Hic Incipit parvus Catho 'em ainduerterem quam homines graviter errare when I advert to my remembrance And see how sele folks erren grievously In the weigh of virtuous governance I have supposed in mine heart that I Ought to support and conseille prudently Them to be virtuous in living And how they shall themself in honour bring Igitur fili carissime docebo te quo pacto mores Therefore my leave child I shall now tell the hearken me weal the manner and the guise How thy soul inward shall acquainted be With thews good and virtues in all wise Reed and conceive for he is to despise That readeth ay and wot not what it meant Such reading is no thing but wind misspent Itaque deo supplica/ parent's ama Pray thy god & praise him with all thine heart father and mother have ay in reverence Love 'em weal and be thou never to smart To here men is counsel but keep the thence Till thou be cleped be clean without offence Salve gladly to him that is more dign Than art thyself thou shalt thy place resign Magistrum metue. Rem tuam custodi dread thy master thy thing look thou keep Take heed to thin honshold ay love thy wife Pleasant words out of thy mouth should creep Be not Irous keep thy behests as thy life Be temporat with wine & be not excessif Thy wife is words take in noon authority In folly sleep no more then needeth the Libros lege libros 〈◊〉/ quod legeris memento In goodly books whilom shalt thou read And that thou readest in thy mind thou shit Steer no wight to wrath lie not I the rede Do weal to god & he will the eft quite Be not wikked ner to the wikked knit S●●nde in the place of pleting excercise Deme the right & be conseiled of the wise Two lude/ aleas fuge/ pactum serva Play with the top the dises look thou eschew Despise noman keep ever thy behest Scorn never wretch than shalt thou never rue covet no man is good speak few atte feast Look thy vengeance be alway with the leeste Who hath done the good have in remembrance Love every wight and this shall the advance Behold my master this little treatise Which is full of wit and sapience enforce the this matter taccomplise Thenke hit is translated at your reverence enrol hit therefore in your advertence And desire for to know what cathon mente When ye it read let not your heart be thence But doth as this saith with all your hole intent Hic finis parvi cathonis Hic Incipit magnus Catho. I deus est aimmus nobis ut carmina dicunt Hic tibi praecipue sit pura mente colendus For thy that god is inwardly the wit Of man and giveth him undirstanding As ditties say therefore shalt thou unshit Thine heart to thy sovereign lord & king And principally a 'bove all other thing giving him laud/ honour & reverence Which hath the endowed with excellence Plus vigila semper ne sompno deditus esto Nam diuturna quies vicijs alimenta ministrat A wake my child and love no slogardye In moche sleep look thou never delight If thou purpose to worship for to sty Long sleep & sloth to vice done men excite It maketh men dull It maketh 'em unperfit It fosterith up filths of the flesh It palleth also & wasteth bloods fresh Virtutem primam puta esse compescere linguam Proximus ille deo qui scit racione tacere Trusteth weal also the first of virtues all Is to be still and keep thy tongue in mewe Of tongue untied moche harm may fall Leave me weal this is as the gospel true Who that can delaviance of words eschew And rest with reason this is very text To god above that man is alder next Sperne repugnando tibi tu contrarius esse Conueniet nulli qui secum dissidet ipse Advise the weal that thou never traverse Thine own sentence for there of sueth shame Say not one and eft the contrary rehearse Such repugnance wol make thy worship lame Where steadfastness wol cause thy good fame For he shall never accord with man on live That with himself will ay repugn & strive Si vitam inspicias hoīm si denique mores Cum culpas alios nemo sine crimine vivit If thou advertise and behold about The lives of men and manners also Both of thyself and other the without In myddelerth thou shalt find who That in some part nies to virtue foo Blame no man therefore if you do a right Sith in earth lakles liveth no wight Que nocitura tenes quamuis sint cara relinque Vtilitas opibus preponi tempore debet If thou suppose thing that shall noye & grieve Thaugh they be dear & right great of price such as suffereth not thy profit achieve If thou lust to be reused as the wise Abstain the from such thing in all wise For it is more wisdam in soothfastness To prefer profit than such richesse Constans et lenis ut res expostulat esto Temporibus mores sapiens sine crimine mutat It is a good lesson for the nonce A wight to be tempered with constance And to be glad and merry eftsoons Not alway sad ne light of countenance A man is cheer may him full oft advance For at each time as the thing requireth So the wise man visageth and cheereth Nil temere uxori de servis crede querenti Sepe. etem mulier quem coniunx dilight odit Give no credence alway to thy wife That for hire Ire and unpatience With scharper tongue than is sword or knife plaineth on thy servant though noon offenor Thou find in him learn weal this sentence The wife wol hate and cause to smart Often him that hire husband loveth in heart Cumque mones aliquem nec se velit ipse moneri Si tibi sit carus noli desistere ceptis And if thou warn a wight of his forfetes all though he grudgeth with frowning countenance And in his language menace the and threat Yet forbear thou not for all such displesance To teach him to amend his governance As thou began correct that is a miss And that is a friendly attach I wis Contra verbosos noli contendere verbis Sermo datur cunctis animi sapiencia paucis Against woordy folk ay full of wind strive not at all It may not the profit Such rash folks been in conceits blind The witless word availeth not a mite In feel words is oft wisedam ful lite For unto every wight is given speech And yet the wise full oft been for to seche Dilige sic alios ut sit tibi carus amicus Sic bonus esto bonis ne te mala dampna sequantur Love other men & have them so in cheer That to thyself thy love most extend Look no person be to the more dear Than thine estate for than thou shalt offend And hurt thyself & other folk amend But ever cherish other & love 'em so That to thyself thou be founden no foo Rumores fuge ne incipias novus autor haberi Nam nulli tacuisse nocet nocet esse locutum Tidings new that flen as the wind Eschew my child with all thy diligence Be never busy new tidings to find Such novelty causeth oft offence It is no wit It is no sapience It hurteth not a man to be in peace But it doth harm to put his tongue in press Rem tibi promissam certam ꝓmittere noli Rara fides ideo qr multi multa loquntur Make no promise of other men is hest Remember weal that promiss is unsure But if thou keep thine thy name sleest To serve thy behest do thy busy cure Trust not the word of every creature Sum man is faith is easy to break For many folks think not as they speak Cum te aliquis laudat judex tuus esse memento Plus alijs de te quam tu tibi credere noli With words fair when favel fedith the Be thou not blind for his false flattery Late thine own reason alway thy jug be And in effect if thine estate be high Thaugh favel with his craft will blind thin eye In all thy life thou never give credence More to thyself than to thy conscience Officium alterius multis narrare memento Atque alijs cum tu benefeceris ipse sileto When thou seest another man is desert As for his good deeds commendable In every place privy or a part Such a wight with thy good word enable And though he have been by the available Yet of thy good