kinge's grace. But now I shal, I think, because of this chance, get leave this next weke to come home and se you, and then shall we further devyse together uppon all thinges what order shal be best to take.

And thus as hartely fare you well, with all our children as ye can wishe. At Woodestok, the thirde daye of Septembre, by the hand of Thomas More, Knight.

Your louing husbande.

Occupations of the Utopians.

The chiefe and almooste the only offyce of the Syphograuntes,■ is to see and take hede that no manne sit idle: but that euerye one applye hys owne craft with earnest diligence. And yet for all that, not to be wearied from earlie in the morninge to late in the euenninge with continuall worke, like labouringe and toylinge beastes. For this is worse then the miserable and wretched condition of bondemen, which neuertheles is almoste everye where the type of workemen and artificers sauing in Utopia. For they diuidynge the daye and the nyghte into xxiiii iuste houres, appointe and assigne onelye sixe of those houres to woorke before noone, upon the whiche they go streighte to diner; and after diner, whe they have rested two houres, then they worke iii houres and upon that they go to supper. About eyghte of the cloke in the eueninge (counting one of the clocke at the firste houre after noone) they go to bedde; eyght houres they geue to slepe, all the voide time, that is betwene the houres of worke slepe and meate, that they be suffered to bestowe every man as he liketh best himself. Not to thintent that they shold mispend this time in riote or slouthfulness: but beynge then licensed from the laboure of their oune occupations, to bestow the time well and thriftelye upon some other science as shall please them. For it is a solempne custom there to have lectures daylye early in the morning, where to be presente they onely be constrained that be namelye chosen and apoynted for learninge. But if others, that are not made for contemplation, choose rather to employ themselves at that time in their trades, as many of them do, they are not hindered, but are rather commended as men that take care to serve their country. After supper they each town, each presiding over thirty families.

The name of a magistrate in Utopia; there were two hundred Syphogrants in

spend an hour in some diversion, in summer in their gardens, and in winter in the halls where they eat, when they entertain each other with either musick or discourse. They do not so much as know dice, or any such foolish and mischievous games. .

But the time appointed for labour is to be narrowly examined, otherwise you may imagine, that since there are only six hours appointed for work, they may fall under a scarcity of necessary provisions. But it is so far from being true that this time is not sufficient for supplying them with plenty of all things, either necessary or convenient, that it is rather too much; and this you will easily apprehend if you consider how great a part of all other nations is quite idle. First, women generally do little, who are the half of mankind, and if some few women are diligent, their husbands are idle; then consider the great company of idle priests, and of those that are called religious men; add to these all rich men, chiefly those that have estates in land, who are called noblemen and gentlemen, together with their families, made up of idle persons that are kept more for show than use; add, further, all those strong and lusty beggars that go about pretending some disease in excuse for their begging; and upon the whole account you will find that the number of those by whose labours mankind is supplied is much less than you perhaps imagine; then consider how few of those that work are employed in labours that are of real service, for we who measure all things by money, give rise to many trades that are both vain and superfluous, and serve only to support riot and luxury. Thus, since they are all employed in some useful labour, and since they content themselves with fewer things, it falls out that there is a great abundance of all things among them; so that it frequently happens, that for want of other work, vast numbers are sent out to mend the highways. But when no public undertaking is to be performed, the hours of working are lessened, The magistrates never engage the people in unnecessary labour; since the chief end of the constitution is to regulate labour by the necessities of the public, and to allow all the people as much time as is necessary for the improvement of their minds, in which they think the happiness of life consists.

Utopia, booke in. Translated by Raphe Robynson, p. 55.

Richard the Thirde.

Richarde, the third sonne, of whom we now entreate, was in wille and corage egall with either of them, in bodye and prowesse farre vnder them bothe, little of stature, ill-fetured of limmes, croke backed, his left shoulder much higher then his right, hard fauored of visage, and suche as is in states called warlye, in other menne otherwise; he was malicious, wrathfull, enuious, and from afore his birth euer frouarde. None euill captaine was hee in the warre, as to whiche his disposicion was more metely then for peace. Sundrye victories hadde hee, and sommetime ouerthrowes. but neuer in defaulte as for his owne parsone, either of hardinesse or polytike order, free was hee called of dyspence and sommewhat aboue hys power liberall, with large giftes he was fain to pil and spoyle in other places and get him stedfast hatred. Hee was close and secrete, a deepe dissimuler, lowlye of countenaunce, arrogant of heart, outwardly coumpinable where he inwardely hated, not letting to kisse whome hee thoughte to kyll: dispitious and cruell, not for euill will alway, but often for ambicion and either for the suretie or encrease of his estate. Frende and foo was much-what indifferent where his aduauntage grew, he spared no man's deathe whose life withstoode his purpose.

