The first Chapter. These are the wordes of the Prea∣cher, the sonne of Dauid, kynge of Ierusalem.
ALl is but vanite (saieth ye prea¦cher) [ A] all is but playne vanite.* 1.1 For what els hath a mā, of all the labor yt he taketh vnder the Sonne? One generaciō passeth awaye, another commeth, but the earth a by¦deth still. The Sōne aryseth, the Sonne go∣eth downe, & returneth to his place, yt he ma∣ye there ryse vp agayne. The wynde goeth to¦warde ye South, & fetcheth his cōpase aboute vnto the North, & so turneth in to himself a∣gayne. All floudes runne in to the see,* 1.2 & yet the see is not fylled: for loke vnto what place the ••••ters runne, thence they come agayne. All thinges are so harde, yt no mā can expres¦se them. The eye is not satisfied wt sight,* 1.3 the eare is not fylled wt hearinge. The thinge yt hath bene, cōmeth to passe agayne: & ye thin∣ge [ B] yt hath bene done, is done agayne, there is no new thinge vnder the Sonne. Is there eny thinge, wherof it maye be sayde: so, this is new? For it was lōge agoo in the tymes yt haue bene before vs. The thinge yt is past, is out of remēbraunce: Euē so the thīges that are for to come, shal no more be thought vpō amōge thē that come after. I myself ye Prea¦cher, beynge kynge of Israel & Ierusalē, ap∣plyed my mynde to seke out & search for the knowlege of all thīges yt are done vnder hea∣uē. Soch trauayle & labor hath God geuē vn¦to ye childrē of mē, to exercyse thē selues therī.
Thus I haue considered all the thinges [ C] that come to passe vnder the Sōne, & lo, they are all but vanite & vexacion of mynde. The croked can not be mayde straight, & the fau∣tes cā not be nōbred. I cōmoned wt myne ow∣ne herte, sayēge: lo,* 1.4 I am come to a greate e∣state, and haue gottē more wyszdome, thē all they yt haue bene before me in Ierusalem. Yee my hert had greate experiēce of wyszdome & knowlege, for there vnto I applyed my myn¦de: yt I might knowe what were wyszdome & vnderstōdinge, what were error & foolishnes. And I perceaued yt this also was but a vexa¦cion of mynde: for where moch wyszdome is, there is also greate trauayle & disquietnes: & ye more knowlege a man hath, the more is his care.