deed make thou no bobance And than shall other men thine name enhance Multorum cum facta senex et dicta resensus Fac tibi succurrant juvenis que feceris ipse And if thou leave long an old man shalt thou be Age wol approach maugre who saith nay Than perceive behold about and see How aged folk been treated with all day And so purvey for thyself a say Into stooping age when thou art crept Thing may the help that in thin youth was kept Ne cures si quis tacito sermone loquatur Conscius ipse sibi de se putat omnia dici Charge not all though thou see men speak soft Ne change no cheer for oft it is full bet In secret wise to speak than cry on loft A man should see alway where he were set And after that so should he speak or let But to the suspect of harm it seemeth Men speak of him he noon other deemeth Cum fueris felix que sunt adversa caveto Non eodem cursu respondent ultima primis When fortune hath yeven the felicity And set the on high than be war of a fall Than sueth oft such sharp adversity Falls fortune turneth as doth a bal In hire trust have thou no sickerness at all Hire perilous play turneth whilom to grame For the end is woe that began that game Cum dubia et fragilis sit nobis vita tributa In mortem alterius spem tu tibi ponere noli Our brotel life is here so full of doubt That in very surety no wight may stand So suddenly crepen the souls out All about this world in every land Of young and old for every wight is bond To death therefore set not thine affiance In death of him that may the survive perchance Exiguum munus cum det tibi pauper amicus Accipito placide plene laudare memento A little gift given with good intent Of thy friend that leaveth in poverty With right good cheer such gift take & hent Supposing ay that as good will hath he And more than many men that richer be poise not the gift ne pondre not the prize th'intent is good and that shall the suffice Infantem nudum cum te natura creavit Paupertatis onus pacienter far memento Sith nature that is thy first norice Hath brought the hider all naked & bare Thaugh thou never can richesse accomplice But thou art hold alway in povertis snare Yet no force make never to much care Take patiently poverty for the best Riches is not of nature but of earth encrest Ne timeas illam que vite est ultima finis Qui mortem metuit qd vivit perdit idipmm Thaugh death be the fyn of every creature And no wight on live shall from him escape Yet dread not death with over busy cure To live on earth It is but a Jape If thou shalt alway after death so gape Think weal to die but modify thy thought Or elliss to live availeth the right nought Si tibi pro meritis nemo respondet amicus Accusare deum noli sed teipse coherce For thy desert if no friend thank the I mean when thou hast done thy force & pain To other folks friendly for to be If they can not gramercy to the sayne Withdraw thin hand & so thyself refrain Blame not thy god/ for th'air unfrendlinesse But for such men do afterward the less Ne tibi quid desit quesitis utere parce Vt que quod est serves semper tibi deesse putato Sith no richman that leaveth any where If he consume his goods all and waste But that poverty shall grieve sore and dear Therefore my child such goods as thou haste Let not to soon out of thy hand beraste least than thy good hereafter wol the fail Hold that thou hast It may the eft avail Quod prestare potes ne bis ꝓmiseris ulli Ne sis ventosus dum vis bonus esse videri Behote no man a thing to lean him twice And fail him oones that is but villainy If thou may leanly do it in friendly wise Such chevissance a friend loath to be wry Of thy good deeds clamour thou not ne cry Be not windy ner of words breme If a good man thou list appear and seem Qui simlat verbis nec cord est fidus amicus Tu quoque fac simile sic ars deluditur arte And if thou find the son of doubleness The false dss●milour if thou espy With painted words & heart full of falseness Thou mayst in no wise better blere his ye Than to serve him with his own treachery With words fair & friendly to depart Mene thou the same & art beguile by arte Noli homines blando nimium sermone probare Fistula dulce canit volucrem dum decipit auceps prove thou never a man by over painted speech For under fair words is oft annexed guile The word is gay but friendship is to seche As it is said such craft is in this isle Yet sum think ill when they their tongues file The whistling fouler maketh merry song And so the birds beguileth he among Cum tibi sint nati nec opes tunc artibus illos Instrue quo possint inopem deffendere vitam When so is that thou hast gotten children Look in her yougth than inform 'em so In some craft & mister that they may therein Learn to get her living & to defend also Her life which ever needeth & that they unto Virtue may attain for that he no craft can Oft time needeth & is in danger of every man Quod vile est carum quod carum vile putato Sic tibi nec cupidus nec avarus nosceris ulli Have this conceit for it is oft seen Thing dear bought full oft bate of price And things that little of valeu been In time coming may to great dearth arise Remember weal this and it ay advertise Thus shalt thou best the name of chincherie phlegm And other men shall the no niggard dame Que culpure soles ea tu ne feceris ipse Turpe est doctori cum culpa redarguit ipsum Advise the weal lete reason be thy guide When other folks thou art about to blame That such default in the be not espied For if it be than shalt thou have the shame A man's honour such thing wol reclaim It is full foul when a man wol teach If that his deeds against his words preach Quod justum est petito vel quod videatur honestum Nam stultum est petere quod possit iure negari Look thy desire be grounded of right And than that it never traverse honest For as often times as any worldly wight Desireth more than right or equity Than may his request soon replied be And it is cleped nicety and great folly To ask oft that right will ay deny Ignotum tibi tu noli preponere notis Cognita judicio constant incongnita casu Change not a friend that thou knowest of old For any new in trust that thou shalt find A better than he but in thy hands thou hold Him that hath been to the friendly & kind For such eschanges been oft full blind The seemeth thou knowest never a deal To know a trusty friend It is casuele Cum dubia in certis versetur vita periculis Pro lucro tibi pone diem quicumque laboras Sith that man's life is oft full of misery Whilom in mirth and after in mischief Now in the valley & now in the hill on high Now is man pour & after by riches in relief The shining morrow hath oft a stormy eve To this policy take heed at the last end Have lucre for thy labour ere that thou wend Vincere cum possis interdum cede sodali Obsequio quin dulces retinentur amici Thaugh thou may overcome & have the victory Of thy friend or fellow yet ay forbear Refrain thyself and be not haute or high Irous hands full evil do grieve and dear Where easy softness friends may conquer For by good deeds set in lowliness Men been together knit in friendliness Ne dubites cum magna petas impendere parva Hijs etem rebus coniungit gracia caros The limitour that visitith the wives Is wise enough of him a man may lere To give neldes pins girdeles and knives The craft is good thus doth the wise frere Yeveth thing small for thing that been dear If thou receive ever give thou somewhat again And that will ay nourish love in certain Litem infer cave cum quo tibi gracia juncta est Ira odium generat concordia nutrit amorem Toil not ne strive with him that is thy friend Be ware of that make never thy friend thy foe A toylous man may friendship break & shend These baratours