Ecclesiastes 7 A Good name is more worth then a precyous oyntment, and the daye of death is better then the daye of byrth.

Great⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ A Good name is more worth then a precyous oyntment, and the daye of death is better then the daye of byrth. ² It is better to go into an house of mourninge, then into a bancketinge house. For there is the ende of all men, & he that is liuing, taketh it to hert: ³ grauytie is better then to laugh: for when the countenaunce is heuy, the herte is refourmed. ⁴ The hert of the wyse is in the mournyng house, but the hert of the folysh is in the house of myrth. ⁵ It is better to geue care to the chastenynge of a wyse man then to heare the songe of fooles. ⁶ For the laughinge of foles is lyke the crackynge of thornes vnder a pot. And that is but a vayne thynge. ⁷ The wyse man hateth wronge delynge: & abhorreth the harte that couetith rewardes. ⁸ Better it is to consydre, the ende of a thinge then the begynnynge. The pacient of sprete is better then the hye mynded. ⁹ Be not hastely angrie in thy mynde, for wrath resteth in the bosome of fooles. ¹⁰ Saye not thou: What is the cause, that the dayes of the olde tyme were better, then they that be nowe? for that were no wyse question. ¹¹ Wysdome wt enheritaunce is good yet better is it wt them that without care may beholde the sonne. ¹² For wysdome defendeth as well as moneye, & the excellent knowledge & wysdome geueth lyfe vnto him that hath it in possession. ¹³ Considre the worke of God how that no man can make the thing straight which he maketh croked. ¹⁴ Use wel the tyme of prosperite, & remembre the tyme of mysfortune: for God maketh the one by the other, so that a man can fynde nothing els. ¹⁵ All thinges haue I considred in the tyme of my vanite: that the iust man perisheth for his righteousnes sake, & the vngodly lyueth in hys wyckednesse. ¹⁶ Therfore be thou nether to ryghteous ner ouer wyse, that thou perishe not: ¹⁷ be nether to vnryghteous also ner to folysh, lest thou dye before thy tyme. ¹⁸ It is good for the to take holde of this, & not to let that go out of thy hand. For he that feareth God, commeth forth with them all. ¹⁹ Wysdome geueth more corage vnto the wyse, then ten myghtie men of the citye: ²⁰ for there is not one iust vpon earth, that doth good, and synneth not. ²¹ Take not hede vnto euery worde that is spoken, lest thou heare thy seruaunt curse the: ²² for thine awne hert knoweth that thou thy selfe also hast oft tymes spoken euell by other men. ²³ All these thinges haue I proued in wysdome: for I thought to be wyse but she went farther fro me then she was before, ²⁴ yee & so depe that I might not reach vnto her. ²⁵ I applyed my mynde also vnto knowledge, & to seke & searche oute science, wysdome & vnderstanding: to knowe the foolyshnesse of the vngodly, & the errour of dotinge fooles. ²⁶ And I founde, that a woman is bytterer then death: for she hath cast abrode, her herte as a nett that men fishe with, and her handes are cheynes. Who so pleaseth God, shall escape from her: but the synner will be taken with her. ²⁷ Beholde (sayeth the preacher) thys haue I diligently searched oute & proued. One thinge must be considred with another, that a man may come by knowledge: whych as yet I seke, & fynde it not. ²⁸ Among a thousande men I haue founde one, but not one woman amonge all. ²⁹ Lo, this onely haue I founde, that God made man iust and ryght, but they sought many inuencions.