Fiue hundred pointes of good husbandrie
Good huswiferie spareth
for feare ye wot what.
5
Ill huswiferie pricketh
hir selfe vp in pride.
Good huswiferie tricketh
hir house as a bride.
6
Ill huswiferie othing
or other must craue.
Good huswiferie nothing,
but needfull will haue.
7
Ill huswiferie mooueth
with gossep to spend.
Good huswiferie loueth
hir houshold to tend.
8
Ill huswiferie wanteth
with spending too fast.
Good huswiferie canteth[1][E463]
the lenger to last.
9
Ill huswiferie easeth
hir selfe with vnknowne.
Good huswiferie pleaseth
hir selfe with hir owne.
10
Ill huswiferie brooketh
mad toies in hir hed.
Good huswiferie looketh
that all things be fed.
11
Ill huswiferie bringeth
a shilling to naught.
Good huswiferie singeth,
hir cofers full fraught.
12
Ill huswiferie rendeth,
and casteth aside.
Good huswiferie mendeth,
else would it go wide.
13
Ill huswiferie sweepeth
her linnen to gage.
Good huswiferie keepeth,
to serue hir in age.
14
Ill huswiferie craueth
in secret to borow.
Good huswiferie saueth
to day for to morow.
15
Ill huswiferie pineth,
not hauing to eate.
Good huswiferie dineth,
with plentie of meate.
16
Ill huswiferie letteth
the Diuell take all.
Good huswiferie setteth
good brag of a small.
Good huswife good fame hath of best in the towne,
Ill huswife ill name hath of euerie clowne.
[1] scanteth. 1577.
_Thus endeth the booke of Huswiferie._
95.
_For men a perfect warning
How childe shall come by larning._
1
All you that faine would learne the perfect waie,
To haue your childe in Musick something séene,
Aske nature first what thereto she doth saie,
Ere further suite ye make to such a Quéene.
For doubtlesse _Grossum caput_ is not he
Of whom the learned Muses séene will be.[E464]
2
Once tride that nature trim hath done hir part,
And Ladie Musick farre[1] in loue withall,
Be wise who first doth teach thy childe that Art,
Least homelie breaker mar fine ambling ball.[E465]
Not rod in mad braines hand is that can helpe,
But gentle skill doth make the proper whelpe.
3
Where choise is hard, count good for well a fine,[E466]
Skill mixt with will, is he that teacheth best:
Let this suffice for teaching childe of thine,
Choose quickly well for all the lingring rest.
Mistaught at first how seldome prooueth well!
Trim taught, O God, how shortly doth excell!
4
Although as ships must tarrie winde and tide,
And perfect howers abide their stinted time;
So likewise, though of learning dailie tride,
Space must be had ere wit may thereto clime.
Yet easie steps, and perfect way to trust,
Doth cause good spéede, confesse of force we must.
5
Thus in the childe though wit ynough we finde,
And teacher good néere hand or other where,
And time as apt as may be thought with minde,
Nor cause in such thing much to doubt or feare.
Yet cocking Mams,[E467] and shifting Dads[E468] from schooles,
Make pregnant wits to prooue vnlearned fooles.
6
Ere learning come, to haue first art thou taught,
Apt learning childe, apt time that thing to frame,
Apt cunning man to teach, else all is naught,
Apt parents, glad to bring to passe the same.
On such apt ground the Muses loue to bilde,
This lesson learne; adue else learned child.
[1] ? faire [1614].
[In the edition of 1573, The Sonnet to Lady Paget, which follows the
Posies, is placed here.]
96.
¶ The description of a womans age by vi. times xiiij yeeres
prentiship, with a lesson to the same.
14. Two first seuen yeeres, for a rod they doe whine,
28. Two next, as a perle in the world they doe shine,
42. Two next, trim beautie beginneth to swerue,
56. Two next, for matrones or drudges they serue,
70. Two next, doth craue a staffe for a stay,
84. Two next, a beere to fetch them away.
A Lesson ( Then purchase some pelfe,
( by fiftie and thrée:
( or buckle thy selfe,
( a drudge for to bée.
