First and formost, in all your thoughts, words, and deeds, Fear God, have before your eyes the feare of God..... serve your lord faithfully, love and serve your lord willingly, faithfullye, and secretlye; be courteous to your fellows. love and live with your fellowes honestly, quiettlye, curteouslye, that noe man have cause either to hate yow for your stubborne frowardnes, or to malice yow for your proud ungentlenes, two faults which commonly yonge men soones[t] fall into in great men’s service. Despise no poor man. Contemne noe poore man, mocke noe simple man, which proud fooles in cort like and love to doe; find fault with your selfe and with none other, the best waye to live honestlye and quiettly in the court. Carry no tales. Carrye noe tales, be noe common teller of newes, be not inquisitive of other menn’s talke, for those that are desirous to heare what they need not, commonly be readye to babble what they shold not. Tell no lies. Vse not to lye, for that is vnhonest; speake not everye truth, for that is vnneedfull; yea, in tyme and place a harmlesse lye is a greate deale better then a hurtfull truth. Don’t play at dice or cards. Use not dyceing nor carding; the more yow use them the lesse yow wilbe esteemed; the cunninger yow be at them
the worse man yow wilbe counted. Take to your lord’s favourite sport. for pastime, love and learne that which your lord liketh and vseth most, whether itt be rydeing, shooteing, hunting, hawkeing, fishing or any such exercise. Beware of secrett corners and night sitting vp, the two nurses of mischiefe, unthriftines, losse, and sicknes. Beware of idleness. Beware cheifely of ydlenes, the great pathway that leadeth directly to all evills; be diligent alwayes, Always be at hand when you’re wanted. be present every where in your lord’s service, be at hand to call others, and be not ofte sent for yourselfe; for marke this as part of your creed, that the good service of one whole yeare shall never gett soe much as the absence of one howre may lose, when your lord shall stand in need of yow to send. if yow consider alwayes that absence and negligence must needes be cause of greife and sorrowe to your selfe, of chideing and rueing to your lord, and that Diligence will get you praise. dutye done diligently and presently shall gaine yow profitt, and purchase yow great praise and your lord’s good countenance, yow shall ridd me of care, and wynne your selfe creditt, make me a gladd man, and your aged mother a ioyfull woman, and breed your freinds great comforth. God be with you! Soe I comitt and commend yow to God’s mercifull proteccion and good guidance, who long preserve Your ever loving and affectionate brother in lawe.
R. ASKAM.
To my loveing Brother in Lawe, Mr C. H., Servant to the Rt. Hon. the Earle of Warwick, these.
OR A ‘LYTYL REPORTE’ OF HOW YOUNG PEOPLE SHOULD BEHAVE.
[MS. Harl. 5086, fol. 86-90; ab. 1475 A.D.]
In the printed book, some line numbers were shifted to avoid collision with the pilcrow symbol at the beginning of each stanza. For this e-text, numbers have been regularized to multiples of 4.
My God, support me while I translate this treatise from Latin.