Ecclesiastes 2

¹ Be thou not a witnesse with out resonable cause ayens thi neiybore; nether flatere thou ony man with thi lippis. ² Seie thou not, As he dide to me, so Y schal do to him, and Y schal yelde to ech man aftir his werk. ³ I passide bi the feeld of a slow man, and bi the vyner of a fonned man; and, lo! ⁴ nettlis hadden fillid al, thornes hadden hilid the hiyere part therof, and the wal of stoonys with out morter was distried. ⁵ And whanne Y hadde seyn this thing, Y settide in myn herte, and bi ensaumple Y lernyde techyng. ⁶ Hou longe slepist thou, slow man? whanne schalt thou ryse fro sleep? Sotheli thou schalt slepe a litil, thou schalt nappe a litil, thou schalt ioyne togidere the hondis a litil, to take reste; ⁷ and thi nedynesse as a currour schal come to thee, and thi beggerie as an armed man. ⁹ Also these ben the Parablis of Salomon, whiche the men of Ezechie, kyng of Juda, translatiden. ¹⁰ The glorie of God is to hele a word; and the glorie of kyngis is to seke out a word. ¹¹ Heuene aboue, and the erthe bynethe, and the herte of kyngis is vnserchable. ¹² Do thou a wei rust fro siluer, and a ful cleene vessel schal go out. ¹³ Do thou awei vnpite fro the cheer of the kyng, and his trone schal be maad stidfast bi riytfulnesse. ¹⁴ Appere thou not gloriouse bifore the kyng, and stonde thou not in the place of grete men. ¹⁵ For it is betere, that it be seid to thee, Stie thou hidur, than that thou be maad low bifore the prince. ¹⁶ Brynge thou not forth soone tho thingis in strijf, whiche thin iyen sien; lest aftirward thou maist not amende, whanne thou hast maad thi frend vnhonest. ¹⁷ Trete thi cause with thi frend, and schewe thou not priuyte to a straunge man; ¹⁸ lest perauenture he haue ioye of thi fal, whanne he hath herde, and ceesse not to do schenschipe to thee. Grace and frenschip delyueren, whiche kepe thou to thee, that thou be not maad repreuable. ¹⁹ A goldun pomel in beddis of siluer is he, that spekith a word in his time. ²⁰ A goldun eere ryng, and a schinynge peerle is he, that repreueth a wijs man, and an eere obeiynge. ²¹ As the coold of snow in the dai of heruest, so a feithful messanger to hym that sente `thilke messanger, makith his soule to haue reste. ²² A cloude and wind, and reyn not suynge, is a gloriouse man, and not fillynge biheestis. ²³ A prince schal be maad soft bi pacience; and a soft tunge schal breke hardnesse. ²⁴ Thou hast founde hony, ete thou that that suffisith to thee; lest perauenture thou be fillid, and brake it out. ²⁵ Withdrawe thi foot fro the hous of thi neiybore; lest sum tyme he be fillid, and hate thee. ²⁶ A dart, and a swerd, and a scharp arowe, a man that spekith fals witnessing ayens his neiybore.