¶ That whiche passeth our strengthes and wyttes ought we nat to seke after.
CAPI. VII. [unspec A]
A * 1.1 GOOD name is more worth then ‡ 1.2 a precyous oyntmente / and the daye of deth is better then the daye of byrthe. It is better to go in to an house of mournyng / then in to a bancketinge house. For there is the ende of all men: and he that is lyuynge / taketh it to hert. It is better to be sory then to laugh: for when the countenaūce is heuy, the herte is refourmed. The herte of the wyse is in the mourning house, but the hert of the folysh is in the house of mirth,* 1.3 It is better to geue eare to the chastenynge of a wyse man, then to heare the songe of fooles For the laughynge of foles is lyke the crac¦kynge of thornes vnder a pot. And that is but a vayne thynge. Who so doeth wrong, maketh a wyse man to go oute of his wytte and destroyeth a gentle hert. The ende of a thynge is better then the begynnyne. The pacyent spryte is better then the hye myn¦ded. Be nat hastely angry in thy mynde, for [unspec B] wrath resteth in the bosome of fooles. Say not thou: what is the cause, that the dayes of the olde tyme were better, then they that be nowe? for that were no wyse quesyon. Wysdome is better then ryches, yee muche more worthe then the eye syghte. For wys∣dome defendeth as well as money, and the excellent knowledge and wysdome geueth lyfe vnto hym that hathe it in possessyon, Consydre the worcke of God / howe that no [unspec C] man can make the thing strayght, which the maketh croked. Use well the tyme of pros∣peryte, and remēbre the tyme of mysfortune for God maketh the one by the other so that a man can fynde nothynge els. All thynges haue I considred in the tyme of my vanite: that the iust man perysheth for hys ryghte∣ousnes sake, and the vngodly lyueth in hys wyckednesse. Therfore * 1.4 be thou nether to ryghteous nor ouer wyse that thou peryshe nat, be nether to vnrighteous also nor to fo¦lyshe, leste y• dye before thy tyme. It is good for the to take holde of thys, and nat to let y• go out of thy hande. For he that feareth God, shall escape them all. Wysdome ge∣ueth more corage vnto the wyse / then ten myghtye men of the cytye: * 1.5 for there is nat one iuste vpon earth / that dothe good, and synneth nat: Take nat hede vnto euery worde that is spoken, lest thou heare thy ser¦uaunt curse the: for thyne owne here know∣eth, that thou thy selfe also hast ofte tymes spoken euyl by other men. All these thinges haue I proued in wysdome: I sayde I wyl be wyse * 1.6 but she went farther fro me then she was before / yee & so depe y• I myght nat reach vnto her. I applyed my mynde also vnto knowledge, & to seke out scyēce, wisdo¦me and vnderstandyng: to know the fooly∣shenes of the vngodly and the errour of do∣tynge fooles. And I foūde, that * 1.7 a woman is bytterer thē deth: for she is a very angle, her herte is a net, & her handes are cheynes. Who so pleaseth God, shal escape from her but the synner wyll be taken with her.
Beholde (sayeth the preacher) this haue [unspec D] I dyligently searched out and proued, that I myght come by knowledge: which as yet I seke, and fynde it not. Among a thousāde men I haue founde one, but nat one womā amonge all. Lo, thys onely haue I foūde, y• * 1.8 God made man iust and ryghte, but they sought many inuencyons.