¶ A prayer of Salomon to optayne wysdome.
CAPI. IX.
O God of my fathers / and Lorde of mer¦cyes (thou that haste made all thynges [unspec A] with thy worde, and ordayned man thorowe thy wysdome that he shulde haue domy∣nyon ouer the creature whyche thou haste made: that he shulde ordre the worlde accor∣dynge to equyte and ryghtuousnes / and exe¦cute iudgemēt with a true hert) geue me wis∣dome, which is euer about thy seate, and put me not out from amonge thy chyldren: for I thy seruaunt and sonne of thy handmayden, and a feble personne / of a short tyme / and to yonge to the vnderstandyng of iudgemente and the lawes. And though a man be neuer so perfecte among the chyldren of men / yet if thy wysdome be not with hym / he shalbe no∣thyng regarded. But thou hast chosen me to be a kynge vnto thy people / and the iudge of thy sonnes and daughters.
Thou hast commaunded me to buylde a [unspec B] tēple vpō thy holy mounte, & an aulter in the cytie wherin thou dwellest: a lickenesse of thy holy tabernacle whyche thou hast prepared from the begynnynge / & thy wysdome wyth the / which knoweth thy worckes: which also was with the / when thou madest the worlde & knewe what was acceptable in thy syght and ryght in thy cōmaundementes. O sende her out of thy holy heauens and frō the trone of thy maiesty / that she may be with me, and labour with me, that I maye knowe, what is acceptable in thy syght. For she knoweth and vnderstandeth all thynges: and she shal lede me soberly in my worckes / and preserue me in her power. So shall my workes be ac∣ceptable, and then shall I gouerne thy peo∣ple ryghtuously / and be worthy to syt in my fathers seate. For what man is he, that may know ye councel of God? Or, who can thinke what the wyll of God is? For the thoughtes of mortall men are miserable / and oure fore∣castes are but vncertayne. And why? a mor∣tal [unspec C] and vncorruptible body is heuy vnto the soule / and the early mansyon kepeth downe that vnderstandyng that museth vpon ma∣ny thinges. Uery hardly can we discerne the thynges that are vpon earth, and greate la∣boure haue we / or we can fynde the thynges which are before our eyes. Who wyll then / seke out the grounde of the thynges that are done in heauen? Oh Lorde / who can haue knowledge of thy vnderstandyng and mea∣nyng, excepte thou geue wysdome, and sende thy holy ghost from aboue •• that the wayes of them whiche are vpon earthe / maye be re∣fourmed: that men maye learne the thynges that are pleasaūte vnto the, and be preserued thorowe wysdome.