Warnings against Foolishness

1My sone, yf thou be suertie for yi neghboure, thou hast fastened thine hode wt another ma:

2yee thou art boude with thine owne wordes, and taken wt thine owne speach.

3Therfore (my sonne) do this, discharge thy self, for thou art come i to yi neghbours daunger. Go thy waye then soone, & intreate thy neghboure:

4let not thyne eyes slepe, ner thine eye lyddes slomber.

5Saue thy self as a doo fro ye honde, & as a byrde fro the hode of the fouler.

6Go to the Emmet (thou slogarde) cosidre hir wayes, & lerne to be wyse.

7She hath no gyde, no teacher, no leder:

8yet in the sommer she prouideth hir meate, & gathereth hir foode together i ye haruest.

9How loge wilt thou slepe, thou slogish ma? Wha wilt thou aryse out of thy slepe?

10Yee slepe on still a litle, slober a litle, folde thine handes together yet a litle, that thou mayest slepe:

11so shal pouerte come vnto the as one yt trauayleth by the waye, & necessite like a wapened man.

12A dissemblynge person, a wicked man goeth with a frowarde mouth:

13he wyncketh with his eyes, he tokeneth wt his fete, he poynteth wt his fyngers,

14he is euer ymageninge myschefe & frowardnesse in his hert, & causeth discorde.

15Therfore shal his destruccion come hastely vpo him, sodenly shal he be all tobroken, and not be healed.

16There be sixe thinges, which the LORDE hateth, & the seuenth he vtterly abhorreth:

17A proude loke, a dyssemblynge tonge, hades that shed innocent bloude,

18an herte yt goeth aboute wt wicked ymaginacios, fete that be swift in rennynge to do myschefe,

19a false wytnesse yt bringeth vp lyes, & soch one as soweth discorde amonge brethren.

Warnings against Adultery

20My sonne, kepe thy fathers comaundemetes, & forsake not ye lawe of thy mother.

21Put the vp together in thine herte, and bynde the aboute thy necke.

22That they maye lede the where thou goest, preserue the when thou art aslepe, & yt when thou awakest, thou mayest talke of the

23(For the commaundement is a lanterne, and the lawe a light: yee chastenynge & nurtoure is ye waye of life)

24that they maye kepe the fro the euell woman, & from the flaterynge tonge of the harlott:

25yt thou lust not after her beuty in thine herte, & lest thou be take wt hir fayre lokes.

26An harlot wil make a ma to begg his bred, but a maried woman wil hunt for ye precious life.

27Maye a man take fyre in his bosome, and his clothes not be brent?

28Or can one go vpon hote coales, and his fete not be hurte?

29Euen so, who so euer goeth in to his neghbours wife, and toucheth her, can not be vngiltie.

30Men do not vtterly despyse a thefe, that stealeth to satisfie his soule, when he is hongerie:

31but yf he maye be gotten, he restoreth agayne seuen tymes asmoch, or els he maketh recompence with all the good of his house.

32But who so comitteth aduoutrie with a woma, he is a foole, and bryngeth his life to destruccion.

33He getteth him self also shame & dishonor, soch as shal neuer be put out.

34For the gelousy & wrath of the ma will not be itreated,

35no though thou woldest ofre him greate giftes to make amendes, he will not receaue them.