A Good Lesson for Young Men

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¶[Here beginneth a] good lesson for yonge men.

The upper margin is trimmed.

Myne owne dere chylde, I rede and counseyle the

Whyle thou hast youth, and strength at thy wyll Delicta iuuentutis mee et ignorantias meas: ne memineris.Psalme. 24.

All synne and vyce, that thou refuse and flee

Thy precyous tyme, beware that thou do not spyll

It renneth away, it standeth neuer styll

Therfore beware, and fle from all outrage

There dyeth mo yonge, than lyueth to great age.

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[.............. how thou] thy lyfe hast spent The upper margin is trimmed. [.......... in porta.] Psalmus. 126

For euery worde and dede, that thou hast done

Thou mayst not scape, from thy iust Iugement

Therfore do so, that thou nede not to repent

That thyne enemyes, saye not to the chekmate

When thou shalt passe, and mete them in the gate.

¶Let the drede of god, now be thy brydell

And puruey for the tyme, that lasteth aye Initium sapientie timor domini. Psa. 110

From vertuous occupacyon, be not ydell

But get the ghostly rychesse, that thou may

The fygure of this worlde, goeth fast away fygure ='Importance, distinction', or 'style of living, ostentation, display'? See OED s.v. figure n, 8

He is ryche, that hath heuenly rychesse

All worldly myrth, shall ende in heuynesse.

¶Whyle thou arte yonge, be meke and seruyable Interroga patrem tuum et annunciabit tibi maiores tuos et dicent tibi. Deuter. 33.

Unto thy souereygnes, vse thou gentyll speche souereygnes: =sovereigns, 'superiors'

It is a thynge in youth, ryght commendable

To be more glad to lerne, than for to teche

Tyll thou mayst, to more knowlege a_reche

He that wyll teache, or he any good can

It wyll be longe, or he proue a wyse-man.

¶Fle from pryde, for that wyll haue a fall

For god resysteth, proude men euermore Iniquitatem si aspexi in corde meo: non exaudiet dominus Psalmus . 65.

Beware of enuy, it is b[i]tter as gall bitter] better 1540

Fle from wrath, or it wyll greue the sore

Kepe no malyce, within thyne herte in store

These wycked rotes, be as a dethes darte

My chylde set wysely, kepynge to thy herte. set ='set out'? See OED s.v. set v1, 106

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¶[.................................]The upper margin is trimmed. [...........] ebrietatem sectandam et potandum vsque ad vesperam vt vino estuetis. Esa. 5

Fle ryottous companye, where-so-euer thou go

It is great shame, a man to take excesse

For commonly a beest wyll not do so

Fle from slouth, it is a pleasaunt foo

A dilygent man wynneth, for body and soule

Where-as a slouthfull man, may chaunce lose all

¶Fle the fylthy synne of lecherye

For it is that, that god doth greatly hate

Beware thou speke, no wordes of rybaudrye

For all that here, therof some harme shall take

For euery worde, acounte thou must nede make Ex abundantia cordis os loquitur. Mathewe . 12.

Thy tonge wyll shewe, playnly what thou arte

A fylthy tonge, declareth a fylthy herte

¶Laboure truely, for to susteyne thy nede

To kepe thy body, from all indygence

Couet the blysse of heuyn, for thy me[d]e mede] mete 1540 Habebis Thesauros in celo. Mathewe 19. Marke . 12.

Couet contrycyon, for all thyne offence

Couet clene herte, and clene conscyence

Couet heuenly rychesse, that lasteth aye

Whiche no thefe can stele, nor bere a_way.

¶The .x. comaundementes, loke that thou kepe and holde

With all thy power, vnto thy lyues ende In via testimoniorum tuorum delectatus sum sicut in omnibus diuitiis. Ps. 118

Delyte in them, more then in syluer or golde

Loue all creatures, be it foo or frende

None is so euyl, but that he may amende

And mekely loke, vpon thy-selfe with-all Maledicti qui declinant a mandatis tuis. Idem.

None is so iust, but that he may fall

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¶[.............................]The upper margin is trimmed. [...secutionem] patiuntur propter iustitiam. Mathewe . 5.

It is a vertue, that is ryght excellent

Though thou somtyme, for trouth do suffre wronge

Thou shalte neuer be shamed, though thou be shent

To please god, set all thy hole entent Penetemini ergo et conuertemini, vt deleantur peccata vestra. Actes. 3.

Fle great othes and lyes, for they be euyll

For all lyers, be the chyldren of the deuyll

¶Haue stedfast fayth, with parfyte reuerence Quicumque manducauerit panem, et biberit calicem domini indigne / reus erit corporis et sanguinis domini. 1. Corynthi. 8

Unto the holy sacramentes all

The specyall remedy, for thyne offence

To ryse agayne by, whan that thou doest fall

Ordeyned of god, therfore moost specyall

Uery contrycyon, with confessyon true

To scape the payne, that for the synne is dewe. Confiteamur peccata nostra quoniam fidelis est deus vt remittat nobis. 1. Iohan. 1.

¶But where the serpent, lurketh in theyr herte

They saye that confessyon, is ryght nought

He is so lothe, from them to departe

They saye it is ynough, god knoweth our thought Confitemini alterutrum peccata vestra. Iames . 5.

We shall be safe, Chryst hath so dere vs bought

But who-so dothe, confessyon dispyse

The sacrament of the aultre, setteth at lytell pryse. Quodcumque solueritis super terram, erunt soluta et in celo. Mathewe . 16.

¶Fastynge and prayer, my chylde se that thou vse

To exclude synne, with all thy hole entent

Holy brede, and holy water, do thou not refuse Hoc autem genus demoniorum non eiicitur, nisi per orationem et ieiunium. Mathewe . 17 Marke . 9.

In takyng of them, be thou ryght reuerent

Thynke they were ordeyned, for a good entent

A specyall vertue, shalt thou fynde therin

Agaynst wycked spyrytes, and venyall synne. The copytext fragment ends here; the rest is wanting.