little john sith your tender enfancye  
standeth as yet under/ in difference  
To vice or virtue to mevyn or apply  
And in such age there is no providence  
Ne commonly no sad Intelligence  
But as wax receiveth print or figure  
So children been disposed of nature   

Vice or virtue to follow and enpresse  
In mind/ and therefore/ to stir & remove  
You from vice/ and to virtue address  
That one to follow/ and that other t'eschew  
I have devised you/ this little new  
Instructonn/ according unto your age  
Plain in sentence/ but plainer in language   

Take heed therefore/ and herkne what I say  
And give thereto/ your good advertence  
let not your ere be here & your heart away  
But put ye thereto/ busy diligence  
Leyng apart all wantown jusolence  
learneth to be virtuous/ and well thewed  
Who will not learn/ needly he must be lewd   

Afore all thing/ and principally  
In the morning/ when ye up rise  
To worship god/ have in memory  
With Christ's cross/ look ye bless you thrice  
Your pater noster/ say in devout wise  
ave maria/ with the holy creed  
then all the day/ the better shall ye speed   

And while that ye be about honestly  
To dress yourself/ & do on your array  
With your fellow/ well and treatably  
Our lady matins/ look that ye say  
And this observance/ use ye every day  
With prime and ouris/ withouten dread  
The blessed lady/ will quite you your meed   

Comb your heed/ & look ye keep it clean  
Your ears twain/ suffer not fowl to be  
In your visage/ wait no spot be seen  
Purge your nose/ lete noman in it see  
The vile matter/ it is none honest  
Ne with your bare hand/ no filth fro it fecche  
For that is fowl/ and an unairtoys teach   

Your hands wash/ it is an wholesome thing  
Your naylis look/ they be not gety black  
Ne fusfre not hem/ to be over long growing  
To your array/ I warn you good heed take  
That mannerly ye fit it up and make  
Your hood. gown. hosyn/ & eke your shoe  
With all your array longing your body to   

Keep you clean/ and lose not your gear  
And or ye pass/ out of your logging  
Every garment/ that ye shall on were  
Await well/ that it be so sitting  
As to your degree/ seemeth according  
Thenne will men say/ forsooth this childr is he  
That is well taught/ and loveth honest   

And as ye walk/ and pass by the street  
Be ye not nice of cheer/ and countenance  
But look my child/ to folks that ye meet  
Ye speak fair/ with words of pleasance  
Demure and courteous/ of your demenaunce  
To him that is your fellow and peer  
Eyve ye fair language/ and afrendly cheer   

Cast no stick ne stone at fowl ne be'st  
And where ye walk/ beware ye ne rage  
For if ye do/ ye shall to brecheles feast  
Terre not with hound in field ne in village  
Go forth your way/ demeaning your voyage  
In sober wise/ that men may of you say  
A goodly child/ there passeth by the way   

And when ye come to the church my little child  
Holy water/ ye shall upon you cast  
Before the cross/ with cheer meek & mild  
kneel adoun̄/ and knock on your breast  
Thanking the good lord that on it did rest  
And there/ for you suffered his sides to bleed  
Say ye or ye rise/ pater noster/ ave/ & a creed   

advise you well also/ for any thing  
The church of prayer/ is house and place  
Beware therefore/ of clap or jangeling  
For in the church/ it is a full great trespass  
And a token of such/ as lackyth grace  
There be ye demure/ and keep ye silence  
And serve ye god/ with all your diligence   

To help the priest/ when he saith mass  
When it shall happen you or betide  
remove not fer/ ne from his presence pass  
kneel or stand ye/ devoutly him beside  
And not to nigh your tongue must be applied  
Tanswere him/ with boy's full moderate  
advise you well/ my little child algate   

To minister/ with devout reverence  
Look ye do/ your humble observance  
Debonairly/ with due obedience  
Circumspectly/ with every circumstance  
Of port and cheer/ of goodly countenance  
Remembering well the lord/ a 'bove is he  
Whom to serve/ is greatest liberty   

And when ye speak/ look men in the face  
With sober cheer/ and goodly semblance  
Cast not your eye a side/ in other place  
For that is a token of wantoun inconsiance  
Which will appeyre your name & disavance  
The wise man saith who hath these things three  
Is not like a good man for to be   

