lytyl Iohn syth your tendre enfancye
Stondeth as yet vnder / in difference
To vice or vertu to meuyn or applye
And in suche age ther is no prouidence
Ne comenly no
sad Intelligence
But as waxe resseyueth prynte or fygure
So children ben
disposid of nature
Vyce or vertue to folowe
and enpresse
In mynde /
and therfore / to styre & remeue
You from vice /
and to vertu addresse
That one to folowe / and that other teschewe
I haue deuysed you / this lytyl newe
Instructōn /
acordyng vnto your age
Playne in sentence / but playner in lāgage
Take hede therfore / and herkne what I saye
And gyue therto / your
good aduertence
Lete not your ere be here & your herte awaye
But put ye therto / besy diligence
Leyng aparte al wantown Iusolence
Lerneth to be vertuous / and wel
thewed
Who wil not lerne / nedely he must be lewed
Afore alle
thing /
and principally
In the
morenyng / whan ye vp rise
To worshipe
god / haue in memorie
With crystes crosse / loke ye blesse you thrise
Your pater noster / saye in deuoute wyse
Aue maria / with the holy crede
Thenne alle the day / the better shal ye spede
And while that ye be aboute honestly
To dresse your self / & do on̄ your araye
With your felawe / wel and tretably
Oure lady matyns / loke that ye saye
And this obseruan̄ce / vse ye euery daye
With pryme and ouris / withouten drede
The
blessid lady / wil quyte you your mede
Kembe your hede / & loke ye kepe it clene
Your eres tweyne / suffre not fowl to be
In your visage / wayte no spot be sene
Purge your nose / lete noman in it see
The vile mater / it is none honeste
Ne with your bare honde / no filth fro it fecche
For that is fowl / and an vnairtoys teche
Your hondes wesshe / it is an holsom
thing
Your naylis loke / they be not gety blacke
Ne fusfre not hem / to be ou
(er) longe growyng
To your araye / I warne you good hede take
That manerly ye fytte it vp and make
Your
hood. gowne. hosyn / & eke your sho
With al your aray longyng your body to
Kepe you clene / and lose not your gere
And or ye passe / out of your
loggyng
Euery garment / that ye shal on were
Awayte wel / that it be so
syttyng
As to your degre / semeth
acordyng
Thēne wil men saye / forsoth this childr is he
That is wel taught / and louyth honeste
And as ye walke / and passe by the strete
Be ye not nyce of chere / and countenaunce
But loke my child / to folkes that ye mete
Ye speke fayr / with wordes of plesaunce
Demure and curtoys / of your demenaunce
To hym that is your felawe
and pere
Eyue ye fair langage / and afrendly chere
Caste no styck ne stone at fowle ne beest
And where ye walke / bewarre ye ne rage
For yf ye doo / ye shal to brecheles feest
Terre not with
hoūd in felde ne in vilage
Go forth your waye / demenyng your viage
In sobre wyse / that men may of you saye
A goodly
chyld / ther passeth by the waye
And whan ye come to y
e chirche my litil child
Holy water / ye shal vpon you caste
Byfore y
e crosse / with chere meke & mylde
Knele adoun̄ / and knocke on your breste
Thankyng the good lord y
t on it
did reste
And there / for you susfryd his sides to blede
Saye ye or ye rise / pat
(er) noster / aue / & a crede
Auyse you wel also / for ony thinge
The chirche of prayer / is hous and place
Beware therfore / of clappe or
Iangelyng
For in y
e chirche / it is a ful grete trespaas
And a token of suche / as lackyth grace
There be ye demure / and kepe ye scilence
And serue ye god / with al your diligence
To helpe the preest / whan he saith masse
Whan it shal happen you or betyde
Remeue not fer / ne from his presence passe
Knele or stonde ye / deuoutly hym besyde
And not to nygh your tōge muste be applide
Tanswere hym / with boys ful moderate
Auyse you wel / my lityl childe algate
To mynystre / with deuoute reuerence
Loke ye do / youre humble obseruan̄ce
Debonairly / with due obedyence
Circumspectly / with euery circumstaunce
Of poort and chere / of goodly countenan̄ce
Remembryng wel the
lord / a boue is he
Whom to serue / is grettest liberte
And whan ye speke / loke men in the face
With sobre chere /
and goodly semblaunce
Caste not your eye a syde / in other place
For that is a token of wantoun̄ inconsiāce
Whiche wil appeyre your name & disauan̄ce
The wise mā saith who hath these thīgis thre
Is not lyke a
