The heven hath propirtie of sikirness, This worldè hath evir restlesse travaile, The last daie is the ende of myne entresse, In generall this rule ne maie not faile. Th' envoye of Fortune. Princes I praie you of your gentilnesse, And if ye liste releve hym of his pain, Praie ye his best frende of his noblenesse That to some bettir state he maie attain. Lydgate was a monk of Bury, who wrote about the same time with Chaucer. Out of his prologue to his third book of The Fall of Princes a few stanzas are se lected, which, being compared with the style of his two contemporaries, will show that our language was then not written by caprice, but was in a settled state. LIKE a pilgrime which that goeth on foote, I meane as thus, I haue no fresh licour Nor of theyr springes clere and christaline, That sprange by touchyng of the Pegase, Their fauour lacketh my making ten lumine I fynde theyr bawme of so great scarcitie, To tame their tunnes with some drop of plentie For Poliphemus throw his great blindnes, Hath in me derked of Arges the brightnes. Our life here short of wit the great dulnes With werines my spirite to assayle, Thus was I sct and stode in double werre At the metyng of feareful wayes tweyne, The one was this, who euer list to lere, Whereas good wyll gan me constrayne, Bochas taccomplish for to doe my payne, Came ignoraunce, with a menace of drede, Fortescue was chief justice of the Common-Pleas, in the reign of king Henry VI. He retired in 1471, after the battle of Tewkesbury, and probably wrote most of his works in his privacy. The following passage is selected from his book of The Difference betwcen an absolute and limited Monarchy. HYT may peraventure be marvelid by some men, why one Realme is a Lordshyp only Royall, and the Prynce thereof ruly th yt by his Law, callid Jus Regale; and another Kyngdome is a Lordschip, Royall and Politike, and the Prince thereof rulyth by a Lawe, callyd Jus Politicum & Regale; sythen thes two Princes beth of egall Astate. To this dowte it may be answeryd in this manner; The first Institution of thes twoo Realmys, upon the Incorporation of them, is the Cause of this di versyte. When Nembroth by Might, for his own Glorye, made and incorporate the first Realme, and subduyd it to hymself by Tyrannye, he would not have it governyd by any other Rule or Lawe, but by his own Will; by which and for th' accomplishment thereof he made it. And therefor, though he had thus made a Realme, holy Scripture denyyd to cal hym a Kyng, Quia Rex dicitur a Regendo; Whych thyng he dyd not, but oppressyd the People by Myght, and therfor he was a Tyrant, and callid Primus Tyrannorum. But holy Writ callith hym Robustus Venator coram Deo. For as the Hunter takyth the wyld beste for to scle and eate hym; so Nembroth subduyd to him the People with Might, to have their service and their goods, using upon them the Lordschip that is callid Dominium Regale tantum. After hym Belus that was callid first a Kyng, and after hym his Sone Nynus, and after hym other Panyms; They, by Example of Nembroth, made them Realmys, would not have them rulyd by other Lawys than by their own Wills. Which Lawys ben right good under good Princes; and their Kyngdoms a then most resemblyd to the Kyngdome of God, which reynith upon Man, rulyng him by hys own Will. Wherfor many Crystyn Princes usen the same Lawe; and therfor it is, that the Lawys sayen, Of the works of Sir Thomas More i was necessary to give a larger specimen both because our language was then in great degree formed and settled, and be cause it appears from Ben Jonson, the his works were considered as models pure and elegant style. The tale, whic is placed first, because earliest written, will show what an attentive reader will, in perusing our old writers, often remark, that the familiar and colloquial part of our language, being diffused among those classes who had no ambition of refinement, or affectation of novelty, has suffered very little change. There is another reason why the extracts from this author are more copious: his works are carefully and correctly printed, and may therefore be better trusted than any other edition of the English books of that or the preceding ages. A merry iest how a sergeant would learne to playe the frere. Written by maister Thomas More in hys youth. WYSE men alway, Affyrme and say, That best is for a man: Di igently, For to apply, The business that he can, And in no wyse, To enterpryse, For he that wyll, And can no skyil, Is neuer like to the. He that hath lafte, The hosiers crafte, And falleth to making shone, His thrift is welt nigh done. To goe to writyng scole, I wene shall proue a fole. And an olde trot, Nothyng but kysse the cup, Tyll she haue soused hym vp. A man of lawe, That neuer sawe, The wayes to bye and sell, I wish to spede hym well. By all the meanes he may, His money cleane away, Shall proue a thrifty man, I cannot tell you whan. In philosophy, Or a pedlar, Ware a medlar, In theology, All that ensue, Suche craftes new, They driue so farre a cast, That euermore, They do therfore, Beshrewe themselfe at last. This thing was tryed And verefyed, Here by a