De ciuilitate morun [sic] puerilium per Des. Erasmum Roterodamum, libellus nunc primum & conditus & æditus. Roberto VVhitintoni interprete. = A lytell booke of good maners for chyldren, nowe lately compyled and put forth by Erasmus Roterodam in latyne tonge, with interpretacion of the same in to the vulgare englysshe tonge, by Robert whytyngton laureate poete. Cum priuilegio

¶Of metynge to gythers.

If any man mete the by the waye worshyp••ull / ey∣ther by reason of age / eyther by relyg••on or dignyte / or otherwyse worthy reuerēce /

lette a chylde remembre to go forthe of the waye and reuerently put of his cappe / and somwhat make curtesy with his knees. Let hym nat thynke thus / what haue I to do with an vnknowen man / what with hym that neuer dyd for me? So re∣uerence is nat gyue to man for his merytes / but to god. So god cōmaūdeth by Sa∣lomon / whiche cōmaundeth to ryse vp to an aged man: lykewise by Paule / to shewe double reuerence to pree∣s••es. To conclude / to shewe reuerence to euery persone / to whome reuerence is due / folowynge also the gentyles reuerence. If so be that the Turke (whiche god forbyd) shuld haue domynion vpon vs / we shulde offende if we dyd nat shewe reuerence to that auctori••e. Of the fa∣ther and mother I speake nat amonge other / to whom chefe reuerence after god is due. Lyke reuerence to our teachers / whiche lykewise as they fresshen the myndes of men / so they engendre good maner. And so amonge lyke of degree this sayeng of Paule muste take place /

Preuent you one an othe•• with due reuerence. He that preuenteth his egall or in∣ferior with reuerence / he is nat therfore the worse / but more honest therfore & more to be had in reuerence.

with our betters we muste speake with reuerence / and in fewe wordes: with our pe∣res louyngly and gentylly. And whan a childe speaketh he muste holde his cappe in the ryght hande / and holde his lyfte hande towarde his myddle / or els that is more comly / holde his cappe with both handes ioyned / so that his thombes apere couering his codpece. To holde his boke or hat vnder his arme is take as rudenesse.

Let basshfulnes be shewed / but as becometh / nat as ma¦keth a chylde amated. Let the eyen loke vpō hym that thou speakest to sadly and onely / shewynge nothynge wanton nor leude.

To caste thyne eyen downe as a beest called Catoble∣pas / is a suspectyon of an yuell conscience. To loke a∣••yde is token of disdayne. To turne this wayes & that /

is a syne of lyght wytte. It is rudenesse ofte to chaunge countena••ce / as now ••o wrie the nose / nowe to knytte the browes / nowe to set vp the browes / nowe to sette a wrie the mouthe / nowe to gape wyde / nowe to make a na∣rowe mouthe: these be synes of inconstance.

It is also all of the carte to shake the heed and caste the busshe / to coughe without cause / to hemme or rey••he / lykwise to scratche thy heed to picke thyne eares / to sny•• thy nose / to stryke thy face / as a man that wypeth for ••hamfastnesse / to scrubbe or rubbe thy ne••ke / to shrugge or wrigge thy sholders as we se in many ytalyens.

To deny with touenynge a∣way thy heed / or beckenyng with thy heed to call hym / and to conclude / to speke by gesture and beckenynges as somtyme becometh a man / but nat a chylde. It is no maner to wagge the armes / to play with the fyngers / to stager with the fete / to speke hastely nat with the tonge /

but mouynge all the body / whiche is the propertie of turtyll doue•• or wagtayles / nor moche differēt fro pyes ••hatterynge. Let thy voyce be soft and styll / nat hye and clamorous lyke carters / nor so bause that he to whome thou speakest may nat here the•• Lette thy speche nat be hasty and ouer ron thy wyt / but softe and open.

This also auoydeth natu∣rall stu••tynge / buffyng / and stammerynge / thoughe nat fully / yet for moste partie it demynis••heth / where as ha∣stye speche causeth vyce in many / that came nat by na∣ture. Also in cōmunycaci∣on it is a gentyll maner to repete some honest tytle or name of roume or dignyte of hym that thou spekest to.

There is nothynge more honest or plesaunt than the tytle or name of father or mother / nothynge more a∣myable thanne the name of brother and suster.

If that priuat names come nat to mynde / name all ler∣ned men worshypfull may∣sters / all preestes and mon∣kes reuerende fathers /

all companyons / bretherns and frendes: breuely al that be vnknowen / call thē may∣ster and maystresse.

Of a childes mouth it is nat honest to sweare / whether it be gamyng or ernest. what is more reproche than this maner in ••ome countreys / to sweare at euery thyrde worde / ye the lytell gyrles / by breed / by salte / by cādle: by what thynge sweare they nat? To foule wordes let no manerly childe make an∣swere / nor laye his eare. Fynally if any thynge be shewed to the eyen / or herds by the eares in honestly.

If the cause requyre that he muste name any membre priuy / let hym couer it with honest circumstaunce.

Further / if it chaunce to speke of vyle thinges / as vo¦myte / a draught / or a ••orde / he muste say before saue re∣uerence.

If he must deny any thyng / let hym beware that he say•• nat ye say nat truthe / specy∣ally if he speke to his elder••

but first by your fauour say it was otherwyse tolde me of suche a man.

A well manered chylde shall contende with no man / no nat with his felowes / but let other haue their wyll: if the thynge come to discencyon / let hym referre the mater to arbytrement. Let hym nat presume before an other / let hym nat auaunte his awne dedes / nor reproue the ma∣ner of other / nor reuyle the nature and maners of any nacyon / nor publysshe an•• secret shewed hym / nor scat∣ter no newe tales / nor de∣fame no man / nor rebuke no honest man of that whiche is naturall / for that is nat onely spy••efull and vngen∣tyll / but folysshe. As if a man call hym that hath but one eye / one eyed: hym that halteth a crypp••e: hym that can nat se bu•• nye vnto hym sandblynde / or he that is borne out of wedlocke ba∣starde. By this meanes it shal folowe that a man with out enuy shall gette prayse / and allure s••endes.

To interrupt any man in his tale before it be ended•• is agayne maner.

Lette hym beare malyce to no man: shewe gentylnesse to euery persone / lette hym take fewe to his secret coun∣sayle / and those with good discrecion. Lette hym nat shewe that he wolde haue secrete. It is folly to loke that an other man shal kepe close / that can nat kepe close to thy selfe. No man is so close of tonge but he hath some in truste / to whome he woll open his secret mynde. It is moste sure nothynge to do or saye / wherof thou shulde be shamed if it be spo¦ken abrode.

Be nat ouer besy in other mennes causes. And if thou se or here any thynge / loke thou knowe nat that thou knowest.

To prie or loke vpon let∣ters that be nat brought to the / is leude maner. If a man open his casket before the / go a parte.

Also if thou perceyue any secrete counsayle to ryse a∣monge any persons / auoyde thence thy selfe as thoughe thou knewe no thynge /

and do nat entremedle to come to counsayle excepte thou be called.