that been misreuled so interrupt 'em self & wrappen in moche woe For wicked wrath engendereth but hate Where as good accord nourish love algate servorum ob culpam cum te dolor urget in iram Ipse tibi moderare tuis ut parcere possis When thy servant thou takest in default Thaugh he can not his necgligence excuse Yet in thin Ire make not to fierce asaute But with thy male talon take treuse So shalt thou find ease this fet if thou use Reule thy passion and ay by such measure That thou save 'em that been under thy cure Quem superare potes interdum vince ferendo Maxima etem morum semper paciencia virtus Sufferance doth ease was said long ago Suffer thou & have all thin intent Thaugh all thou mayst over yet do thou not so Conquer by sufferance and be patient But for to follow cruelty never consent For it is cleped a virtue with excellence A wight to live in humble patience Conserua pocius que sunt iam parta labore Cum labour in dampno crescit mortalis egestas Be not to scant ner be not to prodigal Conserve thy things gotten with true labour It is full fair to be called liberal But ay eschew waist and be not surfetour Consume not all thy treasure in oon hour When of thy labour riseth noon avail Needs poverty must the in haste assail Dapsilis interdum notis caris et amicis Cum fueris felix semper tibi ꝓximus esto Be thou not like senola for he would eat With every man and at his fest him feed But never no man might taste of his meet Ne'er no wight to him come but he to all men go Be free of thy meet but look that largesse lead The no ferther than thou may easily attain be ever thin own friend thus caton saith certain Take heed sire and see how holsumly this clerk Entretith men with virtuous doctrine The first part of this compendious work In worship how they shall full clearly shine Euyding to renew straight as a line Whois preceptis to observe if that ye list And to his counsel your hertis to incline Right in your age full weal It shall be wist The virtuous form that men shall fort convey Lo in this life as bridle doth a best That man do not err here in this perilous weigh▪ Stablisshing him as doth a steadfast arrest And as sicker guides that men worthiest Mannes living here to set in governance This sage cathon putteth in remembrance Incipit secundus liber ●Elluris si forte velis cognoscere cultus Virgilium legito qd si mage nosce laboras Herbarum vires macer tibi carmine dicet If thou lust my child set thy heartily delit Of earth to know the tilth & the culture And if thou wilt be of knowledge perfect Why sum is arable & sum eke pasture Why sum is fresh like flowers of picture I conseile the to study sadly for a while In the laureate poet great virgile Si romana cupis et punica noscere bella Lucanun queras qui martis prelia dicit And thou have desirous fresh courage To here of romans noble worthiness How they veynquisshed them of cartage And many other through manly prowess Than read lucan full weal can he express Who bore him best in town and also in field And who did marvels under martes shield Si quis amare libet vel discere amare legendo Nasonem petito sin aunt cura tibi hec est And who that lust eke of lovers for to read And in what wise hem self for to advance As in that craft naso can teach him for to speed For sum love song. harp. pipe. and dance Sum in reading & other thing of pleasance Sum lovyn covertly eke & lust not be espied And sum would beknowned thus writeth Ovid Vt sapiens vivas audi que discere possis Per que semotum vicijs deducitur euum But yet my lef child if that in adventure Thine heart be yeven to noon such manner thing Or that it be not unto thy plaisure That virgil macer lucan/ or naso doth bring Yet that thou may be wise after in thy leaving If thou lust to me to give audience I shall show the doctrine of sapience Ergo ades que sit sapiencia disce legendo Therefore my child come near to me & lere And I shall the show the very treasure Of sapience if the lust to hearken and here And eke how thou shalt in good estate endure And lead thy life holy after God's pleasure Therefore approach & lere this reading To b●n a man ay virtuous of leaving Si potes ignotis eciam prodesse memento Vtilius est regno meritis adquirere amicos There is no wight that ferther may report Of thy good deeds than the stranger may Make him ay good cheer & show him disport And he shall with honour utter that this no nay For the unknown It profiteth sometime tassay Friends enough to have It is a better thing Than is friendless any man to be a king Mitte arcana dei celum inquirere quid sit Cum sis mortalis que sunt mortalia cura Of God's mystery & eke of his worching Make never my child to fer inquirance It is folly any man to muse on such thing Dispute thou never upon thy god's purveyance For all thing must be under his governance And sith thou art man clad in mortality Dispute thou of thing such as mortal be Linque metum leti nam stultum est tꝑe in euum Qui mortem metuit amittit gaudia vite The dread of death that is mordmate I mean to dread it ay and never to cese Be ware of that I conscile the algate For this is true as the gospdl doutlese Who that dreadeth death is alway myrthlese When dread of death any man so agruggeth He wasteth his time & ay his life abreggeth Iratus de re incerta contendere noli Impedit ira animum ne possit cernere verum For thing that is unto the uncertain When thou art wroth look never that thou strive But first thou oughtest to know the mater plain For there is no person only on earth a live But that he onsawl●s is also belive As busy wrath hath kindled him on fire And than can he not dame the troth for Ire Fac sumptum propere cum res desiderat ipsa Dandun etem est aliquid cum tempus postulat a res As time requireth so make aye thine expense Measure thine hand eke after the profecee Of thing of time & also of the presence So that thou spend no more then needeth the And that spend look that thin heart be free A man should do kost & make his spending Considering the time & eke of his costis rewarding Quod nimium est fugito parvo gaudere memento Tuta magis puppis modico que flumine fertur To moche is nought of any manner thing The mean is good and most commendable That man standeth surest here in this living With mean estate that holdeth him agreeable Plente and poverty together be not sufferable For than is the ship in the see most surest What time the flood is most demurest Quoth pudeat socios prudens celare memento Ne plures culpant id quod tibi displicet uni If thou know aught that may turn in to shame Keep it secret and for no thing it bewray Be never to busy such thing to proclaim Or puplisshe as thou knowest wol reprye Make not almen to gaurens on it and cry Lest that men damn the to other folks unknown For such false demers thou mayst find enough Nolo putes pravos homines peccata lucrari Temporibus peccata latent et tꝑe patent If thou espy and see or perceive a forfeiture And eke a shrew of misgovernance Trust weal that sometime shall come an heure When for his deeds he shall suffer penance A cursed deed asketh wretch and vengeance Thaugh wickedness for the time be kept secre Yet atte last it wol discovered be Corporis exigui vires contempnere noli Consilio pollet cui vim natura negavit Thaugh sometime nature hath been unkind And giveth a man to be of small stature Yet remember my child & have in thy mind That thou never despise that creature For god may send him fortune & b●ne ure And oft they be with good counsel allied To whom nature hath great strength denied Quem scieris non esse parem tibi tempore cede Victorem a victo superari sepe videmus When thy hap is to traverse & have a do with him that is