There are places where syluer is molte, & where golde is tryed:

where yron is dygged out of the grounde, & stones resolued to metall.

The darcknes shal once come to an ende, he can seke out the grounde of all thinges: the stones, the darcke, & the horrible shadowe,

wt the ryuer of water parteth he a sunder the straunge people, yt knoweth no good neghbourheade: soch as are rude, vnmanerly & boysteous.

He bryngeth foode out of the earth, & yt which is vnder, consumeth he with fyre.

There is founde a place, whose stones are clene Saphirs, and where ye clottes of the earth are golde.

There is a waye also that the byrdes knowe not, that no vulturs eye hath sene:

wherin ye proude & hye mynded walke not, & where no lyon commeth.

There putteth he his honde vpon the stony rockes, & ouerthroweth the mountaynes.

Ryuers flowe out of the rockes, & loke what is pleasaunt, his eye seyth it.

Out of droppes bryngeth he greate floudes together, & the thinge that is hyd bryngeth he to light.

How commeth a man then by wy?dome? Where is the place that men fynde vnderstondinge?

Verely no man can tell how worthy a thinge she is, nether is she foude in the lode of the lyuynge.

The depe sayeth: she is not in me. The see sayeth: she is not with me.

She can not be gotten for the most fyne golde, nether maye the pryce of her be bought with eny moneye.

No wedges of golde of Ophir, no precious Onix stones, no Saphirs maye be compared vnto her.

No, nether golde ner Christall, nether swete odours ner golden plate.

There is nothinge so worthy, or so excellet, as once to be named vnto her: for parfecte wy?dome goeth farre beyonde the all.

The Topas that cometh out of Inde, maye in no wyse be lickened vnto her: yee no maner of apparell how pleasaunt and fayre so euer it be.

From whece then commeth wy?dome? & where is the place of vnderstondinge?

She is hyd from the eyes of all men, yee & fro the foules of the ayre.

Destruccion & death saie: we haue herde tell of her wt oure eares.

But God seyth hir waie, & knoweth hir place.

For he beholdeth the endes of the worlde, and loketh vpon all that is vnder the heaue.

When he weyed the wyndes, & measured ye waters:

when he set the rayne in ordre, and gaue the mightie floudes a lawe:

Then dyd he se her, the declared he her, prepared her and knewe her.

And vnto man he sayde: Beholde, to feare the LORDE, is wy?dome: & to forsake euell, is vnderstondinge.