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

CAP. IV.

[verse 1] O [Om. ACGH.] ! hou fair is chast ieneracioun with clerte; vndeadli forsothe is the mynde of it, for anent God it is knowe, and anent men. [verse 2] Whan present it is, thei folewe; and desiren it, whan `it hath [thei han E pr. m.] lad out itself [themself E pr. m.] , and it crouned in to withoute ende berth the victorie, takende bi vic|torie the meede of the vndefoulid striues. [verse 3] Forsothe the manyfold goten multitude of vnpitouse men shal not ben profitable; and auoutrie plauntingis shul not ȝiue heeȝe rootis, ne stable stedefastnesse set|ten.

[verse 4] And if in the braunchis in the tyme buriounen, vnstabli set of the wind thei [Om. C sec. m.] shul ben al to-stirid, and of the mychil|nesse of windis pullid vp bi the rootis. [verse 5] Forsothe braunchis vnendid shul be to|broken; and the frutis of them vnprofit|able, and soure to ete, and to no thing able. [verse 6] Forsothe alle the sonus, that shul ben born of wicke [wickid AGH.] men, witnesses ben of shreudenesses aȝen fader and moder, in ther asking. [verse 7] The riȝtwis forsothe, if he were beforn ocupied bi deth, in re|freshing shal ben. [verse 8] The laste age for|sothe wrshipeful is [shul ben E pr. m.] not longe durende, ne in noumbre of ȝeres countid; hoere [olde E pr. m.] [verse 9] ben the wittis of man, and the age of eelde lijf vndefoulid. [verse 10] The plesing to God mad looued, and lyuyng among syn|neres [verse 11] is translatid; he is raueshid, lest malice shulde chaunge the vnderstonding of hym, or lest feynyng shulde begile the soule of hym. [verse 12] Forsothe priue de|sceyuyng of trifling derkneth goode thingus, and vnstablenesse of coueiting ouerturneth wit withoute malice. [verse 13] The ful endid in short fulfilde manye tymes; [verse 14] plesid forsothe to God was the soule of hym; for that he wente to bringen hym out fro the myddel of shreudenesses [shrewidnes A.] ; puples forsothe seende and not vnder|stondende, nouther ben puttende in ther hertes suche thingis. [verse 15] For grace of God and mercy is `in to [to A.] his seyntis, and fer|thermor respit in to the chosyn of hym. [verse 16] Forsothe the riȝtwis dead condempneth the vnpitous men on liue; and ȝouthe swiftliere endid, the longe lif of the [Om. AGH.] vnriȝtwis. [verse 17] Forsothe thei shul see the ende of the wise man, and thei shul not vnderstonde, what God hath thoȝt of

hym, and whi the Lord mynushte, `or made lytil [Om. C et E pr. m.] hym. [verse 18] Thei shul seen, and dispisen hym; hem forsothe the Lord shal scorne. [verse 19] And thei shul ben after these thingus falling doun with oute wrshipe, and in wrong blamyng among the deade in to withoute ende. For them inwardli blowen he shal to-breke withoute vois, and stern hem fro the foundemens; and vnto the heȝest thei shul ben desolat. And thei shul be weilende, and the mynde of hem shal pershen. [verse 20] Thei shul comen in the thenk|ing of ther synnes dredful; and shuln ouerleden hem forn aȝen the wickidnesses of hem.