The History of King Richarde the Thirde, written about 1513.
Lond., 1557, Singer's reprint, p. 9.

44. Sir David Lyndsay, 1490-1557. (Handbook, par. 87.) Author of The Dreme (1528); an account of the miseries of Scotland under the Douglasses; The Complaint (1529); The Complaint of the King's Popingo (popinjay or parrot), a satire on the Church (1530); the Satyre on the Three Estatis (1535), on the state of the kingdom; The History of Squire Meldrum, deemed his liveliest piece, and the last of the old metrical romances; and The Monarchie, a history of the world, and of Scotland especially, from the Creation to the day of Judgment.

Grievances of a Scottish Peasant in the Sixteenth Century. Pauper. My father was an auld man and ane hoar,

And was of age four score (of) years or more,

And Mald, my mother, was four score and fifteen,
And with my labour I did them baith sustene.

. Hoary.

We had ane meira that carryit salt and coal,

And ever ilk year she brought us hame ane foal.
We had three ky, that was baith fat and fair,

Nan tidier into the toun of Ayr.

My father was sae waik of bluid and bane

That he deit, wherefore my mother made greate mane;
Then she deit within ane day or two,

And there began my poverty and wo.

Our gude grey meir was baitand on the field,
And our land's laird took her for his heryield.
The vicar took the best cow by the heid
Incontinent, when my father was deid.

And when the vicar heard tell how that my mother
Was deid, fra hand, he took till him the other.

Then Meg, my wife, did murn baith even and morrow,
Then at the last she deit for verie sorrow;

And when the vicar heard tell my wife was deid,

The third cow he cleikit by the head.

Their upmest clais, that was of raploch' grey,
The vicar gart his clark bear them away.
When all was gane, I micht mak nae debeat,
But with my bairns passed for till beg my meat.
Now have I tauld you the black veritie
How I am brocht unto this misery.

From the Satire of the Three Estates.

The Exactions of the Law.

Pauper. I lent my gossoph my meir to fetch hame coals
And he her droun'd into the querrel' holes,

• Mare.

• Died. Feeding.

And I ran to the consistory for to plenyé,*
And there I happened amang ane greedy menyé.'
They gave me first ane thing they call citandum;
Which aucht days I gat but libellandum;
Within ane month I gat ad opponendum ;
In ane half year I gat inter loquendum;

An syne I gat-how call ye it ?-ad replicandum;
But, I could never ane word yet understand him.

Tribute as heritor.

And then they gart me cast out mony placks,b
And gart me pay for four and twenty acts;
But or they came half gate to concludendum,
The fient a plack was left for to defend him.
Thus they postpon'd me twa year, with their train,
Syne, hodie ad octo, bade me come again.
And then thie rooks they roupit wonder fast,'
For sentence silver they cryit at the last.
Of pronunciandum they made me wonder fain;
But I gat ne'er my gude grey meir again.

45. John Bale, 1495-1563.

From the Satire of the Three Estates.

(Handbook, pars. 242, 294, 308.)

From Kynge Johan.

For non other cawse God hath kyngs constytute

And gevyn them the sword, but forto correct all vyce.
I have attempted this thing to execute

Uppon transgressers accordyng unto justyce;
And be cawse I wyll not be parcyall in myn offyce
For theft and murder to persones spirytuall,

I have ageynst me the pristes and the bysshopper all
A lyke dysplesure in my fathers tyme ded fall,
Forty yeres ago, for ponyshment of a clarke.
No cunsell myght them to reformacyon call,

In ther openyon they were so stordy and so starke,
But ageynst ther prynce to the pope they dyd so barke,
That here in Ynglond in every cyte and towne
Excommunycacyons as thonder bolts came downe.

Kynge Johan. Edited by J. P. COLLIER, Camden Soc., 1838

46. Sir Thomas Wyat, 1503-1541. (Handbook, pars. 67, 84.) A great traveller, and one of our earliest polished satirists.