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¹ Remember thy maker the sooner in thy youth, or euer the dayes of aduersitie come, and or the yeres drawe nye when thou shalt say, I haue not pleasure in them:² Before the sunne, the light, the moone, and starres be darkened, and or the cloudes turne agayne after the rayne:³ When the kepers of the house shall tremble, and when the strong men shall bowe them selues, when the milners stand styll because they be so fewe, and when the sight of the windowes shall waxe dimme:⁴ When the doores in the streetes shalbe shut, and when the voyce of the milner shalbe layde downe, when men shall ryse vp at the voyce of the byrde, and when all the daughters of musicke shalbe brought lowe:⁵ When men shall feare in hye places, and be afraide in the streetes, when the Almonde tree shall florishe and be laden with the grashopper, and when all lust shal passe: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streetes.⁶ Or euer the siluer lace be taken away, and or the golden well be broken: Or the pot be broken at the well, and the wheele broken vpon the cesterne.⁷ Then shall the dust be turned agayne vnto earth from whence it came, and the spirite shall returne vnto God who gaue it.

⁸ All is but vanitie (saith the preacher) all is but playne vanitie.⁹ The preacher was yet more wyse, and taught the people knowledge, he gaue good heede, sought out the ground, and set foorth many parables: ¹⁰ His diligence was to finde out acceptable wordes, right scripture, & the wordes of trueth.¹¹ For the wordes of the wyse are like prickes and nayles that go thorowe, of the auctoures of gatheringes [which] are geuen of one shephearde.¹² Therefore beware my sonne of that doctrine that is beside this: for to make many bookes, it is an endlesse worke, and to muche studie weerieth the body.

¹³ Let vs heare the conclusion of all thinges, Feare God, and kepe his commaundementes: for that toucheth all men. ¹⁴ For God shall iudge all workes and secrete thinges, whether they be good or euyll.