As þe vious Philistenes stopped þe welles of Abraham
d filled them vpp with erth / to put þe memoriall out of m
de / to þe entent þt they might chalenge þe grounde: even so the fleshly m
ded ypocrites stoppe vpp the vaynes of life which are in þe scripture / [wt] the erth of theyr tradici
s / false similitudes & lienge allegories: & þt of like zele / to make þe scripture theyr awne possessi
& marchaundice: and so shutt vpp the kingdome of heven which is Gods worde nether enter
ge in th
selues nor soferinge them that wolde.
The scripture hath a body with out / d within a soule / sprite & life. It hath [wt] out abarke / a shell
d as it were an hard bone for þe fleshly mynded to gnaw vppon. And within it hath pith / cornell / mary & all swetnesse for Gods electe which he hath chosen to geve them his spirite / & to write his law & þe faith of his sonne in their hertes.
The scripture cteyneth .iij. th
ges in it first þe law to c
demne all flesh: sec
daryly þe Gospell / þt is to saye / promises of mercie
When þe ypocrites come to þe lawe / they put gloses to d make no moare of it then of a worldly law which is satisfied with þe outwarde worke and which a turke maye also fulfill. Wh
yet Gods law never ceaseth to c
demne a man vntill it be written in his herte and vntill he kepe it naturally without c
pulsion & all other respecte saue only of pure love to God and his neyboure / as he naturally eateth wh
he is an hongred / without c
pulsi
& all other respecte / saue to slake his hongre only.
And wh they come to the Gospell / there they m
gle their leuen & saye / God now receaueth vs no moare to mercie / but of
And the liues stories and gestes of men which are ctayned in the bible / they reade as th
ges no moare perteyn
ge vn to th
/ then a take of Rob
hode / & as th
ges they wott not wherto they serue / saue to fayne false disc
t & tuglinge allegories / to stablish their kingdome with all. And one þe chefest & fleshliest studie they have / is to magnifie þe sayntes aboue measure & aboue þe trueth & with their poetrie to make them greater then euer God make them. And if they finde any infirmite or synne asscribed vn to þe saintes / that they excuse with all dilig
ce / diminush
ge the glorie of þe mercie of God & robbinge wretched sinners of all theyr c
forte / & thinke therby to flater the sayntes
But thou reader thke of þe law of God how þt it is all to gether spirituall / & so spirituall þt it is neuer fulfilled [wt] dedes or werkes / vntill they flow out of thyne herte [wt] as greate loue toward thy neyboure / for no deseru
ge of his / ye though he be thine enimie / as Christ loued þe
d did for the / for no deseru
ge of thyne / but ev
wh
thou wast his enimie. And in þe meane time / thoroute all our infancie & childhod in Christ / tyll
And of þe Gospell or promises which thou metest in þe scripture / beleue fast þt God will fulfill them vn to þe / and that vn to þe vttemost Iott / at the repentaunce of thyne herte / wh thou turnest to hym & forsakest euell / even of his goodnesse & fatherly mercie vn to the /
d not for thy flatter
ge hym with ypocritish workes of thyne awne fayninge. So þt a fast faith only with out respecte of all workes / is the / forgeuenesse both of the synne which we did in tyme of ignoraunce with luste
d c
sent to synne / & also of all the synne which we doo by chaunce & of frailte / after þt we are come to knowlege
d haue professed þe law out of oure hertes. And all dedes serue only for to helpe oure neyboures & to tame oure flesh that we fall not to synne agayne / & to exercice oure soules
And all other stories of þe bible / with out excepci / are þe practisinge of þe law & of the Gospell / and are true and faitfull ensamples & sure erneste þt God will euen so deale with vs / as he did with th
/ in all infirmities / in all temptaci
s / & in all like cases & chaunces. Wherin ye se on þe one syde / how fatherly & tendirly & with all c
passion god entreateth his electe which submitte them selues as scolers / to lerne to walke in the wayes of his lawes / & to kepe th
of loue. If they forgatt th
selues at a time & w
t astraye / he sought th
out & fett th
agayne with all mercie. If they fell & hurte th
selues / he healed th
agayne with all compassion & tendernesse of hert. He hath ofte brought greate tribulation & aduersite vppon his electe: but all of fatherly loue only / to teach th
& to make them se their awne hertes & þe sinne þt there laye hid / that they might aftirwarde feale his mercie. For his mercie wayted vppon th
/ to rid them out agayne / assone as they ware lerned & come
And on þe other side ye se how they þt hardened their hertes & synned of malice & refused mercie þt was offered th & had no power to rep
