The viseoun that a man spac, with whiche is God, and that, God with hym wonende, 2   coumfortid, seith, Most fool I am of men; and the wisdam of men is not with me. 3   I lernede not wisdam; and I knew&yogh; the kunnyng of seintus. 4   Who ste&yogh;ide vp in to heuene, and who cam doun? Who with heeld spirit in his hondis? who bond togidere watris as in a cloth? Who rerede alle the termes of the erthe? What name is of hym? and what name of the sone of hym, if thou knewe? 5   Eche sermoun of God firid, a sheld it is to alle hoperis in itself. 6   Ne adde thou any thing to the wordis of hym; and thou be vndernome, and

founde a liere. 7   Two thingus I pre&yogh;ede to thee; ne denien thou to me, er I die. 8   Vanyte and lesing wrdis fer do awei fro me; beggerie and richessis ne &yogh;iue thou to me; &yogh;if onli to my liflode nedeful thingus; 9   lest par auenture I fulfild, be drawen to denyen, and seie, Who is the Lord? and thur&yogh; nede constreyned, stele, and forswere the name of my God. 10   Ne acuse thou a seruaunt to his lord, lest par auenture he curse to thee, and thou falle. 11   Jeneracioun is, that to his fader cursith, and that to his moder blisseth not. 12   Jeneracioun that to hymself clene is seen, and neuer the latere it is not wasshe fro his filthis. 13   Jeneracioun of the whiche ben the e&yogh;en and the e&yogh;e lidis of it in to he&yogh;e thingus vp rerid. 14   Jeneracioun that for teth hath swerdis, and chewith with his wang teth; that he ete helpeles fro the erthe, and pore men fro men. 15   Waterlechis two ben do&yogh;tris, seiende, Bring on, bring on. Thre thingus ben vnfillable, and the ferthe, that seith neuermore, It suffisith; helle, 16   and the mouth of a womman wombe, and the erthe that neuer is fild with water; fijr forsothe neuermor seith, It suffiseth. 17   The e&yogh;e that scorneth the fader, and that dispiseth the birthe of his moder, pecken hym out crowis of the stremes; and ete hym the sonus of the egle. 18   Thre thingus ben hard to me, and the ferthe outerli I knowe not; 19   the weie of an egle in heuene, the weie of the shadewe eddere on a ston, the weie of a ship in the myd se, and the weie of a man in his waxende &yogh;outhe. 20   Such is the weie of the womman auoutresse, that etith, and wipende hir mouth, seith, I haue not wro&yogh;t euel. 21   Bi thre thingus is moued the erthe, and the ferthe it mai not sustene; 22   bi a seruaunt, whan he regneth; bi a fool, whan he were fulfild with mete; 23   bi an

hateful womman, whan she were taken in to matrimoyne; and bi an hand womman, whan she were eir of hir ladi. 24   Foure thingus ther ben the leste of erthe, and thei ben wisere than wise men; 25   amptis, a feble puple, that greithen in rep time mete to them; 26   a litil hare, a folc vnmy&yogh;ti, that in a ston his bed settith; a king the locuste hath not, 27   and it goth out alle bi cumpanyes; 28   a lisard with hondis cleueth, and he dwellith in the housis of a king. 29   Thre thingus ben, that weel gon, and the ferthe, that goth welsumly. 30   A leoun, most strong of bestes, at `a&yogh;en coomyng of noon shal dreden; a cok gyrd vp the leendis, 31   and a ram, and ther is not that withstonde to hym. And that fool shal seme, 32   aftir that he is rerid vp in to hee&yogh;; if forsothe he hadde vnderstonden, to his mouth he hadde put on hond. 33   Who forsothe strongli thresteth tetes, to drawen out mylc, threstith out buttere; and who hugeli smyteth, drawith out blod; and who terreth wrathis, bringeth forth discordis. 1   The wrdis of Lamuel, the king; the si&yogh;te in whiche his moder ta&yogh;te hym. 2   What my leef? what my leef of my wombe? what my leef of my vouwis?

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