good man for to be
In herte he seith / who that is inconstan̄te
A waueryng eye / glydyng sodeynly
Fco place to place / & afoot varian̄te
That in no place / abydeth stably
These ben y
e signes / the wisemā seith sikerly
Of suche a wight / as is vnmanerly nyce
And is ful likely disposid vnto vyce
Awayte my chylde / whan ye stāde atte table
Of maister or souerayn / whether it be
Appl ye you for to be seruysable
That no defaute in you founden be
Loke / who doth best / and hym ensiewe ye
And in especyal / vse ye attendaunce
Wherein ye shal your self best auaunce
As ye be
comanded / so do ye algate
Be not causeles / fro the table absent
It is a grete plesure / to the hyghe estate
To see his seruauntis aboute hym present
Haunte no halke / for then̄e ye wil be shente
Lete maner & mesure / be your gydes tweyne
So shal ye best plese / I dar sauely seyne
Rewarde also the loke
and contenaunce
Of your maister / or of your souereyne
So shal ye best preue. what is his plesan̄ce
Or els displesaunce / this is soth serteyne
The chere discouerith / often bothe tweyne
And eke y
e chere / somtyme may you addresse
In thīgis / y
t lāgage may not them expresse
And that ye her loke / kepe alway secree
Besy reporte / of mischief is chief noryse
Mykyl langage / may not al fawtles bee
Then̄e do my childe / as techeth you the wyse
Whiche vnto you / this lesson doth deuyse
Here and see /
and be
styll in euery prees
Passe forth your way in scilence & in pees
And yet in auenture / yf the caas require
Ye may speke / but ye muste thenne ꝑcaas
Seuē cōdicōns obserue / as ye may now hyre
Auyse you wel / what ye saye / & in what place
Of whom / & to whom in your mynde cōpace
How ye shal speke / & whan take good hede
This con̄celith the wise man withoute drede
Awayte my chylde / ye be haue you manerly
Whan at your mete / ye sitte at the table
In euery prees and in euery company
Dispose you to be so compenable
That men may of you veporte for ꝯmēdable
For trusteth wel / vpon your
beryng
Men wil you blame or gyue
preysyng
And prynte ye trewly your memorie
For a princypal point of fair noreture
Ye depraue no man absent especyally
Saynt austyn amonessleth with besy cure
How men atte table / shold hem assure
That there escape them / no suche langage
As myght other folke hurte to disparage
This curtoys clerk / writeth in this wise
Rebukyng the vice / of vyle detraccōn
What man it be / that of custom & guyse
Hurteth with tunge / or by foule colusiōn
Thabsente / weyue ye for that abusion̄
Suche a detractour / from the table
As vnworthy / and also reprochable
Whan ye sitte therfore at your repaste
Annoye ye noman presente nor absente
But speke ye fewe / for yf ye make waste
Of large langage / for sothe ye must be shent
And whan ye speke / speke ye with good ētēt
Of maters
acordyng vnto plesance
But nothīg / that may cause men greuan̄ce
Eschewe also tacches of foule raueyne
Of gredy luste / with vncurteys appetyce
Prece not to sone / fro your viand restreyne
Your honde a while / with manerly respite
Fede you for necessite / & not for delite
Demene you with mete / & drynke so sobrely
That ye not ben enfecte with glotony
Enbrewe not your vessel / ne your naprye
Ouer maner & mesure / but kepe hem clene
Ensoyle not your cuppe / but kepe it clenlye
Lete no fat farsione / on your lippes be sene
For that is fowle / ye wote what I mene
Or than ye drynke / for your owen honeste
Your lippes wype / and clenly loke they be
Blowe not in your drīke ne in your potage
Ne farse not your dishe to ful of brede
Bere not your knyf / to
ward your visage
For therin is
parell / and mykyl drede
Clawe not your visage / touche not your hede
With your bare honde / sittyng atte table
For in norture / suche thing is reprouable
Lose not your gyrdel / sittyng at your mete
For that is a tacche / of vncurtesye
But yf ye seme / ye be embraced streite
Or than ye sytte / amende it secretly
So couertly that no wight you espye
Beware also / no breth fro you rebounde
Vp ne doun̄ / leste ye were shameful founde
Be ye husht in chambre / scylent in halle
Herken wel
and gyue
good audience
Yf vssher or marchal for ony rumour calle
Put ye Ianglers to rebuke for silence
Be ye
myld of langage / demure of eloquēce
