Sir 13

1 He that touchith pitch, schal be defoulid of it; and he that comyneth with a proude man, schal clothe pride. 2 He reisith a weiyte on hym silf, that comyneth with a more onest man than hym silf; and be thou not felowe to a man richere than thou. 3 What schal a cawdroun comyne to a pot? for whanne tho hirtlen hem silf togidere, the pot schal be brokun. 4 A riche man schal do vniustli, and schal gnaste; but a pore man hirt schal be stille. 5 If thou yyuest, he schal take thee; and if thou hast not, he schal forsake thee. 6 If thou hast, he schal lyue togidere with thee, and schal make thee voide; and he schal not haue sorewe on thee. 7 If thou art nedeful to hym, he schal disseyue thee; and he schal flatere, and schal yyue hope, tellinge to thee alle goodis; and schal seie, What is nede to thee? 8 And he schal schende thee in hise metis, til he anyntische thee twies and thries, and at the laste he schal scorne thee; aftirward he schal se, and schal forsake thee, and he schal moue his heed to thee. 9 Be thou maad meke to God, and abide thou hise hondis. 10 Take heede, lest thou be disseyued, and be maad lowe in foli. 11 Nyle thou be lowe in thi wisdom, lest thou be maad low, and be disseyued in to foli. 12 Whanne thou art clepid of a miytiere man, go thou awei; for bi this he schal more clepe thee. 13 Be thou not greetli pressyng, lest thou be hurtlid doun; and be thou not fer fro hym, lest thou go in to foryetyng. 14 Witholde thou not to speke with hym euenli, and bileue thou not to hise many wordis; for of myche speche he schal tempte thee, and he schal leiye priuyli, and schal axe thee of thin hid thingis. 15 His cruel soule schal kepe thi wordis, and he schal not spare of malice, and of bondis. 16 Be war to thee, and take heede diligentli to thin heryng; for thou goist with thi distriyng. 17 But thou heringe tho thingis, se as in sleep, and thou schalt wake. 18 In al thi lijf loue thou God, and inwardli clepe thou him in thin heelthe. 19 Ech beeste loueth a beeste lijk it silf; so and ech man owith to loue his neiybore. 20 Ech fleisch schal be ioyned to fleisch lijk it silf, and ech man schal be felouschipid to a man lijk hym silf. 21 As a wulf schal comyne sum tyme with a lomb, so a synnere with a iust man. 22 What comininge is of an hooli man to a dogge? ethir what good part is of a riche man to a pore man? 23 The huntyng of a lioun is a wielde asse in desert; so the lesewis of riche men ben pore men. 24 And as mekenesse is abhomynacioun to a proude man, so and a pore man is abhomynacioun of a riche man. 25 A riche man moued is confermed of hise frendis; but a meke man, whanne he fallith, schal be cast out, yhe, of knowun men. 26 Many rekyuereris ben to a riche man disseyued; he spak proudli, and thei iustifieden hym. 27 A meke man is disseiued, ferthermore also he is repreuyd; he spak wiseli, and no place was youun to hym. 28 The riche man spak, and alle men weren stille; and thei schulen brynge his word til to the cloudis. 29 A pore man spak, and thei seien, Who is this? and if he offendith, thei schulen destrye hym. 30 Catel is good to hym, to whom is no synne in conscience; and `the worste pouert is in the mouth of a wickid man. 31 The herte of a man chaungith his face, ethir in good ethir in yuel. 32 Of hard and with trauel thou schalt fynde the step of a good herte, and a good face.