The holie Bible faithfully translated into English, out of the authentical Latin. Diligently conferred with the Hebrew, Greeke, and other editions in diuers languages. With arguments of the bookes, and chapters: annotations. tables: and other helpes ... By the English College of Doway

CHAP. II. Humane deligthes are al vaine: 4. as gorgious buildinges, fruitful vinyards, plentie of fish, cattle, seruantes, siluer, gold, musike: 11. not satisfying mans desire. 18. Neither can anie man know, how his heyre wil behaue himself.

ISayde :: therfore in my hart: I wil goe, & flow in delightes, [ 1] and enioy good thinges. :: And I saw that this also was vani∣tie. † Laughter I haue reputed errour: and to ioy I haue [ 2] saide: Why art thou deceiued in vaine? † I haue thought in [ 3] my hart, to withdraw my flesh from wine, that I might transferre my minde to wisdom, and might auoid follie, til I might see what should be profitable for the children of men: what is nedeful to be done vnder the sunne, in the number of the dayes of their life. † I haue magnified my workes, I haue [ 4] built me houses, & planted vineyards, † I haue made gardens, [ 5] and orchards, and set them with trees of al kindes, † and [ 6] I haue made me ponds of waters, to watter the wood of springing trees, † I haue possessed menseruants and wemen∣seruants, [ 7] and haue had a great familie: heardes also, and great flockes of shepe, aboue al that were before me in Ierusalem: † I haue heaped together to myself siluer, and gold, and the [ 8] substance of kinges, and prouinces: I made me singingmen, & singingwemen, and the delightes of the children of men: cuppes, and goblets to serue to powre out wines: † and I [ 9] surpassed in riches al, that were before me in Ierusalem: wisdom also hath perseuered with me. † And al thinges, that [ 10] myne eies desired, I haue not denied to them: neither haue I stayed my hart, but that it enioyed al pleasure, & delighted itself in these thinges, which I had prepared: and this I este∣med my portion, if I did vse my labour. † And when I had [ 11] turned myself to al the workes, which my handes had done, & to the laboures, wherin I had swette in vaine, I saw in al thin∣ges vanitie, and affliction of minde, & nothing to be perma∣nent vnder the sunne. † I passed further to contemplate [ 12] wisdom, and errors, and follie (what is man, quoth I, that he can folow the king his Maker?) † and I saw that wisdom so [ 13] much excelled follie, as light differeth from darknes. † The [ 14] :: eyes of a wiseman are in his head: the foole walketh in darknes: and I haue lerned that there was one death of both. † And I sayd in my hart: If the fal of the foole & myne shal [ 15]

be one, :: what doth it profite me, that I haue bestowed greater labour for wisdom? And speaking with my minde, I perceiued that this also was vanitie. † For there shal be no memorie of [ 16] the wise in like maner as of the foole for euer, and the times to come shal couer al thinges together with obliuion: the lerned dieth in like maner as the vnlerned. † And therfore I haue bene [ 17] wearie of my life, seing al thinges vnder the sunne to be euil, and al thinges vanitie and affliction of spirite. † Againe I [ 18] detested al myne industrie, wherwith I haue laboured vnder the sunne most studiously, being like to haue an heyre after me: † whom I know not, whether he wil be a wiseman or a foole, [ 19] and he shal rule in my labours, wherewith I haue swette and haue bene careful: and is there anie thing so vaine? † Wher∣fore [ 20] I ceased, and my hart hath renounced to labour anie more vnder the sunne. † For whereas one laboreth in wisdom, and [ 21] doctrine, and carefulnes, he leaueth the thinges gotten to an idle man: and this therfore is vanitie, and great euil. † For [ 22] what profite shal be to a man of al his labour, and affliction of spirite, wherwith he is vexed vnder the sunne? † Al his [ 23] daies are ful of sorowes and miseries, neither by night doth he rest in minde, and is not this vanitie? † Is it not better to eate [ 24] and drinke, and shew vnto his soule good thinges of his la∣boures? :: & this is of the hand of God. † Who shal so deuour, [ 25] and flow with delightes as I? † To a man good in his sight, [ 26] God hath geuen wisdom, and knowlege, and ioy: but to the sinner he hath geuen affliction, and superfluous care, to adde, and to gather together, and deliuer it to him that hath pleased God: but this also is vanitie, & vaine carefulnes of the minde.

Notes

• ::

  A vvordlie man may ob∣iect, that se∣ing vvisdom bringeth not felicitie in this life, it semeth best to take his pleasure & ease, & not to labour for it.
• ::

  But the wise∣man cōfuteth this conceipt. Because word∣lie ioy is short & vncertaine, neither is anie ioy that men haue in this life true ioy of the blessed, but only a conso∣lation in mise∣ries.
• ::

  Considera∣tion is the di∣rectorie of al good workes.
• ::

  The conceit of worldlie men not con∣sidering the life to come.
• ::

  It is better to vse that is honestly got∣ten for our necessitie, then to be stil solicitous to get more.