Enforce you vnto hym conformed to be
That can moste good /
and hath humanyte
Touche not with your mete / salt t̄ the saler
Lest folk apoynte you of vnconnyngnesse
Dresse it aparte / vpon a clene trencher
Farse not your mouth to ful / for wātonesse
Lene not vpon the table / for that rude is
And yf I shal to you playnly saye
Ouer the table / ye shal not spetel conueye
Yef ye be serued / with metes delicate
Departe with your felowe / in gentil wise
The clerck saith / nature is contēt & saciate
With mene diete / and litil shal susfyse
Departe therfore / as I you deuyse
Engrose not / vnto your self
all
For gentilnes / wil aye be
liberall
And whan percaas your seruise is not large
Gruccheth not / with frownyng contenan̄ce
Ne make therof / not to mykyl charge
Dispose you to goodly suffran̄ce
And what ye haue / take it in suffysan̄ce
Be ye plesid with suche as god hath you sent
He hath ynough / that can
hold hym contēt
Burnysshe no bones / with your teth / beware
Suche houndis tacchis / falle of vncurtesye
But with your knyf / make the bones bare
Handle your mete / so wel and so clenly
That ye offende not the company
Where ye be sette / as ferforth as ye can
Remēbryng wel / that maners make man̄
And whan that / ye ete your mete
small
With open mouth / beware ye not ete
But loke your lippes / be closed as a
wall
Whan to
and fro / ye trauerse your mete
Kepe you so cloos / that men haue no cōseite
To saye of you / ony langage or vilonys
Bicause ye ete your mete / vnmanerly
Beware my
child / of laughyng ou
(er) mesure
Ne at the borde / ye shal no naylis pare
Ne pyke your teth / with knyf / I you eusure
Ete at your messe / and other folkes spare
A gloton can but make the bones bare
And of ynough / he taketh neuer hede
He fedith more for lust / than for nede
And whan y
e borde is thynne / as of seruyse
Nought replenesshed with grete diuersite
Of mete & drīke good chere may then̄ fuffise
With honest talkyng / and also ought ye
With gladsom chere / thenne fulsom for to be
The poete saith / hou that a poure borde
Men may enriche / with chereful wil & worde
And one thing my chylde / ye vnderstonde
In
especyall / for your owne honeste
In the water / wasshe so clene your honde
That your towel / neuer enfoyled be
So fowle / that it be lothsom on to see
Wasshe with water / your hondes so cleene
That in the towel shal no spotte be sene
Lete not your spone / in your disshe stōding
Ne vpon the table / it shold not lye
Lete your trenchour / be clene for ony thing
And yf ye haue chan̄ge / yet as honestly
As ye can / make a wyde manerly
So that no fragmēt / fro your trēcher falle
Do thus my chylde / in chambre & in halle
And whan another man / spekith atte table
Beware ye enterrupte not / his langage
For that is a thinge discomendable
And it is no signe of folkes sage
To be of langage / besy
and outrage
For the wyse mān
said / in his sentence
He
shold be wyse / that gyueth audience
Vnderstonde therfore or than ye speke
Prynte in your mynde / clerly the sentence
Who that vsith / a mannes tale to breke
Letteth vncurteysly / alle the audyence
And hurteth hym self / for lack of science
He may not gyue answere conuenyente
That herith not fynally / what is mente
But beware my
child / also of
rehersayll
Of maters / whiche ben atte table
meuid
It greuith ofte /
and doth men disauayle
Ful many a man / y
t vice hath
myscheuid
Of euyl
thing
said / is werse
contryuid
Suche reportis / alway my
child eschewe
As may of olde frēdis / make enemyes new
Aduise you wel whan ye take your disporte
Honest gamee /
[...]hat ye haunte
and vse
And suche as ben of vylayns reporte
I counceyl you my chyld / that ye refuse
For truste ye wel / ye shal you not excuse
From brecheles feste / and I may you espye
Playng at ony game of rybawdrye
It is to a godly chyld wel
syttyng
To vse disportes of myrthe & plesan̄ce
To harpe or lute / or lustely to synge
Or in the prees right manerly to daunce
Whan men se a chyld of suche gouernance
They saye / glad may this chyldis frēdis be
To haue a chylde / so manerly as is he
Excersise your self also in
redyng
Of bookes
enorned with eloquence
Ther shal ye fynde / bothe plesir &
lernyng
So that ye may / in euery good presence
Somwhat fynde / as in sentence