nought equal to thy might Thin uttermost power show not such unto Lest that eftsoons he have the in like plight For it is often seen in battle & in fight Fortune changeth oft within one our And he is scomfited that was erst victor Aduersus notum noli contendere verbis Lis minimis verbis interdum maxima crescit Of brands small be made fires great Withdraw the brands the fire shall decrese Again the higher look thou not plead With words feel for words discord thy pese The man is wise than can of words cese For this is as verily soothe as god gaf life That words small breden full moche strife Quod deus intendit noli perquirere sort Quod statuit de te sine te deliberat ipse Deal not with magic ner with sorcery In god's hand is all fortune & fate Be not about to calk by destiny Whether thou be miserous or fortunate let god alone in him is all thine estate For what him lust of the to purpose Withouten the he can full we'll dispose invidiam nimio cultu vitare memento Que si non ledat tamen hanc sufferre molestum Beware ay of envy with tatches fell within thine heart look ay that she ne rest For it is one of the chief peines of hell When she sojourneth within a man is breast Than brenneth fenix in hire own nest And than she may noon other man mischief Yet ethna ceaseth not hire self to grieve Esto forti animo cum sis dampnatus inique Nemo diu gaudet qui judice vincit iniquo Enforce thine heart with manly sufferance Thaugh that falls Juggement again the proceed Be thou not a bashed in word ne countenance For oft times the falls oppnssour may rule & lead The law but trust me weal withonten dread Long to rejoice acheve he may not Which by means untrue his goods so got Nec te collaudes nec te culpaveris ipse Hoc faciunt stulti quos gloria vexat inanis Thyself also look thou not praise Ne'er dispreise but let thou other men alone alway after prudence thy words peise For thin avant honour shalt thou get none But have a mok as soon as thou art gone A man to praise himself as saith the school Or dispreise moche is token of a fool Litis preterite noli maledicta refer Post inimicitias iram meminisse malorum est Wrath of old that should be kept out of mind Be thou not about to make it on live But the envious hath ay a tache of kind Such malice my child look thou never revive for such malice of old wrath maketh a strive And who remembreth old enmity A wicked man forsooth is he Vtere quesitis modice cum sumptus habundat Labitur exiguo quod partum est tempore longo When it is time of cost and great expense Bewar of waist & spend ay by measure Who that to keep or spend hath no differense Maketh his goods may not long endure For the old proverb saith measure is treasure Remember that soon thy goods may slip a way That before were gotten in many a sundry day Incipiens esto cum tempus postulat aut res Stulticiam similare loco prudencia summa est It is no wisdam a man alway to be sage But sometime to be nice and fain folly Who that hath this fet shall find avantage When time and thing desireth that espy And than dissimise that is great policy For sometime to be unwise by appearance Among the wise is cleped high prudence Luxuriam fugito simul et vitare memento Crimen avaricie nam sunt contraria fame The filthy flesh moving the bestial That fighteth ay again the soul within By force of hire attis●ment liberal Eschew my child and keep the from hire begin That art and grace been set full far a twin And eschew ay of avarice the wicked fame These two they been that causen evil name Noli tu quedam referenti credere semper Exigua est tribuenda fides qr multi multa loquntur Believe thou not lightly in every wightis saw For sum reporten thing all other wise▪ Than it was ever thought or done or saw And some have it also of custom & of guise To feed folk with flattering and lies Therefore give little trust to such feire speaking For many folks speak untrue thing Quod potu peccas ignoscere tu tibi noli Nam nullum crimen vini sed culpa bibentis If thou surfete in drink forget thou not that Advise the weal eft thou come not in the snare Withdraw thin hand feed not thy throat to fat Drink that sufficeth the & ell look thou spare To much drink maketh men of wit full bare And yet the wine thereof is not to blame To blame is the drinker the maketh him lame Consilium archanum tacito commit sodali Corporis auxilium medico commit fideli To thy trusty friend that is secret to the Show thy counsel & thy need bewray For a trusty friend is the chest of privity But it is great hap such friends to espy Try out one among all a company And of thy body betake thou all the cure Unto such a leech that is trusty and sure Successus indignos noli tu far molest Indulget fortuna malis ut ledere possit With thyself a grieve the never to sore Thaugh thing a miss sometime betide Dismay the not in busy wise therefore For thine adventure needs thou must abide Fortune may not alway be on thy side With harms to grieve ay in wait lithe she To ref men wealth honour and prosperity Prospice qui veniunt hos casus esse ferendos Nam levius ledit quicquid puidimus ante In thine own self compare about ay before Thing to perceive that after wol fall It noieth not ner grieveth not half so sore That is a sore seen as other thing shall Sudden chances diseaseth most of all It hurteth ay less and is in better plight Where a man prudently can have a fore sight Rebus in adversis animum submittere noli Spem retinere spes una animum non morte relinqnt When divers things traverse thine intent And thou art wrapped in adversity For wanhope look thou be not lost ne shent let never despair thy wit bereave the But abide the time that better shall be Hope is she that shall make the a seth Hope leaveth not a man till man leave the breath Rem tibi quam noscis aptam dimittere noli Front capillata post hec occasio calua When men profre than is time to retain Take ay thing while they been in season Many proffer now that after wol refreine For that is plente now wol afterward be geason Therefore take ay in time for so conseileth reason For the bald head was sometime full of hairs Which is now bare without rasure or shears Quod sequitur specta qd imminet ante videto Illum imitare deum qui partem spectat utramque Provide thyself and have deliberance By likely conjecture what way betid Advertise my child in thy remembrance afore and after about on every side Follow that god wol & lete him be thy guide Which hath all thing only in his governemnt Fortune feature and pouste & all that is present Forcior ut valeas interdum parcior esto Pauca voluptati debentur plura saluti It is a tache of a devouring hand To receive superfluity and do eke excess Till his receipt again from him rebonde Content thy nature & i'll ay from greediness Fowl lusts ay keep under foot and repress Feed not thy lust with all that she wol crave If that in health the lust thy life to have Sic tibi praecipue qd primum est cura salutis Tempora ne culpes cum sint tibi causa doloris Take good heed eke of thine own estate To reule thy body weal with good diet In time but look thou be not at debate through thine own rule and surfeit Thaugh sickness & sorrow have give the an heat The time is good and no diesmale there is But if men it make for that they don a miss Sompnia ne cures nam mens humana qd optat Dum vigilat sperat ꝑ sompnum cernit id ipsum dread thou no dreams so saith deuteronomy For oft they be caused of divers complexion Some of imaginations & many a nice fantasy Or elliss of blood or of superflue replexion For dreams been oft deceit & false illusion When they be waking they desire & think Upon that thing they dream when they wink judicium populi numquam contempseris