Content

CAP 6
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.
22 Whanne thou goist, go tho with thee; whanne thou slepist, kepe tho thee; and thou wakynge speke with tho.
23 For the comaundement of God is a lanterne, and the lawe is liyt, and the blamyng of techyng is the weie of lijf;
24 `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.