In heart he saith/ who that is inconstannte  
A wavering eye/ gliding suddenly  
Fco place to place/ & afoot variannte  
That in no place/ abideth stably  
These been the signs/ the wiseman saith sickerly  
Of such a wight/ as is unmannerly nice  
And is full likely disposed unto vice   

Await my child/ when ye stand at table  
Of master or sovereign/ whether it be  
Appl ye you for to be serviceable  
That no default in you founden be  
Look/ who doth best/ and him ensue ye  
And in especial/ use ye attendance  
Wherein ye shall yourself best advance   

As ye be commanded/ so do ye algate  
Be not causeless/ fro the table absent  
It is a great pleasure/ to the high estate  
To see his servants about him present  
Haunt no halke/ for thenne ye will be shent  
let manner & measure/ be your guides twain  
So shall ye best please/ I dar safely say   

Reward also the look and countenance  
Of your master/ or of your sovereign  
So shall ye best prove. what is his plesance  
Or else displeasance/ this is soothe serteyne  
The cheer discovereth/ often both twain  
And eke the cheer/ sometime may you address  
In thingis/ that language may not them express   

And that ye her look/ keep always secret  
busy report/ of mischief is chief noryse  
Mykyl language/ may not all fawtles be  
Thenne do my child/ as teacheth you the wise  
Which unto you/ this lesson doth devise  
Here and see/ and be still in every press  
Pass forth your way in silence & in peace   

And yet in adventure/ if the case require  
Ye may speak/ but ye must thenne ꝑcaas  
Seven conditions observe/ as ye may now hire  
advise you well/ what ye say/ & in what place  
Of whom/ & to whom in your mind compace  
How ye shall speak/ & when take good heed  
This concealeth the wise man without dread   

Await my child/ ye be have you mannerly  
When at your meet/ ye sit at the table  
In every press and in every company  
Dispose you to be so companable  
That men may of you veporte for ꝯmendable  
For trusteth well/ upon your bearing  
Men will you blame or give praising   

And print ye truly your memory  
For a principal point of fair noreture  
Ye deprave no man absent especially  
Saint austin amonessleth with busy cure  
How men at table/ should 'em assure  
That there escape them/ no such language  
As might other folk hurt to disparaged   

This courteous clerk/ writeth in this wise  
Rebuking the vice/ of vile detraction  
What man it be/ that of custom & guise  
Hurteth with tongue/ or by foul colusionn  
Thabsent/ wave ye for that abusion  
Such a detractor/ from the table  
As unworthy/ and also reprochable   

When ye sit therefore at your repast  
Annoy ye noman present nor absent  
But speak ye few/ for if ye make waste  
Of large language/ for sooth ye must be shent  
And when ye speak/ speak ye with good intent  
Of matters according unto pleasance  
But nothing/ that may cause men grievance   

Eschew also tacches of foul ravin  
Of greedy lust/ with uncurteys' appetyce  
Prece not to soon/ fro your viand restrain  
Your hand a while/ with mannerly respite  
Feed you for necessity/ & not for delight  
Demene you with meet/ & drink so soberly  
That ye not been infect with gluttony   

Enbrewe not your vessel/ ne your naprye  
Over manner & measure/ but keep 'em clean  
Ensoyle not your cup/ but keep it clenlye  
let no fat farsione/ on your lips be seen  
For that is fowl/ ye wot what I mean  
Or than ye drink/ for your owen honest  
Your lips wipe/ and cleanly look they be   

Blow not in your drink ne in your pottage  
Ne farce not your dish to full of breed  
Bear not your knife/ to ward your visage  
For therein is apparel/ and mykyl dread  
Claw not your visage/ touch not your heed  
With your bare hand/ sitting at table  
For in nurture/ such thing is reprovable   

Lose not your girdle/ sitting at your meet  
For that is a tacche/ of uncurtesye  
But if ye seem/ ye be embraced straight  
Or than ye sit/ amend it secretly  
So covertly that no wight you espy  
Beware also/ no breath fro you rebound  
Up ne down/ lest ye were shameful found   