unus Ne nulli placeas dum vis contempnere multos When that a multitude hath give a decree Or concluded aught again thin intent Traverse yet never against the comentee For if thou do thou shalt be sore shent Despise thou not a loon the people's juggement In adventure thou please of 'em not one Whiles thou wouldest traverse 'em everychon Museth a while what all these matters mean Abideth sire and go no further yet For to read them wileth not a been To no man but he the kernel unknet Therefore all your heart & all your mind unshut And look what lieth under the boistous rind And I dar say of wisdam and of wit Plente & foison therein shall ye find Refressith your spirits with this wholesome diet That fostreth virtues and keepeth a live To your person me thinketh full meet For to receive such a joyful nutretif Which your estate shall ay preserve in life In great honour & keep you from noyance Out of the danger of vices infectyf If ye wirche after this ordinance And in especial look that your deed May bear true witness and testify The matters that ye behold and read look 'em with your heart as well as with your eye And than dar I say somewhat ye shall espy In this work that shall move your courage Wherefore your heart your eye & your spirit apply Yourself ay to rule after these deeds sage Incipit liber tercius ●Oc quicumque velis carmen cognoscere lector Hec pcepta feres que sunt gratissima vite Loo what wight that lusteth him for to read In this my diet somewhat shall he find Wherewith he may his soul fostre and feed With virtue and it from vices unbind Come near my child therefore & have in mind Such doctrine in thin heart to bear away & lere As to thyself here after shall be lef & dear Instrue preceptis aīm ne discere cesses Nam sine doctrina vita est quasi mortis ymago Man's soul resembleth a new plain table In which yet appeareth to sight no picture The philisophre saith withouten fable Right so is manes soul but a deadly figure Unto the time she be reclaimed with the lure Of doctrine and so get her a good habit To be expert in cunning science & profit Interpone tuis interdum gaudia curis Vt possis aimmo quenuis sufferre laborem Who that lacketh rest may no while endure Therefore among take ease and disport Delight the never in great business & cure But that whilom thou mayst also resort To plays recreations and all other comfort Than shalt thou better labour atte long When thou hast mirth thy business among Cum recte vivas ne cures verba malorum Arbitrij nostri non est qd quisque loquatur If thou live justly ay keep up right Never declining for meed lucre dread or favour truly than standest thou in a fulholsome plight Though men malign the with words of rigour If thou live thus thy good life is thy tour We may not let the people to gaure & cry But do yet we'll though they missey or lie Productus testis saluo tamen ante pudore Quantuncumque potes celato crimen amici son if thou be called the sooth to testify Evermore saving thy worship & honest Thy friends trespass be not about to bewray Where as no shame thereof may grow to the This requireth ay good friendship pard In weal and the true benevolence Betwixt folks is friendship in assistance Sermons blandos blesosque cavere memento Simplicitas viri fan●a est fraus ficta loquendi Make b●sy watch keep weal thy soul algate Behold wisely about & spy thy covert train When that false Favel knokketh at thy yate He menyth guile though outward he fair feign For he can anoint both thin ears twain With the oil of plaisance in full great foison But yet under the keep the weal from this poison Segniciem fugito que vite ignavia fertur Nam cum aimmus languet consumit inercia corpus sloth slogardy and dull Idleness And lachesse that causeth to be negligent Enforce the ay to eschew with all thy business For idle soul maketh thy body shent truly there is in earth no greater argument For to conclude thy mortal body unapt Than the soul in idleness to be wrappeth Comoda multa feras sin auten spreveris illud Non me scriptorem sꝪ te neglexeris ipse Enprinte my teaching in thy soul steadfast And full profitable thou shalt it find Forsake it not ner fro thin heart it cast For if that thou exclude out of thy mind This lesson thou art full barren & blind From virtues & therefore wit not me Sithen the default my son is than in the Alterius dictum aut factum ne carpseris unquam Wed not a wife for hire inheritance For she wol cast it often in thy beard And if she be noyant and full of grievance Constrain hire never to abide in thy yard Of chastisement It is a cursed sword To keep such oon that will ay a twyte For he is at ease that of such oon is quite Multorum disce exemplo que facta sequaris Que fugias vita nobis est aliena magistra Of other men thou shalt thy mirror make conform the to that/ that most men appreve What thou shalt do & what thou shalt forsake A better fet mayst thou not contrive Than to other men is deeds relieve In all that pertaineth to thy teaching Make of other men a rule of thy leaving Quod potes id tempta operis ne pondere pressus Succumbat labor et frustra temptata relinquas Attempt no thing that surmonteth thy might Ne'er that to finish thou mayst not achieve For then standest thou foul in thin own sight Over his power what man that lusteth move With shame his work must needs take leave It is folly a man such works to begin Which to perform his power is to thin Quod nosci factum non recte noli silere Ne videare malos imitari velle tacendo Law presumeth that what man keepeth still The crime of oon that hath done great offence And discovered it not he is than jlle As the criminous for keeping of his silence Therefore my son being it in to audience That thou perceivest not weal done is Lest for silence men dame of the a miss judicis auxilium sub iniqua lege rogato Ipse etem leges cupiunt ut jure regantur When the law is straight and rigorous Entrete ay the jug to do the favour Inclining him for to be gracious For an equal jug may thy cause ay succour And yet the law shall be his governor Which oweth sometime to modefie As in cas he may a point aspie Quod merito pateris pacienter far memento Cumque reus tibi sis ipsum te judice dampna What pain thou sufferest for thy desert receive it ay we'll in gree and patience although thy trespass be prive and covert Yet when thou ways it in thine advertence That thou art blemished in thy conscience With in thyself make thou an arbitrement Deming thyself in thine own judgement Multa legas facito ꝑlectis ꝑlege multa Nam miranda canunt sed non credenda poet mis-spend thou no time never for lachesse But whilom read in books old and wise Reed and report eke with great attentifnesse By reading to cumnyng a man may rise Than read my son and cunning accomplise these poets written thing of great marvel And eke of small credence oft this is no fail Inter convivas fac sis sermone modestus Ne dicare loquax dum vis urbanus haberi Evermore among friends sitting at fest Be thou courteous and demeure of thy language Who that speaketh most is not counted wisest For of flesh & bone nature hath made a cage The tongue to keep that she be not outrage Than if thou will be preferred of nature Refrain thy tongue with all thy busy cure Coniugis irate noli tu verba timere Nam lacrimis struit insidias dum femina plorat Some women weepen of pure feminite When other wise they can not th'air intent Acheve but yet be war of such nice pite Thy manly reason for that be not blended For such weeping thy heart aught never relent Some women of kind be ever weeping And under that they can both prick & sting Vtere quesitis sed ne videaris abuti Qui sua consumunt cum deest aliena sequntur