That shal acorde / the tyme to ocupy
That ye not nede / to stonden ydelly
It is fayr / for to be comyn
[...]catyf
In maters vnto purpose
acordyng
So that a wyght seme excers yf
For trusteth wel / it is a tedyous
thyng
For to here a chylde / multeplye talkyng
Yf it be not to the purpose
applyed
And also with / goodly termys
alyed
Redeth gower in his
wrytyng
morall
That anucyent fader of memorye
Redeth his bookes /
called
confessionall
With many another vertuous trayttye
Ful of sentence / set ful fructuosly
That hym to rede / shal gyue you corage
He is so ful of fruyt▪ sentēce and langage
O fader and founder of ornate eloquence
That enlumened hast alle our bretayne
To soone we loste / thy laureate scyence
O lusty lyquour / of that fulsom fontayne
O cursid deth / why hast thou y
t poete slayne
I mene fader chaucer / maister galfryde
Alas the whyle / that euer he from vs dyde
Redeth his werkis / ful of plesaunce
Clere in sentence / in langage excellent
Briefly to wryte / suche was his suffysan̄ce
What euer to saye / he toke in his entente
His langage was so fayr and pertynente
It semeth vnto mannys
heeryng
Not only the worde / but verely the thynge
Redeth my chylde / redeth his bookes alle
Refuseth none / they ben expedyente
Sentence or langage / or bothe fynde ye
shall
Ful delectable / for that good fader mente
Of al his purpose / and his hole entente
How to plese in euery audyence
And in our tunge / was welle of eloquence
Beholde Ocklyf in his translacon̄
In goodly langage / & sentēce passyng wyse
How he gyueth his prynce / suche exortacon̄
As to the hyest / he coude best deuyse
Of trouthe▪ pees▪ mercy▪ and Justise
And vertues / leetyng for no slouthe
To do his deuoir & quite him of his trouthe
Required hym / as ayenst his souerayne
Most
drad &
louyd / wos excellent hyenes
He
aduertysed / by his
wrytyng playne
To vertu / apperteynyng to nobles
Of a prynce / as bereth
good witnes
His traytye /
entitled of regymente
Compyled of entyer trewe entente
Loke also / vpon dan John lydgate
My maister whylome / monke of berye
Worthy to be
renomed / as poete laureate
I praye to
god in blysse his soule be mercy
Syngyng Yex splendens that heuenly kyrye
Amonge the muses nyne
celestyall
Byfore the hyest Jubyter of
all
Passyng the muses nyne of Elycon̄
Where is non pareyl of armonye
Thider I truste my meistres soule begone
The
sterrid paleys / aboue the dapplyd skye
There to synge sanctus incessantly
Amonge the muses ix
celestyall
Byfore the hyest / Jubiter of
all
Redeth his volumes / that ben large & wyde
Seueryly set / in sadnes of sentence
Enlumyned with colours fressh on euery side
Me lacketh witte / I haue none eloquence
To gyue hym lawde / after his excellence
For I dar saye / he lefte hym not a lyue
That coude his cōnyng / sufficiently discriue
But his werkis / his laude / muste nede cō
(que)re
They may neuer / out of remembraunce dye
His werkis shal his name conueye & bere
Aboute the
world / almost eternely
Lete his owē werkis preyse hym & magnefie
I dar not preyse / for fere lest I offende
My lāgage / shold rather apeyre than amende
Loo my
child / these faders auncyente
Repen the feldes fresshe of fulsomnes
The flours fresh they gadred vp & hente
Of siluer langage / the grete riches
Who wil it haue my lityl childe doutles
Muste of hem begge / ther is nomore to saye
For of our tunge / they were both lok & kaye
Ther can noman̄ now her werhis disteyne
The enbamed tunge / and aureate sentence
Men gete it now / by cantelmele & gleyne
Here and there by besy diligence
And fayne wold reche / her craft of eloquēce
And by the gleyne / it is ful oft seue
In whos felde / the gleyners haue bent
And vnto me / age hath bode good morowe
I am not able clenly / for to gleyne
Nature is fayn̄ of craft / her eyen to borowe
Me lacketh clerenes / of myn eyen tweyne
Begge I maye / gleyne I can not certeyne
Therfore y
e werck / I wil playnly remytte
To folkis yong / more passyng clere of witte
Seche ye therfore / and in caas ye fynde
Such gleynors fressh as haue som̄ apparēce
Of fayr langage / yet take hem & vnbynde
And preue ye / what they be in existence
Colourd in langage / sauerly in sentence
And doubte not my childe / withoute deede
It wil prouffite to see suche thingis & red
