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¹ Also wymmen be thei suget to her hosebondis; that if ony man bileue not to the word, bi the conuersacioun of wymmen thei be wonnun with out word.² And biholde ye in drede youre hooli conuersacioun.³ Of whiche `ther be not with outforth curious ournyng of heer, ether doyng aboute of gold, ethir ournyng of clothing;⁴ but thilke that is the hid man of herte, in vncorrupcioun, and of mylde spirit, which is riche in the siyt of God.⁵ For so sumtyme hooli wymmen hopinge in God ourneden hem silf, and weren suget to her owne hosebondis.⁶ As Sara obeied to Abraham, and clepide hym lord; of whom ye ben douytris wel doynge, and not dredynge ony perturbacioun.⁷ Also men dwelle togidre, and bi kunnyng yyue ye onoure to the wommanus freeltee, as to the more feble, and as to euen eiris of grace and of lijf, that youre preieris be not lettid.

⁸ And in feith alle of oon wille in preier be ye eche suffringe with othere, loueris of britherhod, merciful, mylde, meke;⁹ not yeldinge yuel for yuel, nether cursing for cursing, but ayenward blessinge; for in this thing ye ben clepid, that ye welde blessinge bi eritage.¹⁰ For he that wole loue lijf, and se goode daies, constreyne his tunge from yuel, and hise lippis, that thei speke not gile.¹¹ And bowe he from yuel, and do good; seke he pees, and perfitli sue it.¹² For the iyen of the Lord ben on iust men, and hise eris on the preieris of hem; but the cheer of the Lord is on men that don yuels.¹³ And who is it that schal anoye you, if ye ben sueris and louyeris of goodnesse?¹⁴ But also if ye suffren ony thing for riytwisnesse, ye ben blessid; but drede ye not the drede of hem, that ye be not disturblid.¹⁵ But halewe ye the Lord Crist in youre hertis, and euermore be ye redi to satisfaccioun to ech man axynge you resoun of that feith and hope that is in you,

¹⁶ but with myldenesse and drede, hauynge good conscience; that in that thing that thei bacbiten of you, thei ben confoundid, whiche chalengen falsly youre good conuersacioun in Crist.¹⁷ For it is betere that ye do wel, and suffre, if the wille of God wole, than doynge yuele.

¹⁸ For also Crist onys diede for oure synnes, he iust for vniust, that he schulde offre to God vs, maad deed in fleisch, but maad quik in spirit.¹⁹ For which thing he cam in spirit, and also to hem that weren closid togidre in prisoun prechide;²⁰ whiche weren sum tyme vnbileueful, whanne thei abididen the pacience of God in the daies of Noe, whanne the schip was maad, in which a few, that is to seie, eiyte soulis weren maad saaf bi water.

²¹ And so baptym of lijk forme makith vs saaf; not the puttyng awei of the filthis of fleisch, but the axyng of a good conscience in God, bi the ayenrysyng of oure Lord Jhesu Crist, that is in the riyt half of God,²² and swolewith deth, that we schulden be made eiris of euerlastinge lijf. He yede in to heuene, and aungelis, and powers, and vertues, ben maad sugetis to hym.