Proverbs 26 · The Lantern

As snow in somer, and reyn in heruest; so glorie is vnsemeli to a fool.

For whi as a brid fliynge ouer to hiy thingis, and a sparowe goynge in to vncerteyn; so cursing brouyt forth with out resonable cause schal come aboue in to sum man.

"As birds and sparrows fly away, so the curse causeless shall not come upon any one." And again [Solomon] says, "Those that bring reproaches are exceedingly foolish." But as the bee, a creature as to its strength feeble, if it stings anyone, loses its sting and becomes a drone; in the same manner you also, whatsoever injustice you do to others, will bring it upon yourselves. .

For as a bird flying to lofty places, etc. Words are rightly compared to birds because they fly through the air sounding, from the mouth of the speaker to the ears of the listener; but they differ in this, that it can happen that a bird flying anywhere settles where no necessity or use is served to it.

Beting to an hors, and a bernacle to an asse; and a yerde in the bak of vnprudent men.

Answere thou not to a fool bi his foli, lest thou be maad lijk hym.

I had treated you with contempt, Demetrian, as you railed with sacrilegious mouth against God, who is one and true, and frequently cried out with impious words, thinking it more fitting and better to ignore with silence the ignorance of a man in error than to provoke with speech the fury of a man in madness.

[David] used not to answer the enemy that provoked him, the sinner that exasperated him. As he says elsewhere, "As though he were deaf he heard not them that speak vanity and imagine deceit, and as though he were dumb he opened not his mouth to them." Again, in another place, it is said, "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like to him."The first duty th…

Do not answer a fool according to his foolishness, etc. Answer a fool according to his foolishness, lest he be wise in his own eyes.

Answere thou a fool bi his fooli, lest he seme to him silf to be wijs.

An haltinge man in feet, and drinkinge wickidnesse, he that sendith wordis by a fonned messanger.

As an haltinge man hath faire leggis in veyn; so a parable is vnsemeli in the mouth of foolis.

As he that casteth a stoon in to an heep of mercurie; so he that yyueth onour to an vnwijs man.

As if a thorn growith in the hond of a drunkun man; so a parable in the mouth of foolis.

Doom determyneth causis; and he that settith silence to a fool, swagith iris.

As a dogge that turneth ayen to his spuyng; so is an vnprudent man, that rehersith his fooli.

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

These, no doubt, are the things suffered by clerics, monks or virgins who are proud, disobedient and lukewarm. When at the beginning of their life they abandoned the ways of this world and with a fervent spirit fled to the service of holy religion, through the grace of God they were rid of all their sins.

As a dog returns to his vomit, etc. When a dog vomits, he surely ejects the food that was weighing down his chest; but when he returns to his vomit, he is again burdened by what had relieved him; and those who lament their sins, surely confess and cast out the wickedness which was badly satisfying them and which was weighing down the innermost parts of their mind, which, after…

Thou hast seyn a man seme wijs to hym silf; an vnkunnyng man schal haue hope more than he.

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, a person wise in his own conceit; and a still greater evil is to charge with the instruction of others a person who is not even aware of his own ignorance.

This is not a small fault either to consider oneself wise and to refer everything back to one's own judgment.… Paul addresses this same reproach to the pagan philosophers: "Professing to be wise, they become fools." This is the reason for their folly. The author of the Proverbs said on his part, "Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?

Have you seen a man who thinks he is wise in his own eyes, etc. The Lord explaining this, says: For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind (John IX).

A slow man seith, A lioun is in the weie, a liounnesse is in the foot pathis.

As a dore is turned in his hengis; so a slow man in his bed.

A slow man hidith hise hondis vndur his armpit; and he trauelith, if he turneth tho to his mouth.

A slow man semeth wysere to hym silf, than seuene men spekynge sentensis.

As he that takith a dogge bi the eeris; so he that passith, and is vnpacient, and is meddlid with the chiding of anothir man.

As he is gilti, that sendith speris and arowis in to deth;

so a man that anoieth gilefuli his frend, and whanne he is takun, he schal seie, Y dide pleiynge.

Whanne trees failen, the fier schal be quenchid; and whanne a priuy bacbitere is withdrawun, stryues resten.

As deed coolis at quic coolis, and trees at the fier; so a wrathful man reisith chidyngis.

The wordis of a pryuei bacbitere ben as symple; and tho comen til to the ynneste thingis of the herte.

As if thou wolt ourne a vessel of erthe with foul siluer; so ben bolnynge lippis felouschipid with `the werste herte.

An enemy is vndirstondun bi hise lippis, whanne he tretith giles in the herte.

Whanne he `makith low his vois, bileue thou not to hym; for seuene wickidnessis ben in his herte.

The malice of hym that hilith hatrede gilefuli, schal be schewid in a counsel.

He that delueth a diche, schal falle in to it; and if a man walewith a stoon, it schal turne ayen to hym.

A fals tunge loueth not treuth; and a slidir mouth worchith fallyngis.

Proverbs26