1   09Q0290The wordes of the Gatherer the sonne of Vomiter. The vision, that the man spake, with whom God is, and who being strengthened by God abiding with him, sayd:

2   I am ^note most foolish of men, & the wisedom of men is not with me.

3   I haue not learned wisedom, and haue not knowen the science of saints.

4    ^noteWho hath ascended into heauen and descended? who hath conteyned the spirit in his handes? who hath bound the waters together as in a garment? who hath raysed vp al the borders of the earth? what is his name, and what is the name of his sonne, if thou know?

5   Euerie word of God tryed by fyre, is a buckler to them that hope in him:

6   Adde not any thing to his wordes, and so thou be reproued and found a lyer:

7   Two thinges I haue asked thee, denie them not to me before I dye.

8   Vanitie, and lying wordes make far from me. Beggerie, and riches geue me not: geue only things necessarie for my sustenance:

9   lest perhaps being filled I be allured to denie, and may say: Who is the Lord? or being compelled by pouertie I may steale, and forsweare the name of my God.

10    ^noteAccuse not a seruant to his master, lest perhaps he curse thee, and thou fal.

11   There is ^note a generation that curseth their father, and that blesseth not their mother.

12   A generation, that semeth to itself cleane, & yet is not washed from their filthines.

13   A generation, whose eies are loftie, and the eielids therof set vp on high.

14   A generation, that for teeth hath swordes, and chaweth with theyr grinding teeth, that they may eate the needie out of the earth, and the poore from among men.

15   The horseleach hath ^note two daughters that say: Bring, bring. Three things are vnsatiable, the fourth neuer sayth it sufficeth.

16    ^noteHel, and the mouth of the matrice, & the earth which is not satisfied with water: but ^note the fyre neuer sayth it sufficeth.

17    ^noteThe eie, that scorneth his father, & that despiseth the trauail of his mother, in bearing him, let the rauens of the torrents pick it out, and the young of the eagle eate it.

18   Three thinges are hard to me, and of the fourth I am vtterly ignorant.

19   The way of an eagle in the ayre, the way of a serpent vpon a rocke, the way of a shippe in the middes of the sea, and ^note the way of a man in youth.

20   Such is also the way of an adulterous woman, which eateth, and wyping her mouth sayth: I haue done no euil.

21   By three thinges the earth is moued, and the fourth it can not susteyne.

22   By a seruant when he shal reigne: by a foole when he shal be filled with meate:

23   by an odious woman when she shal be taken in matrimonie: & by09Q0291 a bondwoman when she shal be heyre to her mistresse.

24   There are ^note foure the least thinges of the earth, and they are wiser then the wise.

25   The antes, a weake people, which prepareth in the haruest meate for themselues:

26   The leueret, a people not strong, which placeth his bed in the rocke:

27   The locust hath no king, and they go out al by their troopes:

28   The stellion stayeth on his handes, & tarieth in kings houses.

28    ^noteThere are three thinges which go wel, and the fourth that goeth happely.

30   The lyon, the strongest of beastes shal feare at the meeting of none:

31   the cocke gyrded about the loines, and the ramme: also the king, against whom none can resist.

32   There is that ^note hath appeared a foole after that he was lifted vp on high: for if he had vnderstood, he would haue layd his hand vpon his mouth.

33   And he that ^note strongly presseth the pappes to wring out milke, strayneth out butter, and he that violently cleanceth his nose, wringeth out bloud: & he that prouoketh angers, bringeth forth discordes.

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