Here begynneth the booke whiche is called the body of polycye And it speketh of vertues and of good maners, and the sayd boke is deuyded in thre partyes. The fyrst party is adressed to prynces. The seconde to knyghtes and nobles: and the thyrde to the vnyuersal people. The fyrst chapytre speketh of the dyscrypcyon of the body of polycye.

¶ Howe the noble auncyentes enduced theyr chyldren. Capitulo. xxxiiii.

UA lere telleth in y^e chapytres that speketh of customes howe y^e noble auncyentes enduced theyr chyldren say enge in this wyse / y^• as sone as they were ony thynge growen that they myght suffre ony payne / they toke them awaye ano ne from theyr moders & made put them in excercyse to suffre payne and trauayle accordynge to theyr ages and strengthe. And in the same age acustomed them to bere hatnes of warre after theyr strengthe / and to put theym in excercyse of laboure both theyr armes & hondes that was not to greuous for them ¶ Also they were not nourysshed with noo tryaunte meetes▪ nor they were not nysely arayed as some be nowe a dayes / but they were fedde with groce meetes. And as for theyr gownes they vsed a propre facyon of an habyte that the nobles myght were / and none other men. But trust certaynly that they we∣re not furred with martres nor embrowdred nother. Also they acustomed them for to lye harde / & to goo late to bedde / & aryse erely. And made them to suffre al maner of other portable pay nes that belonged to the feate of armes. And by suche meanes y^• noble auncyentes nourysshed theyr chyldren / whiche caused

theym afterwarde come to grete worshyp. Lyke as it appereth by theyr olde dedes. Also the maner and the guyse of the gen∣tylles of Almayne / & of other places also ought wel to be alow ed for bycause that they put theyr chyldren for to serue gentyl men worse then themselfe / and make theym theyr pages for to folowe theym for because they sholde suffre dyuers paynes & trauayles / yet I byleue when they come to theyr age▪ they we∣re neuer the lesse wrothe. For gentylmen that ben so nouryssh∣ed be more enterprenaunt in the feates of the warre then they that ben made mynyouns and fedde vp dylycately. For as Ue gece sayth of knyghthode they be appropred to armes that ben acustomed to laboure. And ayenste the opynyon of them whi∣che holdeth that delycate and pleasaunt meetes maketh more stronge the body / than the grete meetes / that is to say / who y^• eteth lykerous meetes and drynke myghty wynes sholde ha∣ue better blode / whiche sholde cause a man to be the more stron ge. I saye it is false. For the delycate meetes corrupte more the body then the groce meetes / For Arystotle sayth▪ the delycaty∣ues nouryssheth not the membres of man / soo moche as dothe the grete meetes And we fynde it also by experyence. For the Brytouns and the ••ormaunes / whiche ben nourysshed com monly with grete meetes / and be not delycate in theyr meetes and drynkes ben more harde & stronge then other men. wher fore they be more desyred in warre then other men▪ and sembla∣bly the bourgonyouns and other nacyons whiche acustomed not to lyue in dylycacy. And also the Romayns / as Ualere say th enduced theyr chyldren in all good maners / and kepte them in fere and drede / and vnder obeysaunce / whiche gouernaun∣ce was ordeyned by grete wysdome and reason. For lyke as it is wryten in the booke of twelue abusyons / the thyrde degree of abusyon is the yonge man that is without obeysaunce; in whome ought to be / Seruyce / Subieccyon / and humylyte. /

For lyke as a man can fynde no fruyte in trees that be not flo rysshed in lyke wyse maye no man attayne to honoure that ha th no laboure in his youthe / in some maner of obeysaunce and dyscyplyne / And of this humylyte that the chyldren of the no∣bles were sometyme acustomed in. Ualere sayth / that the yon ge men dyde as moche worshyp to the olde auncyent men / as they had ben theyr owne faders▪ And when the noble auncy〈…〉〈…〉 tes wente to the counsayle / or to the prynces courte / the yong•• men wolde wayte vpon them ryght humbly and attende vpon them at the courte or at y^• counsayle stondynge on theyr feete to y^• tyme y^• they retourned home agayne. Thus they were made harde for to suffre payne & trauayle / & these olde men also dyde theyr payne to enduce them and styre them to all good condy∣cyons and vertues / and shewed them many good ensamples / by the whiche good amon〈…〉〈…〉s & customes they become ver tuous & well manered / and so by them put for the in to the offy ces of knyghthode after theyr customes. And this manere of vsage y^• nobles kepte amonge theyr chyldren. And so for theyr pacyence and vertue and who myght best endure payne were reputed for moost worthy▪ And yet Ualere sayth when a man made ony grete feest / and the yonge men happened to be there when it sholde come that men sholde sytte downe / they wolde enquere dylygently who sholde come / to that entente if ony aū cyent man that were noble and worthy came thyder / that they sholde be redy anone for to serue hym / for they wolde not sytte ••••ste. And at the ende of the mete they•• table sholde sonest be ta ke awaye / for bycause that they sholde presente themselfe befo re the olde worshypfull. By the whiche it appereth sayth Ua∣lere that they were taught / not to be of moche language / wh••∣was a souerayne & a fayre custome for yonge men. For as An∣••••me sayth in the boke of symylytudes / there be thre thynges whiche ought to be cōmended in a yonge man that is to know

Shame in vertue. Abstynence in his body / & Scylence in his mouthe that is to vnderstonde he sholde be lytell of language For after the sayenge of y^e wyse man / yf y^e foole helde his peas he myght be taken for a wyse man.