Study Desk

Who so laugheth his father to scorne, and setteth his mothers commaudement at naught: the rauens pycke out his eyes in the valley, and deuoured be he of the yongle Aegles.

Yf thou be so foolish to magnifie yi self, or medlest wt eny soch thinge, the laye thine hade vpon yi mouth.

Who so chyrneth mylck, maketh butter: he that rubbeth his nose, maketh it blede, and he that causeth wrath, bryngeth forth strife.

Who so fyndeth an honest faithful woma, she is moch more worth the perles.

The herte of hir husbande maye safely trust in her, so that he shal haue no nede of spoyles.

The wynde goeth towarde ye South, & fetcheth his copase aboute vnto the North, & so turneth in to himself agayne.

All thinges are so harde, yt no ma can expresse them. The eye is not satisfied wt sight, the eare is not fylled wt hearinge.

The thinge yt is past, is out of remebraunce: Eue so the thiges that are for to come, shal no more be thought vpo amoge the that come after.

in so moch that I sayde vnto laughter: thou art madd, and to myrth: what doest thou?

So I thought in my herte, to withdrawe my flesh from wyne, to applye my mynde vnto wy?dome, and to comprehede foolishnes vntill the tyme that (amonge all ye thinges which are vnder ye Sonne) I might se what were best for men to do, so longe as they lyue vnder heauen.

& loke what so euer myne eyes desyred, I let them haue it: & wherin so euer my herte delyted or had eny pleasure, I with helde it not fro it. Thus my hert reioysed in all yt I dyd, and this I toke for the porcion of all my trauayle.

Then thought I in my mynde: Yf it happen vnto the foole as it doth vnto me, what nedeth me then to laboure eny more for wy?dome? So I confessed within my harte, that this also was but vanite.

Thus begane I to be weery of my life, in so moch that I coude awaye with nothinge that is done vnder the Sonne, for all was but vanite & vexacion of mynde:

So I turned me to refrayne my mynde from all soch trauayle, as I toke vnder the Sonne:

for so moch as a man shulde weery him self with wy?dome, with vnderstondinge and opportunite, and yet be fayne to leaue his labours vnto another, yt neuer swett for them. This is also a vayne thinge and a greate misery.

but heuynesse, sorowe & disquyetnes all ye dayes of his life? In so moch that his herte can not rest in the night. Is not this also a vayne thinge?

So I perceaued, yt in these thinges there is nothinge better for a man, the to be mery & to do well so longe as he lyueth.

For all yt a man eateth & drynketh, yee what so euer a ma enioyeth of all his labor, ye same is a gift of God.

I cosidered also yt what so euer God doth, it cotinueth for euer, & yt nothinge can be put vnto it ner take from it: & yt God doth it to ye intent, yt men shulde feare him.

for it happeneth vnto men as it doth vnto beastes, & as the one dyeth, so dyeth ye other: yee they haue both one maner of breth, so yt (in this) a man hath no preemynence aboue a beest, but all are subdued vnto vanite.