Þe Prolog in Þe firſt boke of Paralipomenon
Ȝif þe makynge of þe ſeuenty remenours abyde ſtyll pure, and as it is turned of hem in to Greek, my Chromati, holieſt and wyſeſt of byſchopis, in veyn þou ſchuldiſt bydden me þat I tranſlate to þee Ebreu volymes in Latyn word. Forſoþe þat haþ ocupied onys þe eris of men, and haþ ſtreynþid þe feiþ of þe waxynge chirche, riȝtwijs was alſo wiþ oure ſylence to be apreued. Nowe forſoþe whan dyuerſe ſaumplers ben born for þe dyuerſite of regyouns, and þilk olde germeyn tranſlacyoun is corrupt and defoulid, þou wenyſt of oure dome to ben, ouþer to ſchewen of manye whiche be verrey, ouþer a new werk to maken in old werk, þe Jewis forſoþe ſcornynge, þat, as it is ſeid, to fytche to gyder eeȝen of curluris. Aliſaunder and Egipt in þeir ſeuenty preyſen auctour Euſichy; Conſtantynople vnto Antioche apreuiþ þe ſaumpleris of martir Lucyan; þe mene prouynces bytwene þes reden Paleſtynes bokis, þe whiche out trauayld of Origene, Euſebe and Pamphilie puppliſcheden; and al þe world bytwene hem ſelue in þis þre maner dyuerſite fiȝtiþ to gyder. And certis Origenes not oonly exſaumplis maad in oon of foure makyngis, forn aȝeyn alle þe wordis diſcryuynge, þat þe oon diſcordynge, þe toþer betwene hem ſilf acordynge, anoon be vndernomyn; bot, þat is of more hardyneſſe, in þe makynge of þe ſeuenty he mengide þe makynge of Theodocioun, þat is, markynge þat weren to lytyl wiþ ſygnys of a ſterre, and þat weren ſeen ouermych leid to, wiþ lityl ȝerdis. Ȝif þanne to oþer it was leful not to holden þat oons þei hadden taken; and aftir ſeuenty lytyll ſellis, þe whiche wiþ outen auctour of þe comoun ben booſtid, þei opneden alle þe ſellis, þat forſoþe in þe chirche is rad þat þe ſeuenty knewyn not; why me taken not my Latyn men, þe whiche han maad ſo þe newe wiþ þe olde makynge vndefoulid, þat my traueyl I preue wiþ þe Ebrewis, and, þat is more þan þeſe, wiþ þe Apoſtlis auctours. I wrote not ȝore a boke of þe beſt maner of remenynge, ſchewynge þo þingis of þe euangely, Fro Egipt I haue clepide myn ſone, and, Þat Naȝare he ſchal be clepid, and, Þei ſchul ſeen in whome þei han pungid; and þat of þe apoſtle, Þat eeȝe haþ not ſeen, ne ere haþ herde, ne in to þe hert of man haþ ſteyȝide up, þe whiche God haþ maad redye before to þe louynge hym; and oþer lijc to þes, in þe bokis of Ebrewis to ben founden. Certis þe apoſtlis and þe euaungeliſtis hadden knowen þe ſeuenty remenours, and whenns þat to hem to ſeyn þo þingis þat in þe ſeuenty ben not had? Criſt, oure God, is maker of eiþer teſtament, in euangelie aftir Joon, Who leuiþ, he ſeiþ, in me, as ſeiþ þe ſcripture, flodis of his wombe ſchul flowen quyke waters. Forſoþe it is writen, þat þe Saueoure witneſſiþ to ben writen; where it is writen, þe ſeuenty han not; þe hyd þingis knowiþ not þe chirche. To þe Ebrewis þan it is to turnen aȝeyn, wherof and þe Lord ſpekiþ, and þe diſciplis beforn taken exſaumplis. Þes þingis bi peſe of olde men I ſpeke, and to my bacbyters oonly I anſwer, þe whiche gnawen me wiþ a dogge toþe, in opyn bacbytynge, reedynge in corners, and acuſatours and defendours, whann in oþer men þey apreuen þat in me þei repreuen; as vertue and vice ben not in þe þingis, bot wiþ þe autour ben chaungid. Bot I haue had mynde þe makyng of þe ſeuenty tranſlatours, ſumtyme fro Greke amendid, me to haue ȝeuen to ȝoure, and not enmye of hem owyn to ben eymed, whome in þe couent of breþeren euermore I ſchal expownen. And þat Debregemyn, þat is, þe wordis of days, I haue remened, þerfore I haue don þat I myȝte bryng to riȝt þe inſolible lettyngis and þe wodis of namys, þe whiche, þorȝ vice of writers, ben confoundid, and þe dulnes of wittis, more opynly, and by diſtyncciouns of verſe; to me my ſilf and to my wrytynge aftir Hiſmenyum, ȝif eris of oþer ben dowmbe.