Yet eft sones my
child / lete vs resorte
To thentente of yur first matere
Degressed somwhat / for we wold reporte
And reuiue the laude of hem that were
Famous in our langage / these faders dere
Whos sowles in blysse / god et
(er)nel auānce
That lysten so our langage to enhaunce
Then̄e lityl Iohn / I counceyl you that ye
Take hede to the norture / that men vse
Newe founde / or auncyent whether it be
So shal no man your curtoisye refuse
The guyse & custom / my child shal you excuse
Mēnys werkis / haue often enterchan̄ge
That nowe is norture / sōtyme had be stran̄ge
Thingis whilom vsed / ben now leyd a syde
And newe feetis / dayly ben
contreuid
Mennys actes / can in no plyte abyde
They be changeable
and ofte
meuid
Thingis somtyme alowed / is now repreuid
And after this / shal thinges vp aryse
[...]t men set now / but at lytyl pryse
This mene I my childe / y
t ye shal haunte
The guyse of them / that do most manerly
But beware of vnthryft ruskyn galan̄te
Counterfeter of vnconnyng curtoisye
His tacchis ben enfecte with vilonye
Vngyrte. vnblyssed. seruyng atte table
Me semeth hym a seruan̄t nothing able
Wynter and somer to his souereyne
Capron hardy / no bonet lyste to auak
For euery word / gyuīg his maister tweyne
Auauntparler / in enery mannys tale
Absolon / with disheueld heeris smale
Lyke to a prysoner of seynt malowis
A sonny busshe / able to go to the galowis
O I passe norture fy fy for shame
I myght haue said he shold go hauke & honte
For that shold be a gentilmans game
To suche disportes / gentil folkes be wonte
I sayd to ferre / my langage was to blonte
But yet sir galāte whā ye shal bowe or knele
He goth by compace round as doth a whel
Braced so strayt / that he may not plye
But gaderith it / by maner of a wyndelas
And he ought wrenche a syde / or a litil wrie
His geer stondeth then̄e / m ful parloꝰ caas
His sho / his hose / doblet / point & laas
And yf ought breke / som̄e tūges y
t be
bad
Wil mocke & saie / a knaue hath broke a lad
Lete galante go / I mene recheles ruskyn̄
Take hede my chylde to suche as be connyng
So shal ye best worship conquere & wynne
Enforce you in al your
demenyng
To folowe vertu / & fro folye
declynyng
And waite wel that ye loue honeste
Whiche is
accrdyng vnto humanyte
That is for you / to vnderstonde & knowe
That your araye / be manerly resonable
Not apysshe / on to mocken ne to mowe
To nyce araye / that is not commendable
Fetis newe founden by fooles vnꝓuffitable
That make y
e world so plainly trāsformate
That men semen almoste enfemynate
Playe not Jack malapert / that is to saye
Beware of presumpcōn / beware of pryte
Take not y
e first place my child by the waye
Tyl other be sette / right manerly abyde
Presumptuoꝰ ben often set a syde
And alleday
aualyd / as men may see
And he is sette vp / that hath humylyte
To
connynd person̄s regarde ye take
Where ye be sette / right in ententyf wyse
Connyng folk / connyng men shal make
To their cōnyng ye shal make your surmise
And as they do / ye muste your self deuyse
For this my
child / is as the gospel trewe
Who wil be cōnyng / he must y
e cōnyng sewe
And one thing / I warne you specyally
To womanhede / take awe alweye
And them to serue / loke ye haue an eye
And theire com̄andementis that ye obeye
Plesant wordes I auyse you to them seye
And in alle wyse / do ye your diligence
To do them plesure / and reuerence
And at this tyme this tretye shal suffise
Dispose you / to kepe it in your mynde
The doctrine whiche for you I deuyse
And doubteth not / ful wel ye shal it finde
To your honour / enrolle it vp and bynde
Right in your breste / and at your riper age
I shal wryte to you / herof the surplusage
Go lytyl John / and who doth you appose
Sayng your quayer / kepe non accordance
Telle hym as yet / neyther in ryme ne prose
Ye ben expert / praye hym of suffran̄ce
Chyldren muste be / of chyldly gouernan̄ce
And also they muste
entretyd be
With esy thing / and not with subtylte
Go lytil quayer / submytte you euery where
Vnder correctōn of benyuolence
And where enuye is / loke ye come not there
For ony
thing / kepe your tretye thens
Enuye is ful of froward reprehens
And how to hurte / lyeth euer in a wayte
Kepe your quayer / that it be not ther bayte
Explicit the book of curtesye.