Remember Your Creator

1Remembre thy maker in thy youth, or euer the dayes of aduersite come, and or the yeares drawe nye, when thou shalt saye: I haue no pleasure in them: 2before the Sonne, ye light, ye Moone and the starres be darckened, and or the cloudes turne agayne after the rayne: 3when the kepers of the house shall tremble, and when the stronge men shal bowe them selues: when the Myllers stonde still because they be so fewe, and when the sight of the wyndowes shal waxe dymme: 4whan the dores in the stretes shal be shutt, and whan ye voyce of the Myller shall be layed downe: whan men shall ryse vp at the voyce of the byrde, and whan all ye doughters of musyck shalbe brought lowe: 5whan men shal feare in hye places, and be afrayed in the stretes: whan the Almonde tre shalbe despysed, the greshopper borne out, and whan greate pouerte shall breake in: when man goeth to his longe home, and the mourners go aboute the stretes. 6Or euer the syluer lace be taken awaye, and or the golden bende be broken: Or the pott be broken at the well, & the whele vpon the Cisterne: 7Or dust be turned againe vnto earth from whence it came, and or the sprete returne vnto God, which gaue it. 8All is but vanite (sayeth the preacher) all is but playne vanite.

The Whole Duty of Man

9The same preacher was not wyse alone, but taught the people knowlege also: he gaue good hede, sought out the groude and set forth many parables. 10His diligence was to fynde out acceptable wordes, right scripture, and the wordes of trueth.

11For the wordes of ye wyse are like prickes and nales that go thorow, wherwith men are kepte together: for they are geuen of one shepherde onely. 12Therfore bewarre (my sonne) that aboue these thou make the not many & innumerable bokes, nor take dyuerse doctrynes in hande, to weery thy body withall.

13Lat vs heare the conclucion of all thinges: Feare God, and kepe his comaundementes, for that toucheth all men: 14For God shall iudge all workes and secrete thinges, whether they be good or euell.