When thou hast gotten to thy worship use What availeth richesse with out honour To spend ay good & worship to refuse Is no point of profit ner of succour Therefore that thou hast gotten with true labour Consume not in misuse lest thou do a miss Oft he needeth of other that wasted hath his Fac tibi ꝓpenis mortem non esse timendam Que bona si non est finis tamen illa bonorum Enprinte my child ay heartily in thy mind That thou be not of death so sore a dread Exemplo simili ne te derideat alter It is full hard to please every wight Displease the of no manner deeds ner them lak Ne'er th'air words neither for even so right As thou displeased them behind thy back Right so wol men make the a mok & knak For the contrary though men had it sworn The scorner shall be guerdoned ay with scorn Quod tibi sors dederit tabulis supprema notato Augendo serva ne sis quem fama sequatur When thy last sort that men callen fate Is good & pleasant after thine intent This mean I lo when thou art fortunate Record all thy goods that god hath the sent And suffer 'em not reklesly to be spent For than of a waster thou shalt have the name For great riot wol cause thy feeble fame Cum tibi diuicie superant in fine senecte Munificus facito vivas non parcus amicis Into great age what time that thou art crept And hast richesse prosperity & great abundance Be liberal than of the goods that a fore y● hast kept Thenke weal thou hast enough and suffisance let never thy good of the have governance But govern & depart it ay with thy friend For when thou ghost hens it may not with y● wend utile consilium dominus ne despice servi Nullius sensum si ꝓdest contempseris unquam Grace is given to man in many sundry wise Some have wisedam & some have eloquence The pour folks also some time be full wise A servant sometime may be eke of great sapience Thaugh all he be had in little reverence Re●arde his wit if it be worth the while For virtue is hid under many an habit vile Rebus et in sensu si non est quod fuit ante Fac vivas contentus eo qd tempora prebent This worlds wealth ebbing & flowing ay At no certain is like as wankle april Thaugh thou have loss thou shalt not y● dismay Be content with that thou hast for the while Some man there is that hath neither cross ne pile Now in his ward & yet right good adventure Is him full negh no man may know his ure Vxorem fuge ne ducas sub nomine dotis Nec retinere velis si cepit esse molesta Which shall the from wretchedness unbind Where in thy life so long thou hast forth lad A life peradventure to god and man full bade The which though she be not to all profitable Yet she maketh an end both of bad & able Vxoris linguam si frugi est ferre memento Namque malum nil velle pati nec posse taceri Thy wives words thou suffer & take in 'gree When it availeth for betide it may Full oft that of great prudence is she And most to be allowed this is no nay Suffer hire than and hire conceit assay For it is hard when thou can not be still Ne'er yet to suffer hire thou can eke have will Dilige non egra caros pietate parents Nec matrem offendas dum vis bonus esse parenti Goods that been yeven the of nature They come to the of thy progenitors Therefore my child with all thy force & cure Look thou love 'em and cherish at all hours For they fostered y● & kept in youth from showers Thy mother my dear child yet in especial If thou do we'll never offend at all Resort resort and hiderward the relieve My master now here is an wholesome air For your avail to this place retreve Where as for moralite springing flowers feire And soot full pleasantly do the repair Gadre of hem and make a chaplet or a gay And rest thou a while here right in this herbere Behold weal & see what thing is to your pay Incipit liber quartus ●Ecuram quicumque cupis deducere vitam Nec vicijs herere aīm que moribus obsunt What wight that lust to live in sickerness His life & his soul to keep from encumbrance Of vices the which & good thews express Be ay at strife come near & give attendance These preceptis keep weal in remembrance Enrolling hem and printing in your mind And so to live the means shall ye find Despice divicias si vis animo esse beatus Quas qui suscipiunt mendicant semper avari The foul talon of riches my child eschew And resemble thou never greedy tantalus whose etyk in hunger is alway new Among the feire apples delicious No water sweet quencheth his thrust right thus To vilayns swallow of covetise Loo all this world nought can ner suffice Comoda nature nullo tibi tempore deerunt Si contentus eo fueris qd postulat usus With reasonable feeding be thou content As in diet a man should never over charge Himself for with surfeit many men been shent For th'air receipt been to great and large Men seen alday that little boat or barge Wol drench a noon when it is over freight cherish ever nature with none over weight Cum sis incautus nec rem racione gubernas Noli fortunam que non est dicere cecam If thy thing the hap to misgovern Without reason or any providence Than mine own child of me this lesson learn Say not It was by fortune such expense To make but wit it thine own negligence For fortune may never compelle the Thy good to spend but at thy liberty Dilige denarium sed parce dilige formam Quam nemo sanctus nec honestus captat habere Love thou the penny as for thy chevisance Not for the coin to horde it upon heap For of the prince was made the ordnance Not for in cofres It should be still & sleep But that it should ay steer among the people & sepe In their eschange & who that keepeth it Inn As for the form is ay soubget to sin Cum fueris locuples ocrpus curare memento eager dives habet nummos sꝪ non habet ipsum When thou hast plenty and art pecunial I mean when thou hast great suffisance Of money foison and help but small Than spend thy money & thyself advance Keep never the coin and live in grievance The sike hath silver in full great excess But of himself he hath no sickerness Verba cum tuleris discens aliquando magistri Fer patris imperium cum verbis exit in iram Thaugh sometime thou suffer the great shrapnes Of beting yet ay thy masters chastisement Take weal in gree with humble lowliness Sith it is done but all in good intent In cause to learn and wisedam for to hent All thought his words sown full of Ire Yet suffer thou the talon of that fire Res age que ꝓsunt rursus vitare memento In quibus error inest nec spes est certa laboris Also my child thou shalt the ay occupy To wirke thing that been profitable But look thou never thy wits apply To things that may not be available To keep a thing that is not profitable By wit or strength It is great error despaired hope is the end of such labour Quod donare potes gratis concede roganti Nam recte fecisse bonis in part lucrosum est When thou shalt give than give in friendly wise Friendly content thou a prayer or a request For thing yeven by time is yeven twice Such gladsome cheer maketh yefts richest Who that giveth gladly & soon giveth is best Loo no thing better may thing conquer Than a man to lean that he may forbear Quod tibi suspectum est confestim discute quid sit Namque solent primo que sunt neglecta nocere When upon a thing thou hast a conjecture As in thy conceit holding in suspect To discover that a noon do thy cure For at the first when such thing is reject That should sew after is easy to correct A thing that at the firfr is nought set by Is often times seen to grieve finally Come te detineat veneris dampnosa voluptas Indulgere gule noli que ventris amica est And when thou art disposed inwardly To venus' acts than oppress thy courage Suffer not thy flesh than to lustlye For great diet maketh thy flesh outrage Where as measure might