Be ye hushed in chamber/ scylent in hall  
hearken well and give good audience  
If usher or marchal for any rumour call  
Put ye janglers to rebuke for silence  
Be ye mild of language/ demure of eloquence  
Enforce you unto him conformed to be  
That can most good/ and hath humanity   

touch not with your meet/ salt t the saler  
Lest folk appoint you of unconnyngnesse  
Dress it apart/ upon a clean trencher  
Farce not your mouth to full/ for wantonness  
Lene not upon the table/ for that rude is  
And if I shall to you plainly say  
Over the table/ ye shall not spetel convey   

Yef ye be served/ with meats delicate  
Depart with your fellow/ in gentle wise  
The clerk saith/ nature is content & satiate  
With mean diet/ and little shall susfyse  
Depart therefore/ as I you devise  
Engrose not/ unto yourself all  
For gentleness/ will aye be liberal   

And when percaas your service is not large  
Gruccheth not/ with frowning countenance  
Ne make thereof/ not to mickle charge  
Dispose you to goodly sufferance  
And what ye have/ take it in suffisance  
Be ye pleased with such as god hath you sent  
He hath enough/ that can hold him content   

Burnysshe no bones/ with your teeth/ beware  
such houndis tacchis/ fall of uncurtesye  
But with your knife/ make the bones bare  
Handle your meet/ so well and so cleanly  
That ye offend not the company  
Where ye be set/ as farforth as ye can  
Remembering well/ that manners make man   

And when that/ ye eat your meet small  
With open mouth/ beware ye not eat  
But look your lips/ be closed as a wall  
When to and fro/ ye traverse your meet  
Keep you so close/ that men have no conceit  
To say of you/ any language or vilonies  
Because ye eat your meet/ unmannerly   

Beware my child/ of laughing over measure  
Ne at the board/ ye shall no naylis pair  
Ne pike your teeth/ with knife/ I you eusure  
Eat at your mass/ and other folks spare  
A glutton can but make the bones bare  
And of enough/ he taketh never heed  
He fedith more for lust/ than for need   

And when the board is thin/ as of service  
Nought replenished with great diversity  
Of meet & drink good cheer may then fuffise  
With honest talking/ and also ought ye  
With gladsome cheer/ then fulsome for to be  
The poet saith/ how that a pour board  
Men may enrich/ with cheerful will & word   

And one thing my child/ ye understand  
In especial/ for your own honest  
In the water/ wash so clean your hand  
That your towel/ never enfoyled be  
So fowl/ that it be loathsome on to see  
wash with water/ your hands so clean  
That in the towel shall no spot be seen   

let not your spoon/ in your dish stonding  
Ne upon the table/ it should not lie  
let your trencher/ be clean for any thing  
And if ye have change/ yet as honestly  
As ye can/ make a wide mannerly  
So that no fragment/ fro your trencher fall  
Do thus my child/ in chamber & in hall   

And when another man/ speaketh at table  
Beware ye enterrupte not/ his language  
For that is a thing discomendable  
And it is no sign of folks sage  
To be of language/ busy and outrage  
For the wise man said/ in his sentence  
He should be wise/ that giveth audience   

understand therefore or than ye speak  
print in your mind/ clearly the sentence  
Who that usith/ a man's tale to break  
Letteth uncourteously/ all the audience  
And hurteth himself/ for lack of science  
He may not give answer convenient  
That heareth not finally/ what is mente   

But beware my child/ also of rehearsal  
Of matters/ which been at table moved  
It grieveth oft/ and doth men disavayle  
Full many a man/ that vice hath misbelieved  
Of evil thing said/ is worse contrived  
Such reportis/ always my child eschew  
As may of old frendis/ make enemies new   

Advise you well when ye take your disport  
Honest games/ ●hat ye haunt and use  
And such as been of villains report  
I council you my child/ that ye refuse  
For trust ye well/ ye shall you not excuse  
From brecheles feast/ and I may you espy  
playing at any game of rybawdrye   

It is to a godly child well sitting  
To use disports of mirth & plesance  
To harp or lute/ or lustily to sing  
Or in the press right mannerly to dance  
When men see a child of such governance  
They say/ glad may this chyldis frendis be  
To have a child/ so mannerly as is he   

exercise yourself also in reading  
Of books enorned with eloquence  
There shall ye find/ both plesir & learning  
So that ye may/ in every good presence  
Somewhat find/ as in sentence  
That shall accord/ the time to ocupy  
That ye not need/ to standen idly   

