4 “ ‘I ken what I wull do! sae that whan I am putten‐oot oʼ the grieveʼs place, they may tak me into their hooses!’
“But the grieve said till his sel, ‘My lord taks awa my office frae me: what sal I do? I am‐na fit to delve; I wad be shamʼd to beg!
“And sae, biddin ilka ane oʼ his lordʼs debtors to come till him, he speirs at the first, ‘Hoo muckle are ye awn to my lord?’
“And I say tʼye, Mak to yersels freends oʼ unrichtous gear; that whansaeʼer it may fail ye, they sal tak ye in till everlastin bidin‐places!
This wisdom is no the wisdom comin doon frae Aboon; but is yirthly, nateral, and deevilish.