Ecclesiastes 1

Matthew^{(i) 1} These arethe wordes of the Preacher, the sonne of Dauid, king of Ierusalem ² All is but vanitie (sayeth the preacher) all is but playne vanite. ³ For what els hath a man, of all the laboure that he taketh vnder the Sunne? ⁴ One generacion passeth away, another commeth, but the earth abideth styll. ⁵ The Sunne aryseth, the sunne goeth doune, and returneth to his place, that he may there ryse vp agayn. ⁶ The wynde goeth towarde the South, & fetcheth hys compasse about vnto the North, & so turneth into him self agayn. ⁷ All floudes runne into the sea, & yet the sea is not filled: for loke vnto what place the waters runne, thence they come agayn. ⁸ All thinges are so harde, that no man can expresse them. The eye is not satisfied with sight, the eare is not filled with hearing. ⁹ The thing that hath bene cometh to passe agayn: & the thing that hath bene done, is done agayn, there is no new thyng vnder the Sunne. ¹⁰ Is there any thyng wherof it may be sayd: lo, this is new? For it was longe a goo in the tymes that haue bene before vs. ¹¹ The thing that is past, is out of remembraunce: Euen so the thynges that are for to come, shal no more be thought vpon among theim that come after. ¹² I myself the Preacher, beynge kynge of Israel & Hierusalem, ¹³ applied my mynde to seke out & search for the knowlege of all thinges that are done vnder heauen. Such trauayle and labour hath God geuen vnto the chyldren of men, too exercyse them selfes therein. ¹⁴ Thus I haue considred all the thynges that come to passe vnder the Sunne, & so, they are all but vanitie & vexacion of mynde. ¹⁵ The croked can not be mayde strayght, & the fautes can not be numbred. ¹⁶ I commoned wyth myne owne hert, saying: lo, I am come to a greate estate, & haue gotten more wisdome, then all they that haue bene before me in Ierusalem. Yea, my hert had great experience of wysedome & knowlege, ¹⁷ for there vnto I applyed my mynde: that I might knowe what were wisdome & vnderstanding, what were errour & folishnes. And I perceyued that this also was but a vexacion of minde: ¹⁸ for where much wysdome is, there is also great trauayle and disquietnes: and the more knowledge a man hath, the more is his care.