Proverbs 15

¹ Seie thou to wisdom, Thou art my sistir; and clepe thou prudence thi frendesse. ² That it kepe thee fro a straunge womman; and fro an alien womman, that makith hir wordis swete. ³ For whi fro the wyndow of myn hous bi the latijs Y bihelde; and Y se litle children. ⁴ I biholde a yong man coward, ⁵ that passith bi the stretis, bisidis the corner; and he ⁶ goith niy the weie of hir hous in derk tyme, whanne the dai drawith to niyt, in the derknessis and myst of the nyyt. ⁷ And lo! a womman, maad redi with ournement of an hoore to disseyue soulis, meetith hym, and sche is a ianglere, and goynge about, ⁸ and vnpacient of reste, and mai not stonde in the hous with hir feet; ⁹ and now without forth, now in stretis, now bisidis corneris sche aspieth. 10 And sche takith, and kissith the yong man; and flaterith with wowynge cheer, and seith, Y ouyte sacrifices for heelthe; 11 to dai Y haue yolde my vowis. 12 Therfor Y yede out in to thi meetyng, and Y desiride to se thee; and Y haue founde thee. 13 Y haue maad my bed with coordis, Y haue arayed with tapetis peyntid of Egipt; 14 Y haue bispreynt my bed with myrre, and aloes, and canel. 15 Come thou, be we fillid with tetis, and vse we collyngis that ben coueitid; til the dai bigynne to be cleer. 16 For myn hosebonde is not in his hows; he is goon a ful long weie. 17 He took with hym a bagge of money; he schal turne ayen in to his hous in the dai of ful moone. 18 Sche boonde hym with many wordis; and sche drow forth hym with flateryngis of lippis. 19 Anoon he as an oxe led to slayn sacrifice sueth hir, and as a ioli lomb and vnkunnynge; and the fool woot not, that he is drawun to bondys, 20 til an arowe perse his mawe. As if a brid hastith to the snare; and woot not, that it is don of the perel of his lijf. 21 Now therfor, my sone, here thou me; and perseyue the wordis of my mouth. 22 Lest thi soule be drawun awei in the weies of hir; nether be thou disseyued in the pathis of hir. 23 For sche castide doun many woundid men; and alle strongeste men weren slayn of hir. 24 The weies of helle is hir hous; and persen in to ynnere thingis of deeth. 26 Whether wisdom crieth not ofte; and prudence yyueth his vois? 27 In souereyneste and hiy coppis, aboue the weie, in the myddis of pathis, 28 and it stondith bisidis the yate of the citee, in thilke closyngis, and spekith, and seith, A! 29 ye men, Y crie ofte to you; and my vois is to the sones of men. 30 Litle children, vndirstonde ye wisdom; and ye vnwise men, perseyue wisdom. ³¹ Here ye, for Y schal speke of grete thingis; and my lippis schulen be openyd, to preche riytful thingis. ³² My throte schal bithenke treuthe; and my lippis schulen curse a wickid man. ³³ My wordis ben iust; no schrewid thing, nether weiward is in tho.