An Abridgeme[n]t of all the Canonical books of the olde Testament ::

A man that wisedome wil attain,
to doo all things aright:
To fear the Lord he must begin,
though fooles not so delight.
Cast not thy lot in sinners life,
their tising woords refuse:
Wisedome she cryes in open streetes
but few her lore wil vse.

The ii. chapiter.

Bend thy self vnto wisedoms wil,
as shee dooth thee perswade:
And shee wil teache thee perfet skil,
to walke a godly trade.
From God shee comes he dooth her giue,
who dooth preserue the iust:
And wisdome had within thy hart,
in goodnes shalt thou lust.

The iii. chapiter.

Consider wel the law of God,
and binde thee to the same:
Thy trust, thy fear, and honour bothe,
let them be in his name.

If he correct, doo thou obay,
seek wisedome and haue ease:
Doo thou no wrong ne seek thou strife
for suche doo God displease.

The iiii. chapiter.

Decline thou not from wisedoms rule
shee shall thee woorship bring
But in the way that wicked walke,
vse not for any thing.
The righteous way stil more dooth shine,
the wicked walke in dark:
His woords and rules to wholesome life,
he would that we should mark.

The v. chapiter.

Euen as experience had him taught,
the end of whorishe life:
He telth and shewes what euil shall fall,
on him that leaues his wife.
Exhorting man to rest him self,
with her that is his owne:
And not to giue his strength and good,
to them that are vnknowne.

The vj. chapiter.

For suretiship a lesson good,
for sluggards eke the samee

Sixe things are hated of the Lord
the seuenth abhorres by name.
He wilth vs listen to the lore,
that God in Churche dooth tel:
So shall we scape the wanton look
of whores that leads to hel.

The vii. chapiter.

Good councel giuen he wilth to take,
and eke therto to cleaue:
By whiche we shall attain to knowe,
how harlots wayes to leaue.
Apelles neuer so could paint,
a whore in coullours braue:
As he describes her trayning tricks,
whiche leadeth vnto graue.

The viii. Chapiter.

He dooth describe how wisedome cryes,
and vttereth her voice:
How excellent her riches is,
so gainful is her choice.
Shee passeth Golde and Siluer eke,
before all things shee was:
In making things shee was with God
by her came all to passe.

The ix. chapiter.

In comely wise hath wisdome built,
an house and made a feast:
And called folks vnto her fare,
but scorners at her gest.
The fear of God of wisedome is,
the first beginning race:
The foolishe woman shewes her self,
in euery common place.

The x. chapiter.

King Salomon his parables,
fiue hundreth sixtie ten:
In twentie chapters dooth appeer,
ful feat to teache all men.
Whiche so doo shift and matters change,
almost in euery line:
That in these staues to set them out,
no man can doo in rime.

The xxx. chapiter.

Lo humble men se that you learn,
what Agur heer dooth say:
That God his woord you holde therto
and ad ne take away.
He praith to God that riche nor poore,
but meanly he may liue:
He tells of things are neuer ful,
and wunderous things that meue.

The xxxi. Chapiter.

Men may heer learn of chastitie,
and Iustice eke the way:
For whom that wine & drink ful strong
is meet and in what day.
And for that wife that list to liue,
vprightly in this vale:
Let her heer read of Lamuel
to him his mothers tale.

FINIS.

Thus Salomon hath tolde his tale,
ful wisely in his book:
And if you muse why I so short,
in hand his Prouerbs took.
You shall perceiue that after that,
ten Chapters ye haue red:
He dooth so chaunge in Adagies,
and sentences so shed.
That euery line vnto him self,
a perfet staffe would haue:
So should I not in eyght contain,
a Chapter so to saue.
Then vnderstand that after nine,
to thirtie I doo leap:
VVho list to haue of sayings sage,
twixt bothe he may them reap.

So then before, though that you see,
eleuen the figure set:
Yet the thirtie Chapter after,
in it these things ye get.
And then the last is thirtie one.
though twelue the figure bear:
So of the Prouerbs last of all,
the Chapters endeth there.
Now shall you haue him preache to you,
a sermon ful of lore:
VVho so it reads and marks it wel,
shall make but little store
Of goods or lands, of fame or name
of knowledge or of might:
Of plesures, plants, and buildings eke,
he shall haue small delight.

University of Virginia Library

The Prouerbs of Salomon.

The j. chapiter.