t / perished at þe later ende with all confusion & shame mercilessely. Which ensamples are very good & necessary / to kepe vs in awe & dreade in tyme of prosperite
And thridly ye se in that practise / how as god is mercifull & longesoferynge / euen so were all his true prophetes & prechers / beringe the infirmities of their weake brethern & their awne wrges & iniuries with all paci
ce & longesoferinge / neuer castinge any of th
of their backes / vn tyll they synned agenst þe holygost / maliciously persecutinge þe open & manifest trouth: c
trary vn to the ensample of þe Pope / which in sinninge agenst God & to quench þe trueth of his holy spirite / is euer chefe captayne and tr
petblower / to sett other a werke /
d seketh only his awne fredome / liberte / priuilege / welth / prosperite / profite / pleasure / pastyme / honoure & glorie / with þe bondage / thraldome / captiuite / miserie / wretchednesse & vile subiecti
of his brethern: & in his awne cause is so feruent / so steffe & cruell / that he will not sofre one word spoken agenst his false magiste / wily inuenci
s
d iuglynge
Now þt thou mayst reade Ionas frutefully & not as a poetis fable / but as an obligac betwene God and thy soule / as an ernist peny geuen þe of God / þt he wil helpe þe in time of nede / if thou turne to him
d as the word of god þe only fode
d life of thy soule / this marke & note. First count Ionas the frend of god
d a man chosen of god to testifie his name vn to þe worlde: but yet a younge scolar / weake & rude / after þe faci
of þe appostles / while Christ was yet with them bodyly. Which though Christ taught th
euer to be meke & to vmble th
selues / yet oft stroue amonge them selues who shuld be greatest. The sonnes of Zebede wold sitt / the one on the right h
de of Christ
d the other on þe lifte. They wold praye / that fire might desc
de from heuen / and consume the Samaritanes.
Wh Christ axed who saye men that I am / Peter answered / thou arte the sonne
And though christ taughte all waye to forgeue / yet peter after longe goenge to scole / axed wether men shuld forgeue .vij. tymes / thynkinge þt .viij. tymes had bene to moch. And at þe last soper Peter wold have died with christe / but yet within fewe howres after / he denied hym / both cowardly & shamefully. And after þe same maner / though he had so lge herd that nom
might auenge him selfe / but rather turne þe other cheke to / then to smyte agayne / yet when Christ was in tak
ge / peter axed whether
And God oure father & scolemaster fedeth vs & teached vs accordinge vn to the capacite of oure stomakes / & maketh vs to grow & waxe perfecte / & fineth vs & trieth vs as gold / in þe fire of temptacis & tribulations. As Moses wittneseth Deutero. viij. say
ge: Rem
ber all þe waye by which þe lord thy God caried þe this .xl. yeres in þe wildernesse / to vmble the & to t
pte or proue the / þt it might be knowen what were in thine hert. He brougt the in to aduersite & made þe an hongred / & then feed þe with m
which nether thou ner yet thi fathers euer
God therfore to teach Ionas & to shew him his awne hert & to make him perfecte & to enstructe vs also bi his ensample / sent him out of þe lande of Israel where he was a prophete / to goo amonge þe heath people & to þe greatest & mightiest citie of þe world th
/ called Niniue: to preache þt within .xl. dayes they shuld all perish for their sinnes & that þe citie shuld be ouerthrow
. Which message þe frewil of Ionas had as moch power to doo / as the weakest herted wom
in the world hath power / if she were c
maunded
For Ionas thought of this maner: loo / I am here a prophete vn to Gods people the Israelites. Which though they haue gods word testified vn to them dayly / yet dispice it & worshepe God vnder þe likenesse of calues & after all maner facions saue after his awne worde / & therfore are of all nacis þe worst & most worthy of punishment. And yet god for loue of few þt are amonge them & for his names sake spareth them & defendeth them. How th
shuld god take so cruell vengeaunce on so greate a multitude of them to whome his name was neuer preached to
d therfore are not þe tenth parte so euel as these? If I shal therfore goo preach
And vppon that imaginaci he fled fr
the face or presens of God: that is / out of þe contre where God was worsheped in & fr
prosecutynge of Gods c
maundem
t / and thought / I wyll gett me a nother waye amonge þe hethen people & be no moare a prophete / but lyue at rest & out of all c
braunce. Neuer þe lesse the god of all mercie which careth for his electe childern & turneth all vn to good to them & smiteth th
to heale them agayne & killeth th
to make th
aliue agayne / & playeth with th
(as a father doth some tyme with his yo
ge ignoraunt childern) & tempteth them & proueth them to make them se theyr awne hertes / prouided for Ionas / how all thinge shuld be.
