Wycliffe's English Translation (1388)
Wycliffe
Translated from the Latin in the 14th century
[1]Thou schalt not se `thi brotheris oxe, ethir scheep, errynge, and schalt passe, but thou schalt brynge ayen to thi brother. [2]And if thi brother is not nyy, nether thou knowist hym, thou schalt lede tho beestis in to thin hows, and tho schulen be at thee, as long as thi brother sekith tho, and til he resseyue hem. [3]In lijk maner thou schalt do of `the asse, and clooth, and of ech thing of thi brother, that was lost; if thou fyndist it, be thou not necgligent as of an alien thing. [4]If thou seest that the asse, ethir oxe of thi brothir felde in the weye, thou schalt not dispise, but thou schalt `reise with hym. [5]A womman schal not be clothid in a mannys clooth, nether a man schal vse a wommannys cloth; for he that doith thes thingis is abhomynable bifor God. If thou goist in the weie, [6]and fyndist a `nest of a brid in a tree, ethir in the erthe, and fyndist the modir sittynge on the briddis ethir eyrun, thou schalt not holde the modir with `the children, but thou schalt suffre `the modir go, [7]and schalt holde the sones takun, that it be wel to thee, and thou lyue in long tyme. Whanne thou bildist a newe hows, [8]thou schalt make a wal of the roof bi cumpas, lest blood be sched out in thin hows, and thou be gilti, if another man slidith, and falle in to a dich. [9]Thou schalt not sowe thi vyner `of another seed, lest bothe the seed which thou hast sowe, and tho thingis that `comen forth of the vyner, ben halewid togidere. [10]Thou schalt not ere with an oxe and asse togidere. [11]Thou schalt not be clothid in a cloth, which is wouun togidir of wolle and `of flex. [12]Thou schalt make litle cordis bi foure corneris in the hemmys of thi mentil, `with which thou art hilid. [13]If a man weddith a wijf, and aftirward hatith hir, [14]and sekith occasiouns bi which he `schal forsake hir, and puttith ayens hir `the werste name, and seith, Y haue take this wijf, and Y entride to hir, and Y foond not hir virgyn; the fadir and modir of hir schulen take [15]hir, and thei schulen bere with hem the signes of her virgynyte to the eldre men of the citee, that ben in the yate; [16]and the fadir schal seie, Y yaf my douytir wijf to this man, and for he hatith hir, he puttith to hir `the werste name, [17]that he seye, Y foond not thi douytir virgyn; and lo! these ben the signes of virgynyte of my douytir; thei schulen sprede forth a cloth bifor the eldre men of the citee. And the eldere men of that citee schulen [18]take the man, and schulen bete hym, [19]and ferthermore thei schulen condempne hym in an hundrid siclis of siluer, whiche he schal yyue to the `fadir of the damysel, for he diffamide the werste name on a virgyn of Israel; and he schal haue hir wijf, and he schal not mowe forsake hir, in al `the tyme of his lijf. [20]That if it is soth, that he puttith ayens hir, and virgynyte is not foundun in the damysel, thei schulen caste hir `out of `the yatis of [21]the hous of hir fadir; and men of that citee schulen oppresse hir with stoonys, and sche schal die, for sche dide vnleueful thing in Israel, that sche dide fornycacioun in `the hows of hir fadir; and thou schalt do awey yuel fro the myddis of thee. [22]If a man slepith with `the wijf of another man, euer eithir schal die, that is, auowter and auowtresse; and thou schalt do awey yuel fro Israel. [23]If a man spousith a damysel virgyn, and a man fyndith hir in the citee, and doith letcherie with hir, [24]thou schalt lede euer eithir to the yate of that citee, and thei schulen be oppressid with stoonus; the damysel schal be stonyd, for sche criede not, whanne sche was in the citee; the man schal `be stonyd, for he `made low the wijf of his neiybore; and thou schalt do awei yuel fro the myddis of thee. [25]Forsothe if a man fyndith in the feeld a `damysel, which is spousid, and he takith, and doith letcherie with hir, he aloone schal die; [26]the damysel schal suffre no thing of yuel, nethir is gilti of deeth; for as a theef risith ayens his brothir, and sleeth `his lijf, so and the damysel suffride; sche was aloone in the feeld, [27]sche criede, and noon was present, that schulde delyuer hir. [28]If a man fyndith a damysel virgyn that hath no spowse, and takith, and doith letcherie with hir, and the thing cometh to the doom, [29]he that slepte with hir schal yyue to `the fadir of the damysel fifti siclis of siluer, and he schal haue hir wijf, for he `made hir low; he schal not mow forsake hir, in alle the daies of his lijf. [30]A man schal not take `the wijf of his fadir, nethir he schal schewe `the hilyng of hir.
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Author: John Wycliffe (1328 – 1384)
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