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¹ Alle thingis han tyme, and alle thingis vndur sunne passen bi her spaces.² Tyme of birthe, and time of diyng; tyme to plaunte, and tyme to drawe vp that that is plauntid.³ Tyme to sle, and tyme to make hool; tyme to distrie, and tyme to bilde.⁴ Tyme to wepe, and tyme to leiye; tyme to biweile, and tyme to daunse.⁵ Tyme to scatere stoonys, and tyme to gadere togidere; tyme to colle, and tyme to be fer fro collyngis.⁶ Tyme to wynne, and tyme to leese; tyme to kepe, and tyme to caste awei.⁷ Tyme to kitte, and tyme to sewe togidere; tyme to be stille, and tyme to speke.⁸ Tyme of loue, and tyme of hatrede; tyme of batel, and tyme of pees.⁹ What hath a man more of his trauel?¹⁰ I siy the turment, which God yaf to the sones of men, that thei be occupied therynne.

¹¹ God made alle thingis good in her tyme, and yaf the world to disputyng of hem, that a man fynde not the werk which God hath wrouyt fro the bigynnyng `til in to the ende.<sup>12</sup> And Y knew that no thing was betere `to a man, `no but to be glad, and to do good werkis in his lijf.<sup>13</sup> For whi ech man that etith and drinkith, and seeth good of his trauel; this is the yifte of God.<sup>14</sup> I haue lerned that alle werkis, whiche God made, lasten stidfastli `til in to with outen ende; we moun not adde ony thing to tho, nether take awei fro tho thingis, whiche God made, that he be dred.¹⁵ That thing that is maad, dwellith perfitli; tho thingis that schulen come, weren bifore; and God restorith that, that is goon.

¹⁶ I siy vndur sunne vnfeithfulnesse in the place of doom; and wickidnesse in the place of riytfulnesse.¹⁷ And Y seide in myn herte, The Lord schal deme a iust man, and an vnfeithful man; and the tyme of ech thing schal be thanne.¹⁸ I seide in myn herte of the sones of men, that God schulde preue hem, and schewe that thei ben lijk vnresonable beestis.¹⁹ Therfor oon is the perisching of man and of beestis, and euene condicioun is of euer eithir; as a man dieth, `so and tho beestis dien; alle beestis brethen in lijk maner, and a man hath no thing more than a beeste.²⁰ Alle thingis ben suget to vanyte, and alle thingis goen to o place; tho ben maad of erthe, and tho turnen ayen togidere in to erthe.²¹ Who knowith, if the spirit of the sones of Adam stieth vpward, and if the spirit of beestis goith dounward?²² And Y perseyuede that no thing is betere, than that a man be glad in his werk, and that this be his part; for who schal brynge hym, that he knowe thingis that schulen come after hym?