[Explicit the book of curtesye]  

Caxton

lytyl Iohn syth your tendre enfancye 
Stondeth as yet vnder / in difference 
To vice or vertu to meuyn or applye 
And in suche age ther is no prouidence 
Ne comenly no sad Intelligence 
But as waxe resseyueth prynte or fygure 
So children ben disposid of nature 

Vyce or vertue to folowe and enpresse 
In mynde / and therfore / to styre & remeue 
You from vice / and to vertu addresse 
That one to folowe / and that other teschewe 
I haue deuysed you / this lytyl newe 
Instructo~n / acordyng vnto your age 
Playne in sentence / but playner in la~gage 

Take hede therfore / and herkne what I saye 
And gyue therto / your good aduertence 
Lete not your ere be here & your herte awaye 
But put ye therto / besy diligence 
Leyng aparte al wantown Iusolence 
Lerneth to be vertuous / and wel thewed 
Who wil not lerne / nedely he must be lewed 

Afore alle thing / and principally 
In the morenyng / whan ye vp rise 
To worshipe god / haue in memorie 
With crystes crosse / loke ye blesse you thrise 
Your pater noster / saye in deuoute wyse 
Aue maria / with the holy crede 
Thenne alle the day / the better shal ye spede 

And while that ye be aboute honestly 
To dresse your self / & do on~ your araye 
With your felawe / wel and tretably 
Oure lady matyns / loke that ye saye 
And this obseruan~ce / vse ye euery daye 
With pryme and ouris / withouten drede 
The blessid lady / wil quyte you your mede 



Kembe your hede / & loke ye kepe it clene 
Your eres tweyne / suffre not fowl to be 
In your visage / wayte no spot be sene 
Purge your nose / lete noman in it see 
The vile mater / it is none honeste 
Ne with your bare honde / no filth fro it fecche 
For that is fowl / and an vnairtoys teche 

Your hondes wesshe / it is an holsom thing 
Your naylis loke / they be not gety blacke 
Ne fusfre not hem / to be ou{er} longe growyng 
To your araye / I warne you good hede take 
That manerly ye fytte it vp and make 
Your hood . gowne. hosyn / & eke your sho 
With al your aray longyng your body to 

Kepe you clene / and lose not your gere 
And or ye passe / out of your loggyng 
Euery garment / that ye shal on were 
Awayte wel / that it be so syttyng 
As to your degre / semeth acordyng 
The~ne wil men saye / forsoth this childr is he 
That is wel taught / and louyth honeste 

And as ye walke / and passe by the strete 
Be ye not nyce of chere / and countenaunce 
But loke my child / to folkes that ye mete 
Ye speke fayr / with wordes of plesaunce 
Demure and curtoys / of your demenaunce 
To hym that is your felawe and pere 
Eyue ye fair langage / and afrendly chere 


Caste no styck ne stone at fowle ne beest 
And where ye walke / bewarre ye ne rage 
For yf ye doo / ye shal to brecheles feest 
Terre not with hou~d in felde ne in vilage 
Go forth your waye / demenyng your viage 
In sobre wyse / that men may of you saye 
A goodly chyld / ther passeth by the waye 

And whan ye come to ye chirche my litil child 
Holy water / ye shal vpon you caste 
Byfore ye crosse / with chere meke & mylde 
Knele adoun~ / and knocke on your breste 
Thankyng the good lord yt on it did reste 
And there / for you susfryd his sides to blede 
Saye ye or ye rise / pat{er} noster / aue / & a crede 

Auyse you wel also / for ony thinge 
The chirche of prayer / is hous and place 
Beware therfore / of clappe or Iangelyng 
For in ye chirche / it is a ful grete trespaas 
And a token of suche / as lackyth grace 
There be ye demure / and kepe ye scilence 
And serue ye god / with al your diligence 

