¹ Mi sone, if thou hast bihiyt for thi freend; thou hast fastned thin hoond at a straunger.

² Thou art boundun bi the wordis of thi mouth; and thou art takun with thin owne wordis.

³ Therfor, my sone, do thou that that Y seie, and delyuere thi silf; for thou hast fallun in to the hond of thi neiybore. Renne thou aboute, haste thou, reise thi freend;

⁴ yyue thou not sleep to thin iyen, nether thin iyeliddis nappe.

⁵ Be thou rauyschid as a doo fro the hond; and as a bridde fro aspiyngis of the foulere.

⁶ O! thou slowe man, go to the `amte, ether pissemyre; and biholde thou hise weies, and lerne thou wisdom.

⁷ Which whanne he hath no duyk, nethir comaundour, nether prince;

⁸ makith redi in somer mete to hym silf, and gaderith togidere in heruest that, that he schal ete.

⁹ Hou long schalt thou, slow man, slepe? whanne schalt thou rise fro thi sleep?

¹⁰ A litil thou schalt slepe, a litil thou schalt nappe; a litil thou schalt ioyne togidere thin hondis, that thou slepe.

¹¹ And nedynesse, as a weigoere, schal come to thee; and pouert, as an armed man. Forsothe if thou art not slow, thi ripe corn schal come as a welle; and nedynesse schal fle fer fro thee.

¹² A man apostata, a man vnprofitable, he goith with a weiward mouth;

¹³ he bekeneth with iyen, he trampith with the foot, he spekith with the fyngur,

¹⁴ bi schrewid herte he ymagyneth yuel, and in al tyme he sowith dissenciouns.

¹⁵ His perdicioun schal come to hym anoon, and he schal be brokun sodeynli; and he schal no more haue medecyn.

¹⁶ Sixe thingis ben, whyche the Lord hatith; and hise soule cursith the seuenthe thing.

¹⁷ Hiye iyen, a tunge liere, hondis schedinge out innocent blood,

¹⁸ an herte ymagynynge worste thouytis, feet swifte to renne in to yuel,

¹⁹ a man bringynge forth lesingis, a fals witnesse; and him that sowith discordis among britheren.

²⁰ Mi sone, kepe the comaundementis of thi fadir; and forsake not the lawe of thi modir.

²¹ Bynde thou tho continueli in thin herte; and cumpasse `to thi throte.

²² Whanne thou goist, go tho with thee; whanne thou slepist, kepe tho thee; and thou wakynge speke with tho.

²³ For the comaundement of God is a lanterne, and the lawe is liyt, and the blamyng of techyng is the weie of lijf;

²⁴ `that the comaundementis kepe thee fro an yuel womman, and fro a flaterynge tunge of a straunge womman.

²⁵ Thin herte coueite not the fairnesse of hir; nether be thou takun bi the signes of hir.

²⁶ For the prijs of an hoore is vnnethe of o loof; but a womman takith the preciouse soule of a man.

²⁷ Whether a man mai hide fier in his bosum, that hise clothis brenne not;

²⁸ ethir go on colis, and hise feet be not brent?

²⁹ So he that entrith to the wijf of his neiybore; schal not be cleene, whanne he hath touchid hir.

³⁰ It is not greet synne, whanne a man stelith; for he stelith to fille an hungri soule.

³¹ And he takun schal yelde the seuenthe fold; and he schal yyue al the catel of his hous, and schal delyuere hym silf.

³² But he that is avouter; schal leese his soule, for the pouert of herte.

³³ He gaderith filthe, and sclaundrith to hym silf; and his schenschip schal not be don awei.

³⁴ For the feruent loue and strong veniaunce of the man schal not spare in the dai of veniaunce,

³⁵ nether schal assente to the preieris of ony; nether schal take ful many yiftis for raunsum.