1 Betere is a good name, than many richessis; for good grace is aboue siluer and gold.
2 A riche man and a pore man metten hem silf; the Lord is worchere of euer eithir.
3 A felle man seeth yuel, and hidith him silf; and an innocent man passid, and he was turmentid bi harm.
4 The ende of temperaunce is the drede of the Lord; richessis, and glorye, and lijf.
5 Armuris and swerdis ben in the weie of a weiward man; but the kepere of his soule goith awey fer fro tho.
6 It is a prouerbe, A yong wexynge man bisidis his weie, and whanne he hath wexe elde, he schal not go awei fro it.
7 A riche man comaundith to pore men; and he that takith borewyng, is the seruaunt of the leenere.
8 He that sowith wickidnes, schal repe yuels; and the yerde of his yre schal be endid.
9 He that is redi to merci, schal be blessid; for of his looues he yaf to a pore man. He that yyueth yiftis, schal gete victorie and onour; forsothe he takith awei the soule of the takeris.
10 Caste thou out a scornere, and strijf schal go out with hym; and causis and dispisyngis schulen ceesse.
11 He that loueth the clennesse of herte, schal haue the kyng a freend, for the grace of hise lippis.
12 The iyen of the Lord kepen kunnyng; and the wordis of a wickid man ben disseyued.
13 A slow man schal seie, A lioun is withoutforth; Y schal be slayn in the myddis of the stretis.
14 The mouth of an alien womman is a deep diche; he to whom the Lord is wrooth, schal falle in to it.
15 Foli is boundun togidere in the herte of a child; and a yerde of chastisyng schal dryue it awey.
16 He that falsli chalengith a pore man, to encreesse hise owne richessis, schal yyue to a richere man, and schal be nedi.
17 My sone, bowe doun thin eere, and here thou the wordis of wise men; but sette thou the herte to my techyng.
18 That schal be fair to thee, whanne thou hast kept it in thin herte, and it schal flowe ayen in thi lippis.
19 That thi trist be in the Lord; wherfor and Y haue schewid it to thee to dai.
20 Lo! Y haue discryued it in thre maneres, in thouytis and kunnyng,
21 that Y schulde schewe to thee the sadnesse and spechis of trewthe; to answere of these thingis to hem, that senten thee.
22 Do thou not violence to a pore man, for he is pore; nethir defoule thou a nedi man in the yate.
23 For the Lord schal deme his cause, and he schal turmente hem, that turmentiden his soule.
24 Nyle thou be freend to a wrathful man, nether go thou with a wood man;
25 lest perauenture thou lerne hise weies, and take sclaundir to thi soule.
26 Nyle thou be with hem that oblischen her hondis, and that proferen hem silf borewis for dettis; for if he hath not wherof he schal restore,
27 what of cause is, that thou take awei hilyng fro thi bed?
28 Go thou not ouer the elde markis, whiche thi faders han set.
29 Thou hast seyn a man smert in his werk; he schal stonde bifore kyngis, and he schal not be bifor vnnoble men.