To helpe the preest / whan he saith masse 
Whan it shal happen you or betyde 
Remeue not fer / ne from his presence passe 
Knele or stonde ye / deuoutly hym besyde 
And not to nygh your to~ge muste be applide 
Tanswere hym / with boys ful moderate 
Auyse you wel / my lityl childe algate 



To mynystre / with deuoute reuerence 
Loke ye do / youre humble obseruan~ce 
Debonairly / with due obedyence 
Circumspectly / with euery circumstaunce 
Of poort and chere / of goodly countenan~ce 
Remembryng wel the lord / a boue is he 
Whom to serue / is grettest liberte 



And whan ye speke / loke men in the face 
With sobre chere / and goodly semblaunce 
Caste not your eye a syde / in other place 
For that is a token of wantoun~ inconsia~ce 
Whiche wil appeyre your name & disauan~ce 
The wise ma~ saith who hath these thi~gis thre 
Is not lyke a good man for to be 



In herte he seith / who that is inconstan~te 
A waueryng eye / glydyng sodeynly 
Fco place to place / & afoot varian~te 
That in no place / abydeth stably 
These ben ye signes / the wisema~ seith sikerly 
Of suche a wight / as is vnmanerly nyce 
And is ful likely disposid vnto vyce 



Awayte my chylde / whan ye sta~de atte table 
Of maister or souerayn / whether it be 
Appl ye you for to be seruysable 
That no defaute in you founden be 
Loke / who doth best / and hym ensiewe ye 
And in especyal / vse ye attendaunce 
Wherein ye shal your self best auaunce 



As ye be comanded / so do ye algate 
Be not causeles / fro the table absent 
It is a grete plesure / to the hyghe estate 
To see his seruauntis aboute hym present 
Haunte no halke / for then~e ye wil be shente 
Lete maner & mesure / be your gydes tweyne 
So shal ye best plese / I dar sauely seyne 



Rewarde also the loke and contenaunce 
Of your maister / or of your souereyne 
So shal ye best preue. what is his plesan~ce 
Or els displesaunce / this is soth serteyne 
The chere discouerith / often bothe tweyne 
And eke ye chere / somtyme may you addresse 
In thi~gis / yt la~gage may not them expresse 



And that ye her loke / kepe alway secree 
Besy reporte / of mischief is chief noryse 
Mykyl langage / may not al fawtles bee 
Then~e do my childe / as techeth you the wyse 
Whiche vnto you / this lesson doth deuyse 
Here and see / and be styll in euery prees 
Passe forth your way in scilence & in pees 



And yet in auenture / yf the caas require 
Ye may speke / but ye muste thenne {per}caas 
Seue~ co~dico~ns obserue / as ye may now hyre 
Auyse you wel / what ye saye / & in what place 
Of whom / & to whom in your mynde co~pace 
How ye shal speke / & whan take good hede 
This con~celith the wise man withoute drede 

 

Awayte my chylde / ye be haue you manerly 
Whan at your mete / ye sitte at the table 
In euery prees and in euery company 
Dispose you to be so compenable 
That men may of you veporte for {con}me~dable 
For trusteth wel / vpon your beryng 
Men wil you blame or gyue preysyng 



And prynte ye trewly your memorie 
For a princypal point of fair noreture 
Ye depraue no man absent especyally 
Saynt austyn amonessleth with besy cure 
How men atte table / shold hem assure 
That there escape them / no suche langage 
As myght other folke hurte to disparage 



This curtoys clerk / writeth in this wise 
Rebukyng the vice / of vyle detracco~n 
What man it be / that of custom & guyse 
Hurteth with tunge / or by foule colusio~n 
Thabsente / weyue ye for that abusion~ 
Suche a detractour / from the table 
As vnworthy / and also reprochable 



Whan ye sitte therfore at your repaste 
Annoye ye noman presente nor absente 
But speke ye fewe / for yf ye make waste 
Of large langage / for sothe ye must be shent 
And whan ye speke / speke ye with good e~te~t 
Of maters acordyng vnto plesance 
But nothi~g / that may cause men greuan~ce 



