Content

CAP 8
1 Whether wisdom crieth not ofte; and prudence yyueth his vois?
2 In souereyneste and hiy coppis, aboue the weie, in the myddis of pathis,
3 and it stondith bisidis the yate of the citee, in thilke closyngis, and spekith, and seith, A!
4 ye men, Y crie ofte to you; and my vois is to the sones of men.
5 Litle children, vndirstonde ye wisdom; and ye vnwise men, `perseyue wisdom.
6 Here ye, for Y schal speke of grete thingis; and my lippis schulen be openyd, to preche riytful thingis.
7 My throte schal bithenke treuthe; and my lippis schulen curse a wickid man.
8 My wordis ben iust; no schrewid thing, nether weiward is in tho.
9 `My wordis ben riytful to hem that vndurstonden; and ben euene to hem that fynden kunnyng.
10 Take ye my chastisyng, and not money; chese ye teching more than tresour.
11 For wisdom is betere than alle richessis moost preciouse; and al desirable thing mai not be comparisound therto.
12 Y, wisdom, dwelle in counsel; and Y am among lernyd thouytis.
13 The drede of the Lord hatith yuel; Y curse boost, and pride, and a schrewid weie, and a double tungid mouth.
14 Counseil is myn, and equyte `is myn; prudence is myn, and strengthe `is myn.
15 Kyngis regnen bi me; and the makeris of lawis demen iust thingis bi me.
16 Princis comaunden bi me; and myyti men demen riytfulnesse bi me.
17 I loue hem that louen me; and thei that waken eerli to me, schulen fynde me.
18 With me ben rychessis, and glorie; souereyn richessis, and riytfulnesse.
19 My fruyt is betere than gold, and precyouse stoon; and my seedis ben betere than chosun siluer.
20 Y go in the weies of riytfulnesse, in the myddis of pathis of doom;
21 that Y make riche hem that louen me, and that Y fille her tresouris.
22 The Lord weldide me in the bigynnyng of hise weies; bifore that he made ony thing, at the bigynnyng.
23 Fro with out bigynnyng Y was ordeined; and fro elde tymes, bifor that the erthe was maad.
24 Depthis of watris weren not yit; and Y was conseyued thanne. The wellis of watris hadden not brokun out yit,
25 and hillis stoden not togidere yit bi sad heuynesse; bifor litil hillis Y was born.
26 Yit he hadde not maad erthe; and floodis, and the herris of the world.
27 Whanne he made redi heuenes, Y was present; whanne he cumpasside the depthis of watris bi certeyn lawe and cumpas.
28 Whanne he made stidfast the eir aboue; and weiede the wellis of watris.
29 Whanne he cumpasside to the see his marke; and settide lawe to watris, that tho schulden not passe her coostis. Whanne he peiside the foundementis of erthe;
30 Y was making alle thingis with him. And Y delitide bi alle daies, and pleiede bifore hym in al tyme,
31 and Y pleiede in the world; and my delices ben to be with the sones of men.
32 Now therfor, sones, here ye me; blessid ben thei that kepen my weies.
33 Here ye teching, and be ye wise men; and nile ye caste it awei.
34 Blessid is the man that herith me, and that wakith at my yatis al dai; and kepith at the postis of my dore.
35 He that fyndith me, schal fynde lijf; and schal drawe helthe of the Lord.
36 But he that synneth ayens me, schal hurte his soule; alle that haten me, louen deeth.