in Palmestrie, wherby to conueie to chast eares, som fond or
filthie taulke:
And if som Smithfeild Ruffian take vp, som strange
going: som new mowing with the mouth: som wrinchyng
with the shoulder, som braue prouerbe: som fresh new othe,
that is not stale, but will rin round in the mouth: som new
disguised garment, or desperate hat, fond in facion, or gaurish
in colour, what soeuer it cost, how small soeuer his liuing be,
by what shift soeuer it be gotten, gotten must it be, and vsed
with the first, or els the grace of it, is stale and gone: som
part of this gracelesse grace, was discribed by me, in a little
rude verse long ago.
_{To laughe, to lie, to flatter, to face:
{Foure waies in Court to win men grace.
{If thou be thrall to none of thiese,
{Away good Peek goos, hens Iohn Cheese:
{Marke well my word, and marke their dede,
{And thinke this verse part of thy Crede._
Would to God, this taulke were not trewe, and that som
mens doinges were not thus: I write not to hurte any, but to
{Councell. | // proffit som: to accuse none, but to monish
Ill{ | // soch, who, allured by ill counsell, and folowing
{ | // ill example, contrarie to their good bringyng vp,
{Company. | // and against their owne good nature, yeld ouer-
moch to thies folies and faultes: I know many seruing men,
Seruinge // of good order, and well staide: And againe, I
men. // heare saie, there be som seruing men do but ill
_Terentius._ // seruice to their yong masters. Yea, rede _Terence_
_Plautus._ // and _Plaut._ aduisedlie ouer, and ye shall finde in
those two wise writers, almost in euery commedie, no vn-
Serui cor- // thriftie yong man, that is not brought there vnto,
ruptelæ // by the sotle inticement of som lewd seruant.
iuuenum. // And euen now in our dayes _Getæ_ and _Daui_,
_Gnatos_ and manie bold bawdie _Phormios_ to, be preasing in,
Multi Ge- // to pratle on euerie stage, to medle in euerie
tæ pauci // matter, whan honest _Parmenos_ shall not be hard,
Parmeno- // but beare small swing with their masters. Their
nes. // companie, their taulke, their ouer great experience
_the brynging vp of youth._ 209
in mischief, doth easelie corrupt the best natures, and best
brought vp wittes.
But I meruell the lesse, that thies misorders be emonges
som in the Court, for commonlie in the contrie // Misorders
also euerie where, innocencie is gone: Bashful- // in the coun-
nesse is banished: moch presumption in yougthe: // trey.
small authoritie in aige: Reuerence is neglected: dewties be
confounded: and to be shorte, disobedience doth ouerflowe the
bankes of good order, almoste in euerie place, almoste in euerie
degree of man.
Meane men haue eies to see, and cause to lament, and
occasion to complaine of thies miseries: but other haue
authoritie to remedie them, and will do so to, whan God shall
think time fitte. For, all thies misorders, be Goddes iuste
plages, by his sufferance, brought iustelie vpon vs, for our
sinnes, which be infinite in nomber, and horrible in deede, but
namelie, for the greate abhominable sin of vn- // Contempt
kindnesse: but what vnkindnesse? euen such // of Gods
vnkindnesse as was in the Iewes, in contemninge // trewe Re-
Goddes voice, in shrinking from his woorde, in // ligion.
wishing backe againe for _ægypt_, in committing aduoultrie and
hordom, not with the women, but with the doctrine of Babylon,
did bring all the plages, destructions, and Captiuities, that fell
so ofte and horriblie, vpon Israell.
We haue cause also in England to beware of vnkindnesse,
who haue had, in so fewe yeares, the Candel of Goddes
worde, so oft lightned, so oft put out, and yet // _Doctrina_
will venture by our vnthankfulnesse in doctrine // _Mores._
and sinfull life, to leese againe, lighte, Candle,
Candlesticke and all.
God kepe vs in his feare, God grafte in vs the trewe
knowledge of his woorde, with a forward will to folowe it, and
so to bring forth the sweete fruites of it, & then shall he
preserue vs by his Grace, from all maner of terrible dayes.
The remedie of this, doth not stand onelie, // _Publicæ_
in making good common lawes for the hole // _Leges._
Realme, but also, (and perchance cheiflie) // _Domestica_
in obseruing priuate discipline euerie man care- // _disciplina._
fullie in his own house: and namelie, if speciall // _Cognitio_
regard be had to yougth: and that, not so moch, // _boni._