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 ...

Symon's Lesson of Wysedome for all Maner Chyldryn.[From MS. Bodl. 832, leaf 174.]

[The Rev. J. R. Lumby has kindly sent me the following amusing 'lesson of wysedome' to 'all maner chyldryn', signed Symon, which he found in the Bodleian. Mr G. Parker has read the proof with the MS. Lydgate sinned against most of its precepts. It makes the rod the great persuader to learning and gentleness.]

All maner chyldryn, ye lysten & lere A lesson of wysedome þat ys wryte here! My chyld, y rede þe be wys, and take hede of þis ryme! Old men yn prouerbe sayde by old tyme Line 4 'A chyld were beter to be vnbore Than to be vntaught, and so be lore.' [Compare "Better vnfedde then vntaughte" in Seager's Schoole of Vertue, above, p. 348, l. 725.] The chyld þat hath hys wyll alway Shal thryve late, y thei [thee] wel say, Line 8 And þer-for euery gode mannys chyld That is to wanton and to wyld, Lerne wel this lesson for sertayn, That thou may be þ^e beter man. Line 12 Chyld, y warne þee yn al wyse That þu tel trowth & make no lyes. Chyld, be not froward, be not prowde, But hold vp þy hedde & speke a-lowde; Line 16 And when eny man spekyth to the, Do of þy hode and bow thy kne, And waysch thy handes & þy face, And be curteys yn euery place. Line 20

Line 20 And where þou comyst, with gode chere In halle or bowre, bydde "god be here!" Loke þou cast to no mannes dogge, With staff ne stone at hors ne hogge; Line 24 Loke þat þou not scorne ne iape Noþer with man, maydyn, ne ape; Lete no man of þee make playnt; Swere þou not by god noþer by saynt. Line 28 Loke þou be curteys stondyng at mete; And þat men ȝeuyth þee, þou take & ete; And loke that þou nother crye ne crave, And say "that and that wold y have;" Line 32 But stond þou stylle be-fore þ^e borde, And loke þou speke no lowde worde. And, chyld, wyrshep thy fader and thy moder, And loke þat þou greve noþer on ne oþer, Line 36 But euer among þou shalt knele adowne, And aske here blessyng and here benesowne. And, chyld, kepe thy cloþes fayre & clene, And lete no fowle fylth on hem be sene. Line 40 Chyld, clem þou not ouer hows ne walle For no frute [Cp. Lydgate's Tricks at School, Forewords, p. xliv.] , bryddes, ne balle; And, chyld, cast no stonys ouer men hows, Ne cast no stonys at no glas wyndowys; Line 44 Ne make no crying, yapis, ne playes, In holy chyrche on holy dayes. And, chyld, y warne þee of anoþer thynge, Kepe þee fro many wordes and yangelyng. Line 48 And, chyld, whan þou gost to play, Loke þou come home by lyght of day. And, chyld, I warne the of a-noþer mater, Loke þou kepe þee wel fro fyre and water; Line 52 And be ware and wyse how þat þou lokys Ouer any brynk, welle, or brokys;

And when þou stondyst at any schate [? meaning. Skathie, a fence. Jamieson. Skaith, hurt, harm. Halliwell.] , By ware and wyse þat þou cacche no stake, Line 56 For meny chyld with-out drede Ys dede or dysseyuyd throw ywell hede. [folio 175a] Chyld, kepe thy boke, cappe, and glouys, And al thyng þat þee behouys; Line 60 And but þou do, þou shat fare the wors, And þer-to be bete on þe bare ers. Chyld, be þou lyer noþer no theffe; Be þou no mecher [A mychare seems to denote properly a sneaking thief. Way. Prompt., p. 336. Mychare, a covetous, sordid fellow. Jamieson. Fr. pleure-pain: m. A niggardlie wretch; a puling micher or miser. Cotgrave.] for myscheffe. Line 64 Chyld, make þou no mowys ne knakkes Be-fore no men, ne by-hynd here bakkes, But be of fayre semelaunt and contenaunce, For by fayre manerys men may þee a-vaunce. Line 68 Chyld whan þou gost yn eny strete, Iff þou eny gode man or woman mete, Avale thy hode to hym or to here, And bydde, "god spede dame or sere!" Line 72 And be they smalle or grete, This lesson þat þou not for-gete,— For hyt is semely to euery mannys chylde,— And namely to clerkes to be meke & mylde. Line 76 And, chyld, ryse by tyme and go to scole, And fare not as Wanton fole, And lerne as fast as þou may and can, For owre byschop is an old man, Line 80 And þer-for þou most lerne fast Iff þou wolt be bysshop when he is past. Chyld, y bydde þe on my blessyng That þou for-ȝete nat þis for no thyng, Line 84 But þou loke, hold hyt wel on þy mynde,

For þ^e best þu shalt hyt fynde; For, as þe wyse man sayth and preuyth, A leve chyld, lore he be-houyth; Line 88 And as men sayth þat ben leryd, [folio 175b] He hatyth þ^e chyld þat sparyth þ^e rodde; And as þe wyse man sayth yn his boke Off prouerbis and wysedomes, ho wol loke, Line 92 "As a sharppe spore makyth an hors to renne Vnder a man that shold werre wynne, Ryȝt so a ȝerde may make a chyld To lerne welle hys lesson, and to be myld." Line 96 Lo, chyldryn, here may ȝe al here and se How al chyldryn chastyd shold be; And þerfor, chyldere, loke þat ye do well, And no harde betyng shall ye be-falle: Line 100 Thys may ȝe al be ryght gode men. God graunt yow grace so to preferue yow.

Amen!

Symon.