Eschewe also tacches of foule raueyne 
Of gredy luste / with vncurteys appetyce 
Prece not to sone / fro your viand restreyne 
Your honde a while / with manerly respite 
Fede you for necessite / & not for delite 
Demene you with mete / & drynke so sobrely 
That ye not ben enfecte with glotony 



Enbrewe not your vessel / ne your naprye 
Ouer maner & mesure / but kepe hem clene 
Ensoyle not your cuppe / but kepe it clenlye 
Lete no fat farsione / on your lippes be sene 
For that is fowle / ye wote what I mene 
Or than ye drynke / for your owen honeste 
Your lippes wype / and clenly loke they be 



Blowe not in your dri~ke ne in your potage 
Ne farse not your dishe to ful of brede 
Bere not your knyf / to ward your visage 
For therin is parell / and mykyl drede 
Clawe not your visage / touche not your hede 
With your bare honde / sittyng atte table 
For in norture / suche thing is reprouable 



Lose not your gyrdel / sittyng at your mete 
For that is a tacche / of vncurtesye 
But yf ye seme / ye be embraced streite 
Or than ye sytte / amende it secretly 
So couertly that no wight you espye 
Beware also / no breth fro you rebounde 
Vp ne doun~ / leste ye were shameful founde 



Be ye husht in chambre / scylent in halle 
Herken wel and gyue good audience 
Yf vssher or marchal for ony rumour calle 
Put ye Ianglers to rebuke for silence 
Be ye myld of langage / demure of eloque~ce 
Enforce you vnto hym conformed to be 
That can moste good / and hath humanyte 



Touche not with your mete / salt t~ the saler 
Lest folk apoynte you of vnconnyngnesse 
Dresse it aparte / vpon a clene trencher 
Farse not your mouth to ful / for wa~tonesse 
Lene not vpon the table / for that rude is 
And yf I shal to you playnly saye 
Ouer the table / ye shal not spetel conueye 



Yef ye be serued / with metes delicate 
Departe with your felowe / in gentil wise 
The clerck saith / nature is conte~t & saciate 
With mene diete / and litil shal susfyse 
Departe therfore / as I you deuyse 
Engrose not / vnto your self all 
For gentilnes / wil aye be liberall 



And whan percaas your seruise is not large 
Gruccheth not / with frownyng contenan~ce 
Ne make therof / not to mykyl charge 
Dispose you to goodly suffran~ce 
And what ye haue / take it in suffysan~ce 
Be ye plesid with suche as god hath you sent 
He hath ynough / that can hold hym conte~t 



Burnysshe no bones / with your teth / beware 
Suche houndis tacchis / falle of vncurtesye 
But with your knyf / make the bones bare 
Handle your mete / so wel and so clenly 
That ye offende not the company 
Where ye be sette / as ferforth as ye can 
Reme~bryng wel / that maners make man~ 



And whan that / ye ete your mete small 
With open mouth / beware ye not ete 
But loke your lippes / be closed as a wall 
Whan to and fro / ye trauerse your mete 
Kepe you so cloos / that men haue no co~seite 
To saye of you / ony langage or vilonys 
Bicause ye ete your mete / vnmanerly 



Beware my child / of laughyng ou{er} mesure 
Ne at the borde / ye shal no naylis pare 
Ne pyke your teth / with knyf / I you eusure 
Ete at your messe / and other folkes spare 
A gloton can but make the bones bare 
And of ynough / he taketh neuer hede 
He fedith more for lust / than for nede 



And whan ye borde is thynne / as of seruyse 
Nought replenesshed with grete diuersite 
Of mete & dri~ke good chere may then~ fuffise 
With honest talkyng / and also ought ye 
With gladsom chere / thenne fulsom for to be 
The poete saith / hou that a poure borde 
Men may enriche / with chereful wil &    worde 



