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¹ Mi sone, foryete thou not my lawe; and thyn herte kepe my comaundementis.² For tho schulen sette to thee the lengthe of daies, and the yeeris of lijf, and pees.³ Merci and treuthe forsake thee not; bynde thou tho to thi throte, and write in the tablis of thin herte.⁴ And thou schalt fynde grace, and good teching bifore God and men.⁵ Haue thou trist in the Lord, of al thin herte; and triste thou not to thi prudence.⁶ In alle thi weies thenke thou on hym, and he schal dresse thi goyngis.

⁷ Be thou not wijs anentis thi silf; drede thou God, and go awei fro yuel.⁸ For whi helthe schal be in thi nawle, and moisting of thi boonys.⁹ Onoure thou the Lord of thi catel, and of the beste of alle thi fruytis yyue thou to pore men;¹⁰ and thi bernes schulen be fillid with abundaunce, and pressours schulen flowe with wiyn.¹¹ My sone, caste thou not awei the teching of the Lord; and faile thou not, whanne thou art chastisid of him.¹² For the Lord chastisith hym, whom he loueth; and as a fadir in the sone he plesith hym.

¹³ Blessid is the man that fyndith wisdom, and which flowith with prudence.¹⁴ The geting therof is betere than the marchaundie of gold and of siluer; the fruytis therof ben the firste and clenneste.¹⁵ It is preciousere than alle richessis; and alle thingis that ben desirid, moun not be comparisound to this.¹⁶ Lengthe of daies is in the riythalf therof, and richessis and glorie ben in the lifthalf therof.¹⁷ The weies therof ben feire weies, and alle the pathis therof ben pesible.¹⁸ It is a tre of lijf to hem that taken it; and he that holdith it, is blessid.¹⁹ The Lord foundide the erthe bi wisdom; he stablischide heuenes bi prudence.²⁰ The depthis of watris braken out bi his wisdom; and cloudis wexen togidere bi dewe.

²¹ My sone, these thingis flete not awey fro thin iyen; kepe thou my lawe, and my counsel;²² and lijf schal be to thi soule, and grace `schal be to thi chekis.²³ Thanne thou schalt go tristili in thi weie; and thi foot schal not snapere.²⁴ If thou schalt slepe, thou schalt not drede; thou schalt reste, and thi sleep schal be soft.²⁵ Drede thou not bi sudeyne feer, and the powers of wickid men fallynge in on thee.²⁶ For the Lord schal be at thi side; and he schal kepe thi foot, that thou be not takun.

²⁷ Nil thou forbede to do wel him that mai; if thou maist, and do thou wel.²⁸ Seie thou not to thi frend, Go, and turne thou ayen, and to morewe Y schal yyue to thee; whanne thou maist yyue anoon.²⁹ Ymagyne thou not yuel to thi freend, whanne he hath trist in thee.³⁰ Stryue thou not ayens a man with out cause, whanne he doith noon yuel to thee.³¹ Sue thou not an vniust man, sue thou not hise weies.³² For ech disseyuer is abhomynacioun of the Lord; and his speking is with simple men.³³ Nedinesse is sent of the Lord in the hous of a wickid man; but the dwelling places of iust men schulen be blessid.³⁴ He schal scorne scorneris; and he schal yyue grace to mylde men.³⁵ Wise men schulen haue glorie; enhaunsing of foolis is schenschipe.