97.
¶ _The Inholders posie._[1]
[1]
At meales my friend who vitleth here, and sitteth with his host,
Shall both be sure of better chere, and scape with lesser cost.[E469]
[2]
But he that will attendance haue, a chamber by himselfe,
Must more regard what pains do craue than passe of worldly pelfe.
[3]
Let no man looke to purchase linne[E470] with pinching by the waie,
But laie before he takes his Inne to make his purse to paie.
[4]
For nothing paie and nothing praie, in Inne it is the gise,
Where no point gain, there no point pain, think this if you be wise.
[5]
For toiling much and spoiling more, great charge smal gains or none,
Soone sets thine host at needams shore,[2][E471] to craue the beggers bone.
[6]
Foreséeing this, come day or night, take vp what place ye please.
Vse mine as thine, let fortune spight, and boldly take thine ease.
[1] Not in edition of 1573.
[2] A pun recorded by Ray. Needham is in Suffolk (M.).
98.
¶ _Certaine Table Lessons._
1
Friend, eat lesse, and drinke lesse,[1] and buie thee a knife,
else looke for a caruer not alway too rife.
Some kniueles their daggers for brauerie weare,
that often for surfetting neede not to feare.[E472]
2
At dinner and supper the table doth craue
good fellowly neighbour good manner to haue.
Aduise thee well therefore, ere tongue be too free,
or slapsauce be noted too saucie to bee.
3
If anything wanteth or seemeth amis,
to call for or shew it, good maner it is.
But busie fault finder, and saucie withall,
is roister like ruffen, no manner at all.
4
Some cutteth the napkin, some trencher will nick,
some sheweth like follie, in many a trick.
Let such apish[2] bodie so toieng at meate,
go toie with his nodie, like ape in the streate.[E473]
5
Some commeth vnsent for, not for thy good cheere,
but sent[3] as a spiall, to listen and heere.
Which being once knowne, for a knaue let him go,
for knaue will be knauish, his nature is so.
[1] eateles and drinkles. 1577.
[2] Let apishle. 1577.
[3] bent. 1577.
99.
¶ _Lessons for waiting servants._
1
One diligent seruiture, skilfull to waight,
more comelieth thy table than other some eight,
That stand for to listen, or gasing about,
not minding their dutie, within nor without.
2
Such waiter is fautie that standeth so by,
vnmindful of seruice, forgetting his ey.
If maister to such giue a bone for to gnaw,
he doth but his office, to teach such a daw.
3
Such seruiture also deserueth a check,
that runneth out fisging[E474] with meat in his beck.
Such rauening puttocks for vittles so trim,
would haue a good maister to puttock with him.
4
Who daily can suffer, or else can afoord,
his meat so vp snatched that comes from his boord?
So tossed[1] with cormorants, here and there some,
and others to want it that orderlie come?
5
Good seruiture waieth (once dinner begon,)
what asketh attendance and what to be don.
So purchasing maister a praise with the best,
gets praise to himselfe, both of maister and gest.
[1] toesed. 1577.
100.
¶ _Husbandly posies for the hall._
1
Friend, here I dwell, and here I haue a little worldly pelfe,
Which on my friend I kéepe to spend, as well as on my selfe.
2
What euer fare you hap to finde, take welcome for the best,
That hauing then disdaine thou not, for wanting of the rest.
3
Backbiting[E475] talk that flattering blabs know wily how to blenge,
The wise doth note, the friend[E476] doth hate, the enmie will reuenge.
4
The wise will spend or giue or lend, yet kéepe to haue in store,
If fooles may haue from hand to mouth, they passe vpon no more.
5
Where ease is sought, at length we sée, there plentie waxeth scant,
Who careles liues go borow must, or else full often want.