And one thing my chylde / ye vnderstonde 
In especyall / for your owne honeste 
In the water / wasshe so clene your honde 
That your towel / neuer enfoyled be 
So fowle / that it be lothsom on to see 
Wasshe with water / your hondes so cleene 
That in the towel shal no spotte be sene 



Lete not your spone / in your disshe sto~ding 
Ne vpon the table / it shold not lye 
Lete your trenchour / be clene for ony thing 
And yf ye haue chan~ge / yet as honestly 
As ye can / make a wyde manerly 
So that no fragme~t / fro your tre~cher falle 
Do thus my chylde / in chambre & in halle 



And whan another man / spekith atte table 
Beware ye enterrupte not / his langage 
For that is a thinge discomendable 
And it is no signe of folkes sage 
To be of langage / besy and outrage 
For the wyse ma~n said / in his sentence 
He shold be wyse / that gyueth audience 



Vnderstonde therfore or than ye speke 
Prynte in your mynde / clerly the sentence 
Who that vsith / a mannes tale to breke 
Letteth vncurteysly / alle the audyence 
And hurteth hym self / for lack of science 
He may not gyue answere conuenyente 
That herith not fynally / what is mente 



But beware my child / also of rehersayll 
Of maters / whiche ben atte table meuid 
It greuith ofte / and doth men disauayle 
Ful many a man / yt vice hath myscheuid 
Of euyl thing said / is werse contryuid 
Suche reportis / alway my child eschewe 
As may of olde fre~dis / make enemyes new 



Aduise you wel whan ye take your disporte 
Honest gamee / [...]hat ye haunte and vse 
And suche as ben of vylayns reporte 
I counceyl you my chyld / that ye refuse 
For truste ye wel / ye shal you not excuse 
From brecheles feste / and I may you espye 
Playng at ony game of rybawdrye 



It is to a godly chyld wel syttyng 
To vse disportes of myrthe & plesan~ce 
To harpe or lute / or lustely to synge 
Or in the prees right manerly to daunce 
Whan men se a chyld of suche gouernance 
They saye / glad may this chyldis fre~dis be 
To haue a chylde / so manerly as is he 



Excersise your self also in redyng 
Of bookes enorned with eloquence 
Ther shal ye fynde / bothe plesir & lernyng 
So that ye may / in euery good presence 
Somwhat fynde / as in sentence 
That shal acorde / the tyme to ocupy 
That ye not nede / to stonden ydelly 



It is fayr / for to be comyn[...]catyf 
In maters vnto purpose acordyng 
So that a wyght seme excers yf 
For trusteth wel / it is a tedyous thyng 
For to here a chylde / multeplye talkyng 
Yf it be not to the purpose applyed 
And also with / goodly termys alyed 



Redeth gower in his wrytyng morall 
That anucyent fader of memorye 
Redeth his bookes / called confessionall 
With many another vertuous trayttye 
Ful of sentence / set ful fructuosly 
That hym to rede / shal gyue you corage 
He is so ful of fruyt• sente~ce and langage 



O fader and founder of ornate eloquence 
That enlumened hast alle our bretayne 
To soone we loste / thy laureate scyence 
O lusty lyquour / of that fulsom fontayne 
O cursid deth / why hast thou yt poete slayne 
I mene fader chaucer / maister galfryde 
Alas the whyle / that euer he from vs dyde 



Redeth his werkis / ful of plesaunce 
Clere in sentence / in langage excellent 
Briefly to wryte / suche was his suffysan~ce 
What euer to saye / he toke in his entente 
His langage was so fayr and pertynente 
It semeth vnto mannys heeryng 
Not only the    worde / but verely the thynge 



Redeth my chylde / redeth his bookes alle 
Refuseth none / they ben expedyente 
Sentence or langage / or bothe fynde ye shall 
Ful delectable / for that good fader mente 
Of al his purpose / and his hole entente 
How to plese in euery audyence 
And in our tunge / was welle of eloquence 



