¶The testament of Ioseph whych was translated oute of Greke into Latyne by a certayn bysshop of lyncoln called (by hys Syrname) Grosthede, and into Englishe, by wyllyam Freloue.
Reade thys prety & wholsome volume, that maye theach the to fle from the abhominable synne of adultery.
Prynted by Rychard grafton and Edward whytchurch.
1530.
Cum priuilegio ad imprimend: in solum.
The prol [...]gue
HOwe thys booke was found, and cā to lyght, ād of what aucthoryte it is; bryfely here after shalbe declaryd. By cause the history is of the Iewys, it apperyth the same to haue bene wrytyne in their proper tōge or lāguage, whiche is Hebrew ād they beynge malyciouse agaynst Chrysten people kept the same secret many yeris that it should not come abrode, specially by cause of a certayne prophecy whych is in the ende touchyng the byrthe of Chryst whych is greatly to theyr reprofe & shame. Thus after certayne yeris the Grekes which be great serchers for the scrypture confesse theym selfes that they opteynyd it ād trāslatyd it out of the Hebrew, & so it remainyd amōge the grekes many yerys after, by cause ther was veray [Page] fewe foūd y e tyme whych were experte in both tounges: that is to saye in the Greke and Latyne. Vntyll such Season a certayne byshop of lyncoln here in Englond callyd Robert the Secōd and by hys Syrname Grosthed, whyche had herde herof, being also that tyme namyd a man of greate fame and lernyn [...] sent forthe hys spyes or messengers & commaūdyd them to spare f [...]rno costes to serche for suche antique wrytynges. And in the yere of oure Lorde. M.cc.xlij. he opteynyd and translatyd the same out of the Greke into the Latyne. whych reprouyth vice and abhomynable adulterye, and magnyfieth, a chaft lyfe & matrymonye. All thys is cō sonant vnto god [...]s worde accordynge to hys sayeng: he that is not against vs is with vs, this causeth me to thynk it to be of suffycyent [Page] aucthorite. Finally, it d [...] h [...] puerly set forth chast matrymony and shewyth what grace and haboundance of goodnes commyth therby that it shuld be ynough to conuerte a pagayne from abhomynable lyuynge, and to ensew the holly lyfe of Ioseph, wherof the hystory folowynge makyth mencyon, whych Ioseph was one of the .xij. patriarkes: and the tytle or name of the whole boke is callyd the Testamē tes of the said .xij. patriarkes, whyche be full of the spyrite of Prophecye. I entende therfore to translate moo of theym wyth the permyssyon of God, yf time ād place shall geue occasyon. Now God hym selfe which gyuythe lyght to all creatures hathe sent thys amonge hys people as a myrroure to loke in, accordynge to hys holly worde sayenge. Nothynge is hydden that [Page] shall [...]ot be made opyne.
¶ Yf thys volume beynge but the Testament of one of the patriarckes, shall be thankfully receaued of the good reader. Then shall I yf God permyt, do myne endeuour that thou mayst haue all the rest.
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