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¹ Forsothe Dauid cam in to Nobe to Achimelech preest; and Achymelech wondrid, for Dauid `hadde come; and he seide to Dauid, Whi art thou aloone, and no man is with thee?<sup>2</sup> And Dauid seide to Achymelech preest, The kyng comaundide to me a word, and seide, No man wite the thing, for which thou art sent fro me, and what maner comaundementis Y yaf to thee; for Y seide also to children, that thei schulden go in to that `and that place;³ now therfor if thou hast ony thing at hond, ether fyue looues, yyue thou to me, ether what euer thing thou fyndist.⁴ And the preest answeride to Dauid, and seide to hym, Y haue `not lewid, `that is, comyn, looues at hoond, but oneli hooli breed; whether the children ben clene, and moost of wymmen?⁵ And Dauid answeride to the preest, and seide to hym, And sotheli if it is doon of wymmen, we absteyneden vs fro yistirdai and the thridde dai ago, whanne we yeden out, and the `vessels, that is, bodies, of the children weren cleene; forsothe this weie is defoulyd, but also that schal be halewid to dai in the vessels.<sup>6</sup> Therfor the preest yaf to hym halewid breed, for noon other breed was there, no but oneli looues of settyng forth, that weren takun awey fro the face of the Lord, that hoote looues schulen be set.<sup>7</sup> Forsothe sum man of the seruauntis of Saul was there with ynne in the tabernacle of the Lord; and his name was Doech of Ydumee, the myytiest of the scheepherdis, `that is, iugis, of Saul.⁸ Forsothe Dauid seide to Achymelech, If thou hast `here at hond spere, ether swerd, yyue to me; for Y took not with me my swerd and myn armeris; for the `word of the kyng constreynede me.⁹ And the preest seide, Lo! here the swerd of Goliath Filistei, whom thou killidst in the valey of Terebynte, is wlappid in a cloth aftir ephoth; if thou wolt take this, take thou; for here is noon other outakun that. And Dauid seide, Noon other is lijk this, yyue thou it to me.

¹⁰ Therfor Dauid roos, `and fledde in that dai fro the face of Saul, and cam to Achis, the kyng of Geth.<sup>11</sup> And the seruauntis of Achis seiden to hym, whanne thei hadden seyn Dauid, Whether this is not Dauid, kyng of the lond? Whether thei sungen not to hym bi queeris, and seiden, Saul smoot a thousynde, and Dauid smoot ten thousynde?<sup>12</sup> Sotheli Dauid puttide these wordis `in his herte, and he dredde greetli of the face of Achis, kyng of Geth.¹³ And Dauid chaungide his mouth bifor Achis, and felde doun bitwixe her hondis, and he hurtlide ayens the doris of the yate, and his drauelis, `that is, spotelis, flowiden doun in to the beerd.¹⁴ And Achis seide to hise seruauntis, Seen ye the wood man? why brouyten ye hym to me? ¹⁵ whether wood men failen to vs? whi han ye brouyt in hym, that he schulde be wood, while Y am present? Delyuere ye hym fro hennus, lest he entre in to myn hows.