Be not jealous over the wife of thy bosom, lest she shew in thy regard the malice of a wicked lesson.

Never shew thyself a jealous husband to the wife thou lovest; it may prove thou hast taught her, to thy cost, a ruinous lesson.

Non zeles mulierem sinus tui, ne ostendat super te malitiam doctrinæ nequam.

Give not the power of thy soul to a woman, lest she enter upon thy strength, and thou be confounded.

Never give thy soul into a woman’s power, and let her command the fortress of it, to thy shame.

Non des mulieri potestatem animæ tuæ, ne ingrediatur in virtutem tuam, et confundaris.

Look not upon a woman that hath a mind for many: lest thou fall into her snares.

Never turn to look at the wanton, that would catch thee in her snare,

Ne respicias mulierem multivolam, ne forte incidas in laqueos illius.

Use not much the company of her that is a dancer, and hearken not to her, lest thou perish by the force of her charms.

nor spend thy attentions upon some dancing woman, that has power to be thy undoing;

Cum saltatrice ne assiduus sis, nec audias illam, ne forte pereas in efficacia illius.

Gaze not upon a maiden, lest her beauty be a stumblingblock to thee.

nor let thy eyes linger on a maid unwed, whose very beauty may take thee unawares.

Virginem ne conspicias, ne forte scandalizeris in decore illius.

Give not thy soul to harlots in any point: lest thou destroy thyself and thy inheritance.

And for harlots, let nothing tempt thee to give way to them, as life and patrimony thou holdest dear;

Ne des fornicariis animam tuam in ullo, ne perdas te et hæreditatem tuam.

Look not round about thee in the ways of the city, nor wander up and down in the streets thereof.

look not round thee in the city streets, nor haunt the alley-ways.

Noli circumspicere in vicis civitatis, nec oberraveris in plateis illius.

Turn away thy face from a woman dressed up, and gaze not about upon another’s beauty.

From a woman bravely decked out turn away; have no eyes for her beauty that is none of thine.

Averte faciem tuam a muliere compta, et ne circumspicias speciem alienam.

For many have perished by the beauty of a woman, and hereby lust is enkindled as a fire.

Woman’s beauty has been the ruin of many ere now, a spark to light the flame of lust.

Propter speciem mulieris multi perierunt: et ex hoc concupiscentia quasi ignis exardescit.

Every woman that is a harlot, shall be trodden upon as dung in the way.

A harlot? Then trample her down like mire in thy path.

Omnis mulier quæ est fornicaria, quasi stercus in via conculcabitur.

Many by admiring the beauty of another man’s wife, have become reprobate, for her conversation burneth as fire.

The love of stolen sweets has been the undoing of many; a word with her, and the spark is lit.

Speciem mulieris alienæ multi admirati, reprobi facti sunt: colloquium enim illius quasi ignis exardescit.

Sit not at all with another man’s wife, nor repose upon the bed with her:

Sit down never with a wedded wife, nor lean thy elbow upon table of hers,

Cum aliena muliere ne sedeas omnino, nec accumbas cum ea super cubitum:

And strive not with her over wine, lest thy heart decline towards her and by thy blood thou fall into destruction.

nor bandy words with her over the wine; steal she thy heart away, thy life is forfeit.

et non alterceris cum illa in vino, ne forte declinet cor tuum in illam, et sanguine tuo labaris in perditionem.

Forsake not an old friend, for the new will not be like to him.

An old friend leave not; the new is not his like.

Ne derelinquas amicum antiquum: novus enim non erit similis illi.

A new friend is as new wine: it shall grow old, and thou shalt drink it with pleasure.

New friendship, new wine; it must ripen ere thou canst love the taste of it.

Vinum novum amicus novus: veterascet, et cum suavitate bibes illud.

Envy not the glory and riches of a sinner: for thou knowest not what his ruin shall be.

Envy not the wrong-doer his wealth and state; beyond all expectation of thine it shall come to ruin.

Non zeles gloriam et opes peccatoris: non enim scis quæ futura sit illius subversio.

Be not pleased with the wrong done by the unjust, knowing that even to hell the wicked shall not please.

Of his ill-gotten gains have neither love nor liking; be sure he will not die unpunished.

Non placeat tibi injuria injustorum, sciens quoniam usque ad inferos non placebit impius.

Keep thee far from the man that hath power to kill, so thou shalt not suspect the fear of death.

From one that has the power of life and death keep thy distance; so thou shalt be free from mortal alarms.

Longe abesto ab homine potestatem habente occidendi, et non suspicaberis timorem mortis.

And if thou come to him, commit no fault, lest he take away thy life.

If dealings thou hast with him, keep clear of all offence, or thou shalt pay for it with thy life.

Et si accesseris ad illum, noli aliquid committere, ne forte auferat vitam tuam.

Know it to be a communication with death: for thou art going in the midst of snares, and walking upon the arms of them that are grieved.

Death has become thy familiar; pit-falls encompass thy path; thou art making the rounds of a beleaguered city.

Communionem mortis scito, quoniam in medio laqueorum ingredieris, et super dolentium arma ambulabis.

According to thy power beware of thy neighbour, and treat with the wise and prudent.

Consider, as best thou mayest, thy company; be wise and prudent men thy counsellors;

Secundum virtutem tuam cave te a proximo tuo, et cum sapientibus et prudentibus tracta.

Let just men be thy guests, and let thy glory be in the fear of God.

honest men thy guests. Be the fear of God all thy boast,

Viri justi sint tibi convivæ, et in timore Dei sit tibi gloriatio:

And let the thought of God be in thy mind, and all thy discourse on the commandments of the Highest.

the thought of God all thy thinking, the commandments of the most High all the matter of thy discourse.

et in sensu sit tibi cogitatus Dei, et omnis enarratio tua in præceptis Altissimi.

Works shall be praised for the hand of the artificers, and the prince of the people for the wisdom of his speech, but the word of the ancients for the sense.

By skilful handiwork the artist is known, the ruler of a people by the prudence of his counsel, the good sense of the aged by their word spoken.

In manu artificum opera laudabuntur, et princeps populi in sapientia sermonis sui, in sensu vero seniorum verbum.

A man full of tongue is terrible in his city, and he that is rash in his word shall be hateful.

No such peril to a city as a great talker; for his rash utterance, no man so well hated as he.

Terribilis est in civitate sua homo linguosus: et temerarius in verbo suo odibilis erit.