HEre good & deuoute Chryſtyans / fyrſte take moſt hede / and gyue moſt dylygence to ordre your ſelfe / and all youres, vnto oure lorde accordynge vnto the poore leſſon that comes after: and than ſe wel vnto the ſubſtaunce and gydynge of youre houſe / and goodes. Se fyrſte that peace be in the houſe / and that you agre all togyther, for els al your goodes wyll ſoone goo to noughte. Than (after ye cōmune prouerbe) cut your thonges: after or accordyng vnto your ledder. Spende accordynge vnto your gaynes: gettynges or rentes / and not aboue. It is alſo good polycye: to haue one yeres rent / or an yeres gaynes in ſtore for chaunces / whiche is not contrarye vnto chriſty anyte: where extreme or verey ſtreyte nede: is not perceyued in the neyghboure. A neglygent or retcheles perſone may ſoone ſet on fyne, & deſtroy great ſubſtaunce. Haue therfore a good iye / and garde vnto the dylygē ce of your ſeruaūtes, for vnder them your goodes may ſoone mynyſſhe & be waſted before you knowe / beware or haue knowleg therof. yf your goodes begynne to waſte: better is / and leſſe rebuke for you to abſteyne / and withdrawe your charges: than to fal in to nedynes / or daunger. An olde prouerbe. Qui plus expendit quam rerū copia tendit. Non admiretur ſi paupertate grauetur. That is. who ſo done ſpende beyonde theyr faculte. No meruayle though with nede they greued be.

¶It is therfore a great prouydence and good foreſyght often to counte / and compare your goodes / and your gaynes with your expēſes. Often to ouerſe your good: ſhall be neceſſary. For your beeſtes may take hurte for defaute of fode (all thoughe they nothynge axe) ne complayne. The ſlepe of ye houſbande: maketh a fatte dong hylle. And the iye of ye mayſter, a faſt hors. That is to meane that the preſence of the mayſter: in euery corner: is moche profytable. Sumptuous & coſtlye weddynges, or brydales, ben damage / without honoure. Expēces done vpon warre / ben more honourable / than profytable. Better is to ſuffre ſome wronge, and to bye peace than to make warre / or to kepe war. Coſte made vpon ꝓdygal perſones / is clerely loſt. Coſt made vpō kyn or frēdes / is reſonable. Fede your houſholde ſeruaūtes with honeſt cōmune fare / without delycates. For the ſeruaunt that is made a gloton ſhall neuer after mende his maners. Glotony is vyle fylthy / & ſtynkynge & wyll make the neglygent and careles perſon ſoone roten and ſhort lyfe. Meane fedynge with ſcarcyte: is vnto the dilygent perſon pleaſaūt and profytable. Vpon the holy dayes & hyghe feſtes: gyue your houſholde plentye of mete: but ſelden & fewe delycates. For the vſe of delycate fode / wyll ſone marre a good ſeruaunt. Let glotonye and thy purſe ſtryue / and go to lawe togyther / and beware thou wel whiche parte thou takeſt / but for the moſte parte alway hold with the purſe. For glotonous men of lawe & the witneſſers: done ſpeke of all affecciō. but the purs bryngeth in playne euydence and profe / the empty barne & the empty bag. But yf very nygardy ſhut vp thy purſe / than art not thou an euē iudge. For nygardy is a folyſſhe & nedeles fere / & euer lyuynge in pouerte / and hurdeth & muckerythe vp: he can not tell for whom. yf thou haue plenty of corne: deſyre no derth For thoſe perſones that of couetous mynde done procure or deſyre derthe done procure and deſyre the dethe of the pore / and ſhall be accuſed: as homicides and manſleers / ſell thy corne better chepe vnto thy neyghboure (al though he were thy enemy) than vnto ſtraungers, For an enemy is ſō tyme ſoner vaynquyſſhed and ouercomen by a kynde dede / than by the ſwerde. Be neuer at debate with thy neyghboure / but rather ſtudye and laboure to be at one. For thou canſte haue none ſo ſure a caſtell / or garde of thy lyfe / as is loue and frendſhyp of thy neyghboure / yf thou ſuſpecte the women of thy houſe: let other perſones rather ſhewe yt / than thou ſhulde be ouer buſy to try out the mater. For