Beholde Ocklyf in his translacon~ 
In goodly langage / & sente~ce passyng wyse 
How he gyueth his prynce / suche exortacon~ 
As to the hyest / he coude best deuyse 
Of trouthe• pees• mercy• and Justise 
And vertues / leetyng for no slouthe 
To do his deuoir & quite him of his trouthe 



Required hym / as ayenst his souerayne 
Most drad & louyd / wos excellent hyenes 
He aduertysed / by his wrytyng playne 
To vertu / apperteynyng to nobles 
Of a prynce / as bereth good witnes 
His traytye / entitled of regymente 
Compyled of entyer trewe entente 



Loke also / vpon dan John lydgate 
My maister whylome / monke of berye 
Worthy to be renomed / as poete laureate 
I praye to god in blysse his soule be mercy 
Syngyng Yex splendens that heuenly kyrye 
Amonge the muses nyne celestyall 
Byfore the hyest Jubyter of all 



Passyng the muses nyne of Elycon~ 
Where is non pareyl of armonye 
Thider I truste my meistres soule begone 
The sterrid paleys / aboue the dapplyd skye 
There to synge sanctus incessantly 
Amonge the muses ix celestyall 
Byfore the hyest / Jubiter of all 



Redeth his volumes / that ben large & wyde 
Seueryly set / in sadnes of sentence 
Enlumyned with colours fressh on euery side 
Me lacketh witte / I haue none eloquence 
To gyue hym lawde / after his excellence 
For I dar saye / he lefte hym not a lyue 
That coude his co~nyng / sufficiently discriue 



But his werkis / his laude / muste nede co~{que}re 
They may neuer / out of remembraunce dye 
His werkis shal his name conueye & bere 
Aboute the world / almost eternely 
Lete his owe~ werkis preyse hym & magnefie 
I dar not preyse / for fere lest I offende 
My la~gage / shold rather apeyre than amende 



Loo my child / these faders auncyente 
Repen the feldes fresshe of fulsomnes 
The flours fresh they gadred vp & hente 
Of siluer langage / the grete riches 
Who wil it haue my lityl childe doutles 
Muste of hem begge / ther is nomore to saye 
For of our tunge / they were both lok & kaye 



Ther can noman~ now her werhis disteyne 
The enbamed tunge / and aureate sentence 
Men gete it now / by cantelmele & gleyne 
Here and there by besy diligence 
And fayne wold reche / her craft of eloque~ce 
And by the gleyne / it is ful oft seue 
In whos felde / the gleyners haue bent 



And vnto me / age hath bode good morowe 
I am not able clenly / for to gleyne 
Nature is fayn~ of craft / her eyen to borowe 
Me lacketh clerenes / of myn eyen tweyne 
Begge I maye / gleyne I can not certeyne 
Therfore ye werck / I wil playnly remytte 
To folkis yong / more passyng clere of witte 



Seche ye therfore / and in caas ye fynde 
Such gleynors fressh as haue som~ appare~ce 
Of fayr langage / yet take hem & vnbynde 
And preue ye / what they be in existence 
Colourd in langage / sauerly in sentence 
And doubte not my childe / withoute deede 
It wil prouffite to see suche thingis & red 



Yet eft sones my child / lete vs resorte 
To thentente of yur first matere 
Degressed somwhat / for we wold reporte 
And reuiue the laude of hem that were 
Famous in our langage / these faders dere 
Whos sowles in blysse / god et{er}nel aua~nce 
That lysten so our langage to enhaunce 



Then~e lityl Iohn / I counceyl you that ye 
Take hede to the norture / that men vse 
Newe founde / or auncyent whether it be 
So shal no man your curtoisye refuse 
The guyse & custom / my child shal you excuse 
Me~nys werkis / haue often enterchan~ge 
That nowe is norture / so~tyme had be stran~ge 



Thingis whilom vsed / ben now leyd a syde 
And newe feetis / dayly ben contreuid 
Mennys actes / can in no plyte abyde 
They be changeable and ofte meuid 
Thingis somtyme alowed / is now repreuid 
And after this / shal thinges vp aryse 
 t men set now / but at lytyl pryse 



