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Of Antecristes commyng
That tyme when God wil suffre before the [day] of dome,To tempte and pursue cristen men Anticrist sal come.
He sal be born in Babiloyn of the kynd of Dan,
That sum tyme her in erth of Iacob childer was an.
He sal regne in Iersalem and himself [Crist] call;
Then many of the[s] wretched Iewes sal fast til him fall.
When he mas him God, his gode aungel sal him forsake;
Then the fend sal him enspir and hede of wikkednes make.
He sal feyne thurgh fendes craft ner al Cristes meruailes,
Bot ay in him charite, mercy, and meknes failes.
Simple men sal he deceyue with miracles-doyng,
Couetous with gret giftes and gode with punysching.
He sal make men as God to adour his ymage,
And on thair [forehed] bere a mark of his seruage.
Whoso has noȝt that mark, sal nouther bye ne sell,
Bot Antecristes tyrant sal thaim to ded quell.
Be reson and in haly writ it is Goddes sawe:
Thurgh payn sal God neuer stresse man to forsake his lawe,
Bot what as any man dos her with his fre will,
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Betwix Antecristes comyng and his gret ill-doyng
Sal Ely and Ennok com preche for mennes sauyng;
Then Antecrist sal sle thaim in Iersalem,
And God sal raise thaim to lif and tak thaim to his leme.
Bot thre ȝere and a half sal Antecrist haue maistry,
For to saue his chosen that ordayns Goddes mercy.
Then thurgh Goddes myȝt sal that wikked be slayn,
And all chosen that trespast then sal turne agayn.
The[n] ful many Iewes sal turne to Cristes lawe,
And hali kirk sal liue in pes out of tyrantȝ awe
Shortir tyme or lenger til that Crist wil come,
To make the worldes ende and gif his grete dome.
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