Prolog to Þe ſecunde piſtle to TymoÞe edit
Alſo he wrytiþ to Tymoþe of þe exortacioun of martirdom, and of al þe reule of treuþe; and what beþ to comynge in þe laſte tymes, and of his owne paſſioun; writinge to him fro Rome cite.
Here endiþ þe prolog, and bigynneþ þe piſtle.
Capitulum I. edit
Poul, apoſtle of Jheſu Criſt, bi þe wille of God, vp þe biheeſte of lyf þat is in Criſt Jheſu, to Tymoþe, his mooſte dereworþe ſone, grace, mercy, and pees of God oure fadir, and Jheſu Criſt, oure Lord. I do þankyngis to my God, to whom I ſerue fro my progenitours in clene conſcience, for wiþouten ceeſſyng I haue mynde of þee in my preieris, nyȝt and day, deſyringe for to ſe þee; I myndeful of þi teeris, þat I be wiþ ioye fulfillid; takinge recordinge, or mynde, of þat feiþ, þat is in þee not feyned, þe whiche and dwellide firſt in þin aunte Loyde, and in þi modir Ennyce. Soþli I am certeyn, þat and in þee. For which cauſe I moneſte, þat þou reyſe aȝen þe grace of God, þat is in þee bi þe on puttinge of myne hondis. Soþli God ȝaf not to vs þe ſpirit of drede, but of vertu, and of loue, and ſobreneſſe. And ſo nyle þou ſchame þe witneſſing of oure Lord Jheſu, neþer me, þe boundyn of him; but trauele wiþ me in þe goſpel vp þe vertu of God; þat delyuerede vs, and clepide wiþ his hooli clepyng, not aftir oure workis, but vp his purpos and grace, þat is ȝouyn to vs in Criſt Jheſu bifore worldli tymes; now forſoþ it is opyn bi þe liȝtnyng of oure ſauyour Jheſu Criſt, þe which ſoþli diſtruyede deeþ, forſoþe liȝtnede lyf and vncorupcioun bi þe goſpel. In þe which I am ſett a prechour and apoſtle, and maiſtir of heþen men. For which cauſe alſo I ſuffre þes þingis; but I am not confoundid. Forſoþ I woot to whom I haue bileuyd, and I am certeyn for he is myȝti for to kepe my depooſt, or þing putt in keping, into þat day. Haue þou þe foorme of hool wordis, þe whiche þou herdiſt of me in feiþ and loue in Criſt Jheſu. Kepe þou a good depooſt, or a þing takyn to þi keping, bi þe Hooly Goſt, þat dwelliþ in vs. Soþli þou wooſt, þat alle þat ben in Aſye ben turned fro me, of whiche is Figelus and Ermogenes. Þe Lord ȝyue mercy to þe hous of Onozepherus, for ofte he refreiſchide me, and ſchamyde not my chayne. But whanne he cam to Rome, he ſouȝte me biſyli, and fond. Þe Lord ȝyue to him for to fynde mercy of God in þat day. And how grete þingis he myniſtride to me at Ephecy, þou haſt betere knowe.
