The Byble in Englyshe that is to saye, the content of all the holye scrypture, bothe of the olde and newe Testament, truly translated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes, by the diligent studye of dyuers excellent lerned [men e]xperte in the fore[saide] tongues.

¶ The effecte of wysdome.

CAPI. VIII.

WYsdome reacheth from one ende to [unspec A] another mightely, & louingly doth she ordre al thinges. I haue loued her, & laboure for her, euen fro my youth vp: I dyd my diligēce to mary my selfe with her, such loue had I vnto her beuty. Who so hath the company of God, commendeth her nobi∣lite, yee the Lorde of all thynges himselfe lo∣ueth her. For she is the scolemay stresse of the nurtoure of God / and the choser out of hys workes. Yf a mā wolde desyre ryches in this lyfe, what is rycher then wysdome, that wor¦keth all thynges? Thou wylte saye: vnder∣standynge worketh. What is it amonge all thynges / that worketh more then wysdome? If a man loue vertue and ryghtuousnes, let hym laboure for wysdome, for she hath great vertues. And why? she teacheth sobernesse & prudence, rightuousnes and strength, which are such thynges as men can haue nothynge more profytable in their lyfe. If a man desyre [unspec B] muche knowledge, she can tel y^• thinges that are paste / and discerne thynges for to come: she knoweth the soteltyes of wordes / and cā expounde darke sentences. She can tell of tokens and wonderous thīges, or euer they come to passe, and the endes of al tymes and ages. So I purposed after thys maner: I wyll take her vnto my company, and comen louyngly with her: no doute she shall gyue me good councell / and speake comfortablye vnto me in my carefulnes and grefe. For her sake shall I be well and honestely taken amonge the comens and Lordes of the coun¦cell. Thoughe I be yonge, yet shall I haue sharpe vnderstandyng, so that I shalbe mar¦uelous in the syght of greate men / and the fa¦ces of Prynces shal wonder at me. When I holde my tonge, they shall byde my leasure: when I speake, they shall loke vpon me, and yf I talke muche, they shal lay their handes vpon theyr mouth. Moreouer / by the mea∣nes of her I shall optayne immortalite / and leaue behinde me an euerlastynge memoryal amonge them that come after me. I shall set the people in ordre / and the nacyons shall be subdued vnto me. Horrible tyrauntes shalbe afrayed, when they do but heare of me: amōg the multytude I shal be counted good / and myghtie in battayle. When I come home / I shal fynde reste with her for her cōpany hath no bitternes, & her felowshyp hath no tedy∣ousnesse / but myrth and ioye.

Nowe when I consydered these thynges [unspec C]

by my selfe / and pondered them in my herte, how that to be ioyned vnto wysdome is im∣mortalyte / and greate pleasure to haue her frendshyp: howe that in the worckes of her handes are infynyte ryches, howe that, who so kepeth company with her shall be wyse: and that he which talketh w^t her, shall come to honoure: I went aboute sekyng, together vnto me. For I was a lad of a rype wytte / and had a good vnderstandynge.

But when I grewe to more vnderstan∣dyng, I came to an vndefyled body. Neuer∣thelesse when I perceyued that I coulde not kepe my selfe chaste / excepte God gaue it me (and that was apoynte of wysdome also / to know whose gyft it was) I stepped vnto the Lorde / and besought him / & with my whole herte I sayde after this maner.