When Ionas was entered in to the sheppe / he layed him downe to slepe d to take his rest: that is / his c
science was tossed betwene the c
maudem
t of God which sent him to Niniue / & his fleshly wisdome that
For when þt Lott had caught Ionas / th be sure þt his synnes came to rem
braunce agayne & that his conscience raged no lesse th
þe waues of the se. And th
he thought that he only was a sinner & þe hethen that ware in þe shepp none in respecte of him /
d thought also / as veryly as he was fled fr
To speake of lottes / how ferforth they are lawfull / is a light questi. First to vse th
for the breakinge of strife / as when partenars / their goodes as equally diuided as they c
/ take euery m
his parte by lott / to avoyde all suspici
of disceytfulnesse: & as þe appostles in þe first of þe Actes / wh
they sought a nother to succede Iudas the traytoure / & .ij. persones were presentes / th
to breake strife & to satisfie al parties / did cast lotttes / wheter shuld be admitted / desirynge god to t
per th
& to take wh
he knew most mete / seynge they wist not wheter to preferre / or haply coude not all agre on ether / is lawfull
d in all like cases. But to
The hethen seepm asstonied at þe sight of þe miracle / feared God / prayed to him / offered sacrifice & vowed vowes. And I doute not / but that some of th
or haply all came therby vn to the true knowlege & true worshepinge of God & ware w
ne to God in theyr soules. And th[us] God which is infinite mercifull in all his wayes / wrought their soules health out of þe infirmite of Ionas / euen of his good will & purpose & loue wherewith he loued them before the world was made / & not of chaunce / as it appereth vn to the eyes of the ignoraunt.
And that Ionas was .iij. dayes & .iij. nightes in the bely of his fish: we c not therby proue vn to te Iewes &
fideles or vn to any man / þt Christ must therfore dye
d be buried & rise agayne. But we vse þe ensample
d likenesse to strength the faith of the
And in lyke maner sens the world beganne / where soeuer repentaunce was offered and not receaued / there God toke cruell vengeaunce immediatly: as ye se in þe floud of Noe / in the ouerthrowge of Sod
Gyldas preached reptaunce vn to þe olde Britaynes that inhabited engl
d: they repented not / & therfore God sent in theyr enimies vpp
th
on euery side & destroyed th
vpp & gaue the l
d vn to other naci
s And greate vengeaunce hath bene tak
in that lande for synne sens that tyme.
Wicleffe preached reptaunce vn to oure fathers not longe sens: they rep
ted not for their hertes were indurat & theyr eyes blinded with their awne Pope holy rightwesnesse wherwith they had made theyr soules gaye agenst the receauinge agayne of þe weked spirite that bringeth .vij. worse then hym selfe with him & maketh þe later ende worse then the beginninge: for in open sinnes there is hope of repentaunce / but in holy ypocrisie none at all. But what folowed? they slew their true & right kinge
d
And now Christ to preach reptaunce / is resen yet
ce agayne out of his sepulchre in which the pope had buried him and kepte him downe with his pilars and polaxes and all disgysinges of ypocrisie / with gyle / wiles and falshed /
d with the swerd of al princes which he had blynded with his false marchaundice. And as I dowte not of þe ensamples that are past / so am I sure that greate wrath will folow / excepte rep
taunce turne it backe agayne and cease it.
