Thre thinges there are, þt; my sprete fauoureth,
which be also a lowed before
God and men: The vnyte of brethren,
the loue of neghbours, and man ∧ wyfe
that agree well together. note
Thre thinges there be which my soule hateth,
and I vtterly abhorre the life of them:
A poore man that is proude. A rich m&abar; that
is a lyar, note and an olde body that doteth and
in vnchaste.
Yf thou hast gathered nothinge in thy
youth, what wylt thou fynde th&ebar; in thine age?
O how plesa&ubar;t a thinge is it, wh&abar; gray
headed men are discrete, ∧ whan the elders
can geue good councell? O how c&obar;ly a thinge
is wy&esset;dome vnto aged men? yee vnderstondinge
and councell is a glorious thinge.
The crowne of olde men is to haue moch experience,
∧ þe; feare of God is their worshipe.
B There be ix. thinges, which I haue iudged
in my hert to be happie, and the tenth wil I
tell forth vnto men with my tonge. A man
þt; whyle he lyueth, hath ioye of his children,
and seith þe; fall of his enemies. noteWell is him,
that dwelleth with an houswife of vnderst&obar;dinge,
and that hath not fallen with his tonge,
and þt; hath not bene faine to serue soch as
are vnmete for him. Wel is him, þt; fyndeth a
faithfull frende: ∧ wel is him, which talketh
of wi&esset;dome to an eare þt; heareth him. O how
greate is he, þt; fyndeth wy&esset;dome ∧ knowlege?
Yet is he not aboue him, that feareth the
LORDE. The feare of God hath sett itself aboue
all thinges. Blessed is þe; man, vnto wh&obar;
it is graunted to haue the feare of God. Vnto
wh&obar; shal he be lickened, þt; kepeth it fast?
The feare of God is the begynnynge of his
loue, and the begynnynge of faith is to cleue
fast vnto it. The heuynes of the hert is all
the punyshment, and the wickednes of a woman
goeth aboue all. All punyshment ∧ plage
is nothinge in comparison of the plage of
the hert, eu&ebar; so all wickednes is nothinge to
the wickednes of a woman.
C What so euer happeneth vnto a man, is
nothinge in comparison of it, þt; his euell willers
do vnto him: and all vengeaunce is nothinge
to the vengea&ubar;ce of the enemye. There
is not a more wicked heade then the heade
of the serp&ebar;t, note and there is no wrath aboue þe;
wrath of a woman. I wyl rather dwell with
a lyon and dragon, then to kepe house with a
wicked wyfe. The wickednesse of a woman
chaungeth hir face, she shal moffell hir co&ubar;tenaunce
as it were a Beer, ∧ as a sack shall
she shewe it amonge the neghbours. Hir husbande
is brought to shame am&obar;ge his neghbours,
∧ wh&abar; he heareth it, it maketh him to
sighe. All wickednes is but litle to the wickednes
of a woman, þe; porcion of the vngodly
shal fall vpon her.
A Like as to clymme vp a sondy waye is to
þe; fete of the aged, eu&ebar; so is a wife full of wordes
to a still quyete man. noteLoke not to narowly
vpon the bewtye of a woman, lest thou be
prouoked in desyre towarde her. The wrath
of a woman is dishonoure and greate confuci&obar;.
Yf a woman gett the mastrie, then is
she contrary to hir hu&esset;bande. A wicked wife
maketh a sory hert, an heuy countenaunce
and a deed wounde. noteOf the woman came
þe; begynnynge of synne, and thorow her we
all are deed. Geue thy water no passage, no
not a litle, nether geue a wicked woman hir
will. Yf she walke not after thy hande, she
shall confounde the in the sight of thy enemies.
Cut her of then from thy flesh, that she
do not allwaye abuse the.
Coverdale [1535], BIBLIA The Bible / that is, the holy Scripture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully and truly translated out of Douche and Latyn in to Englishe () [word count] [B04000].
