Þe Prologe in Þe Secounde Paralipomenon
Euſebius, Jerome ſenden gretynge to þeirs in Criſt Jheſu, Domynyon and Rogacian. What maner wijſe þei beter vndirſtonden þe ſtories of Grekis, þe whiche han ſeen Aþenas; and þe þrid boke of Virgilie, þe whiche han ſeiled fro Troye bi Lewchaten, and fro Acroceranya to Cicilie, and þennys to þe doris of Tibre; ſo hooly Scripture he ſchal more clerly beholden, þat Jude haþ ſeen wiþ eeȝen, and þe myndis of olde cytees, and placis knowiþ names, or þe ſame, or chaungid. Wherfore and to us it was fors wiþ þe moſt tauȝte men of Ebruys þis traueil to vndirgone, þat we gon aboute þe prouynce, þat alle þe chirchis of Criſt ſownen. Forſoþe, my Domynyon and Rogacian, moſt dere, I knowleche me neuer in Goddis volymes to han ȝeuen feiþ to my propre ſtrengþis, ne to han had myne opynyoun a mayſter, bot alſo þo þingis of þe whiche I demede me to kunnen, me wont to han aſked; myche more of þo þingis, vpon þe whiche I was a fowler. Forſoþe whanne of me ȝe hadden aſked ſumtyme bi lettris, þat to ȝou I ſchulde tranſlatyn Paralipomenon in Latyn ſermoun, I toke of Tiberyades ſumtyme autour of lawe, þe whiche anentis þe Ebrewis was had in wondryngis, and I diſputed wiþ hym fro þe top, as þei ſeyn, vnto þe laſte nayl; and ſo confermyd, I am hardy to don þat ȝe comaundiden. Forſoþe frely to ȝou I ſpeke; ſo in Greek and in Latyn bokis, þis boke of namys is vicious, þat not oonly Ebrue namys, but ſtraunge ſum and addid caſt to gider it be to demyn. Ne þat to þe ſeuenty remenours, þe whiche ful of þe Hooly Gooſt þo þinges þat weren ſoþe tranſlatiden, bot to þe blame of wrijters it is to wijten, while of þe vnamendid þei wrijten vnamendide þingis; and oft ſiþes þre namys, ſilables wiþ drawen fro þe mydil, þei drijuen in to oon name; or aȝeinward, for þe brede, þei deuyden in two or in þre namys. Bot and þilk nemenyngis, not men, as many eymen, bot cytees, and regiouns, and wodis, and prouynces ſownen; and aſide, vndur þe remenynge and þe figure of hem, ſum ſtories ben told, of þe whiche in þe boke of Kyngis it is ſeyde, Loo! wheþer not þes ben writen in þe bokis of þe wordis of þe days of kyngis of Juda; þe whiche forſoþe in oure bokis ben not had. Þis firſt is to wyten, þat anentis þe Ebruys Paralipomenon be a boke, and anentis hem be clepid Dabregemyn, þat is, þe wordis of days; þe whiche for mychilneſſe anentis us is deuydid. Þe whiche þing ſum men alſo in þe Brute, dialog of Ciþeron, don, þat it in þre parties þei deuyden, whanne oon of his autour it be maad. Þer aftir alſo þat þei taken heede, þat oft ſiþes names ſownen not names of men, bot, as I haue ſeide, betokenyngis of þingis. At þe laſt, þat al lernynge of ſcripturis in þis boke is conteenyd; and þe ſtories oþer þat ben laft in þeir placis, oþer liȝtly touched, here by ſum maner ſchort ſentencis of wordis ben opned. And ſo I, holpen wiþ help of ȝoure preyers, haue ſente þe boke to pleſen to wele willid men; neuer þe later I doute not, it to ben to diſpleſen to enuyous men. Forſoþe, as ſeiþ Plynye, ſum men han leuere alle beſt þingis ſeen to diſpiſen, þanne to lernen. Ȝif eny man in þis remenyng wille eny þing repreuen, aſke he þe Ebrues, remembre he his conſcience, ſee he þe order and þe text of þe word; and þanne, ȝif he may, putte he blame to oure traueil. Þan wher euer ȝe ſeen aſterichos, þat is, ſterres, to ſchynen in þis volume, þere wijte ȝe of Ebrue added, þat in Latyne bokis is not had; wher forſoþe obelus ouerturned, þat is, a ȝerde, is ſette before, þere is betokened what þe ſeuenty remenours addeden, or for grace of feyrneſſe, or for autorite of þe Hooly Gooſt; and in Ebrue volumes it is not rad.