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¹ Remembre thy maker in thy youth, or euer the dayes of aduersite come, and or the yeares drawe nye, when thou shalt saye: I haue no pleasure in them:² before the Sonne, ye light, ye Moone and the starres be darckened, and or the cloudes turne agayne after the rayne:³ when the kepers of the house shall tremble, and when the stronge men shal bowe them selues: when the Myllers stonde still because they be so fewe, and when the sight of the wyndowes shal waxe dymme:⁴ whan the dores in the stretes shal be shutt, and whan ye voyce of the Myller shall be layed downe: whan men shall ryse vp at the voyce of the byrde, and whan all ye doughters of musyck shalbe brought lowe:⁵ whan men shal feare in hye places, and be afrayed in the stretes: whan the Almonde tre shalbe despysed, the greshopper borne out, and whan greate pouerte shall breake in: when man goeth to his longe home, and the mourners go aboute the stretes.⁶ Or euer the syluer lace be taken awaye, and or the golden bende be broken: Or the pott be broken at the well, & the whele vpon the Cisterne:⁷ Or dust be turned againe vnto earth from whence it came, and or the sprete returne vnto God, which gaue it.

⁸ All is but vanite (sayeth the preacher) all is but playne vanite.⁹ The same preacher was not wyse alone, but taught the people knowlege also: he gaue good hede, sought out the groude and set forth many parables.¹⁰ His diligence was to fynde out acceptable wordes, right scripture, and the wordes of trueth.¹¹ For the wordes of ye wyse are like prickes and nales that go thorow, wherwith men are kepte together: for they are geuen of one shepherde onely.¹² Therfore bewarre (my sonne) that aboue these thou make the not many & innumerable bokes, nor take dyuerse doctrynes in hande, to weery thy body withall.

¹³ Lat vs heare the conclucion of all thinges: Feare God, and kepe his comaundementes, for that toucheth all men:¹⁴ For God shall iudge all workes and secrete thinges, whether they be good or euell.