though it were of thy owne wyf, or the wyfe of thy huſbande: it were better vnknowen. For ones knowen it is neuer cured / the wounde is with out remedy. yf any remedy be / it ſhal be whan lyke chaūce is herd of other perſones. The leſte & moſte eaſy way therin is to diſſimule ye mater though it were pryuely knowen / & pretende yngnoraunce without any quarel or countenaūce / but rather by a dyſcrete ghoſtly father let the partyes be refourmed that ſynne be not cōtynued A noble herte / and hygh gentyl mynde / wyll neuer ſerche of womens maters. Aſhrewe wyll ſoner be correctid by ſmylynge or laughyng / than by a ſtaffe / or ſtrokes. The beſt way to kepe a woman good / is gentyll intrety and neuer to let her know that ſhe is ſuſpecte / and euer to be counceyled & informed with louyng maner. an old woman vnclene of lyuynge (yf the lawe wolde ſuffre) ſhulde be buryed quycke. Let your clothynge or araye be in amene / nother vyle ne precious but alway fayre and honeſt / & of ſad & not of wanton faſſhyon. A coſtelye garment beyonde: or aboue the ſtate and degre of the perſon / is a ſygne & token of lytell wytte. For a woman yt hath ſuffycyent aray / to deſyre newe and chaunge / is a ſygne of lytell ſadnes. Truſt hym rather for thy frende that ſōwhat dothe for the / than hym that dothe offre hym ſelfe / ſaynge. I am yours in all I can and may. For in wordes is great plente of frendes a true frende loueth at all tymes and neuer fayleth at nede. There is no cō paryſon of ryches / vnto a faythefull frende. Neuer repute ne thynke hym thy frende / that dothe prayſe / or boſt the vnto thy face / or in thy preſence. whan you gyue coūſeyle vnto a frende / ſay this ſemeth beſt vnto me / not thus you muſte nedely doo. For you may ſoner gette rebuke or blame for your counceyle yf it pryue not / than thanke, for youre goode counceyle: though it ſpede well / yf mynſtrelles / iogulers / or ieſters come to thy howſe / ſay thou haſte no lodgynge for ſuche ieſters / you kepe nether ynne nor aleſtake. For yf you take pleaſure in theyr paſtymes you ben full lyke to haue another wyfe ſhortly after whoſe name is called pouerte / or beggry. yf you fortune to come where they ben / and begyn ſomwhat to delecte in theyr maters: I aduyſe you dyſſimule & take vpon you that you herd theym not / ne ſet any thynge therby. For yf they perceyue and ſe you but laugh: they wyll take that for an erneſt to crye largeſſe & to haue reward And ſo importune wyll they be / and ſo ſhamfully craue: that you ſhall be yrke and wery of them / and perauenture they wyll fall to rebukyng / braulyng / and ſcoldynge / ſo that you ſhal be fayne / and glade: to gyue ſōwhat for fere vnto thoſe galowe clapers / worthy in dede to be hanged vp. For I tell you / god is not pleaſed with yt occupacyon / excepte it be (as ſcant tolerable or alowable) among prynces lordes / and hygh eſtates. Nowe for your ſeruauntes / yf you haue a ſeruaunt of hygh proude mynde & ſtubburne ſtomacke put hym away leſte after he do you harme / & ſoo do hym that alwaye dothe prayſe youre maners in all thynges. For a flaterer is worſe than an enemy / your enemye cānot lyghtly deceyue you, but your ſeruaūtes or your neyghboures that done prayſe you: ben ſurely about to deceyue you. Yf you haue a baſhful & dredfull ſeruaūt, & fynde hym faythful, thā loue hym & cheryſſhe hym as your own natural child. Make your byldynges rather for nede, than for pleaſur. For the appetyte of byldyng for pleaſur ſhall neuer haue ende / tyl pouerte teche wyt ſome what to late. Be lothe to ſell your herytage, and if you muſt nede / ſell. Sell not to greate perſones / but rather for leſſe vnto the lower perſones. Better is to ſell than to borow by vſery. For vſery is lyke a thefe yt wold warne you before what harme he wolde do vnto you / Yf you bye or bargayne / be not botye felowe wt great ꝑſones. And though he be vnder you / yet ſtryue not with hym leſte he