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¹ Mi sone, if thou hast bihiyt for thi freend; thou hast fastned thin hoond at a straunger.² Thou art boundun bi the wordis of thi mouth; and thou art takun with thin owne wordis.³ Therfor, my sone, do thou that that Y seie, and delyuere thi silf; for thou hast fallun in to the hond of thi neiybore. Renne thou aboute, haste thou, reise thi freend;⁴ yyue thou not sleep to thin iyen, nether thin iyeliddis nappe.⁵ Be thou rauyschid as a doo fro the hond; and as a bridde fro aspiyngis of the foulere.

⁶ O! thou slowe man, go to the `amte, ether pissemyre; and biholde thou hise weies, and lerne thou wisdom.⁷ Which whanne he hath no duyk, nethir comaundour, nether prince;⁸ makith redi in somer mete to hym silf, and gaderith togidere in heruest that, that he schal ete.⁹ Hou long schalt thou, slow man, slepe? whanne schalt thou rise fro thi sleep?¹⁰ A litil thou schalt slepe, a litil thou schalt nappe; a litil thou schalt ioyne togidere thin hondis, that thou slepe.¹¹ And nedynesse, as a weigoere, schal come to thee; and pouert, as an armed man. Forsothe if thou art not slow, thi ripe corn schal come as a welle; and nedynesse schal fle fer fro thee.

¹² A man apostata, a man vnprofitable, he goith with a weiward mouth;¹³ he bekeneth with iyen, he trampith with the foot, he spekith with the fyngur,¹⁴ bi schrewid herte he ymagyneth yuel, and in al tyme he sowith dissenciouns.¹⁵ His perdicioun schal come to hym anoon, and he schal be brokun sodeynli; and he schal no more haue medecyn.¹⁶ Sixe thingis ben, whyche the Lord hatith; and hise soule cursith the seuenthe thing.¹⁷ Hiye iyen, a tunge liere, hondis schedinge out innocent blood,¹⁸ an herte ymagynynge worste thouytis, feet swifte to renne in to yuel,¹⁹ a man bringynge forth lesingis, a fals witnesse; and him that sowith discordis among britheren.

²⁰ Mi sone, kepe the comaundementis of thi fadir; and forsake not the lawe of thi modir.²¹ Bynde thou tho continueli in thin herte; and cumpasse `to thi throte.<sup>22</sup> Whanne thou goist, go tho with thee; whanne thou slepist, kepe tho thee; and thou wakynge speke with tho.<sup>23</sup> For the comaundement of God is a lanterne, and the lawe is liyt, and the blamyng of techyng is the weie of lijf;<sup>24</sup> `that the comaundementis kepe thee fro an yuel womman, and fro a flaterynge tunge of a straunge womman.²⁵ Thin herte coueite not the fairnesse of hir; nether be thou takun bi the signes of hir.²⁶ For the prijs of an hoore is vnnethe of o loof; but a womman takith the preciouse soule of a man.²⁷ Whether a man mai hide fier in his bosum, that hise clothis brenne not;²⁸ ethir go on colis, and hise feet be not brent?²⁹ So he that entrith to the wijf of his neiybore; schal not be cleene, whanne he hath touchid hir.³⁰ It is not greet synne, whanne a man stelith; for he stelith to fille an hungri soule.³¹ And he takun schal yelde the seuenthe fold; and he schal yyue al the catel of his hous, and schal delyuere hym silf.³² But he that is avouter; schal leese his soule, for the pouert of herte.³³ He gaderith filthe, and sclaundrith to hym silf; and his schenschip schal not be don awei.³⁴ For the feruent loue and strong veniaunce of the man schal not spare in the dai of veniaunce,³⁵ nether schal assente to the preieris of ony; nether schal take ful many yiftis for raunsum.