No More Learning

? ine olde frende ? at ? ou fonded haste; bileue ? ou for no newe.
Faire speche is [ful] good ? ing; it passe? many fon, 37
And make? many a good frend; & holde? hol many a bon.
Chese ? e a witty hyne; & loue hym with al ? i mi? th;
Of his Salerie wi? holde ? ou nou? th; ? at ? ou schalt hym with ri? th.
? erwhile ? i sones ? onge be? ; ? ou hem chastise & lere; 41
Wite ? i douttren with eye wel; ? at ? ai haue of ? e fere;
Selde ? ou make hem fair semblaunt; ? er while ? ai ben ? e mytte;
Whan ? ai schullen ywedded be; take hem a man of wytte. 44
// Honoure fader & moder; ? at ? e in-to ? is werlde brou? th;
? e pyne ? at ? i moder had; haue it mychel in ? ou? th.
Who so honoure? fader & moder; ? e lenger he wor? e alyue;
His hous & al his er? lich ? ing; ? e better schal y? riue. 48
To ? e seke gladlich ? ou go; ? an doostou as ? e kynde.
In euerych dede ? at ? ou doost; ? ine endynge haue in mynde.
? Ne chide nou? th wi? no foule speker; with riche ne plede ? ou no? t;
For oft ? e ri? th, ? orou? gret mede; is in-to wrong y-brou? th. 52
Mid a fole, of ? i ? ing; ne make ? ou non In mone.
Wi? a Man ? at fool-hardy is; ne goo ? ou nou? th alone.
To fool ne to non vncou? man; ? i conseil [? ou] ne telle, [folio 69b:2]
For ? e fool, bot his foly; no? ing ne loue? wel. 56
Ne biholde no faire wymmen; ? at ? ai ne chaunge ? i ? ou? t;
Ne loue no womman with ? ine hert; ? at sche ne gile ? e nou? t;
Ne biholde nou? th in ? e strete; aboute fram ? ing to ? ing.
? if a li? er man do? ? e vnri? th; ne haue ? erof no likyng. 60
Dele ? i frendes & pouere men; ? i good by ? i daye;
Ne bileue it nou? th to o? er men; lest ? ai ? e bitraye.
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Ne delite ? e nou? th to gete children; many & vnmylde,
ffor ? ut ? e were better; to deye wi? outen childe. 64
? Amended is al a cuntre; wi? a Man ? at is wys.
And for a li? er man; mychel enpaired I-wis.
A riche werk of dronkelew man; selde is yfounde,
For Tauerne & leccherie; many man bringe? to grounde 68
Noi? er ? i frende ne ? i foo; ne telle ? ou ? i priuete;
For bot he be ? e better frend; ? if he wot any yuel by ? e
? at ? ou ne most ? e more hym bow? e; ? if ? ou misseist hym ou? t,
? at yuel ? at he wot by ? e; he nyll it hele nou? th. 72
Vndernyme ? i frend; ? if ? ou seest hym mysdo;
? if he is a fool or ? i foo; ne do ? ou nou? th so.
Riche ? iftes & present? ; maken ? ise Iuges blynde,
? at ? ai cunnen yse ? e ri? th; ? e wrong sone ? ai fynde. 76
// wisdom yheled, litel is wor? ; oi? er treu? ihyd;
Bot bo? e ? ai wexen swi? e; ? if ? ai ben y-kyd.
Good is, wisdom to schewe; & to hely folie;
For ? e fool ne can hele no? ing; bot he it out wrie; 80
His hert is as a vessel; ? at bo? ome ne ha? non;
Whan any ? ing ? erinne come? ; it go? out onon.
A fool, men mowen wel yknowe; for oft he go? aboute
With erandes to many hous; & oft he stant withoute, 84
And go? to a windowe stillelich; & soft loke? ? er-inne,
Oi? er herkne? ? erat what men; seien ? ere wi? inne.
Sone & lovde he wil li? e; whan he here?
foly telle: 87
A wise man wolde aschamed be; ? if swich a cas hym bifelle.
Vche word ? at at his mou? e schal come, schal be by mesure;
Hym is lo? to telle myche; ac leue myche to here. 90
? ut ? re wisdoms lerne of me; ne ? enche nou? th to longe;
Be nou? th sory for no los; ne after no? ing longe, 92
Namelich ? at ? ou ne mi? th nou? th haue; ne nou? th ? erfore ne care.