causen it to assuage And gluttony is cleped the chief prometrice Leding the flesh ay to wantonness & vice Cum tibi ꝓponas ainalia cuncta timere unum praecipue hoinem plus esse timendum The rampant lion and the tiger fell The jrous bore the hound full of envy And many more bestis than here needeth to tell Men dreaden full sore & eke th'air tyranny And weal they do but yet one be'st espy That is a fore all other most especial Man is the be'st that thou most dread shall Cum tibi preualide fuerint in corpe vires Fac sapias animo sic tu poteris vir fortis haberi The virtue that is called fortitude standeth all in the strength bodily As to be eurous mighty strong & rude But in the soul It must be sickerly Nevertheless if thou wilt thy soul fortify And him within a queinte with sapience truly than shalt thou be strong in existence Auxilium a notis petito si forte laboras Nec quisquam melior medicus quam fidus amicus What thing in earth that thou shalt take on hand And thy support shall be in friendliness No strange wight on live so negh the wol stand As thy known friend my child this is express Of the stranger hast thou no sickerness For when all other been for to seche The faithful known friend can best be thy leech Cum sis ipse nocens moritur cur victima pro te Stulticia est in mortem alterius sperare salutem The death of beasts that been unreasonable As by custom and right of sacrifice To purge the js no seth agreeable Trust not also to get thy repryse For they that trusten so been full unwise By death of beasts god wol not quemed be And a man a bide still in his iniquity Cum tibi vel socium vel fidum queris amicum Non tibi fortuna est hoins sꝪ vita petenda When thou would cheese a friend for trustiness Of his fortune make noon inquirance For fortune is mother of changeableness But ask of his deeds & his governance For that is proved of greater suffisance Than ure of fortune that is casuelle For life of man his fortune doth excess Vtere quesitis opibus fuge nomen avari Quid tibi diuicie ꝓsunt si pauper habundas Use weal the richesses that thou hast of quest Of avarice the wicked fame eschew let not thy good lie ay stopped in thy chest Keep not thy treasure & stuff ay closed in mewe Such old treasure wol make thy shame new What profiteth plenty & great treasure And in poverty a wretch all weigh to endure Si famam servare cupis dum vivis honestam ●ac fugias animo que sunt mala gaudia vite My sone if thou desire to rejoice thy fame In honest while thou livest here Eschew thing that may causen thy shame And lichorous lusts must be laid on lere And eke things feel that full joyous appear Thy worlds joy is oft full defectif Be war of joy that letteth thy good life Cum sapias animo noli irridere senectam Nam quocumque sene puerilis sensus in illo est And ay my child assay & advertise That thou never scorn the great stooping age Thy elder my son for no thing thou despise Thaugh all in th'air wits they be not so sage As in th'air youth sith age is outrage When age cometh this is soothe certain A man beginneth than to be a child a gain Disce aliquid nam cum subito fortuna recedit Ars remanet vitamque hominis non deserit unquam Enforce thy wits somewhat for to lere Aqueinte the with cunning for it is sure If fortune change & poverty appear Who that is cunning is likely to recure Cunning & craft remain ever & endure And by them a man may soon relieve When fortune hath cast him to mischief Prospicito cuncta tacitus quod quisque loquatur Sermo hoīm mores celat et judicat idem Be still in silence with good aduis●dnesse Tarry my child till other have said So shalt thou learn somewhat of steadfastness let never thy tongue suddenly be unteide For that might the of hastiness abreide By man is word his manner wol be showed By word eke is known the wise from the lewd Excerce studium quamuis ꝑceperis artem Vt cura ingenium sic et mamis adiwat usum Thaugh of cunning thou have full great Enforce the ay my child yet to learn more The soul it is that must be thy receipt Replenisshe here with virtues treasure & store Use maketh mastery use thou aye cunning therefore Use helpeth art and cure helpeth wit Than use and cure together must be knit Multum venturi ne cures tempora fati Non metuit mortem qui scit contempnere vitam The body from the soul shall have disseverance Death is the end common of every wight Charge not therefore of death is chance The tribute of death must thou pay of right But yet of death shalt thou set but light If by this life thou set right nought express The which is ay full of woe & wretchedness Disce sed a doctis indoctos ipse doceto Propaganda est etem rerum doctrina bonarum Learn ay of the wise & teach the vncunnyng For it is virtue & at all time commendable To increase doctrine through such commening It is eke alway a deed of god charitable Both to learn & to teach It is full agreeable Doctrine helpeth virtue evermore on live Which ne were doctnne soon from us would slyve Hoc bibe qd possis si tu vis vivere sanus Morbi causa mali namque est quecumque voluptas Drink not to much more than thou may lere Reule weal ay thyself with the bridle of measure To much drink wol thy body noy & dear For surfeit is evermore of health unsure And measure maketh men in health tendure What man is reuled after lusts vile In good estate he may abide no while Laudaris quodcumque palam quodcumque probaris Hoc vide ne rursus levitatis crimine dampnes And if it hap the my child in audience A thing to praise beware that thou not blame Eft again right the same in presence If thou dispreise commend not eke the same Of such travers must nediss rise shame To praise now and este to blame express It is a sign of great unsteadfastness Tranquillis rebus que sunt adversa caveto Rursus in adversis melius sperare memento When thou livest here right at thin own ease In all thy hertis joy rest and prosperity Thenke yet parcas that prosperity may sese For worldly wealth standeth never in sikerte And as soon when poverty or adversity assaulteth that yet fall thou never in despair Thenke ay in thyself good fortune may repair Discere non cesses cura sapiencia crescit Rara datur longo prudencia temporis usu It is full fair m●●hild to be prudent And wise look that thou learn fast therefore To learn ay my son do thine intent For by cure & business wisdam is the more Wisdam is she that may not be forbore The rare prudence that folks nice refuse Can never be had but by process & use Paror laudato nam quem tu sepe probaris una dies qualis fuerit monstrabit amicus Beware also that thou never enhance In thy laud or preising a wight to high For thou mayst have cause eft to disanance Thy fame but ay thy preising modify For on a day thou shalt full weal espy Whether he be friend that friendly seemeth For all be no friends that men deem Ne pudeat que nescieris te velle doceri Scire aliquid laus est culpa est nil discere velle Be not a shamed also my child to lere That thou canst not for it is but a tecche Of folly nought to desire doctrine to here For weal is him that to cunning may strecche For cunnyngles a man is but a wretch Therefore to ken moche it is right commendable And eke nought to ken it is most repuable Cum venere et bacho lis est et juncta voluptas Quod justum est animo complectere sꝪ fuge lights Vemis is ay ready to all hire acts vile When that bachus hath hire in largesse through the treasure of hire h●te & fervent sire Therefore my child thin apetit thou repress In wines heat do thou never to great excess Drink no more then for the soul is expedient Eschew strife & ay with measure be content Dimissos animo tacitos vitare memento Quo flumen est placidun forsan latet alcior