[290] It is scarcely necessary to mention that formerly all priests were
styled Sir. One of John Heywood's interludes is called: _A Play between
Johan the Husband, Tyb the Wife, and Sir Johan the Prest_. In an old
ballad in the Ashmole Collection, beginning, "Adew! my pretty pussy,"
there is this passage:--
"But the gyrld ys gon, syr, With a chokynge bon, syr, For she hath got
Syr John, syr, And ys oure vyckars wyff."
[291] Thwarted, crossed.
+ _Of the olde man that put him selfe in his sonnes handes._ ciii.
+ There was a certayne olde man, whiche let his sonne to mary, and to
brynge his wyfe and his chyldren to dwelle with him, and to take all the
house in to his owne hande and gydinge. So a certeyne tyme the olde man
was sette and kepte the vpper ende of the table; afterwarde they sette
him lower, aboute the myddes of the table; thyrdely they set him at the
nether ende of the table; fourthly he was set amonge the seruantes;
fyfthly they made him a couche behynde the halle dore, and cast on him
an olde sacke clothe. Nat longe after, the olde man died. Whan he was
deed, the yonge mans sonne came to him and sayde: father, I prey you
gyue me this olde sacke cloth, that was wonte to couer my graundfather.
What woldest thou do with it, sayde his father? forsoth, sayd the
chylde, it shall serue to couer you whan ye be olde, lyke as it did my
grandfather;--at whiche wordes of the chylde this man ought to haue ben
ashamed and sory. For it is wryten: sonne, reuerence and helpe thy
father in his olde age, and make him not thoughtfull and heuy in his
lyfe, and though he dote, forgyue it him. He that honoreth his father,
shall lyue the longer, and shall reioyce in his owne chyldren.[292]
+ _Of hym that had a flye peynted in his shilde._ ciiii.
+ A yonge man, that on a tyme went a warfare, caused a flye to be
peynted in his shylde, euen of the very greatnes of a flye; wherfore
some laughed at him and sayde: ye do well, because ye wyll not be
knowen. Yes, quod he, I do it because I wyll be knowen and spoken of.
For I wyll approch so nere our enemys, that they shall well decerne what
armes I beare.
Thus it, that was layde to him for a blame of cowardise, was by his
sharpe wytte turned to a shewe of manlynes; and the noble and valiaunt
Archidamus sayde: shotte of crossebowes, slynges, and suche lyke ingins
of warre are no proffe of manhode; but whan they come and fyghte hande
to hande, appereth who be men and who be not.