When Ionas had bene in te fishes bely a space & the rage of his conscience was somewhat quieted d swaged and he come to him selfe agayne and had receaued a lytle hope / the qualmes & panges of desperaci
which went ouer hys hert / halfe ouercome
In the end of which prayer he sayth / I will sacrifice with the voyce of thankesgeuenge and paye that I haue vowed / that sauinge cometh of the lorde. For verely to cfesse out of the herte / that all benefites come of God / euen out of the goodnesse of his mercie and not deseruinge of oure dedes / is the only sacrifice that pleaseth God. And to beleue that god only is the sauer / is the thynge that all the Iewes vowed in theyr circumcision / as we in oure baptim. Which vowe Ionas now tawght with experi
ce / promiseth to paye. For those outwarde sacrifices of bestes / vn to which Ionas had haply asscribed to moch before / were but feble & childish thinges & not ordeyned / that the workes of th
selues shuld be a seruice
When Ionas was cast vpp lond agayne / then his will was fre
d had power to goo whother God sent him & to doo what God bade / his awne imaginacions layed a parte. For he had bene at a new scole / ye
d in a fornace where he was purged of moch refuse & droshe of fleshly wisdome / which resisted þe wisdome of god & led Ionases wil c
trary vn to þe will of god. For as ferre as we be blynd in Adam / we can not but seke & will oure awne profitt / pleasure & glorie. And as ferre as we be taughte in the sprite / we can not but seke & wyll the pleasure and glorie of God only.
And as for the .iij. dayes iourney of Niniue / whether it were in length or to goo rounde aboute it or thorow all the stretes / I cmitte vn to the discreci
of other men. But I thinke that it was then the greatest citie of the world.
And that Ionas wt a dayes iourney in the citie / I suppose he did it not in one daye: but w
t fayre & easyly preach
ge here a sermon & there a nother & rebuked the synne of the people for which they must perishe.
And when thou art come vn to the reptaunce of the Niniuites / there hast thou sure ernest / that how soeuer angre god be / yet he remembreth mercie vn to all that truly repent and beleue in mercie. Which ensample oure sauioure Christ also casteth in the teeth of the indurat Iewes sayenge: the Niniuites shall rise in iudgem
t with this nacion and condemne them / for they repented at the preachynge of Ionas / and beholde a greater th
Ionas here / meanynge of hym selfe. At whose preachinge yet / though it were neuer so mightie to perce the herte / & for all his miracles therto / the hard herted
Why? For þe Iewes had leuded the spirituall law of God and with theyr gloses had made it all to gether erthie
d fleshly / and so had sett a vayle or coueringe on Moses face / to shodowe and darken þe glorious brightnesse of his contenaunce. It was synne to stele: but to robbe wedowes howses vnder a coloure of longe pray
ge / & to polle in the name of offeringes / and to snare þe people with intollerable c
stitucions ag
st all loue / to ketch theyr money out of theyr purses / was no synne at all.
To smyte father d mother was synn: But to withdraw helpe fr
them at theyr nede / for blynde zele of offeringe / vn to the profytt of the holy phareses / was then as meritorious as it is now to let all thy kynne chose wheter they will synke or sweme / while thou byldest and makest goodly fundaci
s for holy people which thou hast chosen to be thy christe / for to sowple thy soule
It was greate synne for Christ to heale the people on the sabboth daye vn to the glorie of God hys father / but none at all for them to helpe theyr catell vnto theyr awne profett.
It was synne to eate wyth vnwashen handes or on an vnwashen table / or out of an vnwashen dish: but to eate out of that purifyed dysh that which came of brybery / theft & extorsion / was no synne at all.
It was exceadynge meritorious to make many dyscyples: But to teach them to feare God in hys ordynaunces / had they no care at all.
The hye prelates so defended the ryght of holy church d so feared the people with
It was greate holynesse to garnysh þe sepulchres of þe prophetes & to cdemne their awne fathers for sleynge of them: and yet were they th
selues for blinde zele of their awne c
stituci
s / as ready as their fathers
And finally to begyld a mans neyboure in sotle bargeninge and to wrappe and cpase him in with cauteles of the law / was then as it is now in the kingdome of þe Pope. By the reason where of they excluded the law of loue out of theyr hertes /
d c
sequ
tly all true repentaunce: for how coude they rep
t of þt they coude not se to be sinne?
