Early English Meals and Manners Part 80

He is the Phisition that knoweth thy sore, 548 And can to health A-gayne thee restore.

[Sidenote: Iames the .i.]

[Sidenote: Ask in faith, and what you ask you shall have; He is more merciful than pen can tell.]

Aske then in fayth, Not doubtynge to haue; 552 The thynges ye desyre ye shall then receaue; So they be lawfull Of G.o.d to requyre, 556 He wyll the heare and graunt thy desyre; More mercifull he is then pen can expresse, 560 The aucthor and geuer here of all goodnesse.

[Sidenote: Math. x.]

"All ye that laboure and burdened be, 564 I wyll you refreshe In commynge to me."

These are Chrystes wordes, the scripture is playne, 568

[Sidenote: [sign. B. vii.b.]]

Spoken to all suche as here suffre payne; Our wylles to his worde then let vs frame, 572 The heauenly habytacion therby we may clame.

[Sidenote: Behave nicely in church, and don't talk or chatter.]

In the churche comly thy selfe do behaue, 576 In vsage sober, thy countinaunce graue.

whyle you be there, taulke of no matter, 580 Nor one with an other whisper nor chatter.

[Sidenote: Behave reverently; the House of Prayer is not to be made a fair.]

Reuerently thy selfe Order alwaye 584 when to the Churche thou shalt come to pray: Eche thynge hath his tyme, Consyder the place, 588

[Sidenote: Luke .xix.]

For that is a token of vertue and grace,

[Sidenote: [sign. B viii.]]

The Lorde doth call it the house of prayer 592 And not to be vsed As is a fayer.

[Headnote: AGAINST GAMING, AND FOR VIRTUE.]

-- The fruites of gamynge, vertue and learnynge.

Capitulo .vi.

[Sidenote: Avoid dicing and carding.]

++O Lytle chylde, Eschewe thou euer game,-- 596 For that hath brought Many one to shame,-- As dysynge, and cardynge, And suche other playes, 600 which many vndoeth, as we se nowe a dayes.

[Sidenote: Cicero.]

But yf thou delyght In any earthly thynge, 604

[Sidenote: Delight in Knowledge, Virtue, and Learning.]

Delyght in knowledge, Vertue, and learnynge, For learnynge wyll leade thee to the schoole of vertue, 608

[Sidenote: [sign. B. viii.b.]]

And vertue wyll teache thee Vice to subdue.

Vice beynge subdued, thou canst not but floryshe; 612

[Sidenote: Happy is he who cultivates Virtue.]

Happy is the man that vertue doth norysh.

By knowledge lykewyse thou shalt doubtes discerne, 616 By vertue agayne thy lyfe well gouerne.

These be the frutes By them we do take, 620

[Sidenote: Cursed is he who forsakes it.]

Cursed is he then that doth them forsake.

But we erre in wyt In folowynge our wyll, 624 In iudgynge that good which playnly is yll.

[Sidenote: Let reason rule you, and subdue your l.u.s.ts.]

Let reason thee rule, and not will thee leade 628 To folowe thy fansie, A wronge trace to treade.

[Sidenote: [sign. C. i.]]

But subdue thy l.u.s.te, and conqeur thy wyll 632 If it shall moue thee to doe that is yll;

[Sidenote: These ills come from gambling: strife, murder, theft, cursing and swearing.]

For what hurte by game to many doth growe, 636 No wyse man I thynke but doth it well knowe.

Experience doth shewe and make it manifeste 640 That all good men can it but deteste, As strife and debate, murder and thefte, 644 whiche amonge christians, wolde G.o.d were lefte, with cursynge and bannynge, with swearyng and tearyng, 648 That no honest harte can abyde the hearyng: These be the fruites that of them doth sprynge, 652

[Sidenote: [sign. C. i.b.]]

with many more as euill that cometh of gamynge.

[Sidenote: _How to behave when conversing._]

-- How to behaue thy selfe in taulkynge with any man. Capitulo .vii.

++If a man demaunde a question of thee, 656

[Sidenote: Isocra.]

In thine aunswere makynge be not to hastie;

[Sidenote: Understand a question before you answer it; let a man tell all his tale.]

waie well his wordes, the case vnderstande 660 Eare an answere to make thou take in hande, Els may he iudge in thee little wit, 664 To answere to a thynge and not heare it.

Suffer his tale whole out to be toulde, 668 Then speake thou mayst, and not be controulde;