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

CAP. VI.

[verse 1] Wile thou not be mad for a frend enemy to thi neȝhebore; repref forsothe and strif the euel man shal eritagen, and eche synnere enuyous and twisil tungid. [verse 2] Ne enhaunce thou thee in the thenking of thi soule, as a boole; lest perauenture be hurtlid awei thi strengthe [verse 3] bi folie, and thi lefes it ete, and thi frutes it leese, and thou be laft as a drie tree in wildernesse. [verse 4] A shreude forsothe soule shal destroȝen hym that hath it, and in to ioȝe of his enemy it ȝyueth hym, and shal bringe doun in to the lot of vnpitous men. [verse 5] A sweete wrd multe|plieth frendis, and swagith enemys; and a gracious tunge in a good man shal abounde. [verse 6] Manye pesible ben to thee, and counseilour be to thee oon of a thousend. [verse 7] If thou weldist a frend, in temptacioun weld hym, and ne liȝtli opene, `or trowe [Om. C et E pr. m.] , thou thiself to hym. [verse 8] Ther is forsothe a frend aftir his tyme, and `schal not abide [abidith not C pr. m. E pr. m.] stille in the dai of tribulacioun. [verse 9] And ther is a frend that is turned to enemyte; and ther is a frend, that hate, and strif, and reprefes shal discoueren. [verse 10] Ther is for|sothe a frend, felawe of the bord, and abidith not stille in the dai of nede. [verse 11] A frend if he [Om. C pr. m.] abide stille stablid, he shal be to thee as euene with, and in thin homli thingus trostli he shal do. [verse 12] If he shal meeken hymself aȝen thee, and hiden hymself fro thi face, thou shalt han good frenshepe of o wil. [verse 13] Fro thin enemys be thou seuered, and of thi frendis tac heed. [verse 14] A `feithful frend a strong [frend a strong feithful C pr. m. freend is a stroong feithful A. stronge frende and a feithful G.] proteccioun; who forsothe fyndeth hym, fyndith tresor. [verse 15] To a feithful frend is no comparisoun; ther is not wrthi peising of gold and of siluer aȝen the goodnesse of the feith of hym. [verse 16] A feithful frend [freend is A.] leching of lif, and of vndeadlynesse; and who dreden [dredith A.]

the Lord, shul finden hym. [verse 17] Who dredeth the Lord, euenly shal han good fren|shipe; for after hym shal ben his frend. [verse 18] Sone, fro thi ȝouthe tac doctrine, and vn to hoore [thyn hoore E pr. m.] heris thou shalt finde wis|dam. [verse 19] As he that ereth, and that sowith, neȝhe thou to it, and sustene the goode frutes of it. [verse 20] In the werk forsothe of it a litil thou shal trauailen, and soone thou shalt ete of [Om. A.] the getingus of it. [verse 21] Hou sharp ful myche is wisdam to vnwise men, and ther shal not abide stille in it the herteles. [verse 22] As the vertue of a ston, prou|yng shal be in them; and thei shul not abide to throwe it afer. [verse 23] The wisdam forsothe of doctrine is [Om. C pr. m.] after the name of it, and not to manye it is opened; to whom forsothe it is knowen, it abit [abideth AEGH.] stille, vnto the siȝte of God. [verse 24] Here, sone, and tac counseil of vnderstondyng, and caste thou not awei my counseil. [verse 25] Throȝ in thi feet in to the gyues of it, and in to the coleris of it thi necke. [verse 26] Vnderlei thi shulder, and ber it, and ne bere thou heuysumli in [to AGH.] the bondis of it. [verse 27] In al thin inwit neȝhe to it, and in al thi ver|tue kep the weies of it. [verse 28] Enserche it, and it shal be mad open to thee; `and thou [and C pr. m. E pr. m. that AG. that thou H.] mad withholding, ne forsake thou [Om. C sec. m. E sec. m.] it. [verse 29] In the laste thingus forsothe thou shalt finde reste in it, and it shal be turned to thee in to liking. [verse 30] And the gyues of it shul be to thee `in to [in AGH.] proteccioun of strengthe, and the feet of vertue, and the coleris of it in a stoele of glorie. [verse 31] The fairnesse forsothe of lif is in it, and the bondis of it holsum binding. [verse 32] Stoele off glorie thou shalt clothen it, and a crowne of thanking thou shalt putte aboue to thee. [verse 33] Sone, if thou schalt [Om. C pr. m.] take heed to me, thou shalt lerne it; and if thou lenest to, `or dressist [Om. C et E pr. m. leuest dressist AGH.] , thin inwit, thou shalt be wis. [verse 34] If thou bowest in thin ere, thou shalt take doctrine; and if thou looue to heren,

thou shalt be wis. [verse 35] In the multitude of prudent prestis stond thou, and to the wisdam of hem of herte be thou ioyned; that al the telling of God thou mowe heren, and the prouerbis of preisyng ascape not fro [Om. C pr. m.] thee. [verse 36] And if thou see the wel felende man, wake out to hym, and thi foot ofte trede the grees `of the dores of hym [Om. A. of the house of him GH.] . [verse 37] Thenking haue thou in the hestes of God, and in the maunde|mens of hym most bisi be thou; and he shal ȝyue to thee an herte, and coueyt|inge of wisdam shal ben ȝoue to thee.