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.
AFter songe fa∣••yng, and al∣so muche tra∣uayle, it hath•• been thoughte euer, moste no∣ble prince, not onely conueniente, but also to stand with good reson, to haue a dyner or supper prouided with meates sufficient, as well to recreate the vital spirites, as to restore eftsones the strengthe
abated by labours.
¶Moreouer in this tyme of the yere, called the spryng tyme, prouoked by the naturall beau∣tie & ioiouse aspecte of the flou∣rishyng habite of this temporal worlde, the nature of theym, in whom is any sparke of gentyll corage, requireth to solace and banket with mutual resorte, cō∣municatyng togyther their fan∣tasies & sundrie deuises, whiche was not abhorred of the most•• wyse and noble philosophiers, as maie appere to theym, that haue wytsaufed to reade the woorkes of Plato, Xenophon, and Plutarche, whiche they na∣med Symposia, called banquet¦tes in Englisshe, Semblably, I beyng styrred moste excellent••
Prynce, by a lyke imitacion, consyderynge the longe absty∣nence and fastynge of this pre∣sente Lente, with also the con∣tynual trauayle that your high∣nesse, your counsayle, and dy∣uers your subiectes haue sustei∣ned, in consultynge about the weale publyque of this your graces moste noble realme, I haue prouided this littell ban∣ket (so is this littell treatise in∣titled) composed of sundry wise counsels, gathered by me out of the warkes of moste excellente persons, as wel faithful as Gē∣tiles. And lyke as in this lusti•• tyme, thynges do appere in sun∣dry delectable colors & facions: so in this littell ••oke shall your grace and other reders beholde
sentences sundry and dyuers, whiche I doe apply vnto ban∣kettyng dysshes, made and sea∣soned by Sapiencehir selfe, and serued foorthe to the table by them, whiche dyd write or pro∣nounce theim. And as for me, •• haue no more parte in the ban∣ket, nor deserue any more praise therfore than one of theym that beareth a torche beefore euerye cours whan they come from the dresser: And yet where there is suche aboundance, I maie per∣chaunce for my labour haue the reuercion or scrappes of some of the dishes. Finally for asmu∣che as dyuers meates be of dy∣uers qualities, som swete, some poynant, some aigre doul••e: it shalbe expediēt, that euery dishe
of this bankette, bee throughly touched, dou••yng not, but how so euer the taste shall contente men, all shalbe holsom, if thei be well masticate, and not hastily deuoured. This litle wark with my labours haue I dedicate vn¦to your hyghnes, vnto whom of boūden dutie beyng your hum∣ble seruaunt, I owe all my stu∣dies, praier, seruice, and loialte, besechyng your grace to receiue this little worke, as a token of my syncere mynde and intente, accordynge to your accustomed & incomparable gentilnes. And for my parte, I shal dayly praie thauctour and fountaine of sa∣pience to preserue your most roi¦all persone in the aboundaunce of his grace, to the comforte of your louyng subiectes.
SApyence hathe builded & house for hyr selfe,* 1.1 she hath prepared hir wyne,* 1.2 & laied forthe hir table,* 1.3 she calleth out abrode in the stretes,* 1.4 and in the chiefe assembly of people, and at the gates of the citee she spea¦keth with a loude voice: ye ba∣byes how longe wyl ye delite in your childishenesse? And howe longe wyll fooles couete those thynges, which shal hurt them? And they whiche lacke wit, hate knowlage and lernyng? Come on, and eate ye my breade, and drinke my wine, that I haue or∣deined now for you. To me doe belong counseil & equitee, myne is prudence,* 1.5 and myne also for∣titude.
By me kinges do reigne, and makers of law••s dooe de∣termyne those thynges that bee rightwise. By me princes dooe gouerne, and men in auctori∣tee d•• gyue sentence accordyng to iustice. I loue them that loue me, and they that wake earelie shall fynde me, with me doe re∣mayne bothe substance and re∣nome, stately rychesse, and Iu∣stice, my fruite doth excel golde and stones preciouse, and my braunches are better than fyne tryed siluer, my walkes bee in the highe waies of Iustice, and in the mydd••ll of the pathes of iudgement, to the intent that I wyll make theym riche that doe loue me, and fyll vp theyr trea∣sures.
Salom.
prouer.
Cap. 9.
Cap. 1.
Cap. 8.