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[1]The wysdome of hym that is brought lowe shall lift vp his head, and shall make hym to sit among great men.
[2]Commende not thou a man in his beautie, neither despise a man in his vtter appeeraunce.
[3]The Bee is but a smal beast among the foules, yet is her fruite exceeding sweet.
[4]Be not proude of thy rayment, & exalt not thy selfe in the day of thy honour: for the workes of the hiest onely are wonderfull: yea glorious, secrete, and vnknowen are his workes.
[5]Many tyrauntes haue ben fayne to sit downe vpon the earth, and the vnlikely hath worne the crowne.
[6]Many mightie men haue ben brought low, & the honorable haue ben deliuered into other mens handes.
[7]Condemne no man before thou haue tryed out the matter: and when thou hast made inquisition, then refourme righteously.
[8]Geue no sentence before thou hast hearde the cause: but first let men tel out their tales.
[9]Stryue not for a matter that toucheth not thy selfe, and stande not in the iudgement of sinners.
[10]My sonne, meddle not with many matters: and if thou gaine much thou shalt not be blamelesse, & if thou folow after it thou shalt not attayne it: and though thou runnest thy way afore, yet shalt thou not escape.
[11]There is some man that laboureth and taketh payne, and the more he weerieth him selfe, the lesse he hath.
[12]Againe, some man is slouthfull, hath neede of helpe, wanteth strength, and hath great pouertie:
[13]And gods eye loketh vpon him to good, setteth him vp from his lowe state, and lifteth vp his head: so that many men maruel at hym, and geue honour vnto God.
[14]Prosperitie and aduersitie, lyfe and death, pouertie and richesse, come all of the Lorde.
[15]Wysedome, nurture, and knowledge of the lawe are with God, loue and the wayes of good are with him.
[16]Errour and darkenesse are made for sinners, and they that exalt them selues in euyll, waxe olde in euyll.
[17]The gift of God remayneth for the righteous: and his good will shall geue prosperitie for euer.
[18]Some man is riche by his care and nigardship, and that is the portion of his rewarde:
[19]In that he sayth, Now haue I gotten rest, and nowe will I eate and drinke of my goodes my selfe alone: and yet he considereth not that the time draweth nye, and death approcheth, that he must leaue all these thinges vnto other men, and dye him selfe.
[20]Stand thou fast in thy couenaunt, and exercise thy selfe therin, and remayne in the worke vnto thy age.
[21]Maruell not at the workes of sinners, but put thy trust in God and byde in thy labour: for it is but an easie thing in the sight of God to make a poore man riche, and that sodenly.
[22]The blessing of God hasteth to the rewarde of the righteous, and maketh his fruites soone to florishe and prosper.
[23]Say not, what helpeth it me? and what good thing shall I haue hereafter?
[24]Againe, say not, I haue enough, how can I want?
[25]When thou art in welfare, forget not aduersitie: and when it goeth not well with thee, haue a good hope that it shalbe better:
[26]For it is but a small thing vnto God in the day of death to rewarde euery man according to his wayes.
[27]The aduersitie of an houre maketh one to forget al pleasure: & when a man dieth, his workes are discouered.
[28]Iudge no man blessed before his death: for a man shalbe knowen in his children.
[29]Bring not euery man into thyne house: for the disceytfull layeth wayte diuersly, & are like stomackes that belche filthyly.
[30]Like as a partrych in a maunde, so is the heart of the proude: and like as a spie that loketh vpon the fall of his neyghbour.
[31]For he turneth good vnto euyll, and slaundreth the chosen.
[32]Of one sparke is made a great fire, and of one disceytfull man is blood increased: and an vngodly man layeth wayte for blood.
[33]Beware of the disceytfull, for he imagineth wicked thinges, to bring thee into a perpetuall shame.
[34]If thou takest an aliaunt vnto thee, he shall destroy thee in vnquietnesse, and dryue thee from thyne owne wayes.
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