Matthew(i)
1 Bvt mourne thou for the princes of Israel,
2 & saye: Wherfore laye thy mother that lionesse amonge the lions, & noryshed her yonge ones amonge the lyons whelpes?
3 One of her whelpes she brought vp, and it became a lyon it learned to spoyle, and to deuoure folcke.
4 The Heathen hearde of him, and toke hym in their nettes, and brought him in chaynes vnto the lande of Egipte.
5 Now when the damme sawe, that all her hope and comforth was awaye, she toke another of her whelpes, and made a lyon of him
6 which went amonge the lyons, and became a fearce lion, learned to spoyle and to deuoure folcke:
7 he destroyed their palaces, and made their cities waste. In so muche that the whole lande and euery thinge therin, were vtterlye desolate, thorow the very voyce of his roarynge.
8 Then came the Heathen together on euery side oute of all countreyes againste him, layed their nettes for him, and toke him in their pitte.
9 So they bounde him with chaynes, and brought him to the kinge of Babilon: which put him in preson, that his voyce shoulde nomore be hearde vpon the mountaynes of Israel.
10 As for thy mother, she is like a vyne in thy bloude, planted by the water syde: her frutes and braunches are growen out of many waters,
11 her stalkes were so stronge, that men myght haue made staues thereof for officers: she grow so hye in her stalckes. So when men sawe that she exceaded the heyght and multytude of her braunches,
12 she was roted out in displeasure, and cast doune to the grounde. The East wynde dryed vp her frute, her stronge stalkes were broken of wythered and brent in the fyre.
13 But now she is planted in the wildernesse, in a drye and thurstye grounde.
14 And there is a fyre gone out of her stalckes, which hath brent vp her braunches and her frute: so that she hath no mo stronge stalckes, to be staues for offycers. This is a pyteous and miserable thynge.