It is fair/ for to be comyn●catyf  
In matters unto purpose according  
So that a wight seem excers if  
For trusteth well/ it is a tedious thing  
For to here a child/ multiply talking  
If it be not to the purpose applied  
And also with/ goodly terms allied   

readeth gower in his writing moral  
That anucyent father of memory  
readeth his books/ called confessional  
With many another virtuous trayttye  
Full of sentence/ set full fructuosly  
That him to read/ shall give you courage  
He is so full of fruit▪ sentence and language   

O father and founder of ornate eloquence  
That enlumened hast all our bretayne  
To soon we lost/ thy laureate science  
O lusty liquor/ of that fulsome fountain  
O cursed death/ why hast thou that poet slain  
I mean father chaucer/ master galfryde  
Alas the while/ that ever he from us died   

readeth his works/ full of pleasance  
Clere in sentence/ in language excellent  
Briefly to write/ such was his suffisance  
What ever to say/ he took in his intent  
His language was so fair and pertynente  
It seemeth unto man's hearing  
Not only the word/ but verily the thing   

readeth my child/ readeth his books all  
Refuseth none/ they been expedyente  
Sentence or language/ or both find ye shall  
Full delectable/ for that good father mente  
Of all his purpose/ and his hole intent  
How to please in every audience  
And in our tongue/ was well of eloquence   

Behold Ocklyf in his translacon  
In goodly language/ & sentence passing wise  
How he giveth his prince/ such exortacon  
As to the highest/ he could best devise  
Of truth▪ peace▪ mercy▪ and Justise  
And virtues/ leeting for no sloth  
To do his devoir & quite him of his truth   

Required him/ as against his sovereign  
Most dread & loved/ wos excellent hyenes  
He advertised/ by his writing plain  
To vertu/ appertaining to nobles  
Of a prince/ as beareth good witness  
His treaty/ entitled of regiment  
Compiled of entire true intent   

Look also/ upon dan John lydgate  
My master whilom/ monk of bury  
Worthy to be renowned/ as poet laureate  
I pray to god in bliss his soul be mercy  
Singing Yex splendens that heavenly kyrye  
Among the muses nine celestial  
Before the highest Jubyter of all   

Passing the muses nine of Elycon  
Where is non pareyl of harmony  
thither I trust my meistres soul begun  
The sterrid palace/ above the dappled sky  
There to sing sanctus incessantly  
Among the muses ix celestial  
Before the highest/ Jupiter of all   

readeth his volumes/ that been large & wide  
Severyly set/ in sadness of sentence  
enlumined with colours fressh on every side  
Me lacketh wit/ I have none eloquence  
To give him laud/ after his excellence  
For I dar say/ he left him not a live  
That could his cunning/ sufficiently descrive   

But his works/ his laud/ must need conquer  
They may never/ out of remembrance die  
His works shall his name convey & bear  
About the world/ almost eternely  
let his owen works praise him & magnefie  
I dar not praise/ for fere lest I offend  
My language/ should rather apeyre than amend   

Loo my child/ these faders ancient  
reapen the fields fresh of fulsomness  
The flowers fresh they gathered up & hent  
Of silver language/ the great riches  
Who will it have my little child doubtless  
Must of 'em beg/ there is no more to say  
For of our tongue/ they were both lok & kaye   

There can noman now her werhiss disteyne  
The enbamed tongue/ and aureate sentence  
Men get it now/ by cantelmele & gleyne  
Here and there by busy diligence  
And fain would reach/ her craft of eloquence  
And by the gleyne/ it is full oft seve  
In whose field/ the gleyners have bend   

And unto me/ age hath bode good morrow  
I am not able cleanly/ for to gleyne  
Nature is fain of craft/ her eyen to borrow  
Me lacketh clearness/ of mine eyen twain  
Beg I may/ gleyne I can not certain  
Therefore the work/ I will plainly remit  
To folkis young/ more passing clear of wit   

seek ye therefore/ and in case ye find  
Such gleynors' fresh as have some appearance  
Of fair language/ yet take 'em & unbind  
And prove ye/ what they be in existence  
Coloured in language/ savourly in sentence  
And doubt not my child/ without deed  
It will profit to see such things & red   

