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

CAP. VII.

[verse 1] Mi sone, kepe thou my wordis [my wordis; in fillinge tho bi werk, and kepinge as a preciousere tre|sour. Lire here. C.] ; and kepe [gadre in tresour I.] myn heestis to thee. Sone, onoure [Sone, onoure, etc.; this vers is not in Ebreu. Lire here. C.] thou the Lord, and thou schalt be `myȝti; but outakun hym drede thou not an alien [myche worth, and drede thou noon oother but him I.] . [verse 2] Kepe thou myn heestis, and thou schalt lyue; and [and kepe I.] my lawe as the appil of thin iȝen [iȝe I.] . [verse 3] Bynde thou it in thi fyngris [in thi fyn|gris; that is, fille it in werk. Lire here. CKN.] ; write thou it in the tablis of thin herte. [verse 4] Seie thou to wisdom, Thou art my sistir; and clepe thou prudence thi frendesse [leef I.] . [verse 5] That it kepe thee fro a straunge wom|man [a straunge womman; that is, auoutresse. Lire here. C.] ; and fro an alien womman, that makith hir wordis swete. [verse 6] For whi fro the wyndow [fro the wyn|dow, etc.; that is, priuyte of consience. Lire here. C.] of myn hous bi the latijs Y bihelde; and Y se litle children [litle children; that is, foolis that han litil wit. Lire here. C.] . [verse 7] I bi|holde [verse 8] a ȝong man coward, that passith bi the stretis, bisidis [biside I.] the [a I.] corner; and he [verse 9] goith niȝ the weie of hir hous in derk tyme, whanne the dai drawith to niȝt, in the derknessis [derk|nesse C.] and myst of [in C.] the nyȝt. [verse 10] And lo! a womman, maad redi with our|nement of an hoore to disseyue soulis, meetith hym, and sche is a ianglere, and [verse 11] goynge [a goer I.] about, and vnpacient of reste, and mai not stonde in the hous with hir [verse 12] feet; and now without forth, now in stretis, now bisidis corneris sche `aspieth [spieth C.] . [verse 13] And sche takith, and kissith the ȝong man; and flaterith with wowynge cheer [with wowing cheer; that is, vnresteful, and with out schame. Lire here. C.] , and

[verse 14] seith, Y ouȝte sacrifices [sacrifice A.] [Y ouȝte sacrifice; thus it is in bokis amendid, but summe bokis han, Y auow|ide. Lire here. C.] for heelthe; to dai Y haue ȝolde my vowis. [verse 15] Therfor Y ȝede [wente I.] out in to thi meetyng, and Y desiride to se thee; and Y haue founde thee. [verse 16] Y haue maad my bed with coordis, Y haue [verse 17] arayed [araied it K.] with tapetis peyntid of Egipt; Y haue bispreynt my bed with myrre, and aloes, and canel. [verse 18] Come thou, be we fillid with tetis [with tetis; that is, with toching of tetis. Lire here. C.] , and vse we collyngis that ben [Om. ceteri.] coueitid; til the dai bigynne to be cleer. [verse 19] For myn hosebonde is not in his hows; he is goon a ful long weie. [verse 20] He took with hym a bagge of money; he schal turne aȝen in to his hous in the dai of ful moone. [verse 21] Sche boonde hym [Sche boond him; that is, withhelde and wlappide him in coueytise of fleisch, as in a net. Lire here. C.] with many wordis; and sche drow forth hym with flateryngis of lippis. [verse 22] Anoon he as an oxe led to slayn sacrifice sueth hir, and as a ioli lomb and vnkunnynge [vnknowynge I.] ; and the fool woot not, that he is drawun to [verse 23] bondys [to boondis; of synne and of peyne. Lire here. C.] , til an arowe perse [perishe I.] his mawe. As if a brid hastith [a brid hast|ith; as a brid is takun in a snare, for the coueytise of a litil meete, so he that is vn|contynent, ether a lecchour, ren|neth in to the snare of synne, and in to the deth of helle, for couetise of desiring of a woman. Lire here. C.] to the snare; and woot not, that it is don of the perel of his lijf. [verse 24] Now therfor, my sone, here thou me; and perseyue the wordis of my mouth. [verse 25] Lest thi soule be drawun awei in the weies of hir; nether be thou disseyued in the pathis of hir. [verse 26] For sche castide [hath cast I.] doun [sche castide doun; fro the staat of grace; many woundid men, bi the wounde of fleischli couey|tise. Lire here. C.] many woundid men; and alle strongeste men weren slayn of hir [strongeste men weren slayen of hir; as it is opyn of Adam, the moste man, for he was in the staat of inno|cence, and was ful of kunnyng and vertu, and of Sampson, the strongeste man, and of Dauyth, the holieste man, and of Salamon, the wiseste man, and of many mo in the Elde and Newe Tes|tament. C.] . [verse 27] The weies of helle is hir hous; and persen in to [to the I.] ynnere thingis of deeth.