Ne al ? at ? ou herest, ne leue ? ou nou? th; ? if ? ou wilt wel fare.
An vntau? t childe his fader schent more; ? an ? ei hem selue don;
? e man ? at teche? his children wel; sore sawe? his fon. 96
? re ? inges on er? e be? ; ? at men mowen nou? th y-knowe:
Whiche hij ben, I schal ? ou telle; bo? e to hei? e & lowe:
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? e fissches weie in ? e Cee; ? e snakes weie on er? e,
And ? e foules waie in ? e sky; ? e werst is ? e fier? e: 100
? at is, childes waie in his ? ou? e; ? if it ha? his wille.
For many a foule waie it will goo; & selde sitt stille.
? is book made Salamon; of ? ise wisdoms & more: [folio 70a]
To mychel he loued leccherie; for al his wise lore, 104
Seuenty wyues in spousehode; he helde al his lyf,
And ? re hundre? in leccherie; ? at non ? erof was his wyf.
Fourty wyntren he was kyng; & died in ? e fourtide ? ere.
Telle men mi? tten ? at he were saf; ? if leccherie nere. 108
Foure hundre? ? er & seuentene; it was ? o he died, & mo,
? at ? e folk of Israel; out of Egipte gunnen go.
Affter kyng Salomons de? ; Roboam his sone
Was of ? at londe kyng ymade; as it was ? e wone. 112
? at folk cried on hym a day; ? at he a-legge scholde
? e seruage ? at his fader hem made; ? e better serue hym ? ai wolde.
? erfore with alle his olde men; ? e kyng went to conseile: 115
? ai radden hym mylde forto be; ? e more it wolde hym availe.
He cleped for? his ? onge folk; as he hym self was,
& axed whe? er ? e reed was good; ? ai seiden ? at it nas;
Bot "be ? ou sterne & dredeful; & ? an wil ? ai ben good; 119
Ne schaltou hem neuere good holde; bot with sterne mood. "
? ? e kyng ? is conseil loued wel; his bondemen he lete fecche.
"Wene ? e for my fader was wys; ? at ich wil be a wrecche.
In ? e left fynger ? at ich haue; streng? e ? ere is more 123
? an was in al my fader schulder; for al his wise lore
? if he ? ou brou? th in seruage; to more I wil ? ou drawe.
Wene ? e ? ei? ich be ? ong; ? at ich ne cou? e ? ou lawe? "
? is folk crieden ? erne & wepen; sore ? ai hem dradd;
Ac for no? ing ? ai mi? tten do; o? er word ? ai nadd. 128
? O ? ai weren from hym ywent; gret conseil ? ai token.
? e ten kyndes of israel; for kyng ? ai hym forsoken,
And made hem a newe kyng; ne stode hem of hym non eie;
ffor ? ere ne leued wi? hym; bot ? e kyndes tweie,
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Bot ? e kynde of Beniamyn; & ? e kynde of Iudas;
Alle ? e kyndes of ? e o? er ten; a? eins hym fast was.
? e kyng sent messagers to hem; & gret doel to hym he nom;
Wi? stones ? ai slow? en his messagers; ? at to hem from hym com. 136
Affter ? ai maden Ieroboam kyng; wel he gan hem paie;
And euere ? e kyngdom departed is ? ut to ? is daye.
? e kyngdom of ? e tweie kyndes; Iudee ycleped is;
? erinne oure lord was ybore; in Bethleem iwis. 140
? e kyngdom of ? e ten kyndes; ycleped is israel;
? ere mi? th Roboam ? e kyng; acursy fole conseil.
Ofte eye & pride, harme doe? ; ? ere men mi? th yse;
So riche a man in londe nis; ? at mowe al-one be; 144
So riche a kyng in ? e werlde nys; ? at poure begger he nere,
ffor al ? e richesse ? at he ha? ; ? if vche man his fo were.
IT bifel in israel; by ? e kyngesday, swiche a cas:
? ere was a wise prophete; Elye ycleped he was. 148
In wildernesse he woned; ? e good prophete Elye,
ffor ? e kyng awaited hym to sle; for his prophecie.
A morewen & an euen a Rauen; ? ere com vche a day,
And brou? th ? e prophete mete; in wildernesse ? ere he lay. 152
Si? en as oure lorde hym hete; to a toun he wende,
And sei? a widewe gadre wood; onon to hir he kende.