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¹ My sonne if thou be suretie for thy neyghbour, and hast fastened thyne hande for another man:² Thou art bounde with thine owne wordes, and taken with thine owne speach.³ Therfore my sonne do this, and thou shalt be discharged: When thou art come into thy neyghbours daunger, go thy wayes then soone, humble thy selfe, and with thy frendes intreate [thy creditour.]⁴ Let not thyne eyes sleepe, nor thyne eye liddes slumber.⁵ Saue thy self as a Doe from the hand of the [hunter] and as a byrde from the hande of the fouler.

⁶ Go to the emmet thou sluggarde, consider her wayes, and learne to be wyse:⁷ She hath no guyde, nor ouerseer, nor ruler,⁸ Yet in the sommer she prouideth her meate, and gathereth her foode together in the haruest.⁹ Howe long wylt thou sleepe thou sluggishe man? When wylt thou aryse out of thy sleepe?¹⁰ Yea, sleepe on still a litle, slumber a litle, folde thyne handes together yet a litle that thou mayest sleepe:¹¹ So shall pouertie come vnto thee as one that trauayleth by the way, and necessitie like a weaponed man.

¹² An vngodly person, a wicked man, goeth with a frowarde mouth.¹³ He winketh with his eyes, he tokeneth with his feete, he teacheth with his fingers.¹⁴ He is euer imagining mischiefe and frowardnes in his heart, and causeth discorde.¹⁵ Therefore shall his destruction come hastyly vpon hym, sodainly shall he be all to broken, and not be healed.¹⁶ These sixe thinges doth the Lorde hate, and the seuenth he vtterly abhorreth:¹⁷ A proude loke, a lying tongue, handes that shed innocent blood,¹⁸ An heart that goeth about wicked imaginations, feete that be swyft in running to mischiefe,¹⁹ A false witnesse that bringeth vp lyes, and hym that soweth discorde among brethren.

²⁰ My sonne, kepe thy fathers commaundement, and forsake not the lawe of thy mother:²¹ Tye them continually in thyne heart, and bynde them about thy necke.²² That shall leade thee when thou goest, preserue thee when thou art asleepe, and when thou awakest talke with thee.²³ For the commaundement is a lanterne, and the lawe a light: yea chastening and nurture is the way of life:²⁴ That they may kepe thee from the euyll woman, and from the flattering tongue of the straunge woman.²⁵ Lust not after her beautie in thyne heart, lest thou be taken with her fayre lokes.²⁶ By an harlot [a man is brought] to beg his bread, and a woman wyll hunte for the pretious life of man.²⁷ May a man take fire in his bosome, and his clothes not be brent?²⁸ Or can one go vpon hotte coales, and his feete not be brent?²⁹ Euen so, whosoeuer goeth in to his neyghbours wife and toucheth her, can not be vngiltie.³⁰ Men do not vtterly despise a thiefe that stealeth to satisfie his soule, when he is hungrie:³¹ But if he may be gotten, he restoreth agayne seuen tymes as muche, or els he maketh recompence with all the good of his house.³² But whoso committeth adultrie with a woman, lacketh vnderstanding: and he that doth it, destroyeth his owne soule.³³ He getteth him selfe a plague and dishonour, and his reproche shall neuer be put out:³⁴ For the ielousie and wrath of the man wyll not be entreated,³⁵ No though thou wouldest offer hym great gyftes to make amendes, he wyll not receaue them.