And on the other syde they had sett vpp a rightwesnesse of holy workes / to clense theyr soules with all: as the Pope sanctifieth vs with holy oyle / holy bred / holy salt / holy candels / holy dome ceremonies d holy dome blessynges / and with what soever holynesse thou wilt saue with the holynes of Gods worde which only speaketh vn to the herte and sheweth the soule hir filthynesse and vnclennesse of synne / and leadeth
But the hethen Niniuites / though they were blynded with lustes a good / yet were in thofe .ij. poyntes vncorrupte and vnhardened / & therfore with the only preachinge of Ionas came vn to the knowlege of their synnes and confessed them & repented truly & turned euery man from his euell dedes & declared theyr sorow of hert & true repentaunce / with theyr dedes which they dyd out of faith & hope of forgeuenesse / chastysinge their bodies with prayer & fastinge & with takinge all pleasures from the flesh:
And in the last ende of all / thou hast yet a goodly ensample of lernynge / to se how erthye Ionas is styll for all hys tryenge in the whales bely. He was so sore displeased because the Niniuites perished not / that he was wery of hys lyfe and wished after the deeth for very sorow & payne / that he had loost the glorie of his prophesienge / in that his prophesie come not to passe. But god rebuked him with a likenesse sayenge: it greueth thyne hert for the losse of a vile shrobbe or spraye / wheron thou bestoweddest no loboure or cost / nether was it thyne handwerke. How moch moare then shuld greue myne herte / the losse of so greate a multitude of innoctes as are in Niniue / which are all myne handes werke. Nay Ionas / I am God ouer all / and father as well vn to the hethen as vn to the Iewes
d mercifull to all and warne yer I smyte: nether threte I so cruelly by any prophete / but that I wyll
On thys maner to read þe scripture is þe right vse therof & why þe holy gost caused it to be writt. That is þt thou first seke out þe law / what god will haue the to doo / interpretinge it spiritually with out glose or coueringe the brightnesse of Moses face / so þt thou fele in thyne hert / how that it is damnable synne before god / not to loue they neyboure that is thyne enimie / as puerly as Christ loued the / and þt not to loue thy neyboure in thyne herte / is to haue c
mitted all ready all synne agenst him. And therfore vn tyll that loue become / thou must knowlege vnfaynedly that there is synne in the best dede thou doest. And it must ernestly greue thyne hert and thou must washe all thy good dedes in christes bloude / yet they can be pure and an acceptable sacrifice vn to God / and must desire
And on the other syde thou must serch diligently for the promises of mercie which God hath promised the agayne. Which .ij. poyntes / that is to wete / þe lawe spiritually interpreted / how that all is dnable synne that is not vnfayned loue out of the grownde and botom of the herte after the ensample of Christes loue to vs / because we be all equally created
d formed of one god oure father / and indifferently bought & redemed with one bloud of oure sauioure Iesus Christe:
d that the promises be geuen vn to a repentynge soule that thursteth and longeth after them / of the pure and fatherly mercie of god thorow oure faith onely with oute al deseruinge of oure dedes or merites of oure werkes / but for Christes sake alone and for the merites
d deseruinges of his werkes / deth and passions that he sofered all to gether for vs & not for him selfe: whych .ij. poyntes I saye / if they be
And thridly that thou take the stories & liues which are cteyned in the bible / for sure
d vndowted ensamples / þt God so will deale with vs vn to the worldes ende.
Here with Reader farewell and be commended vn to God / and vn to the grace of hys spryte. And first se that thou stoppe not thyne eares vn to the callynge of god / and that thou harden not thine herte begyled with fleshly interpretinge of the law & false imagined and ypocritish rightwesnesse / and so the Niniuites ryse with the at þe day of iudgement & condemne the.
And secdarily if thou finde ought amisse / when thou seyst thy selfe in the glasse of Gods worde / thynke it c
pendious wisdome / to amende þe same betymes / moneshed & warned by the ensample of other men / rather th
to tary vntill thou be beten also.
