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¹ These also are Salomons prouerbes, which the men of Ezechias kinge of Iuda gathered together.

² It is the honor of God to kepe a thinge secrete, but ye kinges honor is to search out a thinge.³ The heauen is hie, ye earth is depe, and ye kinges hert is vnsearcheable.

⁴ Take ye drosse from ye syluer, & there shalbe a cleane vessell therof.⁵ Take awaye vngodlinesse fro ye kynge, & his seate shal be stablished wt rightuousnes.

⁶ Put not forth yi self in ye presence of ye kynge, & prease not in to ye place of greate men.⁷ Better it is yt it be sayde vnto ye: come vp hither, then thou to be set downe in ye presence of ye prynce, whom thou seyst with thine eyes.

⁸ Be not haistie to go to the lawe, lest happlie thou ordre yi self so at ye last, yt thy neghbor put ye to shame.⁹ Handle thy matter wt yi neghbor himself, & discouer not another mans secrete:¹⁰ lest whan men heare therof, it turne to yi dishonor, & lest thine euell name do not ceasse.

¹¹ A worde spoken in due season, is like apples of golde in a syluer dyshe.¹² The correccion of the wyse is to an obedient eare, a golden cheyne and a Iewel of golde.

¹³ Like as the wynter coole in the haruest, so is a faithfull messaunger to him that sent him, & refre?sheth his masters mynde.

¹⁴ Who so maketh greate boastes & geueth nothinge, is like cloudes & wynde without rayne.

¹⁵ With pacience maye a prynce be pacified, & wt a soft tonge maye rigorousnes be broke.

¹⁶ Yf thou findest hony, eate so moch as is sufficiet for ye: lest thou be ouer full, & perbreake it out againe.

¹⁷ Withdrawe yi foote fro thy neghbours house, lest he be weery of the, and so abhorre the.

¹⁸ Who so beareth false wytnesse agaynst his neghboure, he is a very speare, a swearde & a sharpe arowe.

¹⁹ The hope of the vngodly in tyme of nede, is like a rotten toth and a slippery foote.

²⁰ Who so syngeth a songe to a wicked herte, clotheth hi with ragges in the colde, and poureth vyneger vpon chalke.

²¹ Yf thine enemie honger, fede him: yf he thyrst, geue him drynke:²² for so shalt thou heape coales offyre vpo his heade, and the LORDE shal rewarde the.

²³ The north wynde dryueth awaye the rayne, euen so doth an earnest sober countenauce a backbyters tonge.

²⁴ It is better to syt in a corner vnder the rofe, then wt a braulynge woman in a wyde house.

²⁵ A good reporte out of a farre countre, is like colde water to a thyrstie soule.

²⁶ A righteous man fallynge downe before the vngodly, is like a troubled well and a sprynge yt is destroyed.

²⁷ Like as it is not good to eate to moch hony, euen so he that wyll search out hye thynges, it shal be to heuy for him.

²⁸ He that can not rule himself, is like a cite, which is broken downe, and hath no walles.