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

CAP. XXIII.

[verse 1] Whan thou shal sitte, that thou ete with a prince, besili tac heede that ben [verse 2] set befor thi face, and set a culter in thi throte. If `ner the latere [neuerthelater A et alii.] thou haue [verse 3] power in to thi soule, ne desire thou of the metis of hym, in the whiche is the bred of lesing. [verse 4] Wile thou not trauailen that thou be riche, but to thi prudence put maner. [verse 5] Ne rere thou thin eȝen to richessis, that thou maist not han; for thei make to them federis, as of an egle, and thei shul flee in to heuene. [verse 6] Ne ete thou with an enuyous man, and ne de|sire [verse 7] thou the metis [meet AGH.] of hym; for in lic|nesse of a deuynour and of a fals castere, he eymeth that he knowith not. Et and drink, he shal sei to thee; and the mynde of hym is not with thee. [verse 8] The metes that thou hast eten, thou shalt spewen out; and thou shalt leesen thi faire wrdis. [verse 9] In the eres of vnwise men speke thou not; for thei shul dispisen the doctrine of thi speche. [verse 10] Ne ateyne thou the termes of

litle [thi litle C.] childer; and the feeld of moderles childer go [ne go G sec. m.] thou not in. [verse 11] The neeȝh for|sothe of them is strong, and he shal demen aȝen thee the causes of hem. [verse 12] Go in to doctrine thin herte, and thin eris to the wrdis of kunnyng. [verse 13] Wile thou not withdrawe fro a child discipline; if for|sothe thou smyte [smytyst AEGH.] hym with ȝerde [a ȝeerde A.] , he shal not die. [verse 14] Thou with a ȝerde shalt smite hym, and the soule of hym fro helle thou shalt deliueren. [verse 15] My sone, if wijs were thin inwit, myn [thyn AE pr. m. H.] herte shal [verse 16] ioȝen with thee; and ful out shuln ioȝen my [thy E pr. m.] reenes, whan thi lippis shul speke riȝt. [verse 17] Ne enuye [or folowe C sec. m. marg. E sec. m. marg. enuye or folewe AGH.] thin herte synneres; but in the drede of the Lord be thou al dai. [verse 18] For thou shalt han hope in the laste, and thin abiding shal not ben taken awei. [verse 19] Heere, my sone, and be thou wijs, and riȝt reule in the weie thin inwit. [verse 20] Wile thou not ben in the festis of drink|eris, ne in the meteshipis of hem, that flesh to eten bringen. [verse 21] For thei tendende to drinkis, and ȝiuende scot, shul ben wastid, and napping shal be clad [clothid AEGH.] with clothis. [verse 22] Heere thou thi fader, that gat thee; and ne dispise thou, `whan shal eelden thi moder [thi moder, whanne she shal eelde A.] . [verse 23] Bie treuthe, and wile thou not selle wisdam, and doctrine, and vnderstonding. [verse 24] Ful out ioȝeth with ioȝe the fader of the riȝtwise; that a wis man gat, shal gladen in hym. [verse 25] Ioȝe thi fader and thi moder, and [Om. C pr. m.] ful out ioȝe, that gat thee. [verse 26] Ȝif, sone myn, thin herte to me, and thin eȝen my weies kepe thei. [verse 27] A dep dich forsothe is [Om. C pr. m.] a strumpet, and a streit pit an alien womman. [verse 28] She waiteth in the weie, as a thef; and whom vnsleiȝ she seeth, she shal slen. [verse 29] To whom wo? to whos fader wo? to whom strif? to whom dichis? to whom withoute cause woundis? to whom `thristing out [stiflyng E pr. m.] of

eȝen? [verse 30] Whether not to them, that dwellen in win, and studien to chalices to ben drunken vp? [verse 31] Ne beholde thou the win, whan it floureth, whan shal shine in the verr the colour of it. [verse 32] It shal gon in softe, but in [at AH.] the laste it shal bite as a shadewe eddere, and as a kokatrice ve|nymys shal heelden abrod. [verse 33] Thin eȝen shul beholde straunge wymen, and thin herte shal speke peruertid thingus. [verse 34] And thou shalt ben as slepende in the myddil se, and as the steris man al forslept, the steer staf lost. [verse 35] And thou shalt sey, Thei beeten me, but I sorewide not; thei drowen me, and I felide not; whanne shal I wake, and eft wines finden?