The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

[Here bigynnen the Prouerbis of Sa|lomon [From EM. Here bygynnen the Prouerbis. G. Heere bigynnith the book of Prouerbis. I. Here biginnith the Prouerbis of Salomon. Pç. No initial rubric in the other Mss.] .] CAP. I.

[verse 1] The parablis of Salomon, the sone of [verse 2] Dauid, king of Israel; to kunne wisdom [verse 3] and kunnyng; to vndurstonde the wordis of prudence; and to take the lernyng of teching; to take riȝtfulnesse, and dom, and [verse 4] equyte; that felnesse [felnesse, or warnesse V.] [felnesse; to eschewe yuelis. Lire here C.] be ȝouun to litle children [children; that is, symple men. Lire here. C et alii.] , and kunnyng, and vndurstond|ing to a ȝong wexynge man. [verse 5] A wise man heringe schal be wisere [the wisere I.] ; and a man vn|durstondinge schal holde gouernails. [verse 6] He schal perseyue a parable, and expown|yng [the expownyng I.] [expownyng; that is, in se|inge the veri vndurstonding thereof. Lire here. C.] ; the wordis of wise men, and the derk figuratif spechis of hem. [verse 7] The [Om. I.] drede of the Lord is the bigynning of wisdom; foolis dispisen wisdom and teching. [verse 8] My sone, here thou the teching of thi fadir [fadir; that is, God. and thi modir; that is, of hooli chirche. Lire here. C.] , and forsake thou not the lawe of thi [verse 9] modir; that grace be addid, ethir en|creessid [encreesse W.] , to thin heed, and a bie [and a bie, etc.; bi eld tyme wise men weren wont to haue a goldun bie, in signe of wis|dom. Lire here. C.] to thi necke. [verse 10] Mi sone, if synneris flateren thee, assente thou not to hem. [verse 11] If thei seien, Come thou with vs, sette we aspies to blood [schede blood I.] , hide we snaris of disseitis aȝens [verse 12] an innocent without cause; swolowe we him, as helle swolowith a man lyuynge; and al hool, as goynge doun in to a lake;

[verse 13] we schulen fynde al preciouse catel, we schulen fille oure housis with spuylis [robries I.] [spuylis; that is, richessis rauyschid fro the innocentis hows. Lire here. C.] ; [verse 14] sende [putte I.] thou lot with vs, o purs be [be ther I.] of vs [verse 15] alle; my sone, go thou not with hem; forbede thi foot fro the pathis of hem. [verse 16] For the feet of hem rennen to yuel; and thei hasten to schede out blood. [verse 17] But a net [net; bi the net is signefied disseit of wick|id men, and this is set forth in veyn to wise men, that han iȝen to se yuel suynge, and ben wyngid bi vertu to eschewe it. Lire here. C.] is leid in veyn [in veyn; ben disseitis or dis|seyuable wordis putte bifore vertuouse wise men. Ka.] bifore the iȝen [bifor the iȝen; that is, bifor briddis seinge scharpeli the peril, and eschewinge bi fliȝt. C.] of briddis, that han wengis. [verse 18] Also `thilke wickid disseyueris setten [thei setten I. that setten S.] aspies aȝens her owne blood; and maken redi fraudis [fraudis, or gijles I.] aȝens her soulis. [verse 19] So the pathis of ech auerouse man rauyschen [rauyschen or taken awey I.] [rauyschen, etc.; that is, alien thing to helle. Lire here. CNa.] the soulis of hem that welden [that is, wisdam K marg.] . [verse 20] Wisdom [Wisdom; that is, God, wisdom with out bigyn|nyng. prech|ith; bi profetis and techeris. in stretis; for thei that han hoolsum doc|tryn, techen in comyn places, as aȝenward thei that han yuel doctryn and suspect, techen in priuy places; for he that doith yuele, hatith liȝt, and he cometh not to the liȝt, lest hise werkis ben repreued, but he that doith truthe, cometh to the liȝt, that hise werkis be schewid, for tho ben doon in God, as Crist seith, in iij. co. of Joon. Lire here. C.] prechith with outforth; in stretis it ȝyueth his vois. [verse 21] It crieth ofte in the heed of cumpenyes; in the leeues of ȝatis of the citee it [verse 22] bringith forth hise wordis, and seith, Hou long, ȝe [Om. I.] litle men in wit, louen [louen ȝe I.] ȝong childhod [childhod; that is, wan|tonnesse. Lire here. CNVa.] , and foolis schulen coueyte tho thingis, that ben harmful to hem silf, and [and hou longe I.] vnprudent men schulen hate kun|nyng? [verse 23] Be ȝe conuertid at my repreu|yng; lo, Y schal profre [brynge ceteri.] forth to ȝou my spirit, and Y schal schewe my wordis. [verse 24] For Y clepide [Y clepide; that is, bi wise men and pro|fetis. noon was, etc.; that is, fewe bihelden, in comparisoun of the multitude. Lire here. C.] , and ȝe forsoken; Y helde forth myn hond, and noon was [ther was I.] that bi|helde. [verse 25] Ȝe dispisiden [haue dispisid I.] al my councel; and chargiden not my blamyngis. [verse 26] And Y schal leiȝe in ȝoure perisching; and Y schal scorne [bymowe NY.] ȝou, whanne that, that ȝe dreden, cometh to ȝou. [verse 27] Whanne sodeyne wretch|idnesse fallith in, and perisching [spillyng I.] bifallith as tempest; whanne tribulacioun and an|gwisch cometh [comen I.] on ȝou. [verse 28] Thanne thei schulen clepe me, and Y schal not here [schal nothere; for the tyme of merit is passid, as to deed men, ether for thei that synnen repenten not verily, that is, for the loue of good, but onely for drede, and hidousnesse of peyne. Lire here. C.] ; thei schulen rise eerli, and thei schulen not fynde me. [verse 29] For [For cause that I.] thei hatiden [hadden I.] teching [teching in hate I.] , and [and for I.] thei token not the [Om. I.] drede of the [verse 30] Lord, nether [nether thei I.] assentiden to my councel, and [and thei I.] depraueden al myn amendyng. [verse 31] Ther|for thei schulen ete the fruytis [ete the fruytis, etc.; that is, schulen be pu|nyschid bi her yuele werkis. Lire here. CV.] of her weie; and thei schulen be fillid with her

counseils. [verse 32] The turnyng awei of litle men in wit schal sle hem; and the prosperite of foolis schal leese [fordo I.] hem. [verse 33] But he that herith [wel herith I.] me [he that her|ith me; that is, obeyeth to Goddis heestis. abundaunce; of goostli goodis, and of the hiȝeste good in blis. Lire here. C.] , schal reste with outen drede; and he schal vse abundaunce, whanne the drede of yuels is takun awei.