1   He that toucheth pitch, shal be defiled with it: and he that communicateth with the proud, shal put on pride.

2    ^noteHe shal take a burden vpon him that communicateth with one more honorable then himself. And be not companion with one richer then thyself.

3   What societie shal the caudron haue with the earthen potte? for when they shal knock one against the other, it shal be broken.

4   The rich man hath done vniustly, and he wil fume: but the poore man being hurt wil hold his peace.

5   If thou geue, he wil take thee: and if thou haue not, he wil forsake thee.

6   If thou haue, he wil liue with thee, and wil emptie thee, and he wil not be sorie for thee.

7   If thou be necessarie for him, he wil supplant thee, and smiling wil put thee in hope, telling thee good thinges, and wil say: What wantest thou?

8   And he wil confound theein his meates, til he emptie thee twise, & thrise, and at the last he wil mocke thee: and afterward seeing he wil forsake thee, and wil shake his head at thee.

9   Humble thyself to God, and expect his handes.

10   Take heede lest seduced into follie thou be humbled.

11    ^noteBe not humble in thy wisdom, lest hmbled thou be seduced into follie.

12   Being called of the mightier depart: for by this he wil cal thee the more.

13   Be

not importune, lest thou be reiected: and be not farre from him, lest thou goe into obliuion.

14   Stay not to speake felowlike with him: neither credite his manie wordes. For by much talke he wil proue thee, and smiling wil examine thee of thy secretes.

15   His cruel mind wil kepe thy wordes: and he wil not spare for malice, and for bandes.

16   Take heede to thyself, and attend diligently to thyn hearing: because thou walkest with thy subuersion.

17   But hearing those thinges see as it were in sleepe, and thou shalt watch.

18   Loue God al thy life, and inuocate him for thy saluation.

19   Euerie beast loueth the like to it self: so also euerie man the nerest to himself.

20   Al flesh wil match with the like to it self, and euerie man wil associate himself to his like.

21   If the woolf shal at anie time communicate with the lambe, so the sinner with the iust.

22   What fellowshippe hath an holy man with a dogge, or what part hath the riche with the poore?

23   The wilde asse in the deserte is the lyons pray: so the poore are also the pastures of the riche.

24   And as humilitie is abomination to the proude: so also the poore man is the execration of the riche.

25   The riche man being moued is confirmed by his frendes: but the humble when he is fallen, shal be thrust out euen of his familiars.

26   To the rich deceeued there are many recouerers: he hath spoken proud wordes, and they haue iustified him.

27   The humble was deceiued, he moreouer is rebuked also: he hath spoken wisely, and place was not geuen vnto him.

28    ^noteThe rich man spake, and al helde their peace, and they wil carry his worde euen to the cloudes.

29   The poore man spake and they say: Who is this? and if he stumble, they wil ouerthrowe him.

30   Substance is good, to him that hath no sinne in his conscience: and pouertie is most wicked in the mouth of the impious.

31   The hart of a man altereth his countenance, either into good, or into euil.

32   The token of a good hart, and a good countenance thou shalt hardly finde, and with labour.

Previous section

Next section