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[1]Betere is a good name, than many richessis; for good grace is aboue siluer and gold.
[2]A riche man and a pore man metten hem silf; the Lord is worchere of euer eithir.
[3]A felle man seeth yuel, and hidith him silf; and an innocent man passid, and he was turmentid bi harm.
[4]The ende of temperaunce is the drede of the Lord; richessis, and glorye, and lijf.
[5]Armuris and swerdis ben in the weie of a weiward man; but the kepere of his soule goith awey fer fro tho.
[6]It is a prouerbe, A yong wexynge man bisidis his weie, and whanne he hath wexe elde, he schal not go awei fro it.
[7]A riche man comaundith to pore men; and he that takith borewyng, is the seruaunt of the leenere.
[8]He that sowith wickidnes, schal repe yuels; and the yerde of his yre schal be endid.
[9]He that is redi to merci, schal be blessid; for of his looues he yaf to a pore man. He that yyueth yiftis, schal gete victorie and onour; forsothe he takith awei the soule of the takeris.
[10]Caste thou out a scornere, and strijf schal go out with hym; and causis and dispisyngis schulen ceesse.
[11]He that loueth the clennesse of herte, schal haue the kyng a freend, for the grace of hise lippis.
[12]The iyen of the Lord kepen kunnyng; and the wordis of a wickid man ben disseyued.
[13]A slow man schal seie, A lioun is withoutforth; Y schal be slayn in the myddis of the stretis.
[14]The mouth of an alien womman is a deep diche; he to whom the Lord is wrooth, schal falle in to it.
[15]Foli is boundun togidere in the herte of a child; and a yerde of chastisyng schal dryue it awey.
[16]He that falsli chalengith a pore man, to encreesse hise owne richessis, schal yyue to a richere man, and schal be nedi.
[17]My sone, bowe doun thin eere, and here thou the wordis of wise men; but sette thou the herte to my techyng.
[18]That schal be fair to thee, whanne thou hast kept it in thin herte, and it schal flowe ayen in thi lippis.
[19]That thi trist be in the Lord; wherfor and Y haue schewid it to thee to dai.
[20]Lo! Y haue discryued it in thre maneres, in thouytis and kunnyng,
[21]that Y schulde schewe to thee the sadnesse and spechis of trewthe; to answere of these thingis to hem, that senten thee.
[22]Do thou not violence to a pore man, for he is pore; nethir defoule thou a nedi man in the yate.
[23]For the Lord schal deme his cause, and he schal turmente hem, that turmentiden his soule.
[24]Nyle thou be freend to a wrathful man, nether go thou with a wood man;
[25]lest perauenture thou lerne hise weies, and take sclaundir to thi soule.
[26]Nyle thou be with hem that oblischen her hondis, and that proferen hem silf borewis for dettis; for if he hath not wherof he schal restore,
[27]what of cause is, that thou take awei hilyng fro thi bed?
[28]Go thou not ouer the elde markis, whiche thi faders han set.
[29]Thou hast seyn a man smert in his werk; he schal stonde bifore kyngis, and he schal not be bifor vnnoble men.
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