The babees book, Aristotle's A B C, Urbanitatis, Stans puer ad mensam, The lvtille childrenes lvtil boke, The bokes of nurture of Hugh Rhodes and John Russell, Wynkyn de Worde's Boke of keruynge, The booke of demeanor, The boke of curtasye, Seager's Schoole of vertue, &c. &c. with some French and latin poems on like subjects, and some forewords on education in early England. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall ...
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Title
The babees book, Aristotle's A B C, Urbanitatis, Stans puer ad mensam, The lvtille childrenes lvtil boke, The bokes of nurture of Hugh Rhodes and John Russell, Wynkyn de Worde's Boke of keruynge, The booke of demeanor, The boke of curtasye, Seager's Schoole of vertue, &c. &c. with some French and latin poems on like subjects, and some forewords on education in early England. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall ...
Author
Furnivall, Frederick James, ed. 1825-1910,
Publication
London,: Pub. for the Early English text society, by N. Trübner & co.,
1868.
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"The babees book, Aristotle's A B C, Urbanitatis, Stans puer ad mensam, The lvtille childrenes lvtil boke, The bokes of nurture of Hugh Rhodes and John Russell, Wynkyn de Worde's Boke of keruynge, The booke of demeanor, The boke of curtasye, Seager's Schoole of vertue, &c. &c. with some French and latin poems on like subjects, and some forewords on education in early England. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall ..." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/AHA6127.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 25, 2024.
[Lambeth MS. 853, ab. 1430 A.D., page 102; written without breaks. The various readings are from one of the MS. volumes of Lydgate's Works in Trin. Coll. Camb. Library, R. 3.19. I owe the readings to the kindness of Mr W. Aldis Wright.]
The good wijf tauȝte hir douȝtirFul1 manye a tyme & ofteA ful1 good womman to be,And seide "douȝtir to1 me1 dere,Line 4 Sum good þou must lereIf euere1 þou wolt þee.
Douȝtir, if þou wolt ben a wijf,3Loke wijsly þat þou worche,Line 8 Loke loueli [page 103] and in good lijfÞou loue god & holi chirche.3¶ Go to chirche whanne þou may,Loke þou spare for no reyn,Line 12 5For þou farist þe best þat ilke dayWhanne5 þou hast god y-seyn.¶ 6He muste need weel þriueþat liueþ weel al his lyue,6Line 16 My leef child.
Gladli ȝeue þi tiþis & þin offrynge boþe;Þe poore & þe beedered, loke þou not loþe;Ȝeue of þin owne good, and be not to hard,Line 20 For seelden is þat hous poore þere god is steward.6Weel he proueþÞat þe poore loueþ,6Mi leue child.Line 24
Whanne þou sittist in þe chirche, þi beedis þou schalt bidde;9Make þou no iangelynge To freende nor to sibbe;9lauȝe þou to scorne nouþer oolde bodi9 ne ȝonge,But be of fair beerynge & of good tunge;Line 28 Þoruȝ þi fair beeryngeÞi worschip haþ encresynge,Mi leue child.
¶ If ony man biddiþ þe worschip, and wolde wedde þee,Line 32 Loke þat þou scorne him not, what-so-euere he be,But9 schewe it to þi freendis, & for-hile þou it nouȝt; [page 104] Sitte not bi him, neiþer stoonde, þere synne myȝte be wrouȝt,For9 a sclaundre reisid ille9Line 36 Is yuel for to stille,Mi leue childe.
That man þat schal þe wedde bifor god wiþ a ryng,Loue þou him & honoure moost of erþeli þing;Line 40 Meekely þou him answere, And not as an attir|ling,And so maist þou slake his mood, And ben his dere derlynge:A fair worde 5and a meekedooþ wraþþe slake,5Line 44 Mi leue child.
Fair of speche schalt þou be, gladde, & of mylde mood,Trewe in worde & in dede, and in conscience good;Kepe þee from synne, fro vilonye, & fro blame,Line 48 And loke þat þou beere þee so þat men seie þee no schame;7For he þat in good lijf renneþ,Ful ofte weel he wynneþ,7Mi leue child.Line 52
8Be of semeli semblaunt, wijs, and oþer8 good maner,Chaunge not þi contynaunce for nouȝt þat [page 105] þou may heere;Fare not as a gigge, for nouȝt þat may bitide,Lauȝe þou not to loude,9 ne ȝane þou not to9 wide,Line 56 10But lauȝe þou softe & myelde,And be not of cheer to wielde,10Mi leue child.
And whan þou goist in þe way, go þou not to faste,Line 60 Braundische not with þin heed, þi schuldris þou ne caste;Haue þou not to manye wordis; to swere be þou not leefe,For alle such maners comen to an yuel preef:2For he þat cacchiþ to him an yuel name,Line 64 It is to him a foule fame,2Mi leue childe.