And thridly if it shall so chaunce / that þe wild lustes of thy flesh shall blynd the and carie the cleane awaye with them for a tyme: yet at the later ende / when þe god of all mercie shall haue compased the in on euery syde with tptaci
s / tribulacions / aduersities & c
braunce / to bringe þe home agayne vn to thyne awne herte / & to set thy sinnes wich thou woldest so fayne couer & put out of mynd with delectaci
of voluptuous pastymes / before þe eyes of thy c
science: then call þe faithfull ensample of Ionas & all lyke stories vn to thy rem
braunce /
d with Ionas turne vn to thi father that smote þe: not to cast þe awaye / but to laye a corosie
d a freat
ge playster vn to þe pocke that laye hid & fret inwarde / to draw þe disease out & to make it appere / þt thou mightest feale thy seckenes & þe daunger therof & come & receaue
And forget not þt what soeuer ensample of mercie god hath shewed sens þe beginninge of þe world / the same is promised the / yf thou wilt in like maner turne agayne and receaued it as they dyd. And with Ionas be aknowen of thy synne & cfesse it & knowlege it vn to thy father.
And as þe law which freteth thy cscience / is in thyne herte & is none outwarde th
ge / ev
so seke within in thine herte / þe playster of mercie / the promyses of forgeuenesse in oure sauioure Iesus Christe / accordinge vn to all the ensamples of mercie that are gonne before.
And with Ionas let th that wayte on vanities & seke god here & there & in euery t
ple saue in their hertes goo / & seke thou þe testam
t of god in thyne hert. For in thyne hert is the worde of þe law / & in thyne hert is þe worde of fayth in the promises of mercie in Iesus Christe. So that yf thou c
fesse with a repentynge herte & knowlege
d surely beleue þt Iesus is lorde ouer all synne / thou art saffe.
And finally when the rage of thy cscience is ceased and quieted with fast faith in the promises of mercie / then offer with Ionas the offeringe of prayse and thankesgeuinge / & paye the vow of thy baptim / that God only saueth / of his
ly mercie & goodnesse: that is / beleue stedfastly & preach c
stantly / that it is God only that smyteth / and God only that healeth: ascribynge þe cause of thy tribulation vn to thyne awne synne / and þe cause of thy deliueraunce vn to the mercie of God.
And be ware of the leu þt saith we haue power in oure frewill before þe preachinge of þe Gospell / to deserue grace / to kepe þe law / of c
gruite / or god to be vnrightwesse. And saie with Ihon in the first / þt as þe law was geu
by Moses / eu
so grace to fulfill it / is geu
by christe. And wh
they saye oure dedes with grace deserue heuen / saye thou [wt] Paule Ro. vj. þt euerlast
ge life is the gifte of god thorow Iesus Christ oure lorde / & þt we be made sonnes by faith Ihon. j. & therfore heyres of god with christ Ro. viij. And saye that we receaue al of god thorow faith
The worde of the lorde came vn to the prophete Ionas þe sonne of Amithai sayenge: ryse & gett the to Niniue that greate citie & preach vn to th / how that theyr wekednesse is come vpp before me.
And Ionas made h ready to fle to Tharsis fr
the presens of þe lorde / & gatt hym downe to Ioppe / and founde there a sheppe ready to goo to Tharsis / & payed his fare / & w
t aborde / to goo with them to Tharsis fr
the presens of the lorde.
But þe lorde hurled a greate winde in to þe se / so that there was a myghtie tpest in the se: in so moch þt the shepp was lyke to goo in peces. And the mariners were afrayed & cried euery man vn to his god / & cast out þe goodes þt were in þe sheppe in to þe se / to lighten it of th
. But Ionas gatt him vnder the hatches & layed him downe and slombrede. And þe master of the sheppe came to him & sayd vn to h
/ why slomberest thou? vpp / & call vn to thy god / that God maye thinke on vs / that we perish not.
And they sayde one to a nother / come & lett vs cast lottes / to know for whose cause we are thus troublede. And they cast lottes. And þe lott fell vppon Ionas.
Th they said vnto h
/ tel vs for whose cause we are thus trowbled: what is thine occupaci
/ whence comest thou / how is thy c
tre called / & of what nacion art thou?
And he answered th / I am an Ebrue: & the lord God of heuen which made both se and drie land / I feare. Then were the men exceadingly afrayd & sayd vn to him / why diddest thou so? For they knew that he was fled from the presens of the lorde / because he had told them.
