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¹ The wordis of hym that gaderith, of the sone spuynge. The prophesie which a man spak, with whom God was, and which man was coumfortid bi God dwellyng with hym,² and seide, Y am the moost fool of men; and the wisdom of men is not with me.³ Y lernede not wisdom; and Y knew not the kunnyng of hooli men.⁴ Who stiede in to heuene, and cam doun? Who helde togidere the spirit in hise hondis? who bonde togidere watris as in a cloth? Who reiside alle the endis of erthe? What is name of hym? and what is the name of his sone, if thou knowist?⁵ Ech word of God is a scheld set a fiere, to alle that hopen in hym.⁶ Adde thou not ony thing to the wordis of hym, and thou be repreued, and be foundun a liere.

⁷ I preiede thee twei thingis; denye not thou to me, bifor that Y die.⁸ Make thou fer fro me vanyte and wordis of leesyng; yyue thou not to me beggery and richessis; yyue thou oneli necessaries to my lijflode;⁹ lest perauenture Y be fillid, and be drawun to denye, and seie, Who is the Lord? and lest Y compellid bi nedynesse, stele, and forswere the name of my God.

¹⁰ Accuse thou not a seruaunt to his lord, lest perauenture he curse thee, and thou falle doun.¹¹ A generacioun that cursith his fadir, and that blessith not his modir.¹² A generacioun that semeth cleene to it silf, and netheles is not waischun fro hise filthis.¹³ A generacioun whose iyen ben hiy, and the iye liddis therof ben reisid in to hiy thingis.¹⁴ A generacioun that hath swerdis for teeth, and etith with hise wank teeth; that it ete nedi men of erthe, and the porails of men.

¹⁵ The watir leche hath twei douytris, seiynge, Brynge, bringe. Thre thingis ben vnable to be fillid, and the fourthe, that seith neuere, It suffisith;¹⁶ helle, and the mouth of the wombe, and the erthe which is neuere fillid with water; but fier seith neuere, It suffisith.¹⁷ Crowis of the stronde picke out thilke iye, that scorneth the fadir, and that dispisith the child beryng of his modir; and the briddis of an egle ete that iye.

¹⁸ Thre thingis ben hard to me, and outirli Y knowe not the fourthe thing;¹⁹ the weye of an egle in heuene, the weie of a serpent on a stoon, the weie of a schip in the myddil of the see, and the weie of a man in yong wexynge age.²⁰ Siche is the weie of a womman auowtresse, which etith, and wipith hir mouth, and seith, Y wrouyte not yuel.²¹ The erthe is moued bi thre thingis, and the fourthe thing, which it may not susteyne;²² bi a seruaunt, whanne he regneth; bi a fool, whanne he is fillid with mete;²³ bi an hateful womman, whanne sche is takun in matrymonye; and bi an handmaide, whanne sche is eir of hir ladi.

²⁴ Foure ben the leeste thingis of erthe, and tho ben wisere than wise men;²⁵ amtis, a feble puple, that maken redi mete in heruest to hem silf;²⁶ a hare, a puple vnmyyti, that settith his bed in a stoon;²⁷ a locust hath no kyng, and al goith out bi cumpanyes; an euete enforsith with hondis,²⁸ and dwellith in the housis of kingis.

²⁹ Thre thingis ben, that goon wel, and the fourthe thing, that goith richeli.³⁰ A lioun, strongeste of beestis, schal not drede at the meetyng of ony man;³¹ a cok gird the leendis, and a ram, and noon is that schal ayenstonde him.³² He that apperith a fool, aftir that he is reisid an hiy; for if he hadde vndurstonde, he hadde sett hond on his mouth.³³ Forsothe he that thristith strongli teetis, to drawe out mylk, thristith out botere; and he that smytith greetli, drawith out blood; and he that stirith iris, bringith forth discordis.