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 a perfumer's perfume To send forth a stink; The precious by reason of wisdom — By reason of honour — a little folly!
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 the wise [is] at his right hand, And the heart of a fool at his left.
3 But also a fool goynge in the weie, whanne he is vnwijs, gessith alle men foolis.
And also, when he that is a fool Is walking in the way, his heart is lacking, And he hath said to every one, 'He [is] a fool.'
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 spirit of the ruler go up against thee, Thy place leave not, For yielding quieteth great sinners.
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 evil I have seen under the sun, As an error that goeth out from the ruler,
6 and riche men sitte bynethe.
He hath set the fool in many high places, And the rich in a low place do sit.
7 I siy seruauntis on horsis, and princes as seruauntis goynge on the erthe.
I have seen servants on horses, And princes walking as servants on the earth.
8 He that diggith a diche, schal falle in to it; and an eddre schal bite hym, that distrieth an hegge.
Whoso is digging a pit falleth into it, And whoso is breaking a hedge, a serpent biteth him.
9 He that berith ouer stoonys, schal be turmentid in tho; and he that kittith trees, schal be woundid of tho.
Whoso is removing stones is grieved by them, Whoso is cleaving trees endangered by them.
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 iron hath been blunt, And he the face hath not sharpened, Then doth he increase strength, And wisdom [is] advantageous to make right.
11 If a serpent bitith, it bitith in silence; he that bacbitith priueli, hath no thing lesse than it.
If the serpent biteth without enchantment, Then there is no advantage to a master of the tongue.
12 The wordis of the mouth of a wijs man is grace; and the lippis of an vnwijs man schulen caste hym doun.
Words of the mouth of the wise [are] gracious, And the lips of a fool swallow him up.
13 The bigynnyng of hise wordis is foli; and the laste thing of his mouth is the worste errour.
The beginning of the words of his mouth [is] folly, And the latter end of his mouth [Is] mischievous madness.
14 A fool multiplieth wordis; a man noot, what was bifore hym, and who mai schewe to hym that, that schal come aftir hym?
And the fool multiplieth words: 'Man knoweth not that which is, And that which is after him, who doth declare to him?'
15 The trauel of foolis shal turment hem, that kunnen not go in to the citee.
The labour of the foolish wearieth him, In that he hath not known to go unto the city.
16 Lond, wo to thee, whos kyng is a child, and whose princes eten eerli.
Woe to thee, O land, when thy king [is] a youth, And thy princes do eat 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.
Happy art thou, O land, When thy king [is] a son of freemen, And thy princes do eat in due season, For might, and not for drunkenness.
18 The hiynesse of housis schal be maad low in slouthis; and the hous schal droppe in the feblenesse of hondis.
By slothfulness is the wall brought low, And by idleness of the hands doth the house drop.
19 In leiyyng thei disposen breed and wyn, that thei drynkynge ete largeli; and alle thingis obeien to monei.
For mirth they are making a feast, And wine maketh life joyful, And the silver answereth with 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.
Even in thy mind a king revile not, And in the inner parts of thy bed-chamber Revile not the rich: For a fowl of the heavens causeth the voice to go, And a possessor of wings declareth the word.
