Meke in trouble, glad in pouerte,
Ryche with lytell, content with sufysaunce,
Neuer grutchynge, mery lyke thy degre,
If phesyke lacke, make this thy gouernaunce.

To euery tale soone gyue thou no credence,'
Be nat to hasty, ne sodaynly vengeable,

To pore folke do thou no vyolence,

h

Curteys of language, of fedynge 1 mesurable,
On sondry mete nat gredy at the table,
In fedynge gentyll, prudent in dalyaunce,
Close of tonge, of worde nat deceyuable,.
To saye the best, set alway thy pleasaunce.
Haue in hate mouthes that ben dowble,

Suffre at thy table no detraccion,
Haue dispite of folke, that make trowble, i
Of false rauenours, ⋆ and adulacion,
Within thy place, suffre no deuysion,
With thy housholde it shall cause encrease

m

Of all welfare, prosperyte and foyson; " With thy neyghboures, lyue in reste and peas.

Be clenely cladde, after thy estate,

Passe nat thy bondes, kepe thy promesse blyue, With thre folke be nat at debate:

Firste with thy better beware for to stryue,
Agaynst thy felawe no quarrell to contryue;
With thy subget to stryue it were shame,
Wherfore I counceyle pursue all thy lyue,
To lyue in peas, and get the a good name.

To euery tale geue no sodene credence. H.
Loke to powre folke thou do. H.

h in spendyng. B. M.

i Eschew suche folk as be full of trovbile. H. k rowners. MSS.

Fyre at morowe, and towarde bed at eue,

Agaynst mystes blacke, and ayre of pestylence, Betyme at masse, thou shalt the better cheue. Firste at thy rysynge to do God reuerence;

Vesyte the pore with entyer dylygence;

On all nedy, haue compassion;

And God shall sende grace and influence; The to encrease, and thy possession.

Suffre no surfytes in thy house at nyght;

Ware of rere suppers, and of great excesse; Of noddynge heedes, and candell lyght;

Of slouthe at morowe, and slombrynge ydelnesse, Whiche [of] all vyces, is chefe porteresse; Voyde all dronkenesse, lyers, and lechoures, Of al vnthryfty exyle the maystresse,

r

t

S

That is to say dyce, playes, and hasadoures."

X

After mete bewarre make nat to longe slepe,
Heed, fote, and stomake preserue aye from colde;

For. B. M.

9 The following lines are only in MS. H.

Be shreuyne ofte and flee occasione,

Drede thi god, and sadely onn hymm thou thynke,
Prayse hymm wit owt suasione,

And lett his kindnes euer onn the synk,

Be nott holy wit singuler countenaunce,
Ne not to solem butt kepe a goode mene,
In all thi wurke lese not thi sustynaunce,

Let thi worde and werke be honest and dene.

Fixt not thi sizt yn no woman's face,

Fle mych talkynge wit them I rede,

Leste thou be wit yn a lyttyll space,

Brought inn bale an serrer fro goode spede.

drounklow. MSS.

Of all vnthryffte thei be masterys. H. dyseplayers. B. M. u Kepe no displaiors nore no hastardis. H.

⚫s make ryght short. R.

Be nat to pensyfe, of thought take no kepe,
After thy rent gouerne thy housholde; 2
Suffre in tyme in thy ryght be bolde,
Swere none othes no man to begyle.

a

In youthe be lusty, and sad when thou arte olde, No worldly ioye lasteth but a whyle.

C

Dyne nat at morowe, before thyne appetyte,

Clere ayre and walkynge maketh good dygestyon, Bytwene meles drinke not for no forwarde delite,

d

But thyrste or trauayle gyue the occasion;
Ouer salte mete doth great oppression
To feble stomakes whan they can nat refrayne
Fro thynge contrary to theyr complexion;

e

Of gredy handes the stomake hath great payne.

This in two thynges, standeth al thy welthe

Of soule and body, who lyste them sewe;
Moderat fode gyueth to man his helthe,
And all surfettes than he doth eschewe.
And charite to the soule is dewe.
This receyte bought is of no potycary,
Of Mayster Anthony, ne of Mayster Hewe,
To all indifferent rychest dyetary."s

y mayntene. MSS.

2 Pay well thi seruaunts at the quarter ende,
Be not in dete fore no manner thinge.
To take wrongfully good put fro thi mynde,
Put ener all thineyburs in praysynge. H.

e By mistake of the copyist, in turning the leaf over, this line is wanting in the Harleian MS.

1 And all surfette dothe frome hym remeve. MSS.

But of Jeshu owre swete spy cer [y]. MSS.

The Kalendar concludes with the following chapter as "The Auctour's Balade;" transcribed from the edition of 1618, the other copy not having it perfect.

"O ye clarkes famous and eloquent,

Cunning is caught by reading and exercise,

Of noble matters full excellent,

And remember what Salomon saith the wise,

That praiseth businesse and idlenesse doth despise, And saith, he that many bookes doth read and see, It is full likely wisedome have shall he.

Remember clarks daily do their diligence,

Into our corrupt speech matters to translate, Yet between French and English is great difference,

Their language in reading is doulse and delicate, In their mother tongue they be so fortunate, They haue the bible and the Apocalipse of diuinity, With other noble books that now in English be.

And remember readers where euer ye go,

That hony is sweet, but cunning is sweeter,
Cato the great clarke sometimes said so,

How gold is good, and learning much better,
Yet many full good be, that neuer knew letter,

The following conclusion is only in MS. Hawkins.

The shoppe is his blessyde modire Mary,

As full of medycynes as cann be thouzt,

Now Jeshu owre leche zeue vs mercy,

And brynk vs to the blysse that he vs bouzt.

Amen, amen, so mote it be,

To Mary we pray that lilly flowre;

And all sayntes reioisynge in the trynyte,

Brynge vs to that hy glorious towre. Amen, for cheryte.

And yet vertuous none can be of liuing,

But first of priests and clarks they must haue learning.

Wherefore with patience I you all desire,

Beware of rising of false heresie :

Let euery perfect faith set your hearts a fire,
And the chaffe from the corne out to trie,
They that beleeueth amisse be worthie to die,
And he is the greatest foole in this world i wis,
That thinketh no man's wit so good as his.

Thus endeth the Shepheards Kalendere,

Drawne into English by God's reuerence;
And for profit and pleasure shall clarks to cheere,
Plainly shewed to their intelligence,

Out is doen, now readers to your diligence:
And remember that the printer saith to you this,
He that liueth well may not die amisse.

Conduit street.

Finis."

J. H.

ART. XXIV. A handeful' of pleasant delites, containing sundrie new sonets, and delectable histories in divers kindes of meeter: newly devised to the newest tunes, &c. by Clement Robinson and others. 1584. 16mo.*

"I SMILE to see how you devise

New masking nets my eyes to blear;

Your self you cannot so disguise,

But as you are you must appear.

*Since reprinted in Heliconia.