Then they sayd vn to hym / what shall we doo vnto the / that the se maye cease fr trowblinge vs? For the se wrought & was trowblous. And he answered them / take me and cast me in to the se / & so shall it lett you be in reste: for I wotte / it is for my sake / that this greate tempest is come vppon you. Neuerthelesse the men assayed wyth rowenge to bringe the sheppe to lande: but it wold not be / because the se so wrought &
And th they toke Ionas / & cast h
in to þe se / & the se lefte ragynge. And þe men feared the lorde excedingly: & sacrificed sacrififice vn to the lorde: and vowed vowes.
Bvt þe lorde prepared a greate fyshe / to swalow vp Ionas. And so was Ionas in þe bowels of þe fish .iij. dayes & .iij. nightes. And Ionas prayed vnto þe lord his god out of þe bowels of the fish.
And he sayde: in my tribulacion I called vn to the lorde / and he answered me: out of the bely of hell I cried / d thou herdest my voyce. For thou hadest cast me downe depe in the middes of the se: & the floud c
pased me aboute: and all thy waues & rowles of water w
t ouer me: & I thought þt I had bene cast awaye out of thy sight. But I will yet agayne loke towarde thy holy temple.
And the lorde spake vn to the fish: and it cast out Ionas agayne vppon þe drie lande.
Then came the worde of the lorde vn to Ionas agayne sayenge: vpp / d gett þe to Niniue that greate citie / & preache vn to th
the preachynge which I bade þe. And he arose & w
t to Niniue at þe lordes c
maundm
t. Niniue was a greate citie vn to god / c
teyn
ge .iij. dayes iourney
And Ionas went to & entred in to þe citie euen a dayes iourney / and cried sayenge: There shall not passe .xl. dayes but Niniue shalbe ouerthrowen.
And the people of Niniue beleued God / and proclaymed fastynge / d arayed them selues in sackcloth / as well the greate as the small of them.
And þe tydinges came vn to the kinge of Niniue / which arose out of his sete / and did his apparell of & put on sackcloth / & sate h downe in asshes. And it was cried
d commaunded in Niniue by þe auctorite of þe kinge
d of his lordes sayenge: se that nether m
or beest / oxe or shepe tast ought at al / & that they nether fede or drinke water.
And they put on sackcloth both man d beest / & cried vn to God mightily /
d turned euery man from his weked waye / and fr
doenge wr
ge in which they were acustomed / sayenge: who can tell whether god will turne & repent / & cease from his fearce wrathe / that we perish not? And when god saw theyr workes / how they turned from theyr weked wayes / he repented on þe euell
Wherfore Ionas was sore discontent d angre. And he prayed vn to the lorde
d sayd: O lord / was not this my sayenge when I was yet in my contre? And therfore I hasted rather to fle to Tharsis: for I knew well ynough that thou wast a mercifull god / ful of c
passion / long yer thou be angre and of greate mercie and repentest when thou art come to take punishment. Now therfore take my life from me / for I had leuer dye then liue. And the lorde said vn to Ionas / art thou so angrie?
And Ionas gatt him out of the citie and sate him downe on the est syde theroffe / d made him there a bothe
d sate thervnder in the shadowe / till he might se what shuld chaunce vn to the citie.
And þe lorde prepared as it were a wild vine which sprge vp ouer Ionas / that he might haue shadowe ouer his heed / to deliuer him out of his payne. And Ionas was exceadynge glad of the wild vine.
And the lorde ordeyned a worme agenst the springe of þe morow mornge which smote the wild vine / that it wethered awaye. And assone as the sonne was vpp / God prepared a feruent eest winde: so that þe sonne bete ouer the heed of Ionas / that he fainted agayne
d wished vn to hys soule that he might dye / and sayd / it is better for me to dye then to liue.
And god sayd vn to Ionas / art thou so angre for thy wildvine? And he sayde / I am angrie a goode / even on to the deeth. And the lorde sayde / thou hast compassion on a wild vine / wheron thou bestoweddest no laboure ner madest it growe / which sprange vp in one night and perished in a nother: and shuld not I haue compassion on Niniue that greate citie / wherin there is a multitude of people / euen aboue an hundred thousande that know not theyr right hand from the lyfte / besydes moch catell?