Ecclesiastes 10
1 Flies `that dien, leesen the swetnesse of oynement. Litil foli at a tyme is preciousere than wisdom and glorie.
Dead flies cause to stinke, and putrifie the ointment of the apoticarie: so doeth a litle follie him that is in estimation for wisedome, and for glorie.
2 The herte of a wijs man is in his riyt side; and the herte of a fool is in his left side.
The heart of a wise man is at his right hand: but the heart of a foole is at his left hand.
3 But also a fool goynge in the weie, whanne he is vnwijs, gessith alle men foolis.
And also when the foole goeth by the way, his heart faileth, and he telleth vnto all that he is a foole.
4 If the spirit of hym, that hath power, stieth on thee, forsake thou not thi place; for heeling schal make gretteste synnes to ceesse.
If the spirite of him that ruleth, rise vp against thee, leaue not thy place: for gentlenes pacifieth great sinnes.
5 An yuel is, which Y siy vndur the sunne, and goith out as bi errour fro the face of the prince; a fool set in hiy dignyte,
There is an euil that I haue seene vnder the sunne, as an errour that proceedeth from the face of him that ruleth.
6 and riche men sitte bynethe.
Follie is set in great excellencie, and the riche set in the lowe place.
7 I siy seruauntis on horsis, and princes as seruauntis goynge on the erthe.
I haue seene seruants on horses, and princes walking as seruants on the ground.
8 He that diggith a diche, schal falle in to it; and an eddre schal bite hym, that distrieth an hegge.
He that diggeth a pit, shall fal into it, and he that breaketh the hedge, a serpent shall bite him.
9 He that berith ouer stoonys, schal be turmentid in tho; and he that kittith trees, schal be woundid of tho.
He that remooueth stones, shall hurt himselfe thereby, and hee that cutteth wood, shall be in danger thereby.
10 If yrun is foldid ayen, and this is not as bifore, but is maad blunt, it schal be maad scharp with myche trauel; and wisdom schal sue aftir bisynesse.
If the yron be blunt, and one hath not whet the edge, he must then put to more strength: but the excellencie to direct a thing is wisedome.
11 If a serpent bitith, it bitith in silence; he that bacbitith priueli, hath no thing lesse than it.
If the serpent bite, when he is not charmed: no better is a babbler.
12 The wordis of the mouth of a wijs man is grace; and the lippis of an vnwijs man schulen caste hym doun.
The words of ye mouth of a wise man haue grace: but the lippes of a foole deuoure himselfe.
13 The bigynnyng of hise wordis is foli; and the laste thing of his mouth is the worste errour.
The beginning of the wordes of his mouth is foolishnesse, and the latter ende of his mouth is wicked madnesse.
14 A fool multiplieth wordis; a man noot, what was bifore hym, and who mai schewe to hym that, that schal come aftir hym?
For the foole multiplieth woordes, saying, Man knoweth not what shall be: and who can tell him what shall be after him?
15 The trauel of foolis shal turment hem, that kunnen not go in to the citee.
The labour of the foolish doeth wearie him: for he knoweth not to goe into the citie.
16 Lond, wo to thee, whos kyng is a child, and whose princes eten eerli.
Woe to thee, O lande, when thy King is a childe, and thy princes eate in the morning.
17 Blessid is the lond, whos kyng is noble; and whose princis eten in her tyme, to susteyne the kynde, and not to waste.
Blessed art thou, O land, when thy King is the sonne of nobles, and thy princes eate in time, for strength and not for drunkennesse.
18 The hiynesse of housis schal be maad low in slouthis; and the hous schal droppe in the feblenesse of hondis.
By slouthfulnes the roofe of the house goeth to decaie, and by the ydlenesse of the handes the house droppeth through.
19 In leiyyng thei disposen breed and wyn, that thei drynkynge ete largeli; and alle thingis obeien to monei.
They prepare bread for laughter, and wine comforteth the liuing, but siluer answereth to all.
20 In thi thouyt bacbite thou not the kyng, and in the priuete of thi bed, curse thou not a riche man; for the briddis of heuene schulen bere thi vois, and he that hath pennys, schal telle the sentence.
Curse not the King, no not in thy thought, neither curse the rich in thy bed chamber: for the foule of the heauen shall carie the voice, and that which hath wings, shall declare the matter.
