Proverbs 23 · The Lantern

Whanne thou sittist, to ete with the prince, perseyue thou diligentli what thingis ben set bifore thi face,

What therefore is "the table of the powerful one," except the mind of that one who says, "I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me"; and "when I am weak, then I am strong"? On this "clean table of the powerful one," that is, in his heart, in his mind is offered "a loaf" to the Lord.

Divine Scripture commands that, when we have been invited to a rich man's banquet, we should with understanding put forth our hand to the dishes. And so for us too the banquet of Scriptures has been set out as a rich man's feast. We have come into a meadow; it has very many flowers: here the rose is red, there the lilies gleam white, there are flowers of every kind.

When you sit down to eat with a ruler, etc. All things are said through allegory: When you sit down to read with a teacher, to be refreshed by the bread of the word, diligently understand what is written, and maintain the discernment of sacred reading in your speech, if, however, you are such a one and so learned that you have in your power your soul, and not as an unlearned on…

and sette thou a withholding in thi throte. If netheles thou hast power on thi soule,

desire thou not of his metis, in whom is the breed of `a leesing.

Nyle thou trauele to be maad riche, but sette thou mesure to thi prudence.

Reise not thin iyen to richessis, whiche thou maist not haue; for tho schulen make to hem silf pennes, as of an egle, and tho schulen flee in to heuene.

Ete thou not with an enuyouse man, and desire thou not hise metis;

for at the licnesse of a fals dyuynour and of a coniectere, he gessith that, that he knowith not. He schal seie to thee, Ete thou and drinke; and his soule is not with thee.

Thou schalt brake out the metis, whiche thou hast ete; and thou schalt leese thi faire wordis.

Speke thou not in the eeris of vnwise men; for thei schulen dispise the teching of thi speche.

Touche thou not the termes of litle children; and entre thou not in to the feeld of fadirles and modirles children.

For the neiybore of hem is strong, and he schal deme her cause ayens thee.

Thin herte entre to techyng, and thin eeris `be redi to the wordis of kunnyng.

Nile thou withdrawe chastisyng fro a child; for thouy thou smyte hym with a yerde, he schal not die.

As small children who are negligent in learning become more attentive and obedient after being punished by their teacher or tutor, and as they do not listen before the lash, but, after feeling the pain of a beating, hear and respond as though their ears were just recently opened, improving also in memory, so likewise with those who neglect divine doctrine and spurn the commandm…

If the evil will is always to be left to its own freedom, why are careless shepherds rebuked, and why is it said to them, "The wandering sheep you have not called back, that which was lost you have not sought"?

When someone presumes to commit a sin against God, he ought to suffer a monastic penance. This should be done in a kind and devout spirit, so that through rebuke he may be corrected in this life in such a way that he may not perish in the future. For every sin which is not corrected in this world will be punished in the future life.

Thou schalt smyte hym with a yerde, and thou schalt delyuere his soule fro helle.

Mi sone, if thi soule is wijs, myn herte schal haue ioye with thee;

and my reynes schulen make ful out ioye, whanne thi lippis speken riytful thing.

Thin herte sue not synneris; but be thou in the drede of the Lord al dai.

For thou schalt haue hope at the laste, and thin abidyng schal not be don awei.

Mi sone, here thou, and be thou wijs, and dresse thi soule in the weie.

Nyle thou be in the feestis of drinkeris, nether in the ofte etyngis of hem, that bryngen togidere fleischis to ete.

For men yyuynge tent to drinkis, and yyuyng mussels togidere, schulen be waastid, and napping schal be clothid with clothis.

Here thi fadir, that gendride thee; and dispise not thi modir, whanne sche is eld.

Bie thou treuthe, and nyle thou sille wisdom, and doctryn, and vndurstonding.

The fadir of a iust man ioieth ful out with ioie; he that gendride a wijs man, schal be glad in hym.

Thi fadir and thi modir haue ioye, and he that gendride thee, make ful out ioye.

My sone, yyue thin herte to me, and thin iyen kepe my weyes.

For an hoore is a deep diche, and an alien womman is a streit pit.

Sche settith aspie in the weie, as a theef; and sche schal sle hem, whiche sche schal se vnwar.

To whom is wo? to whos fadir is wo? to whom ben chidingis? to whom ben dichis? to whom ben woundis with out cause? to whom is puttyng out of iyen?

By the mention of redness of eyes—a sign of death—it is made clear that the wine-bibber is already dead to the Word and to reason. It declares his death to the Lord. If one forgets the motives that prompt him to seek the true life, he is dragged down to corruption.

Since you are the presbyters and deacons of Christ, you ought always to be sober, both among yourselves and among others, so that you may be able to warn the unruly. Now the Scripture says, "The men in power are passionate.

To whom wounds without cause? etc. Wounds without cause, because many, filled beyond measure with wine, have received wounds in their limbs out of fear, which they have endured for no cause; weakening of the eyes, because the immoderate drink of wine produces darkness to many physical sights and blindness of inner senses.

Whether not to hem, that dwellen in wyn, and studien to drynke al of cuppis?

Biholde thou not wyn, whanne it sparclith, whanne the colour therof schyneth in a ver.

It entrith swetli, but at the laste it schal bite as an eddre doith, and as a cocatrice it schal schede abrood venyms.

Thin iyen schulen se straunge wymmen, and thi herte schal speke weiwerd thingis.

And thou schalt be as a man slepinge in the myddis of the see, and as a gouernour aslepid, whanne the steere is lost.

And thou schalt seie, Thei beeten me, but Y hadde not sorewe; thei drowen me, and Y feelide not; whanne schal Y wake out, and Y schal fynde wynes eft?

Proverbs23