This mene I my childe / yt ye shal haunte 
The guyse of them / that do most manerly 
But beware of vnthryft ruskyn galan~te 
Counterfeter of vnconnyng curtoisye 
His tacchis ben enfecte with vilonye 
Vngyrte. vnblyssed. seruyng atte table 
Me semeth hym a seruan~t nothing able 



Wynter and somer to his souereyne 
Capron hardy / no bonet lyste to auak 
For euery word / gyui~g his maister tweyne 
Auauntparler / in enery mannys tale 
Absolon / with disheueld heeris smale 
Lyke to a prysoner of seynt malowis 
A sonny busshe / able to go to the galowis 



O I passe norture fy fy for shame 
I myght haue said he shold go hauke & honte 
For that shold be a gentilmans game 
To suche disportes / gentil folkes be wonte 
I sayd to ferre / my langage was to blonte 
But yet sir gala~te wha~ ye shal bowe or knele 
He goth by compace round as doth a whel 



Braced so strayt / that he may not plye 
But gaderith it / by maner of a wyndelas 
And he ought wrenche a syde / or a litil wrie 
His geer stondeth then~e / m ful parlo{us} caas 
His sho / his hose / doblet / point & laas 
And yf ought breke / som~e tu~ges yt be bad 
Wil mocke & saie / a knaue hath broke a lad 



Lete galante go / I mene recheles ruskyn~ 
Take hede my chylde to suche as be connyng 
So shal ye best worship conquere & wynne 
Enforce you in al your demenyng 
To folowe vertu / & fro folye declynyng 
And waite wel that ye loue honeste 
Whiche is accrdyng vnto humanyte 



That is for you / to vnderstonde & knowe 
That your araye / be manerly resonable 
Not apysshe / on to mocken ne to mowe 
To nyce araye / that is not commendable 
Fetis newe founden by fooles vn{pro}uffitable 
That make ye world so plainly tra~sformate 
That men semen almoste enfemynate 


Playe not Jack malapert / that is to saye 
Beware of presumpco~n / beware of pryte 
Take not ye first place my child by the waye 
Tyl other be sette / right manerly abyde 
Presumptuo{us} ben often set a syde 
And alleday aualyd / as men may see 
And he is sette vp / that hath humylyte 



To connynd person~s regarde ye take 
Where ye be sette / right in ententyf wyse 
Connyng folk / connyng men shal make 
To their co~nyng ye shal make your surmise 
And as they do / ye muste your self deuyse 
For this my child / is as the gospel trewe 
Who wil be co~nyng / he must ye co~nyng sewe 



And one thing / I warne you specyally 
To womanhede / take awe alweye 
And them to serue / loke ye haue an eye 
And theire com~andementis that ye obeye 
Plesant wordes I auyse you to them seye 
And in alle wyse / do ye your diligence 
To do them plesure / and reuerence 



And at this tyme this tretye shal suffise 
Dispose you / to kepe it in your mynde 
The doctrine whiche for you I deuyse 
And doubteth not / ful wel ye shal it finde 
To your honour / enrolle it vp and bynde 
Right in your breste / and at your riper age 
I shal wryte to you / herof the surplusage 



Go lytyl John / and who doth you appose 
Sayng your quayer / kepe non accordance 
Telle hym as yet / neyther in ryme ne prose 
Ye ben expert / praye hym of suffran~ce 
Chyldren muste be / of chyldly gouernan~ce 
And also they muste entretyd be 
With esy thing / and not with subtylte 
Go lytil quayer / submytte you euery where 
Vnder correcto~n of benyuolence 
And where enuye is / loke ye come not there 
For ony thing / kepe your tretye thens 
Enuye is ful of froward reprehens 
And how to hurte / lyeth euer in a wayte 
Kepe your quayer / that it be not ther bayte 

Explicit the book of curtesye.