My sonne, yf thou wilt receaue my wordes, and kepe my comaundemetes by the,

that thine eare maye herken vnto wysdome, applie thine herte then to vnderstodinge.

For yf thou criest after wy?dome, & callest for knowlege:

yf thou sekest after her as after money, and dyggest for her as for treasure:

The shalt thou vnderstonde ye feare of the LORDE, and fynde ye knowlege of God.

For it is the LORDE that geueth wy?dome, out of his mouth commeth knowlege and vnderstondinge.

He preserueth ye welfare of the rightuous, and defendeth them yt walke innocently:

he kepeth them in ye right path, and preserueth ye waye of his sayntes.

Then shalt thou vnderstonde rightuousnesse, iudgment and equite, yee and euery good path.

Yf wy?dome entre in to thine herte, and yi soule delyte in knowlege:

then shal councell preserue the, and vnderstondinge shal kepe the.

That thou mayest be delyuered fro ye euell waye, and from the man yt speaketh frowarde thinges.

From soch as leaue the hye strete, and walke i ye wayes of darcknesse:

which reioyse in doynge euell, and delyte i wicked thinges:

whose wayes are croked, and their pathes slaunderous.

That thou mayest be delyuered also from the straunge woman, and from her that is not thine owne: which geueth swete wordes,

forsaketh the hu?bande of hir youth, and forgetteth the couenaunt of hir God.

For hir house is enclyned vnto death, and hir pathes vnto hell.

All they that go in vnto her, come not agayne, nether take they holde of the waye of life.

That thou mayest walke in ye good waye, and kepe the pathes of the rightuous.

For the iust shal dwell in the londe, and the innocentes shal remayne in it:

but the vngodly shalbe roted out of ye londe, and the wicked doers shalbe taken out of it.