To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
LEt vs consider what may be spoken touchynge the e∣ducation or bryngynge vp of the chyldren of honest parso¦nages, or by what exercyse they may sone attaine to ver¦tuous maners. And perchāce it shall be moste exediente to take the begynnynge at theyr procreation, before
we tray••t•• of any other thinge. Therfore who so coueyteth to be fader of honorable or wor∣shypfull chyldren, I suppose this thynge ought be to purpose pryncypally, neuer to be ioyned to womenne lewde and ••biecte, as commune harlott••s and concubynes. For in who so euer is ingendred any blemyshe or yll spotte of theyr moder•• parte, durynge theyr liues reproch of ignobilite alway ••ccompanyeth them, which is apte and redy for those that of malyce wyll em¦braide or atwite them. For it was a wyse man that sayde:
Vnhappy is the generation / wherin there fa••••eth a good fundation.It is more ouer a fayre treasure and great parte of lybertie, to be engendred of good parentis, whiche ought to be highly estemed of them that desyre good frute. For chyldren adulter at and lyke to counterfai••t money, be communely blyn∣ded with arrogans, or be naturally of rude and vyle dysposycyon. wherfore that poete sayde truelye, that spake in this wyse:
The mynde whiche i•• with any spotte ••••taysed Of fewde parentis, holdeth in captiuite The va••yant knyght, whole strength ••rst neu•••• ••ay••ed Suche power hath nature, bredde in iniquitie For chyldren brought vp in moche fe••icitie Of no••••e paren••e••, ha••e for the more part A ••o••••ynge tonge, a proude and sturdye ••art.
According there vnto it is writen of one named Cleophantus, son of the noble duke Themysto∣cles,
whiche for his prowes was soueraynly este∣med and beloued of the people of Athenes, the sayd Cleophantus auanted hym selfe, where he was in company, that what so euer he wold, his moder wold the same, and what she desired, his fader Themistocles graunted, and what pleased Themistocles, the people was therwith conten∣ted. The noble hartes of Lacedemones (whiche are a people in Grece) be worthy to be highly ex∣tolled, who compelled their kynge named Archi∣damus / to pay to them a great somme of money, for that be maried a woman of small stature and personage embraidinge hym, that he purposed not to get them kynges, but only a linage of kyn∣ges (as it were that in a kynge ought to be good features and maiestie.) Consequently one thyng is to be remēbred, whiche hath not ben forgoten of our elders: what suppose you that is? Certain¦ly, that they which do accompany with women, to ••hentent to gette children in the acte veneriall, be sober, or at the leste wayes that they drynke a litle wine only for that it is nourishing to nature / very temperatly. For truely it hapneth, that the sede beinge sowen by dronken parentes / the chil∣dren therof comyng, for the more parte hen drun¦kardes and tauerne haunters. Therfore Di••ge∣nes (the Philosopher) whan he espyed a yonge man, which beinge drunke had his wyttes trou∣bled, and spake vnaduysedly, said to him: yonge man thy father did sowe the, whā he was drūke. Thus hitherto haue I spoken of procreation of
chyldren: here after I shall treate of the gouer∣nāce of them cōcerning the ordre of their liuinge.