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[1]Whanne thou sittist, to ete with the prince, perseyue thou diligentli what thingis ben set bifore thi face,
[2]and sette thou a withholding in thi throte. If netheles thou hast power on thi soule,
[3]desire thou not of his metis, in whom is the breed of `a leesing.
[4]Nyle thou trauele to be maad riche, but sette thou mesure to thi prudence.
[5]Reise not thin iyen to richessis, whiche thou maist not haue; for tho schulen make to hem silf pennes, as of an egle, and tho schulen flee in to heuene.
[6]Ete thou not with an enuyouse man, and desire thou not hise metis;
[7]for at the licnesse of a fals dyuynour and of a coniectere, he gessith that, that he knowith not. He schal seie to thee, Ete thou and drinke; and his soule is not with thee.
[8]Thou schalt brake out the metis, whiche thou hast ete; and thou schalt leese thi faire wordis.
[9]Speke thou not in the eeris of vnwise men; for thei schulen dispise the teching of thi speche.
[10]Touche thou not the termes of litle children; and entre thou not in to the feeld of fadirles and modirles children.
[11]For the neiybore of hem is strong, and he schal deme her cause ayens thee.
[12]Thin herte entre to techyng, and thin eeris `be redi to the wordis of kunnyng.
[13]Nile thou withdrawe chastisyng fro a child; for thouy thou smyte hym with a yerde, he schal not die.
[14]Thou schalt smyte hym with a yerde, and thou schalt delyuere his soule fro helle.
[15]Mi sone, if thi soule is wijs, myn herte schal haue ioye with thee;
[16]and my reynes schulen make ful out ioye, whanne thi lippis speken riytful thing.
[17]Thin herte sue not synneris; but be thou in the drede of the Lord al dai.
[18]For thou schalt haue hope at the laste, and thin abidyng schal not be don awei.
[19]Mi sone, here thou, and be thou wijs, and dresse thi soule in the weie.
[20]Nyle thou be in the feestis of drinkeris, nether in the ofte etyngis of hem, that bryngen togidere fleischis to ete.
[21]For men yyuynge tent to drinkis, and yyuyng mussels togidere, schulen be waastid, and napping schal be clothid with clothis.
[22]Here thi fadir, that gendride thee; and dispise not thi modir, whanne sche is eld.
[23]Bie thou treuthe, and nyle thou sille wisdom, and doctryn, and vndurstonding.
[24]The fadir of a iust man ioieth ful out with ioie; he that gendride a wijs man, schal be glad in hym.
[25]Thi fadir and thi modir haue ioye, and he that gendride thee, make ful out ioye.
[26]My sone, yyue thin herte to me, and thin iyen kepe my weyes.
[27]For an hoore is a deep diche, and an alien womman is a streit pit.
[28]Sche settith aspie in the weie, as a theef; and sche schal sle hem, whiche sche schal se vnwar.
[29]To whom is wo? to whos fadir is wo? to whom ben chidingis? to whom ben dichis? to whom ben woundis with out cause? to whom is puttyng out of iyen?
[30]Whether not to hem, that dwellen in wyn, and studien to drynke al of cuppis?
[31]Biholde thou not wyn, whanne it sparclith, whanne the colour therof schyneth in a ver.
[32]It entrith swetli, but at the laste it schal bite as an eddre doith, and as a cocatrice it schal schede abrood venyms.
[33]Thin iyen schulen se straunge wymmen, and thi herte schal speke weiwerd thingis.
[34]And thou schalt be as a man slepinge in the myddis of the see, and as a gouernour aslepid, whanne the steere is lost.
[35]And thou schalt seie, Thei beeten me, but Y hadde not sorewe; thei drowen me, and Y feelide not; whanne schal Y wake out, and Y schal fynde wynes eft?
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