A   A greate trauayle is created for all m&ebar;, and an heuy yock vpon all mens children, from the daye that they go out of their mothers wombe, tyll they be buried in (the earth) the mother of all thinges: namely, their thoughtes and ymaginacions, feare of the hert, councell, meditacions, longinge and desyre, the daye of death: from the hyest that sytteth vpon the glorious seate, vnto the lowest and most symple vpon the earth: from him that is gorgiously arayed, and weereth a crowne, vntyll him that is but homely and symple clothed. There is nothinge but wrath, zele, fearfulnes, vnquietnes, and feare of death, rigorous anger and stryfe. And in the night whan one shulde rest and slepe vpon his bedd, the slepe chaungeth his vnderstandinge and knowlege. A litle as nothinge is his rest, in þe; slepe as well as in the daye of laboure.

B   He feareth and is disquyted in the vision of his hert, as one that renneth out of a battayll: and in the tyme of health he awaketh, and marueleth that the feare was nothinge. Soch thinges happen vnto all flesh, both man and best: but seuenfolde to the vngodly. Morouer death, bloudsheddinge, strife ∧ swerde, oppression, honger, destruccion and punyshment: ^note these thinges are all created agaynst the vngodly, and for their sakes came the floude also. All that is of the earth, shal turne to earth agayne: and all waters ebb agayne in to the see. All brybes and vnrighteousnes shalbe put awaye, but faithfulnes and trueth shal endure for euer. The substa&ubar;unce and goodes of þe; vngodly shalbe dried vp and syncke awaye as a water floude, and they shall make a sounde like a greate thonder in the rayne.

C   Like as the righteous reioyseth whan he openeth his hande, so shall the tr&abar;sgessours be faynte, whan their goodes vanysh and consume awaye. ^noteThe children of the vngodly shal not optayne many braunches: and þe; vncleane rotes vp&obar; the hye rockes shalbe roted out before the gras by the water syde ∧ vpon the ryuer bankes.

Frendlynes and liberalite in the increase and blessynge of God, is like a paradise ∧ garden of pleasure: soch mercy also ∧ kindnes endureth for euer. ^noteTo labo&highr; ∧ to be content with that a man hath, is a swete pleasaunt life: ∧ that is to fynde a treasure aboue all treasures. To beget children and to repayre the cite, maketh a perpetuall name: but an honest woman is more worth th&ebar; they both. Wyne and mynstralsye reioyse the hert, but the loue of wy&esset;dome is aboue them both.

D   Pypinge and harpinge make a swete noyse, but a frendly tonge goeth beyonde them both. Thine eye desyreth fauoure and bewtie but a grene sede tyme rather th&ebar; they both. A frende and companyon come together at oportunyte, ^note but aboue them both is a wife that agreeth with hir hu&esset;bande. One brother helpeth another in the tyme of trouble, but allmes shal deliuer more then they both. Golde and syluer fasten the fete, but a good councell is more pleasaunt then they both. Temporall substaunce and strength lift vp the mynde: but the feare of the LORDE more then they both. The feare of the LORDE wanteth nothinge, and nedeth no helpe. The feare of þe; LORDE is as a pleasaunt gard&ebar; of blessynge, and nothinge so bewtyfull as it is. My sonne, lede not a beggers life, for better it were to dye th&ebar; to begg. Who so loketh to another mans table, taketh no thought for his owne lyuynge how to vpholde his life, for he fedeth himself with other mens meate. But a wyse and well nurtoured man wyll bewarre therof. Beggynge is swete in the mouth of the vnshamefast, but in his bely there burneth a fyre.

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