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 ...

The A B C of Aristotle. [Lambeth MS. 853, ab. 1430 A.D., page 30, written without breaks.]

Who-so wilneþ to be wijs, & worschip desiriþ, Lerne he oo lettir, & looke on anothir Of þe .a. b. c. of aristotil: argue not aȝen þat: It is councel for riȝt manye clerkis & knyȝtis a þousand, Line 4 And eek it myȝte ameende a man ful ofte For to leerne lore of oo lettir, & his lijf saue; For to myche of ony þing was neuere holsum. Line 8 Reede ofte on þis rolle, & rewle þou þer aftir; Who-so be greued in his goost, gouerne him bettir; Blame he not þe barn þat þis .a. b. c. made, But wite he his wickid will & his werk aftir; Line 12 It schal neuere greue a good man þouȝ þe gilti be meendid. Now herkeneþ & heeriþ how y bigynne.

A

to amerose, to aunterose, ne argue not to myche. [page 31]

B

to bolde, ne to bisi, ne boorde not to large.

C

to curteis, to cruel, ne care not to sore.

D

to dul, ne to dreedful, ne drinke not to ofte.

E

to elenge, ne to excellent, ne to eernesful neiþer.

F

to fers, ne to famuler, but freendli of cheere.

G

to glad, ne to gloriose, & gelosie þou hate.

H

to hasti, ne to hardi, ne to heuy in þine herte.

I

to iettynge, ne to iangelinge, ne iape not to ofte.

K

to kinde, ne to kepynge, & be waar of knaue tacchis.

L

to looth for to leene, ne to liberal of goodis.

M

to medelus, ne to myrie, but as mesure wole it meeue.

N

to noiose, ne to nyce, ne use no new iettis.

O

to orped, ne to ouerþwart, & ooþis þou hate.

P

to presing, ne to preuy with princis ne with dukis;

Q

to queynte, ne [page 32] to quarelose, but queeme weel ȝoure souereyns.

R

to riotus, to reueling, ne rage not to rudeli.

S

to straunge, ne to stirynge, ne straungeli to stare.

T

to toilose, ne to talewijs, for temperaunce is beest.

V

to venemose, ne to veniable, & voide al vilonye.

W

to wielde, ne to wraþful, neiþer waaste, ne waade not to depe,

¶ For a mesurable meene is euere þe beste of alle. [["Whi is þis world biloued" follows.]]