put his parte vnto your better / or mayſter. In all thynges kepe truely and faythfully your bonde and promyſe / accordynge vnto your couenaunte. Due temporaunce is a thyng of great honeſtye in a houſholde / let therfor your drynke wyne / ale or bere be temporate. Stronge drynke is more pleaſaunt / than holſome. The wyſeman ſayth / that ſobre drynke is the helth bothe of ſoule & bodye And the wyſe & lerned perſone, wyll be ryght well cōtent with lytell drynke / and that ſhall not trouble the ſtomacke, but rather cauſe ſwete & holſome ſlepe / and of the contrary done come many incommodytes as there dothe folow. who ſo euer amōge many and dyuers ſtrōge drynkes / with aboundaunce therof, is ſobre may be called an erthly god / or a god vpon erth / wraſtle not therwith yf you doo my counſell. And yf by chaunce you be in company / and begyn to fele the drynke worke / aryſe & departe / a ſlepe is more meite for you, than any cō pany. who ſo by wordes wold excuſe dronkēnes: dothe openly declare his owne dyſeaſe. The knowlege & iugemēt of wynes: doth nothyng become a yonge ꝑſone. Yf a phyſycyon or ſurgyon vſe to be dronke / lette hym not haue ye cure of your dyſeaſe / ne let no ne of them take experyence / and lerne in you: howe to cure / or hele another. For though they be well lerned and haue not experyēce / it is no wyſdome to let them proue theyr cōnyng vpon you. Great gay horſe / & lytel prety dogges: leue you vnto lordes & ladyes. A bygge labourynge hors / and a maſtyfe / or a curre dogge: ben good to kepe your houſe. As for haukes / houndes / and huntyng dogges do ſpende more thā they do get, they ben mete & accordynge for ſtates: to ſet ydle ſeruaūtes on werke but ferre vnaccordynge ben they: for buſbandes and ware houſholders. It is no wyſdom to make your owne chylder ſtewardes or rulers of your houſholde or goodes. Foles and neglygente or careles perſones: haue many myſfortunes. For that is theyr cōmune excuſe whan any thynge is wronge, they ſay than / that chaūce or myſfortune was cauſe therof. I ſay not nay but that chaunce or myſfortune may fall. But who ſo doth folowe wyſdō lernynge / & dyſcrecyon, ſhall ſeldom accuſe myſfortune. For delygēce / warenes / and good hede, done ſeldome company with myſfortune. But yet more ſeldom ſhall you ſe myſfortune and ſlouthe or neglygence, departyd in ſondre, for they done cōmunely cō pany to gyther. The ſluggard ſayth god wyll helpe hym / and ſo longe he truſteth ther vnto, tyll he be brought vnto beggery. For god by ye wyſe mā doth ſende the ſluggarde (for exāple) vnto the ant or piſmere, to lerne to labour. For man ſayth Iob is borne to laboure / as a byrde to flye. Kepe you therfore but few ydle perſōs or men. And watche you and take good hede vnto euery perſone of youre houſe / & euer ponder / wey / and conſydre your exſpences / with your gaynes / or gettynges. Fyrſt get and brynge in / and than ſpende. For it is no good huſbandry to borowe. And when ye wex aged / truſt rather vnto god / than vnto your chylder / or frendes / that you ſende before you / you ſhall be ſure to fynde. No cofre / chyſt / ne tower may be more ſure to kepe treaſure than is heuen. Let not therfore ye poore paſſe you. what you gyue to them, you gyue vnto Cryſte. And of that you leue behynde you, appoynt it vnto euery perſone his part. For better were for you nothynge to leue / than that ſtryfe and debate ſhulde be made / conſcyence blemyſſhed / and god offendyd / for your goodes. Truſt them beſte to do for your ſoule / not that done loue or ſay they done loue your ſoule / but that you done perceyue and coniecture, done loue theyr owne ſoule. Make your teſtament euery yere newe / & ſurely ſealyd by wytnes. Lay it where (whan nede is) it maye be founde / no man is ſure how to ende his lyfe. The moſte ſure waye, to dye well / is well to lyue / whiche he graunte vs yt bought vs our lord god & moſt ſwete ſauyoure Iheſu chryſte. Amen.