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¹ Forsothe Samuel took `a vessel of oyle, and schedde out on the heed of Saul, and kisside hym, and seide, Lo! the Lord hath anoyntid thee in to prince on hys eritage; and thou schalt delyuere his puple fro the hond of his enemyes, that ben `in his cumpas. And this a tokene to thee, that the Lord hath anoyntid thee in to prince;² whanne thou schalt go fro me to day, thou schalt fynde twei men bisidis `the sepulcre of Rachel, in `the endis of Beniamyn, in myddai, clensynge grete dichis; and thei schulen seie to thee, The femel assis ben foundun, whiche thou yedist to seke; and while the assis ben lefte, thi fadir is bisy for you, and seith, What schal Y do of my sone?³ And whanne thou hast go fro thennus, and hast passid ferthere, and hast come to the ook of Tabor, thre men, stiynge to God in to Bethel, schulen fynde thee there, o man berynge thre kydis, and another man berynge thre kakis of breed, and an other man berynge a galoun of wyn.⁴ And whanne thei han gret thee, thei schulen yyue to thee twei loues, and thou schalt take of `the hond of hem.<sup>5</sup> After these thingis thou schalt come in to the `hil of the Lord, where is the stondyng, that is, forselet, of Filisteis; and whanne thou schalt entre in to the citee, there thou schalt haue metynge thee the flok of prophetis comynge doun fro the hiy place, and a sautree, and tympane, and pipe, and harpe bifor hem, and hem prophesiynge.⁶ And the Spirit of the Lord schal skippe in to thee, and thou schalt prophecie with hem, and thou schalt be chaungid in to another man.⁷ Therfor whanne alle thesse signes bifallen to thee, do thou, what euer thingis thin hond fyndith, `that is, dispose thee to regne comelili and myytily, for the Lord is with thee.⁸ And thou schalt go doun bifor me in to Galgala; for Y schal come doun to thee, that thou offre an offryng, and offre pesible sacrifices; bi seuene daies thou schalt abide, til I come to thee, and shewe to thee what thou schal do.

⁹ Therfor whanne Saul hadde turnede awei his schuldre to go fro Samuel, God chaungide another herte to Saul, and alle these signes camen in that dai.¹⁰ And thei camen to the forseid hil, and lo! a cumpeny of prophetis metynge hym; and the Spirit of the Lord `scippide on hym, and he propheciede in the myddis of hem.<sup>11</sup> Sotheli alle men, that knewen hym yisterdai and the thrid dai ago, sien that he was with the prophetis, and that he prophesiede, and thei seiden togidere, What thing bifelde to the sone of Cys? Whether also Saul is among prophetis?<sup>12</sup> And o man answeride to another man, and seide, And who is `his fadir? Therfor it was turned in to a prouerbe, Whether also Saul is among prophetis?¹³ Forsothe Saul ceside to prophesie, and he cam to an hiy place.¹⁴ And the brothir of `the fadir of Saul seide to hym, and to his child, Whidur yeden ye? And thei answeriden, To seke the femal assis; and whanne we founden `not thoo, we camen to Samuel.¹⁵ And the brother of his fadir seide to hym, Schewe thou to me what Samuel seide to thee.¹⁶ And Saul seide to `the brother of hys fadir, He schewide to vs, that the femal assis weren foundun. Sotheli Saul schewide not to hym of the word of rewme, `which word Samuel spak to hym.

¹⁷ And Samuel clepide togidere the puple to the Lord in Masphat;¹⁸ and he seide to the sones of Israel, The Lord God of Israel seith these thingis, Y ledde Israel out of the lond of Egipt, and Y delyuerede you fro the hond of Egipcians, and fro the hond of alle kyngis that turmentiden you.¹⁹ Forsothe to day ye han caste awei youre Lord God, which aloone sauyde you fro alle youre yuelis and tribulaciouns; and ye seiden, Nay, but ordeyne thou a kyng on vs. Now therfor stonde ye bifor the Lord bi youre lynagis, and bi meynees.²⁰ And Samuel settide to gidere alle the lynages of Israel, and lot felde on the lynage of Beniamyn.²¹ And he settide togidere the lynage of Beniamyn, and the meynees therof; and lot felde on the meynees of Mathri, and it cam `til to Saul, the son of Cys. Therfor thei souyten hym, and he was not foundun there.<sup>22</sup> And aftir these thingis thei counseliden the Lord, whether Saul schulde come thidur. And the Lord answeride, Lo! he is hid at hoom.<sup>23</sup> Therfor thei runnen, and token hym fro thennus; and he stood in the myddil of the puple, and was hiyere than al the puple fro the schulder and `aboue.²⁴ And Samuel seide to al the puple, Certis ye seen whom the Lord hath chose; for noon in al the puple is lijk hym. And al the puple cryede, and seide, Lyue the kyng!²⁵ Forsothe Samuel spak to the puple the lawe of rewme, and wroot in a book, and puttide vp bifor the Lord. And Samuel dilyuerede al the puple, ech man in to his hows;²⁶ but also Saul yede in to his hous in to Gabaath; and the part of the oost yede with hym, whose hertis God hadde touchid.²⁷ Forsothe the sones of Belyal seiden, Whether this man may saue vs? And thei dispisiden hym, and brouyten not yiftis, `that is, preisyngis, to him; forsothe he `dissymelide hym to here.