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BE not ye neghbours enemye for ye frē∣des [ A] sake: for who so is euel shal be ye heyre of rebuke & dishono, & who so¦euer beareth envye and a dubble tōge, offen¦deth.* 1.1 Be not proude in the deuyce of thyne owne vnderstandinge, lest ye leaues wyther, and ye frute be destroyed, & so thou be left as a drye tre▪ For a wicked soule destroyeth him that hath it, maketh him to be laughed to scorne of his enemies, (and bringeth him
to the porcion of the vngodly.* 1.2) A swete wor¦de multiplieth frendes, and pacifieth thē yt be at variaunce, and a thankfull tonge will be plenteous in a good man. Holde frendshi¦pe wt many, neuertheles haue but one coun∣celer [ B] of a thousande.
* 1.3Yf thou gettest a frende, proue him first, and be not haistie to geue him credence. For some man is a frende but for a tyme, and wyl not abyde in the daye of trouble. And there is some frende that turneth to enemyte, and taketh parte agaynst the: and yf he knowe eny hurte by the, he telleth it out. Agayne, so∣me frende is but a companyon at the table,* 1.4 and in the daye of nede he contynueth not. But a sure frende wil be vnto yt euen as thy∣ne owne self, and deale faithfully with thy housholde folke. Yf thou suffre trouble and aduersite, he is with the, and hydeth not him self from the. Departe frō thine enemies, yee and bewarre of thy frendes.
[ C] A faithful frende is a stronge defence: who so findeth soch one, findeth a noble trea¦sure. A faithfull frende hath no peare, the weight of golde and syluer is not to be com∣pared to the goodnesse of his faith. A faith∣full frende is a medicyne of life, & they yt fea¦re the LORDE, shal fynde him. Who so fea¦reth the LORDE, shal prospere with frendes: and as he is himself, so shal his frende be also My sonne, receaue doctryne frō thy youth vp, so shalt thou fynde wyszdome tyll thou be olde. Go to her as one that ploweth, and soweth, and wayte paciētly for hir good fru∣tes.* 1.5 For thou shalt haue but litle laboure in hir worke, but thou shalt eate of hir frutes right soone. O how exceadīge sharpe is wisz¦dome to vnlerned men? an vnstedfast body wyl not remayne in her. Vnto soch she is as it were a twichstone, & he casteth her from him in all the haist: for wyszdome is wt him but in name, there be but few yt haue knowle¦ge of her. (But with them that knowe her, she abydeth euē vnto ye appearinge of God.)
Geue eare (my sonne) receaue my doctry∣ne, [ D] and refuse not my councell. Put thy fote in to hir lynckes,* 1.6 and take hir yock vpon thy neck: bowe downe thy shulder vnder her, bea¦re hir paciently, and be not weery of hir ban¦des. Come vnto her with ye whole hert, and kepe hir wayes with all thy power. Seke af∣ter her, and she shalbe shewed the: and whā thou hast her, forsake her not. For at the last thou shalt fynde rest in her, and that shal be turned to thy greate ioye. Then shal hir fet∣ters be a stronge defence for the, & hir yock a glorious rayment. For the bewtye of life is in her, and hir bandes are the couplinge to∣gether of saluacion. Yee a glorious rayment is it, thou shalt put it on, and the same crow¦ne of ioye shalt thou weere.
My sonne, yf thou wilt take hede, thou [ E] shalt haue vnderstādinge: and yf thou wilt applye ye mynde, thou shalt be wyse. Yf thou wilt bowe downe thine eare, thou shalt re∣ceaue doctryne: and yf thou delyte in hearin¦ge, thou shalt be wyse. Stonde with ye mul∣titude of soch elders as haue vnderstandin∣ge, and consente vnto their wyszdome with thine hert:* 1.7 that thou mayest heare all godly sermons, and that the worthy sentences esca¦pe the not. And yf thou seist a man of discre¦te vnderstandinge, gett the soone vnto him, and let thy fote treade vpon the steppes of his dores.* 1.8 Let thy mynde be vpon the com∣maundementes of God, & be earnestly occu∣pied in his lawes: so shal he stablish ye hert, and geue ye wyszdome at thine owne desyre.
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〈◊〉〈◊〉. 11. c
Eccli. 8. a
Psal. 1. a