sergeaunt late, Rapped about the pate, A little play the frere: Take hede and ye shall here. It happed so, Not long ago, A thrifty man there dyed, An hundred pounde, Of nobles rounde, That had he lavd a side: His son ne he wolde, Should haue this golde, His chylde, well thrise, That money was to smal. Yet or this day, I have hard say, That many a man certesse, Hath with good cast, Be ryche at last, That hath begonne with lesse. His money to imploy, To see it was a joy, His ship, or by mischaunce, Men with sum wile, Myght hym begyle, And minish his substaunce, For to put out, Al maner dout, He made a good puruay, Came ignoraunce, with a menace of drede, Fortescue was chief justice of the Common-Fleas, in the reign of king Henry VI. He retired in 1471, after the battle of Tewkesbury, and probably wrote most of his works in his privacy. The following passage is selected from his book of The Difference between an absolute and limited Monarchy. HYT may peraventure be marvelid by some men, why one Realme is a Lordshyp only Royall, and the Prynce thereof rulyth yt by his Law, callid Jus Regale; and another Kyngdome is a Lordschip, Royall and Politike, and the Prince thereof rulyth by a Lawe, callyd Jus Politicum & Regale; sythen thes two Princes beth of egall Astate. To this dowte it may be answeryd in this manner; The first Institution of thes twoo Realmys, upon the Incorporation of them, is the Cause of this di versyte. When Nembroth by Might, for his own Glorye, made and incorporate the first Realme, and subduyd it to hymself by Tyrannye, he would not have it governyd by any other Rule or Lawe, but by his own Will; by which and for th' accomplishment thereof he made it. And therefor, though he had thus made a Realme, holy Scripture denyyd to cal hym a Kyng, Quia Rex dicitur a Regendo; Whych thyng he dyd not, but oppressyd the People by Myght, and therfor he was a Tyrant, and callid Primus Tyrannorum. But holy Writ callith hym Robustus Venator coram Deo. For as the Hunter takyth the wyld beste for to scle and cate hymn; so Nembroth subduyd to him the People with Might, to have their service and their goods, using upon them the Lordschip that is callid Dominium Regale tantum. After hymn Belus that was callid first a Kyng, and after hym his Sone Nynus, and after hym other Panyms; They, by Example of Nembroth, made them Realmys, would not have them rulyd by other Lawys than by their own Wills. Which Lawys bon right good under good Princes; and their Kyngdoms a then most resemblyd to the Kyngdome of God, which reynith upon Man, rulyng him by hys own Will. Wherfor many Crystyn Princes usen the same Lawe; and therfor it is, that the Lawy's sayen, And Of the works of Sir Thomas More it was necessary to give a larger specimen, both because our language was then in a great degree formed and settled, and because it appears from Ben Jonson, that his works were considered as models of pure and elegant style. The tale, which is placed first, because earliest written, will show what an attentive reader will, in perusing our old writers, often remark, that the familiar and colloquial part of our language, being diffused among those classes who had no ambition of refinement, or affectation of novelty, has suffered very little change. A merry iest how a sergeant would learne to playe the frere. Written by maister Thomas More in hys youth. WYSE men alway, That best is for a man: Diligently, For to apply, The business that he can, And in no wyse, An other faculte, For he that wyll, And can no skyil, Is neuer like to the. He that hath lafte, And fal'eth to making shone, The smythe that shall, His thrift is well nigh done. A blacke draper, To goe to writyng scole, Becum a cutler, I wene shall proue a fole. And an olde trot, That can I wot, Nothy ng but kysse the cup, Tyll she haue soused hym vp. A man of lawe, That neuer sawe, The wayes to bye and sell, Wenyng to ryse, By marchaundise, I wish to spede hym well. A marchaunt eke, That wyll goo seke, By all the meanes he may, His money cleane away, I cannot tell you whan. There is another reason why the extracts from this author are more copious: his works are carefully and correctly printed, and may therefore be better trusted than any other, edition of the English books of that or the preceding ages. In philosophy, Or a pedlar, Ware a medlar, In theology, All that ensue, Suche craftes new, They driue so farre a cast, That euermore, They do therfore, Beshrewe themselfe at last. This thing was tryed And verefyed, Here by a sergeaunt late, Rapped about the pate, A little play the frere: Take hede and ye shall here. It happed so, Not long ago, A thrifty man there dyed, An hundred pounde, Of nobles rounde, That had he layd a side: His chylde, well thrise, That money was to smal. Yet or this day, I have hard say, That many a man certesse, Hath with good cast, Be ryche at last, That hath begonne with lesse. But this yonge manne, So well beganne, His money to imploy, To see it was a joy, His ship, or by mischaunce, Men with sum wile, Myght hym begyle, And minish his substaunce, For to put out, Al maner dout, He made a good puruay, |