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¹ Also Joob addide, takynge his parable, and seide,² Who yyueth to me, that I be bisidis the elde monethis, bi the daies in whiche God kepte me?³ Whanne his lanterne schynede on myn heed, and Y yede in derknessis at his liyt.⁴ As Y was in the daies of my yongthe, whanne in priuete God was in my tabernacle.⁵ Whanne Almyyti God was with me, and my children weren in my cumpas;⁶ whanne Y waischide my feet in botere, and the stoon schedde out to me the stremes of oile;

⁷ whanne Y yede forth to the yate of the citee, and in the street thei maden redi a chaier to me.⁸ Yonge men, `that is, wantoun, sien me, and weren hid, and elde men risynge vp stoden;<sup>9</sup> princes ceessiden to speke, and puttiden the fyngur on her mouth;<sup>10</sup> duykis refreyneden her vois, and her tunge cleuyde to her throte.<sup>11</sup> An eere herynge blesside me, and an iye seynge yeldide witnessyng to me;<sup>12</sup> for Y hadde delyueride a pore man criynge, and a fadirles child, that hadde noon helpere.<sup>13</sup> The blessyng of a man `to perische cam on me, and Y coumfortide the herte of a widewe.¹⁴ Y was clothid with riytfulnesse; and Y clothide me as with a cloth, and with my `doom a diademe.<sup>15</sup> Y was iye `to a blynde man, and foot to a crokyd man.¹⁶ Y was a fadir of pore men; and Y enqueride most diligentli the cause, which Y knew not.¹⁷ Y al tobrak the grete teeth of the wickid man, and Y took awei prey fro hise teeth.

¹⁸ And Y seide, Y schal die in my nest; and as a palm tre Y schal multiplie daies.¹⁹ My roote is openyde bisidis watris, and deew schal dwelle in my repyng.²⁰ My glorie schal euere be renulid, and my bouwe schal be astorid in myn hond.²¹ Thei, that herden me, abiden my sentence; and thei weren ententif, and weren stille to my counsel.²² Thei dursten no thing adde to my wordis; and my speche droppide on hem.²³ Thei abididen me as reyn; and thei openyden her mouth as to the softe reyn `comynge late.²⁴ If ony tyme Y leiyide to hem, thei bileueden not; and the liyt of my cheer felde not doun in to erthe.²⁵ If Y wolde go to hem, Y sat the firste; and whanne Y sat as kyng, while the oost stood aboute, netheles Y was comfortour of hem that morenyden.