HOwe thys booke was found , and can to lyght , and of what aucthoryte it is ; bryfely here after shal be declaryd . By cause the history is of the Iewys , it apperyth the same to haue bene wrytyne in their proper tonge or language , whiche is Hebrew and they beynge malyciouse agaynst Chrysten people kept the same secret many yeris that it should not come abrode , specially by cause of a certayne prophecy whych is in the ende touchyng the byrthe of Chryst whych is greatly to theyr reprofe & shame . Thus after certayne yeris the Grekes which be great serchers for the scrypture confesse theym selfes that they opteynyd it and translatyd it out of the Hebrew , & so it remainyd amonge the grekes many yerys after , by cause ther was veray fewe found the tyme whych were experte in both tounges : that is to saye in the Greke and Latyne . Vntyll such Season a certayne byshop of lyncoln here in Englond callyd Robert the Second and by hys Syrname Grosthed , whyche had herde herof , being also that tyme namyd a man of greate fame and lernyn●● sent forthe hys spyes or messengers & commaundyd them to spare f●rno costes to serche for suche antique wrytynges . And in the yere of oure Lorde . M.cc.xlij . he opteynyd and translatyd the same out of the Greke into the Latyne . whych reprouyth vice and abhomynable adulterye , and magnyfieth , a chaft lyfe & matrymonye . All thys is consonant vnto god●●s worde accordynge to hys sayeng : he that is not against vs is with vs , this causeth me to thynk it to be of suffycyent aucthorite . Finally , it d● h●●● puerly set forth chast matrymony and shewyth what grace and haboundance of goodnes commyth therby that it shuld be ynough to conuerte a pagayne from abhomynable lyuynge , and to ensew the holly lyfe of Ioseph , wherof the hystory folowynge makyth mencyon , whych Ioseph was one of the .xij. patriarkes : and the tytle or name of the whole boke is callyd the Testamentes of the said .xij. patriarkes , whyche be full of the spyrite of Prophecye . I entende therfore to translate moo of theym wyth the permyssyon of God , yf time and place shall geue occasyon . Now God hym selfe which gyuythe lyght to all creatures hathe sent thys amonge hys people as a myrroure to loke in , accordynge to hys holly worde sayenge . Nothynge is hydden that shall ●ot be made opyne .

¶ Yf thys volume beynge but the Testament of one of the patriarckes , shall be thankfully receaued of the good reader . Then shall I yf God permyt , do myne endeuour that thou mayst haue all the rest .

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