Modesty and discretion at the table of great persons. Mediocrity of riches, and contentment with mean state. Eat not with a niggard, lest he be secretly grieved, outwardly dissembling, and thyself repent it. Advise not the incapable. Hurt not orphans: for they are dear to God. Diligent study of wisdom. Moderate chastisement profiteth youth. Virtues of children are joyful to the parents. Contentment with God's will. Hope of reward. Learn and practise wisdom. Sobriety and Temperance. Honour of parents. Wisdom most precious. Bodily and spiritual purity. Sobriety always necessary. Detest drunkenness. Drunkenness is deceitful, dangerous, beastly, hurtful to others, senseless, and unsatiable.[No italic chapter argument is printed — per the Chap. X second-part preamble these Parables chapters set a brief virtue-summary in the margin of each sentence in place of a running argument. The marginal summaries, in order, are:] Modestie and discretion at the table of great persons. Mediocritie of riches, and contentment with meane state. Eate not with a niggard, lest he be secretly greued, outwardly dissembling, and thyself repent it. Aduise not the vncapable. Hurt not orphanes: for they are deare to God. Diligent studie of wisdom. Moderate chatisment profiteth youth. Vertues of children are ioyful to the parentes. Contentment with Gods wil. Hope of reward. Lerne and practise wisdom. Sobrietie and Temperance. Honour of parents. VVisdom most precious. Bodelie and spiritual puritie. Sobrietie alwayes necessarie. Detest drunkennes. Drunkennes is deceiptful, dangerous, beastlie, hurtful to others, senselesse, and vnsatiable.✦
When thou shalt sit to eat with a prince, attend diligently what things are set before thy face:VVHEN thou shalt sitte to eate with a prince, attend diligently what thinges are set before thy face:✦Quando sederis ut comedas cum principe, diligenter attende quæ apposita sunt ante faciem tuam.
2and set a knife in thy throat, if notwithstanding thou have thy soul in thine own power.and set a knife in thy throte, if notwithstanding thou haue thy soule in thine owne power.Et statue cultrum in gutture tuo : si tamen habes in potestate animam tuam.
3Desire not his meats, in which is the bread of lying.Desire not his meates, in which is the bread of lying.✦Ne desideres de cibis ejus, in quo est panis mendacii.
4Labour not to be rich: but set a modum: a measure, a limit to thy prudence.Labour not to be rich: but set a meane to thy prudence.✦Noli laborare ut diteris, sed prudentiæ tuæ pone modum.
5Lift not up thine eyes to the riches, which thou canst not have: because they shall make to themselves wings as of an eagle, and shall fly into heaven.Lift not vp thine eies to the riches, which thou canst not haue: because they shal make to themselues winges as of an eagle, and shal flie into heauen.✦Ne erigas oculos tuos ad opes quas non potes habere, quia facient sibi pennas quasi aquilæ, et volabunt in cælum.
6Eat not with an envious man, and desire not his meats.Eate not with an enuious man, and desire not his meates.✦Ne comedas cum homine invido, et ne desideres cibos ejus :
7Because after the similitude of a soothsayer, and diviner, he esteemeth that which he knoweth not. Eat and drink, will he say to thee: and his mind is not with thee.Because after the similitude of a southsayer, and diuiner, he esteemeth that which he knoweth not. Eate and drinke, wil he say to thee: and his minde is not with thee.quoniam in similitudinem arioli et conjectoris æstimat quod ignorat. Comede et bibe, dicet tibi ; et mens ejus non est tecum.
8The meats which thou hadst eaten thou shalt vomit up: and shalt lose thy beautiful words.The meates which thou hadst eaten thou shalt vomite vp: and shalt lose thy beautiful wordes.Cibos quos comederas evomes, et perdes pulchros sermones tuos.
9Speak not in the ears of the unwise: because they will despise the doctrine of thy speech.Speake not in the eares of the vnwise: because they wil despise the doctrine of thy speach.✦In auribus insipientium ne loquaris, qui despicient doctrinam eloquii tui.
10Touch not the bounds of little ones: and into the field of pupillorum: not schoolchildren: orphans, fatherless wards enter not.Touch not the boundes of litle ones: and into the filde of pupils enter not.✦Ne attingas parvulorum terminos, et agrum pupillorum ne introëas :
11For their near kinsman is strong: and he will judge their cause against thee.For their nerekinsman is strong: and he wil iudge their cause against thee.propinquus enim illorum fortis est, et ipse judicabit contra te causam illorum.
12Let thy heart enter into doctrine: and thine ears to words of knowledge.Let thy hart enter into doctrin: and thyne eares to wordes of knowlege.✦Ingrediatur ad doctrinam cor tuum, et aures tuæ ad verba scientiæ.
13Withdraw not discipline from a child: for if thou shalt strike him with the rod, he shall not die.Withdrawe not discipline from a childe: for if thou shalt strike him with the rod, he shal not die.✦Noli subtrahere a puero disciplinam : si enim percusseris eum virga, non morietur.
14Thou shalt strike him with the rod: and deliver his soul from hell.Thou shalt strike him with the rod: and deliuer his soule from hel.Tu virga percuties eum, et animam ejus de inferno liberabis.
15My son, if thy mind shall be wise, my heart shall be glad with thee:My sonne, if thy minde shal be wise, my hart shal be glad with thee:✦Fili mi, si sapiens fuerit animus tuus, gaudebit tecum cor meum :
16And my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips shall speak right things.And my reines shal reioyce, when thy lippes shal speake right thinges.✦et exsultabunt renes mei, cum locuta fuerint rectum labia tua.