Go þou not into þe toun as it were a gaseFrom oon hous to anoþer for to seke þe mase;Line 68 Ne wende þou not to þe market þi borel for to selle,And Þanne to þe tauerne þi worschip to felle,6For þei þat tauernes haunten,Her Þrifte þei adaunten,6Line 72 My leue child.
And if þou be in place where good ale is on lofte,Wheþer þat þou serue [page 106] þerof, or þat þou sitte softe,Mesurabli þou take þer-of þat þou falle in no blame,Line 76 For if þou be ofte drunke, it falle þee to schame;10For þo þat ben ofte drunke,Þrift is from hem sunke,10Mi leue child.
Line 80
Go not to þe wrastelinge, ne to schotynge at cok,As it were a strumpet or a gigggelot:wone at hom, douȝtir, and loue þi werk myche,And so þou schalt, my leue child, wexe soone riche.Line 84 4It is euermore a myrie þing,A man to be serued of his owne þing,4Mi leue child.
Aqweynte þee not with eche man þat gooþ bi þe strete;Line 88 Þouȝ ony man speke to þee, Swiftli þou him grete;Lete him go bi þe wey; bi him þat þou ne stonde,Þat he bi no vilonye þin herte myȝte fonde,7For alle men ben not treweLine 92 Þat kunne fair her wordis schewe,7Mi leue child.
Also, for no coueitise, ȝiftis þat þou [page 107] noon take;But þou wite riȝt weel whi ellis, soone þou hem forsake,Line 96 For with ȝiftis men may wommen ouer goonÞouȝ þei were as trewe as steel eiþer stoon.10Bounden forsoþe sche isþat of ony man takiþ ȝiftis,10Line 100 Mi leue childe.
And wijsli gouerne þou þin hous and þi meyne:To bittir ne to bonour with hem þat þou ne2 be,But2 loke weel what is moost neede to doone,Line 104 And sette þi meyne þerto boþe ratheli & soone,For redi is at nedeA forn doon dede,Mi leue child.Line 108
And if þin husbonde be from hoome, lete notþi meyne goon ydil,But loke weel who dooþ myche eiþer litil,And he þat weel dooþ, Þou2 qwite him weel his whyle,And he þat dooþ oþer, serue him as þe vileLine 112 A forn doon dedeWole anoþer spede,Mi leue child.
And if þi nede be greet & þi tyme streite,Line 116 Þan2 go þi silf þerto & worche [page 108] an houswijfes brayde,10Þanne wille þei alle do þe bettir þat aboute þee stande[s].10Þe work is þe sonner do þat haþ many handis,12For manye handis & wightLine 120 Make an heuy worke light;Aftir þi good seruiseÞi name schal arise,12Mi leue childe.
Line 124
And what so2 þi meyne do, aboute hem þou wende,And as myche as þou maist, be at þat oon eende,And if þou fynde ony defaute, do it soone ameendeSo þei haue tyme2 and2 space & may hem de|fende.Line 128 10To compelle a dede to be doon & þere be no space,It is but tyrannye with-out temper|aunce & grace,10Mi leue child.
And loke þat alle þingis be weel whanne þei her werkis lete,Line 132 And take þe keies in-to þi warde, loke þei ben not forgete;And be waar to whom þou trustis, and spare for no qweyntise,
For myche harme haþ falle to them þat ben not wise;But, douȝtir, loke þat þou be wise, & do as y þee teche,Line 136 And trust [page 109] noon bettir þan þi silf, for no fair speche,Mi leue childe.
And ȝeue þi meyne ther hire At þer terme dayWheþer þat þei dwelle stille or þei wende awey,Line 140 Doo weel bi hem of þi good þat þou hast in welde,And þan schal þei seie weel of þee, boþe þe yonge and oolde;Þi good name is to þi freendisgreet ioie & gladnes,Line 144 Mi leue childe.
And if þi neigboris wijf haþ on riche a-tire,Þerfore mocke þou ne scorne, brenne not as fier,But þanke god of heuen for þat he hath þe ȝeuene,Line 148 And so þou schalt, my douȝtir, a good lijf lyuande.4he haþ eese at weeldeþat þankeþ god feele & seelde,4Mi leue child.Line 152
Houswijfli þou schalt goon on þe worke day [iwis,]Pride, reste, & ydilnes, makiþ on-þriftines;And whanne þe holi day is come, weel schalt þou beÞe holi day in worschipe, & god wole loue þee;
Line 156
Line 156 1Haue in mynde to god is worschip [ay],For myche pride comeþ of þe yuel day,1Mi leue child.
¶ Whanne þou art a wijf, a neiȝbore for to be, [page 110] Line 160 Loue þan weel þi neiȝboris, as god haþ comaundide þee;It bihoueþ þee so for to do,And to do to þem as þou woldist be doon to.If ony discorde happen nyght or daye,Line 164 Make it no worse, meende it if þou may,Mi leue child.
