Content

CAP 4
1 Therfor whanne Tobie gesside his preier to be herd, that he myyte die, he clepide Tobie,
2 his sone, to hym silf, and seide to hym, My sone, here thou the wordis of my mouth, and bilde thou tho as foundementis in thin herte.
3 Whanne God hath take my soule, byrie thou my bodi; and `thou schal haue onour to thi modir in alle the daies of hir lijf;
4 for thou owist to be myndeful, what perels and how grete sche suffride for thee in hir wombe.
5 Forsothe whanne also sche hath fillid the tyme of hir lijf, thou schalt birie hir bisidis me.
6 Sotheli in alle the daies of thi lijf haue thou God in mynde, and be thou war, lest ony tyme thou consente to synne, and forsake the heestis of oure God.
7 Of thi catel do thou almes, and nyle thou turne awei thi face fro ony pore man; for so it schal be doon, that the face of the Lord be not turned awei fro thee.
8 As thou maist, so be thou merciful.
9 If thou hast myche, yyue thou plenteuousli; if thou hast a litil, also be thou bisi to departe wilfuli a litil.
10 For thou tresorist to thee a good meede in the dai of nede;
11 for whi almes delyuereth fro al synne and fro deeth, and schal not suffre the soule to go in to derknessis.
12 Almes schal be grete trist bifor the hiyeste God to alle men doynge it.
13 Sone, take heede to thi silf, and fle fro al fornicacioun, and, `outakun thi wijf, suffre thou neuere to know synne.
14 Suffre thou neuere pride to haue lordschip in thi wit, nether in thi word; for al `los, ether dampnacioun, took biginnyng in that pride.
15 Who euere worchith ony thing to thee, yelde thou anoon his mede, and outirli the hire of `thin hirid man dwelle not at thee.
16 That that thou hatist to be doon to thee of another man, se thou, lest ony tyme thou do to another man.
17 Ete thi breed with hungri men and nedi, and with thi clothis hile thou nakid men.
18 Ordeyne thi breed and thi wiyn on the sepulture of a iust man, and nyle thou ete and drynke therof with synneris.
19 Euere seke thou perfitli a counsel of a wijs man.
20 Al tyme blesse thou God, and axe thou of hym, that he dresse thi weies, and alle thi counsels dwelle in hym.
21 Also, my sone, Y schewe to thee, that the while thou were yit a litil child, Y yaf ten talentis of siluer to Gabelus, in Rages, a citee of Medeis; and Y haue his obligacioun anentis me;
22 and therfor perfitli enquere thou, hou thou schalt come to hym, and resseyue of hym the forseid weiyte of siluer, and restore to hym his obligacioun.
23 My sone, nyle thou drede; forsothe we leden a pore lijf, but we schulen haue many goodis, if we dreden God, and goen awei fro al synne, and doen wel.