6
The world doth think the welthy man is he that least shall néed,
But true it is the godlie[1] man is he that best shall spéed.
[1] Cf. _ante_, ch. 72, st. 2.
101.
¶ _Posies for the parler._
1
As hatred is the serpents noisome rod,
So friendship is the louing gift of God.
2
The dronken friend is friendship very euill,
The frantike friend is friendship for the Deuill.
3
The quiet friend all one in word and déede
Great comfort is, like ready gold at néede.
4
With bralling fooles that wrall for euerie wrong,
Firme friendship neuer can continue long.
5
In time that man shall seldome friendship mis,
That waith what thing touch kept in friendship is.
6
Oft times a friend is got with easie cost,
Which vsed euill is oft as quickly lost.
7
Hast thou a friend, as hart may wish at will?
Then vse him so to haue his friendship still.
8
Wouldst haue a friend, wouldst knowe what friend is best?
Haue God thy friend, who passeth all the rest.
102.
¶ _Posies for the gests chamber._
1
The slouen and the careles man, the roinish[E477] nothing nice,
To lodge in chamber comely deckt, are seldome suffred twice.
2
With curteine som make scaberd clene, with couerlet their shoo,
All dirt and mire some wallow bed, as spanniels vse to doo.
3
Though bootes and spurs be nere so foule, what passeth some thereon?
What place they foule, what thing they teare, by tumbling thervpon.
4
Foule male some cast on faire boord, be carpet nere so cléene,
what maners careles maister hath, by knaue his man is séene.
5
Some make the chimnie chamber pot to smell like filthie sink,
Yet who so bold, so soone to say, fough, how these houses stink?
6
They therefore such as make no force what comly thing they spil,
Must haue a cabben like themselues, although against their wil.
7
But gentlemen will gently doe where gentlenes is sheawd,
Obseruing this, with loue abide, or else hence all beshreawd.
103.
¶ _Posies for thine owne bed chamber._
1
What wisdom more, what better life, than pleseth God to send?
what worldly goods, what longer vse, than pleseth God to lend?
2
What better fare than well content, agréeing with thy wealth?[1]
what better gest, than trustie friend, in sicknes and in health?
3
What better bed than conscience good,[2] to passe the night with sléepe?
what better worke than daily care fro sinne thy selfe to kéepe?
4
What better thought, than think on God and daily him to serue?
What better gift than to the poore that ready be to sterue?
5
What greater praise of God and man, than mercie for to shew?[3]
who merciles shall mercie finde, that mercie shewes to few?
6
What worse despaire, than loth to die for feare to go to hell?
what greater faith than trust in God, through Christ in heauen to dwell?
[1] what mirth to godly welth. 1577.
[2] quiet rest. 1577.
[3]
----than hatred to forsake
What merciles shall mercy get, that mercy none will take. 1577.
[1573 M.].
104.
¶ _A Sonet to the Ladie Paget._
[1]
Some pleasures take,
and cannot giue,
but onely make
poore thanks their shift:
Some meaning well,
in debt doo liue,
and cannot tell
how else to shift.
[2]
Some knock and faine
would ope the doore,
to learne the vaine
good turne to praise:
Some shew good face,
and be but poore,
yet haue a grace,
good fame to raise.
[3]
Some owe and giue,
yet still in det,
and so must liue,
for aught I knowe:
Some wish to pay,
and cannot get,
but night and day
still more must owe.
[4]
Euen so must I, for seruice past,
Still wish you good while life doth last.
105.
¶ _Principall points of Religion._
1
To praie to God continually,
To learne to know him rightfully.
2
To honour God in Trinitie,
3
The Trinitie in vnitie.
The Father in his maiestie,
The Sonne in his humanitie,
The holie Ghosts benignitie,
Three persons, one in Deitie.
4
To serue him alway holily,
5
To aske him all thing needfully,