And if þou schalt be a riche wijfe, Be þan not to hard,But weelcome faire þi neiboris þat comen to þee wardeLine 168 With mete, drinke, & honest chere, Such as þou maist to hem bede,To ech man after his degre, & help þe poore at neede;and also for Hap þat may bitide,
Doughtir, loke þat þou be waare, what-sum|euere þee bitide,Make not þin husbonde poore with spendinge ne with pride.A man must spende as he may þat haþ but easy good,Line 176 For aftir þe wrenne haþ veynes, Men must lete hir blood;His [page 111] þrifte wexiþ þinneÞat spendiþ or he wynne,Mi leue child.Line 180
Borowe not to besely, nor take not þin hire firstBut if þe more nede it make, & grettir distresse;Ne make þee not to seme riche With oþer mennis þing,
Ne þerfore spende neuere þe more of a ferthing;Line 184 For þouȝ þou borowe faste,It must hoome aȝen at laste,Mi leue child.
And if þi children been rebel, & wole not hem lowe,Line 188 If ony of hem mys dooþ, nouþer banne hem ne blowe,But take a smert rodde, & bete hem on a roweTil þei crie mercy, & be of her gilt aknowe.6Leue child, by-houeþ loore,Line 192 And euere leuer þe more,6Mi leue child.
And loke to þi douȝtren þat noon of hem be lorn:Fro þat ilk tyme þat þei be of þee born,Line 196 Bisie þee, & gadere faste towarde her mariage,And ȝeue hem to spowsynge as soone as þei ben ablee.11Maydens ben fair & amyable,But of her loue ful vnstable,11Line 200 Mi leue child.
Now haue y þee tauȝt, douȝtir, As my modir [page 112] dide me;Þinke þeron nyȝt and day, forȝete þat it not be;
Haue mesure and lownes, as y haue þee tauȝt,Line 204 And what man þe wedde schal, him dare care nouȝt.Betere were a child vnboreÞan vntauȝt of wijs lore,Mi leue child.Line 208
Now þrift and þeedom mote þou haue, my swete barn,Of alle oure former fadris þat euere were or aren,Of alle patriarkis and prophetis þat euere weren alyue,Her blessinge mote þou haue, & weel mote þou þriue!Line 212 For weel is þe childÞat wiþ synne wole not be filid,Mi leue child.
The blessynge of god mote þou haue, and of his modir briȝt,Line 216 Of alle aungils & of alle archaungils, and of alle holy wight,And þat þou mowe haue grace to wende þe wey ful riȝtTo þe blis of heuene þere sittiþ god almyȝt, AMEN.
The next two stanzas of the Lambeth MS. are transposed (in an altered form) to another part of the Trinity MS. as shown in the second and first stanzas in the notes on p. 45 and p. 46. The Trin. MS. has here, for ll. 132-45, the following:
My leue Chylde.
In other mennys housys make þou no maystry;Blame þou nat wrongfully þat þou seest with thyne ey.Dowgtyr, I pray thee, bere the so welleThat alle men mow sey þou art as trew as steele:A good name many folde ys more worthe then golde,
My leef Chylde.
Be thow no chyder, ne of wordys booldTo myssay þy neyghbors nouther yong ne oolde;Be þou nat to mody ne to enuyousFor nought þat may betyde in oþer mennys hous:An enuyous hert oft doth smert,
Instead of lines 160-187, the Trin. Coll. MS. has the following:
My leef chylde.
Moche shame be they worthy, & sorow wolle hem betydeThat maketh hyr housbondes poore þorow her moche pryde.Be fulle wyse, doughtyr, & An howsewyfe good;Aftyr the wrenne hath veynes let þou hyr blood.Hys thryft wexeth thynne þat spendeth or he wynne,
My leef chylde.
Syt nat vp long At euyn As A gase with the cuppeTo sey wessayle, & drynke heylle, Our syrys thryft ys vppe,But go to bedde betyme, & A morow ryse blyue,And so þou shalt, my leve chylde, bothe wynne & thryue,Alle ease may nat falle to hym þat thryue shalle,
My leef chylde.
With ryche Roobys and garlondes, & with ryche thyng,Counterfete no lady as thy hosbond were a kyng.With suche as he may the ayde, apayde shalt þow be,That no countenaunce be lost for cause of thee:Ouyrdone pryde maketh nakyd syde, .
My leef chylde.
Loke welle abowte; for no þyng þat þow lete;Take the keyes in to þy warde, be they nat foryete;Bethynke the welle in þought; let for no queyntyse;And but yef þow do so, þou dost nat as the wyse.For who þat loueþ hym sylf best, Most may lyue in rest,
My leef chylde.
Sorow nat to blythely, ne take nat þy hyre furst,But the more nede hyt make or the grettyr byrst.Make the nat ryche with other mennys thyng,Ne neuyr the boldyr to spende a farthyng;For what soeuer þou haue to done,Borowyd thyng wylle home
My leef chylde.
And yeue þy meyny her hyre at her terme day,Whether they abyde stylle or wende away;Yeue þou hem of thyne owne, & so wysely thee weldeThat þy frendys haue Ioy of thee, both yong And elde:Thy thryft ys þy frendes myrthe.
