Many and great men haue declared wysdom vnto vs out of the law out of the Prophetes and oute of other that folowed th&ebar;. In the which thynges Israell oughte to be comm&ebar;ded, by the reason of doctryne ∧ wysdome: Therefore thei that haue it ∧ reade it, shuld not onely them selfs be wyse there thorow, but serue other also with teachynge and writinge.

After that my graund father Iesus had geuen dyligent laboure to reade the lawe, the Prophetes and other bokes that were left vs of oure fathers, ∧ had well exercysed hym self therein: he purposed also too wryte some thinge of wysedome and good maners, to the intent that they which were willynge to learn and to be wyse might haue the more vnderstanding and be the more apte to leade a good conuersacion.

Wherfore I exorte you to receyue it louingly, to reade it with diligence, and to take it in good worth though our wordes be not so eloqu&ebar;t as the famous oratours. For the thyng that is wrytten in the Hebrue tonge, soundeth not so well when it is translated into another speache. Not onely this boke of myne, but also the lawe, the Prophetes ∧ other bookes sounde farre otherwyse, then they do, when they are spoken in theyr owne language.

Now in the .xxxviij. yeare when I came into Egipte in the tyme of Ptolomy Euerges, and contynued there all my lyfe, I gat libertie to reade ∧ write many good thynges. Wherfore I thought it good ∧ necessary, to bestowe my diligence and trauayle too interprete thys boke. And considerynge that I hadde tyme, I laboured and dyd my best to perfourme this boke, and to bryng it vnto lyght: that the straungers also which are disposed to learne, myght applye th&ebar; selfes vnto good maners, and lyue accordyng to the lawe of the Lorde.

¶ The boke of Iesus the sonne of Syrach, whyche is called in latyne Ecclesiasticus.