|
[1]Haue thou not glorie on the morewe, `not knowynge what thing the dai to comynge schal bringe forth.
[2]Another man, and not thi mouth preise thee; a straunger, and not thi lippis `preise thee.
[3]A stoon is heuy, and grauel is chariouse; but the ire of a fool is heuyere than euer eithir.
[4]Ire hath no merci, and woodnesse brekynge out `hath no merci; and who mai suffre the fersnesse of a spirit stirid?
[5]Betere is opyn repreuyng, than loue hid.
[6]Betere ben the woundis of hym that loueth, than the gileful cossis of hym that hatith.
[7]A man fillid schal dispise an hony coomb; but an hungri man schal take, yhe, bittir thing for swete.
[8]As a brid passinge ouer fro his nest, so is a man that forsakith his place.
[9]The herte delitith in oynement, and dyuerse odours; and a soule is maad swete bi the good counsels of a frend.
[10]Forsake thou not thi frend, and the frend of thi fadir; and entre thou not in to the hous of thi brothir, in the dai of thi turment. Betere is a neiybore nyy, than a brothir afer.
[11]Mi sone, studie thou a boute wisdom, and make thou glad myn herte; that thou maist answere a word to a dispisere.
[12]A fel man seynge yuel was hid; litle men of wit passinge forth suffriden harmes.
[13]Take thou awei his clooth, that bihiyte for a straunger; and take thou awei a wed fro hym for an alien man.
[14]He that blessith his neiybore with greet vois; and risith bi niyt, schal be lijk hym that cursith.
[15]Roouys droppynge in the dai of coold, and a womman ful of chidyng ben comparisond.
[16]He that withholdith hir, as if he holdith wynd; and auoidith the oile of his riyt hond.
[17]Yrun is whettid bi irun; and a man whettith the face of his frend.
[18]He that kepith a fige tre, schal ete the fruytis therof; and he that is a kepere of his lord, schal be glorified.
[19]As the cheris of men biholdinge schynen in watris; so the hertis of men ben opyn to prudent men.
[20]Helle and perdicioun schulen not be fillid; so and the iyen of men moun not be fillid.
[21]As siluer is preuyd in a wellyng place, and gold `is preued in a furneys; so a man is preued bi the mouth of preyseris. The herte of a wickid man sekith out yuels; but a riytful herte sekith out kunnyng.
[22]Thouy thou beetist a fool in a morter, as with a pestel smytynge aboue dried barli; his foli schal not be don awei fro him.
[23]Knowe thou diligentli the cheere of thi beeste; and biholde thou thi flockis.
[24]For thou schalt not haue power contynueli; but a coroun schal be youun to thee in generacioun and in to generacioun.
[25]Medewis ben openyd, and greene eerbis apperiden; and hey is gaderid fro hillis.
[26]Lambren be to thi clothing; and kidis be to the prijs of feeld.
[27]The mylke of geete suffice to thee for thi meetis; in to the necessarie thingis of thin hous, and to lijflode to thin handmaidis.
|