Capitulum II. edit
Therfore þou, my ſone, be comfortid in grace þat is in Criſt Jheſu. And what þingis þou haſt herd of me by many witneſſis, bitake þou þeſe to feiþful men, þe whiche ſchulen be able and for to teche oþere men. Trauele þou as a good knyȝt of Criſt Jheſu. No man holdinge knyȝþod to God, inwlappiþ him ſilf wiþ worldli nedis, þat he pleſe to him, to whom he haþ prouyd him ſilf. Forwhi and he þat ſtryueþ, or fiȝtiþ, in batel, ſchal not be crowned, no but he ſchal fiȝt lawfully. It bihoueþ an erþe tilier for to reſceyue firſt of þe fruytis. Vndirſtond þou what þingis I ſeie. Soþli þe Lord ſchal ȝyue to þee in alle þingis vndirſtondyng. Be þou myndeful þe Lord Jheſu Criſt for to haue riſyn aȝen fro deede men, of þe ſeed of Dauid, vp my goſpel, in which I trauele til to boondis, as yuel worchinge, but þe word of God is not boundyn. Þerfore I ſuſteyne alle þingis for þe choſene, þat and þei gete þe heelþe, þat is in Criſt Jheſu, wiþ heuenly glorie. A trewe word, forwhi if we ben to gidere deede, and we ſchulen lyue to gidere; if we ſchulen ſuſteyne, and we ſchulen regne to gidere; if we ſchulen denye, and he ſchal denye vs; if we bileuen not, he dwelliþ feiþful, he may not denye him ſilf. Forſoþ þes þingis I moneſte, witneſſinge bifore God. Nyle þou ſtryue in wordis; forſoþ to no þing it is profitable, no but to þe ſubuertyng of men heeringe. Forſoþe biſyli cure, or kepe, for to ȝyue þi ſelf prouable, or able, werk man to God, vnſchamyd, or worþi not for to be ſchamed, riȝtli tretinge þe word of treuþe. Forſoþ ſchonye þou vnhooli and veyn ſpechis, ſoþli þei profiten moche to vnpite, and þe word of hem crepiþ as a kankir. Of þe which Philete is, and Imeneus, þe whiche felden doun fro þe treuþe, ſeyinge riſynge aȝen now don, and ſubuertiden þe feiþ of ſum men. But þe ſad foundement of God ſtondiþ, hauynge þis litil marke, Þe Lord haþ knowyn whiche ben hiſe, and, Ech man þat nameþ þe name of þe Lord, departiþ fro wickidneſſe. Forſoþ in þe greet hows ben not oonli goldyn veſſels and ſilueren, but and treene and brutil, or erþeli; and ſoþli ſumme in to honour, ſumme forſoþ into diſpit. Þerfore if ony man ſchal clenſe him ſilf fro þeſe, he ſchal be a veſſel halwid into honour, and profytable to þe Lord, redy to al good work. Forſoþe fle þou þe deſyris of ȝouþe; ſoþli ſue þou riȝtwiſneſſe, feiþ, charite, pees, wiþ hem þat inclepen þe Lord of a clene herte. Forſoþ ſchonye þou foltiſche queſtiouns, and wiþoute diſciplyne, witynge for þei gendren chidingis. Forſoþ it bihoueþ þe ſeruaunt of þe Lord for to not chyde; but for to be mylde to alle men, able for to teche, pacient, wiþ temperaunce reprouynge hem þat aȝenſtonden þe treuþe, þat ſum tyme God ȝyue hem penaunce for to knowe þe treuþe, and þei ryſe aȝen fro ſnaris of þe deuyl, of whom þei ben holdyn caytif at his wille.
Capitulum III. edit
Forſoþe wite þou þis þing, þat in þe laſte dayes perelouſe tymes ſchulen ſtonde nyȝ, and men ſchulen be louynge hem ſilf, coueitous, hiȝ of beringe, proude, blasfemes, not obedient to fadir and modir, vnkynde, curſid, wiþoute affeccioun, or good wille, wiþoute pees, fals blameris, vncontynent, vnmylde, wiþoute benygnyte, traitours, proterue, or ouerþwert, bollun wiþ proude þouȝtis, loueris of luſtis more þan of God, hauynge ſoþli þe ſpice, or licneſſe, of pite, forſoþe denyinge þe vertu of it. And eſchewe þou þeſe. Of þeſe ſoþli þei ben þat peerſen houſis, and leeden litle wymmen caytifs chargid wiþ ſynnes, þe whiche ben ledd wiþ diuerſe deſyris, euermore lernynge, and neuere perfitly comyng to ſcience of treuþe. Forſoþ as Jannes and Mambre aȝen ſtooden Moyſes, ſo and þeſe aȝen ſtonden treuþe, men corupt in ſoule, or vndirſtondynge, reproued aboute þe feiþ. But ferþer þei ſchulen not profyte, ſoþli þe vnwyſdom of hem ſchal be knowen to alle men, as and hern was. Forſoþ þou haſt getyn my teching, and ordynaunce, purpoſyng, feiþ, longe abidyng, loue, pacience, perſecuciouns, paſſiouns, what maner ben maad to me at Antyoche, at Iconye, at Liſtris, what maner perſecuciouns I ſuffride, and þe Lord haþ delyuered me of alle. And alle men þat wolen lyue piteuouſly in Criſt Jheſu, ſchulen ſuffre perſecucioun. Forſoþ yuel men and diſceyueris ſchulen profyte into worſe, errynge, and ſendyng into errour. But dwelle þou in þeſe þingis þat þou haſt lerd, and ben bitakun to þee, witynge of whom þou haſt lerud; and for þou haſt knowun hooly lettris fro þi ȝongþe, or childhod, þe whiche mouwn lerne þee to heelþ, by feiþ þat is in Criſt Jheſu. Forſoþ al ſcripture of God ynſpyrid is profitable to teche, to arguwe, or proue, to reproue, for to lerne in riȝtwyſneſſe, þat þe man of God be perfyt, lerud to al good werk.
