[...] good lesson for yonge men.
Myne owne dere chylde, I rede and coūseyle the
Whyle thou hast youth,
‘Delicis iuuētutis mee et ignorantias meas: ne memineris. Psalme. 24.’
& strength at thy wyllAll synne and vyce, that thou refuse and flee
Thy precyous tyme, beware that thou do not spyll
It renneth away, it standeth neuer styll
Therfore beware, and fie from all outrage
There dyeth mo yonge, than lyueth to great age.
[...]
‘ [...] Psalmus, 126’
[...] [...]y [...]e hast spentfor euery worde and dede, that thou hast done
Thou mayst not scape, from thy iust Iugement
Therfore do so, that thou nede not to repent
That thyne enemyes, saye not to the chekmate
when thou shalt passe, and mete them in the gate,
¶ Let the drede of god, now be thy brydell
And puruey for the tyme,
‘Initium sapientie timor domini. Psa. 110’
that lasteth ayeFrom vertuous occupacyon, be not ydell
But get the ghostly rychesse, that thou may
The fygure of this worlde, goeth fast away
He is ryche, that hath heuenly rychesse
All worldly myrth, shall ende in heuynesse.
¶ whyle thou arte yonge, be meke and seruyable
Vnto thy souereygnes,
‘Intertoga patrem tuū & annunciabit tibi maiores tuos et dicent tibi. Deuter. 33.’
vse thou gentyll specheIt is a thynge in youth, ryght cōmendable
To be more glad to lerne, than for to teche
Tyll thou mayst to more knowlege a reche
He that wyll teache, or he any good can
Ie wyll be longe, or he proue a wyse man.
¶ Fle from pryde, for that wyll haue a fall
For god resysteth,
‘Iniquitatem si aspexi in corde meo: non ex audiet dominꝰ Psalmꝰ. 65.’
proude men euermoreBeware of enuy, it is better as gall
Fle from wrath, or it wyll greue the sore
Kepe no malyce, within thyne herte in store
These wycked rotes, be as a dethes darte
My chylde set wysely, kepynge to thy herte.
[...]
Fle ryottous companye,
‘ [...] chrietatē sectā dam et potandū vs (que) ad vesperam vt vino estuetis, Esa. 5’
where so euer thou goIt is great shame, a man to take excesse
For cōmonly a beest wyll not do so
Fle from slouth, it is a pleasaunt foo
A dilygent man wynneth, for body and soule
Where as a slouthfull man, may chaunce lose all
¶ Fle the fylthy synne of lecherye
For it is that, that god doth greatly hate
Beware thou speke, no wordes of rybaudrye
For all that here, therof some harme shall take
For auery worde,
‘Ex abundātis cordis os loqit (ur). Mathewe. 12.’
acounte thou must nede makeThy tonge wyll shewe, playnly what thou arte
A fylthy tonge, declareth a fylthy herte
¶ Laboure truely, for to susteyne thy nede
To kepe thy body, from all indygence
Couet the blysse of heuyn,
‘Habebis Thesauros in celo. Mathewe. 19. Marke. 12.’
for thy meteCouet contrycyon, for all thyne offence
Couet clene herte, and clene conscyence
Couet heuenly rychesse, that lasteth aye
whiche no thefe can stele, nor bere away.
¶ The .x. cōmaūdementes,
‘In via testimoniorū tuorū de lectatus sum sicut in oībus diuitijs. Ps. 118’
loke ye thou kepe & holdewith all thy power, vnto thy lyues ende
Delyte in them, more then in syluer or golde
Loue all creatures, be it foo or frende
None is so euyl,
‘Maledicti qui declinant a mā dat [...] tuis. Idē.’
but that he may amendeAnd mekely loke, vpon thy selfe with all
None is so iust, but that he may fall
[...]
It is a vertue,
‘ [...]em pat [...]tur ꝓpter iustitiam. Mathewe. 5.’
that is ryght excellentThough thou somtyme, for trouth do suffre wronge
Thou shalte neuer be shamed, though thou be shent
To please god,
‘Penitemini ergo et conuertemini, vt deleantur (pcta)peccata (vra)vostra. Actes. 3.’
set all thy hole ententFle great othes and lyes, for they be euyll
For all lyers, be the chyldren of the deuyll
¶ Haue stedfast fayth,
‘Quicū (que) manducauerit panem, et biberit calicem dn̄i indigne / reꝰ erit. corporis et san guinis dn̄i. 1. Corynthi. 8’
with parfyte reuerenceVnto the holy sacramentes all
The specyall remedy, for thyne offence
To ryse agayne by, whan that thou doest fall
Ordeyned of god, therfore moost specyall
Very contrycyon, with confessyon true
To scape the payne,
‘Confiteamur peccata nostra quoniā fidelis est deus vt remittat nobis. 1. Iohan. 1.’
that for the synne is dewe.¶ But where the serpent, lurketh in theyr herte
They saye that confessyon, is ryght nought
He is so lothe, from them to departe
They saye it is yuough,
‘Cōfitemini alter utrum p [...] cata vestra. Iames. 5.’
god knoweth our thoughtwe shall befafe, Christ hath so dere vs bought
But who so dothe, confessyon dispyse
The sacrament of the aultre,
‘Quodcū (que) solueritis suꝑ terram, erunt soluta et in ceis. Mathewe. 16.’
setteth at lytell pryse.¶ Fastynge and prayer, my chylde se that thou vse
To exclude synne, with all thy hole entent
Holy brede,
‘Hoc autem genꝰ demoniorū nō eiicitur, nisi per orationem et ieiunium. Mathewe. 17 Mathe. 9.’
and holy water, do thou not refuseIn takyng of them, be thou ryght reuerent
Thynke they were ordeyned, for a good entent
A specyall vertue, shalt thou fynde therin
Agaynst wycked spyrytes, and venyall synne.
[...]