unda The solein still man oft meaneth fraud & guile Of such a man eschew ay the company For the still man compasseth other while Within his deceit falsehood & treachery In floods still is water deep and high For often times betid unhappy chance In streams soft seeming to thy pleasance Cum tua fortuna rerum tibi displicet uni Alterius specta quo sis discrimine peior With thy fortune when thou art discontent And canst not take in gree thin adventure Behold about and feel in thin advisement How they that whilom were of goods more sure Than thou & more likely in wealth tendure Both for bounty favour & eke noblesse and yet suddenly they have fall into wretchedness Quod potes id tempta nam litus carꝑe remis Tucius est multo quam velum tendere in altum Attempt the thing so as thou mayst suffice Pass never thy might bear never to high a sail For there is peril if that the stream a rise Certain my child this is without fail The vessel small is at full great avail When that with core to land he may a reach When the sails high full oft gone to wretch Contra hoinem justum praue contendere noli Semper em̄ deus iniustas ulciscitur iras again the true just man brawl thou never ne strive For unto god a 'bove that is great displeasance Trust this truly there is noman here on live That to the just man doth dear or grievance But at the last god wol take vengeance Therefore hereof it is reason jche man to take For the right wiseman of god is never forsake Ereptis opibus noli merere dolendo Sed gaude pocius si te contingat habere If extortion or of any misadventure Have plukked at the & made the threadbare Of richesse yet do thou ay thy force & cure To be merry & eschew thought and care For flittering thought is a foul snare Come not therein fortune is unstable After poverty richesse ●s preignable Est iactura gravis que sunt amittere dampnis Sunt quedam que ferre decet pacienter amicum It is harm thy goods to for go That been in hand with force & violence But yet my child thou must considere who And what he is that doth such offence Between friend & foo have ay a difference For in sum cas thou aught a friend forbear And eke suffer him though he noye & dear Tempora longa tibi noli promittere vite Quocunque ingrederis sequitur mors corporis umbran Be not sure that thou shalt live here long A wight shall die all be it that he be loath or lef And as the old so doth the young eke among Death stelith ay on as doth a prive thef For again death men may find no relef She is about ay to make a final divorce And foleweth each day the schadowe of thy corpse Thure deum placa vitulum sive crescat aratro Net credas placare deum dum cede litatur worship god with all thy puissance With heart entire & sweet smelling incense Such sacrifice is good to his pleasance Of the calves small that never did offence Thaugh thou hem slay the blood may not dispense With the lete 'em grow & swink in the plough Thy true heart ay to god is suffisance is enough Cede locum lesus fortune cede potenti Ledere qui potuit aliquando ꝓdesse valebit Yeve place to him that excedith thy might Thaugh thou be hurt It may profit perchance And seld availeth any man to fight Again such oon that passeth his puissance Thaugh all it grieve now eft it may avance For oft is seen that after great duresse The mighty man is full of gentillesse Cum quid peccaris castiga teipse subinde Vulnera dum sanas dolor est medicina doloris After thy surfeit and thy great offence Chastise thyself correct that is a miss Redress the to good rule amend thy negligence And sorrow for sin a very medicine is Repent the sore than art thou safe I iwis For phis●k saith my son I the ensure A bitter drink the sharp sickness may cure Dampnaris numquam post longum tempus amicum Mutavit mores sꝪ pungnera prima memento If thou have found good friendship in a wight Long a go & yet though he begin to change despair him not men abide not in oon plight For sometime was lordship there now is grange The worlds course is wonder quaint & strange But though as now the man is wax unkind Yet is old friendship remembered ay in mind Gracior officijs quo s●s mage carior esto Ne nomen subeas quod dicitur officiperdi Thaugh it ure the in office to be set Than be thou gentle & gracious to other men That they may report a godly is met With office and so good name shall ren About of the but assure the lest when The officer is unbound than saith the press Now would to god the this man were officeles Suspectus caveas ne sis miser omnibus horis Nam timidis et suspectis aptissima mors est Be not suspect that is a wicked teach The suspect man with coward ferfulnesse In his living is but a very wretch Mys is a miss but all he would redress He deemeth false and faileth hertlinesse By false conceit set in malencolye slayeth him a noon thus death endeth his folly Cum servos fueris ꝓprios mercatus in usus Et famulos dicas homines tamen esse memento If thou have men without freedom & liberty such as been cleped men of bondage Notwithstanding they be under thy captivity Yet honour such & over hem be not to outrage If they beholden under thy worldly servage For all they been bound yet very men they be that god hath made them men yet ay remember the Quam primum rapienda tibi est occasio prima Ne rursus queras que iam neglexeris ante Thy first fortune receive with readiness Refuse it not though it be scant & small It is well better in gree to take the less Than to refuse it and after fail of all gifts of fortune take hem ay as they fall Refuse 'em now & eft thou shalt have need Therefore it is to take when me proffer & bede Morte repentina noli gaudere malorum Felice's obiunt quorum sine crimine vita Rejoice the never my child in all thy life The sudden death of a cursed man & wretch When he is dead the soul may not relef From pain to joy the soul may not reach The fiends hold ay sore that they may keche Therefore who that livyth justly full well doth he For his soul is ay full of felicity Cum coniunx tibi sit nec res et fama laborat Vitandun ducas inimicum nomen amici If thou have a wife in assurance Trust hire weal & love her inwardly With heart with thought with all thy affiance And be thou never infect with suspect jealousy If no fault be in hire or that thou can espy Yet if thy friend tell the such is the fame He is a friend and she no thing to blame Cum tibi contigerit studio cognoscere multa Hac discas multa vita nescire doceri When through study & great exercise Thou knowest moche & hast great cunning Yet ay do thy diligence in the most busy wise To purchase more for it is a wholesome thing For to great honour cunning may the being And eschew thou never daily to be taught for without teaching cunning may not be caught Miraris verbis midis me scribere versus Hec brevitas sensus fecit coniungere binos If thou aught marvel or lust to muse In naked words why my versis thus I writ In no wise truly I may me better excuse Than say my wit so dull is and unperfect Which arteth me thus rudely for to indite By two and two my metre for to knit No thing causeth me but simpleness of wit Now I have gathered flowers to your list Tasteth them for they be preservative Holdeth them fast & bear 'em in your fist For the pestilence air which is infectif I conseile you and I jeparde my life That ye shall lead your life in sickerness And eke ateine to much worthiness This mean I to you under protection Of your good grace what time ye read Or ell have in this mater inspection As it biddeth that ye wol do in deed Than dar I affirm without dread Ye shall achieve and be full virtuous Here have I fond that shall you guide & lead Straight to good fame & leave you in her house Explicit Catho