Capitulum IIII. edit
I witneſſe, or preie, or coniure, bifore God and Criſt Jheſu, þat is to demynge þe quyk and deed, by þe comynge of hym, and þe kyngdom of him, preche þe word, be þou biſy couenably wiþ oute reſte, arguwe, or proue, biſeche, blame in al pacience and doctryn. Forſoþ tyme ſchal be, whanne men ſchulen not ſuſteyne, or ſuffre, hool, or holſum, teching, but at her deſyris þei ſchulen gadere to gidere maiſtris ȝitchinge, or pleſynge, to þe eeris. And treuly þei ſchulen turne awey þe heeringe fro treuþe, but to fablis þei ſchulen turne to gidere. Forſoþe wake þou, in alle þingis trauele þou, do þe work of euangeliſt, fulfille þi ſeruyſe, or office, be þou ſobre. Forſoþ I am ſacrifyſid now, and þe tyme of my reſolucioun, or deeþ, is nyȝ. I haue ſtryuyn a good ſtryf, I haue endid þe cours, I haue kept þe feiþ. In þe toþir tyme a crowne of riȝtwyſneſſe is kept to me, þe which þe Lord ſchal ȝelde to me in þat day, iuſt domeſman; forſoþ not oonly to me, but and to þeſe þat louen his comyng. Hiȝe for to come to me ſoone. Forſoþ Demas haþ forſakyn me, louynge þis world, and wente to Teſſalonyk, Creſſens into Galaþie, Tyte into Dalmatichy; Luk aloone is wiþ me. Taak Mark, and lede to wiþ þee; forſoþ he is profitable to me into ſeruyſe. Titicus ſoþeli I ſente to Epheſi. Penulam, þat is, cloþ of Romayns, or book, which I lefte at Troade at Carpe, þou comyng bryng wiþ þee, and þe bookis, mooſt forſoþe parchemynus. Aliſaundre, þe treſorer, ſchewide to me manye yuele þingis; þe Lord ſchal ȝelde to hym vp his workis. Whom and þou eſchewe; ful greetli forſoþ he aȝenſtood my wordis. In my firſte defence no man was to me, but alle forſoken me; be it not rettid to hem. Forſoþ þe Lord ſtood nyȝ to me, and comfortide me, þat þe preching be fulfillid by me, and þat alle folkis heere, and I am delyuered fro mouþ of þe lyoun. Forſoþ þe Lord delyuerede me fro al yuel werk, and ſchal make ſaaf into his heuenli kingdom, to whom glorie into worldis of worldis. Amen. Greete wel Priſca, and Aquyla, and þe hows of Onoſephorus. Forſoþ Eraſtus dwelte, or lefte, at Corynþi. Forſoþ I lefte Trophymus ſyk at Mylete. Soþli hiȝe þou for to come bifore wynter. Embolus, and Prudent, and Lynus, and Claudia, and alle briþeren, greeten þee wel. Oure Lord Jheſu Criſt wiþ þi ſpirit. Þe grace of God wiþ ȝou. Amen.
Here endiþ þe ſecunde piſtle to Tymoþe, and bigynneþ þe prolog to Tyte.