Sir 9

1 Loue thou not gelousli the womman of thi bosum; lest sche schewe on thee the malice of yuel doctryn. 2 Yyue thou not to a womman the power of thi soule; lest sche entre in thi vertu, and thou be schent. 3 Biholde thou not a womman of many willis; lest perauenture thou falle in to the snaris of hir. 4 Be thou not customable with a daunseresse, nethir here thou hir; lest perauenture thou perische in the spedi werk of hir. 5 Biholde thou not a virgyn; lest perauenture thou be sclaundrid in the feirnesse of hir. 6 Yyue not thi soule to hooris in ony thing; lest thou leese thee, and thi soule, and thin eritage. 7 Nyle thou biholde aboute in the lanys of the cytee; nethir erre thou in the large streetis therof. 8 Turne awei thi face fro a womman `wel arayed; and biholde thou not aboute the fairnesse of othere. 9 Many men han perischid for the fairnesse of a womman; and `herbi couetise brenneth `an hiy as fier. 10 Ech womman which is an hoore, ethir customable to fornycacioun, schal be defoulid as a fen in the weie. 11 Many men wondrynge on the fairnesse of an alien womman weren maad repreuable, for whi the speche of hir brenneth an hiy as fier. 12 Sitte thou not in ony maner with an alien womman, nether reste thou with hir on a bed; 13 and iangle thou not with hir in wyn, lest perauenture thin herte boowe in to hir, and thou falle in to perdicioun bi thi blood. 14 Forsake thou not an eld frend; for a newe frend schal not be lijk hym. 15 Newe wijn is a newe frend; it schal wexe eld, and thou schalt drinke it with swetnesse. 16 Coueyte thou not the glorie and richessis of a synnere; for thou noost, what distriyng of hym schal come. 17 The wrong of vniust men plese not thee, and wite thou that a wickid man schal not plese til to hellis. 18 Be thou fer fro a man that hath power to sle, and thou schalt not haue suspicioun of the drede of deth; 19 and if thou neiyest to hym, nyle thou do ony trespasse, lest perauenture he take awei thi lijf. 20 Knowe thou the comynyng of deth; for thou schalt entre in to the myddis of snaris, and thou schalt go on the armuris of hem that sorewen. 21 Bi thi vertu kepe thee fro thi neiybore; and trete thou with wise men and prudent men. 22 Just men be gestis, ethir mete feris, to thee; and gloriyng be `to thee in the dreed of God. 23 And the thouyt of God be to thee in wit; and al thi tellynge be in the heestis of the hiyeste. 24 Werkis schulen be preisid in the hond of crafti men, and the prince of the puple in the wisdom of his word; forsothe in the wit of eldere men a word. 25 A man, a ianglere, is dredeful in his citee; and a fool hardi man in his word schal be hateful.