The Sayings for King Lemuel

1These are the wordes of Kynge Lamuel, & ye lesson yt his mother taught him.

2My sonne, thou sonne of my body: O my deare beloued sonne,

3geue not ouer thy substaunce & mynde vnto women, which are the destruccio eue of kynges.

4O Lamuel, geue kinges no wyne, geue kynges & prynces no stronge drynke:

5lest they beinge dronken forget the lawe, & regarde not ye cause of the poore, & of all soch as be in aduersite.

6Geue stronge drynke vnto soch as are condempned to death, & wyne vnto those yt mourne:

7that they maye drynke it, & forget their misery & aduersite.

8Be thou an aduocate & stonde in iudgment thyself, to speake for all soch as be dome & sucourles.

9With yi mouth defende ye thinge yt is laufull and right, and ye cause of ye poore and helplesse.

The Virtues of a Noble Woman

10Who so fyndeth an honest faithful woma, she is moch more worth the perles.

11The herte of hir husbande maye safely trust in her, so that he shal haue no nede of spoyles.

12She wil do him good & not euel all ye dayes of hir life.

13She occupieth woll & flax, & laboureth gladly wt hir handes.

14She is like a marchauntes shippe, that bryngeth hir vytayles from farre.

15She is vp in ye night season, to prouyde meate for hir housholde, & foode for hir maydens.

16She considreth lode, & byeth it, and wt the frute of hir handes she planteth a vynyarde.

17She gyrdeth hir loynes with strength, and courageth hir armes.

18And yf she perceaue that hir houswifrie doth good, hir candle goeth not out by night.

19She layeth hir fyngers to the spyndle, & hir hande taketh holde of ye rocke.

20She openeth hir hande to ye poore, yee she stretcheth forth hir hades to soch as haue nede.

21She feareth not yt the colde of wynter shal hurte hir house, for all hir housholde folkes are duble clothed.

22She maketh hir self fayre ornametes, hir clothige is whyte sylke & purple.

23Hir husbade is moch set by in ye gates, whe he sytteth amonge ye rulers of ye londe.

24She maketh cloth of sylke & selleth it, and delyuereth a gyrdle vnto ye marchaut.

25Stregth and honoure is hir clothinge, & in the latter daye she shal reioyse.

26She openeth hir mouth with wysdome, & in hir toge is the lawe of grace.

27She loketh wel to the wayes of hir housholde, & eateth not hir bred with ydilnes.

28Hir children arise & call hir blessed, & hir husbande maketh moch of her.

29Many daughters there be yt gather riches together, but thou goest aboue the all.

30As for fauor, it is disceatfull, and beutie is a vayne thinge: but a woman that feareth the LORDE, she is worthy to be praysed.

31Geue her of the frute of hir handes, and let hir owne workes prayse her in the gates.