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¹ Therfor clepe thou, if `ony is that schal answere thee, and turne thou to summe of seyntis.<sup>2</sup> Wrathfulnesse sleeth `a fonned man, and enuye sleeth a litil child.³ Y siy a fool with stidefast rote, and Y curside his feirnesse anoon.⁴ Hise sones schulen be maad fer fro helthe, and thei schulen be defoulid in the yate, and `noon schal be that schal delyuere hem.⁵ Whos ripe corn an hungri man schal ete, and an armed man schal rauysche hym, and thei, that thirsten, schulen drynke hise richessis.

⁶ No thing is doon in erthe with out cause, and sorewe schal not go out of the erthe.⁷ A man is borun to labour, and a brid to fliyt.⁸ Wherfor Y schal biseche the Lord, and Y schal sette my speche to my God.⁹ That makith grete thingis, and that moun not be souyt out, and wondurful thingis with out noumbre.¹⁰ Which yyueth reyn on the face of erthe, and moistith alle thingis with watris.¹¹ Which settith meke men an hiy, and reisith with helthe hem that morenen.¹² Which distrieth the thouytis of yuel willid men, that her hondis moun not fille tho thingis that thei bigunnen.¹³ Which takith cautelouse men in the felnesse `of hem, and distrieth the counsel of schrewis.<sup>14</sup> Bi dai thei schulen renne in to derknessis, and as in nyyt so thei schulen grope in myddai.<sup>15</sup> Certis God schal make saaf a nedi man fro the swerd of her mouth, and a pore man fro the hond of the violent, `ethir rauynour.¹⁶ And hope schal be to a nedi man, but wickidnesse schal drawe togidere his mouth.

¹⁷ Blessid is the man, which is chastisid of the Lord; therfor repreue thou not the blamyng of the Lord.¹⁸ For he woundith, and doith medicyn; he smytith, and hise hondis schulen make hool.¹⁹ In sixe tribulaciouns he schal delyuere thee, and in the seuenthe tribulacioun yuel schal not touche thee.²⁰ In hungur he schal delyuere thee fro deeth, and in batel fro the power of swerd.²¹ Thou schalt be hid fro the scourge of tunge, and thou schalt not drede myseiste, `ethir wretchidnesse, whanne it cometh.²² In distriyng maad of enemyes and in hungur thou schalt leiye, and thou schalt not drede the beestis of erthe.²³ But thi couenaunt schal be with the stonys of erthe, and beestis of erthe schulen be pesible to thee.²⁴ And thou schalt wite, that thi tabernacle hath pees, and thou visitynge thi fairnesse schalt not do synne.²⁵ And thou schalt wite also, that thi seed schal be many fold, and thi generacioun schal be as an erbe of erthe.²⁶ In abundaunce thou schalt go in to the sepulcre, as an heep of wheete is borun in his tyme.²⁷ Lo! this is so, as we han souyt; which thing herd, trete thou in minde.