C" changed to "I" (para 7).

XLVII: "exceadige" changed to "excead[~i]ge" (para 3); "latest" to "letest" (para 5); the text of the sidenote to para 6 is uncertain.

"Table": "Ihon" changed to "Ihon" (entry for "Cain"); "baptyme" changed to "baptysme" (entry for "Testam[~e]t").