[ A] The XIIII. Chapter.
A Wyse womā vpholdeth hir house, but a foolish wife plucketh it downe.
Who so feareth the LORDE, walketh in the right path: & regardeth not him that abhorreth the wayes of the LORDE. In the mouth of the foolish is the boostinge of lordshipe, but ye lippes of ye wyse wilbe warre of soch. Where no oxen are, there the crybb is emptie: but where the oxen laboure, there is moch frute. A faithfull wytnesse wyl not dyssemble, but a false recorde wil make a lye.
A scornefull body seketh wyszdome, & fyn∣deth it not: but knowlege is easy to come by, vnto him that wil vnderstonde. Se yt thou medle not with a foole, & do as though thou haddest no knowlege. The wyszdome of him that hath vnderstondinge is, to take he¦de vnto his waye, but the foolishnesse of the vnwyse disceaueth. Fooles make but a spor¦te of synne, but there is fauourable loue amō¦ge [ B] the rightuous. The herte of him that hath vnderstondinge wil nether dispare for eny sorow, ner be to presumptuous for eny so¦dane ioye.
The houses of the vngodly shalbe ouer∣throwne, but the tabernacles of ye righteus shal florishe. There is a waye, which some men thinke to be right, but the ende therof le¦deth vnto death. The herte is soroufull e∣uen in laughter, and the ende of myrth is he¦uynesse. An vnfaithfull personne shal be fylled with his owne wayes, but a good mā wyl bewarre of soch. An ignoraūt body beleueth all thinges, but who so hath vnder¦stondinge, loketh well to his goinges. A wyse man, feareth, and departeth from euell, but a foole goeth on presumptuously. An vnpacient man handeleth foolishly, but he that is well aduysed, doth other wayes.
[ C] The ignoraūt haue foolishnes in possessiō, but the wyse are crowned with knowlege.
The euell shal bowe them selues before ye good, and the vngodly shal wayte at the ••••¦res of the rightuous. The poore is hatch euen of his owne neghbours, but the riche hath many frendes. Who so despyseth his neghbor, doth amysse: but blessed is he that hath pyte of the poore. They that yma∣gin wickednes, shalbe disapoynted: but they that muse vpō good thinges, vnto soch shal happen mercy and faithfulnesse. Diligēt labor bryngeth riches, but where many vay∣ne wordes are, truly there is scarcenesse.
Riches are an ornament vnto the wyse, but the ignoraunce of fooles is very foolish∣nesse. A faithfull wytnesse delyuereth so••¦les, but a lyar dysceaueth them. The fear•• of the LORDE is a strōge holde, for vnto his he wyl be a sure defence. The feare of the LORDE is a well of life, to auoyde the snares of death. The increase and prosperite of the comons is the kynges honoure, but the decaye of the people is the confuciō of the prynce. Pacience is a token of wiszdome, but wrath and haistie displeasure is a token of foolishnesse. A mery herte is the life of the body, but rancoure consumeth awaye the bones. He that doth a poore man wrō¦ge, blasphemeth his maker: but who so hath pitie of the poore, doth honoure vnto God.
The vngodly is afrayed of euery parell, but the rightuous hath a good hope euē in death. Wyszdome resteth in the herte of him that hath vnderstondinge, and he wyll teach them that are vnlerned. Rightuous¦nes setteth vp the people, but wyckednesse bryngeth folke to destruccion. A discrete seruaunt is a pleasure vnto ye kynge, but one yt is not honest, prouoketh him vnto wrath.