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¹ Sones, here ye the teching of the fadir; and perseiue ye, that ye kunne prudence.² Y schal yyue to you a good yifte; forsake ye not my lawe.³ For whi and Y was the sone of my fadir, a tendir sone, and oon `gendride bifore my modir.⁴ And my fadir tauyte me, and seide, Thin herte resseyue my wordis; kepe thou myn heestis, and thou schalt lyue.⁵ Welde thou wisdom, welde thou prudence; foryete thou not, nethir bowe thou awey fro the wordis of my mouth.⁶ Forsake thou not it, and it schal kepe thee; loue thou it, and it schal kepe thee.⁷ The bigynnyng of wisdom, welde thou wisdom; and in al thi possessioun gete thou prudence.⁸ Take thou it, and it schal enhaunse thee; thou schalt be glorified of it, whanne thou hast biclippid it.⁹ It schal yyue encresyngis of graces to thin heed; and a noble coroun schal defende thee.¹⁰ Mi sone, here thou, and take my wordis; that the yeris of lijf be multiplied to thee.¹¹ Y schal schewe to thee the weie of wisdom; and Y schal lede thee bi the pathis of equyte.¹² In to whiche whanne thou hast entrid, thi goyngis schulen not be maad streit; and thou schalt rennen, and schalt not haue hirtyng.¹³ Holde thou teching, and forsake it not; kepe thou it, for it is thi lijf.

¹⁴ Delite thou not in the pathis of wyckid men; and the weie of yuele men plese not thee.¹⁵ Fle thou fro it, and passe thou not therbi; bowe thou awei, and forsake it.¹⁶ For thei slepen not, `no but thei han do yuele; and sleep is rauyschid fro hem, no but thei han disseyued.¹⁷ Thei eten the breed of vnpite, and drinken the wyn of wickidnesse.¹⁸ But the path of iust men goith forth as liyt schynynge, and encreessith til to perfit dai.¹⁹ The weie of wickid men is derk; thei witen not where thei schulen falle.

²⁰ Mi sone, herkene thou my wordis; and bowe doun thin eeris to my spechis.²¹ Go not tho awei fro thyn iyen; kepe thou hem in the myddil of thin herte.²² For tho ben lijf to men fyndynge thoo, and heelthe `of al fleisch.²³ With al keping kepe thin herte, for lijf cometh forth of it.²⁴ Remoue thou a schrewid mouth fro thee; and backbitynge lippis be fer fro thee.²⁵ Thin iyen se riytful thingis; and thin iyeliddis go bifore thi steppis.²⁶ Dresse thou pathis to thi feet, and alle thi weies schulen be stablischid.²⁷ Bowe thou not to the riytside, nether to the leftside; turne awei thi foot fro yuel. For the Lord knowith the weies that ben at the riytside; but the weies ben weiward, that ben at the leftside. Forsothe he schal make thi goyngis riytful; and thi weies schulen be brouyt forth in pees.