17Let not thy heart envy sinners: but in the fear of our Lord be thou all the day:Let not thy hart enuie sinners: but in the feare of our Lord be thou al the day:✦Non æmuletur cor tuum peccatores, sed in timore Domini esto tota die :
18because thou shalt have hope in the later end, and thine exaltation shall not be taken away.because thou shalt haue hope in the later end, and thyn exaltation shal not be taken away.✦quia habebis spem in novissimo, et præstolatio tua non auferetur.
19Hear my son, and be wise: and direct thy mind in the way.Heare my sonne, & be wise: & direct thy minde in the way.✦Audi, fili mi, et esto sapiens, et dirige in via animum tuum.
20Be not in the feasts of great drinkers, nor in their comessationibus: drunken revellings, carousings, which contribute flesh together to eat:Be not in the feastes of great drinkers, nor in their comessations, which contribute flesh together to eate:✦Noli esse in conviviis potatorum, nec in comessationibus eorum qui carnes ad vescendum conferunt :
21because they that are given to drinking, and that pay symbola: tavern reckonings, one's share of the bill, shall be consumed, and drowsiness shall be clothed with rags.because they that are geuen to drinking, and that pay shottes, shal be consumed, and drousines shal be clothed with ragges.quia vacantes potibus et dantes symbola consumentur, et vestietur pannis dormitatio.
22Hear thy father, that begot thee: and contemn not thy mother when she is old.Heare thy father, that begot thee: and contemne not thy mother when she is old.✦Audi patrem tuum, qui genuit te, et ne contemnas cum senuerit mater tua.
23Buy truth, and sell not wisdom, and doctrine, and intelligence.Bye truth, and sel not wisedom, and doctrine, and intelligence.✦Veritatem eme, et noli vendere sapientiam, et doctrinam, et intelligentiam.
24The father of the just rejoiceth with gladness: he that hath begotten a wise man, shall rejoice in him.The father of the iust reioyceth with gladnes: he that hath begotten a wiseman, shal reioyce in him.✦Exsultat gaudio pater justi ; qui sapientem genuit, lætabitur in eo.
25Let thy father be glad, and thy mother, and let her rejoice that bare thee.Let thy father be glad, and thy mother, and let her reioyce that bare thee.✦Gaudeat pater tuus et mater tua, et exsultet quæ genuit te.
26My son give me thy heart: and let thine eyes keep my ways.My sonne geue me thy hart: & let thyne eies kepe my wayes.✦Præbe, fili mi, cor tuum mihi, et oculi tui vias meas custodiant.
27For an harlot is a deep ditch: and a strange woman a narrow pit.For an harlot is a deepe dich: & a strange woman a narrow pitte.Fovea enim profunda est meretrix, et puteus angustus aliena.
28She lieth in wait in the way as a robber, and whom she shall see not circumspect, she will kill.She lyeth in wayt in the way as a robber, and whom she shal see not circumspect, she wil kil.✦Insidiatur in via quasi latro, et quos incautos viderit, interficiet.
29To whom is woe? to whose father woe? to whom brawls? to whom ditches? to whom wounds without cause? to whom blood shedding eyes?To whom is woe? to whose father woe? to whom browles? to whom diches? to whom woundes without cause? to whom bloud sheeding eies?✦Cui væ ? cujus patri væ ? cui rixæ ? cui foveæ ? cui sine causa vulnera ? cui suffusio oculorum ?
30Is it not to them that pass their time in wine, and study to drink out their cups?Is it not to them that passe their time in wine, and studie to drinke out their cuppes?nonne his qui commorantur in vino, et student calicibus epotandis ?
31Behold not wine when it waxeth yellow, when the colour thereof shall shine in the glass: it goeth in pleasantly,Behold not wine when it waxeth yelow, when the colour therof shal shine in the glasse: it goeth in pleasantly,✦Ne intuearis vinum quando flavescit, cum splenduerit in vitro color ejus : ingreditur blande,
32but in the end, it will bite like a snake, and as a basilisk it will pour abroad poisons.but in the end, it wil bite like a snake, and as a basiliske it wil powre abrode poysones.sed in novissimo mordebit ut coluber, et sicut regulus venena diffundet.
33Thine eyes shall see strange women, and thy heart shall speak perverse things.Thine eies shal see strange wemen, and thy hart shal speake peruerse thinges.Oculi tui videbunt extraneas, et cor tuum loquetur perversa.
34And thou shalt be as one sleeping in the midst of the sea, and as the gubernator: a civil ruler fast asleep, the clavo: the helm, the rudder being lost.And thou shalt be as one sleeping in the middes of the sea, and as the gouernour fast a sleepe, the sterne being lost.Et eris sicut dormiens in medio mari, et quasi sopitus gubernator, amisso clavo.
35And thou shalt say: They have beaten me, but I was not grieved: they drew me, and I felt not: When shall I awake, and find wines again?And thou shalt say: They haue beaten me, but I was not greeued: they drew me, and I felt not: When shal I awake, and finde wines againe?Et dices : Verberaverunt me, sed non dolui ; traxerunt me, et ego non sensi. Quando evigilabo, et rursus vina reperiam ?
The reading text follows the 1582 first edition.