Ecclesiastes 5

¹ Another man, and not thi mouth preise thee; a straunger, and not thi lippis preise thee. 2 A stoon is heuy, and grauel is chariouse; but the ire of a fool is heuyere than euer eithir. 3 Ire hath no merci, and woodnesse brekynge out hath no merci; and who mai suffre the fersnesse of a spirit stirid? ⁴ Betere is opyn repreuyng, than loue hid. ⁵ Betere ben the woundis of hym that loueth, than the gileful cossis of hym that hatith. ⁶ A man fillid schal dispise an hony coomb; but an hungri man schal take, yhe, bittir thing for swete. ⁷ As a brid passinge ouer fro his nest, so is a man that forsakith his place. ⁸ The herte delitith in oynement, and dyuerse odours; and a soule is maad swete bi the good counsels of a frend. ⁹ Forsake thou not thi frend, and the frend of thi fadir; and entre thou not in to the hous of thi brothir, in the dai of thi turment. Betere is a neiybore nyy, than a brothir afer. ¹⁰ Mi sone, studie thou a boute wisdom, and make thou glad myn herte; that thou maist answere a word to a dispisere. ¹¹ A fel man seynge yuel was hid; litle men of wit passinge forth suffriden harmes. ¹² Take thou awei his clooth, that bihiyte for a straunger; and take thou awei a wed fro hym for an alien man. ¹³ He that blessith his neiybore with greet vois; and risith bi niyt, schal be lijk hym that cursith. ¹⁴ Roouys droppynge in the dai of coold, and a womman ful of chidyng ben comparisond. ¹⁵ He that withholdith hir, as if he holdith wynd; and auoidith the oile of his riyt hond. ¹⁶ Yrun is whettid bi irun; and a man whettith the face of his frend. ¹⁷ He that kepith a fige tre, schal ete the fruytis therof; and he that is a kepere of his lord, schal be glorified. ¹⁸ As the cheris of men biholdinge schynen in watris; so the hertis of men ben opyn to prudent men. ¹⁹ Helle and perdicioun schulen not be fillid; so and the iyen of men moun not be fillid. ²⁰ As siluer is preuyd in a wellyng place, and gold `is preued in a furneys; so a man is preued bi the mouth of preyseris. The herte of a wickid man sekith out yuels; but a riytful herte sekith out kunnyng.