Yet eft sons my child/ lete us resort  
To th'intent of yur first matere  
Degressed somewhat/ for we would report  
And revive the laud of 'em that were  
Famous in our language/ these faders deer  
whose souls in bliss/ god eternel advance  
That listen so our language to enhance   

Thenne little john/ I council you that ye  
Take heed to the nurture/ that men use  
New found/ or ancient whether it be  
So shall no man your curtoisye refuse  
The guise & custom/ my child shall you excuse  
Mennys works/ have often enterchannge  
That now is norture/ sometime had be strange   

Thingis whilom used/ been now layed a side  
And new feetis/ daily been contrived  
Mennys acts/ can in no plight abide  
They be changeable and oft moved  
Thingis sometime allowed/ is now reprevid  
And after this/ shall things up arise  
〈…〉 t men set now/ but at little prise   

This mean I my child/ that ye shall haunt  
The guise of them/ that do most mannerly  
But beware of unthrift ruskyn galan̄te  
Counterfeter of uncunning curtoisye  
His tacchis been infect with villainy  
Vngyrte. unblyssed. serving at table  
Me seemeth him a servant nothing able   

Winter and summer to his sovereign  
Capron hardy/ no bonnet list to avak  
For every word/ giving his master twain  
Auauntparler/ in every man's tale  
Absalon/ with disheveled hairs small  
Like to a prisoner of saint malowiss  
A sonny bush/ able to go to the galowiss   

O I pass nurture fie fie for shame  
I might have said he should go hawk & honte  
For that should be a gentilmans game  
To such disports/ gentle folks be wont  
I said to far/ my language was to blonte  
But yet sir galant when ye shall bow or kneel  
He goth by compass round as doth a whel   

Braced so straight/ that he may not ply  
But gaderith it/ by manner of a wyndelas  
And he ought wrench a side/ or a little wry  
His gear standeth thenne/ m full parlous case  
His shoe/ his hose/ doublet/ point & laas  
And if ought break/ some tongues that be bad  
Will mock & say/ a knave hath broke a lad   

let galant go/ I mean reckless ruskyn  
Take heed my child to such as be cunning  
So shall ye best worship conquer & win  
Enforce you in all your demeaning  
To follow vertu/ & fro folly declining  
And wait well that ye love honest  
Which is accrding unto humanity   

That is for you/ to understand & know  
That your array/ be mannerly reasonable  
Not apish/ on to mocken ne to mow  
To nice array/ that is not commendable  
Fetis new founden by fools unprofitable  
That make the world so plainly transformate  
That men semen almost enfemynate   

Play not Jack malapert/ that is to say  
Beware of presumption/ beware of pryte  
Take not the first place my child by the way  
Till other be set/ right mannerly abide  
Presumptuous been often set a side  
And alleday availed/ as men may see  
And he is set up/ that hath humility   

To connynd personns regard ye take  
Where ye be set/ right in intentive wise  
Cunning folk/ cunning men shall make  
To their cunning ye shall make your surmise  
And as they do/ ye must yourself devise  
For this my child/ is as the gospel true  
Who will be cunning/ he must the cunning sew   

And one thing/ I warn you specially  
To womanhead/ take awe alway  
And them to serve/ look ye have an eye  
And their comandementis that ye obey  
Pleasant words I advise you to them say  
And in all wise/ do ye your diligence  
To do them pleasure/ and reverence   

And at this time this tretye shall suffice  
Dispose you/ to keep it in your mind  
The doctrine which for you I devise  
And doubteth not/ full well ye shall it find  
To your honour/ enroll it up and bind  
Right in your breast/ and at your riper age  
I shall write to you/ hereof the surplusage   

Go little John/ and who doth you appose  
saying your quayer/ keep non accordance  
Tell him as yet/ neither in rhyme ne prose  
Ye been expert/ pray him of sufferance  
Children must be/ of childly governance  
And also they must entreated be  
With easy thing/ and not with subtlety  
Go little quayer/ submit you every where  
Under correctonn of benevolence  
And where envy is/ look ye come not there  
For any thing/ keep your tretye thence  
Envy is full of froward reprehends  
And how to hurt/ lieth ever in a wait  
Keep your quayer/ that it be not their bait   
Explicit the book of courtesy.