The Fyrst Boke of the Introduction of Knowledge made by Andrew Borde ... A Compendyous Regyment or A Dyetary of Helth made in Mountpyllier, compyled by Andrewe Boorde ... Barnes in the Defence of the Berde: a Treatyse made, answerynge the Treatyse of Doctor Borde vpon Berdes: Edited, with a life of Andrew Boorde, and large extracts from his Breuyary by F. J. Furnivall |
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| 1. | The fyrst chapter treateth of the naturall dysposicion
of an Englyshman, and of the noble realme of
England, & of the money that there is vsed. |
| 2. |
| 3. |
| 4. |
| v. |
| vi. |
| vii. |
| viii. |
| ix. |
| x. |
| xi. |
| xii. |
| xiii. |
| xiiii. |
| xv. |
| xvi. |
| xvii. |
| xviii. |
| xix. |
| xx. |
| xxi. |
| xxii. |
| xxiii. |
| xxiiii. |
| xxv. |
| xxvi. |
| xxvii. |
| xxviii. |
| xxix. |
| xxx. |
| xxxi. |
| xxxii. |
| xxxiii. |
| xxxiiii. |
| xxxv. |
| xxxvi. |
| xxxvii. |
| xxxix. |
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 | The fyrst chapter treateth of the naturall dysposicion
of an Englyshman, and of the noble realme of
England, & of the money that there is vsed. The Fyrst Boke of the Introduction of Knowledge made by Andrew Borde |  |
116
1. The fyrst chapter treateth of the naturall dysposicion of an Englyshman, and of the noble realme of England, & of the money that there is vsed.
I am an English man, and naked I stand here,Musyng in my mynde what rayment I shal were;
For now I wyll were thys, and now I wyl were that;
Now I wyl were I cannot tel what.
All new fashyons be plesaunt to me;
I wyl haue them, whether I thryue or thee.
117
What should I do, but set cocke on the hoope?
What do I care, yf all the worlde me fayle?
I wyll get a garment, shal reche to my tayle;
Than I am a minion, for I were the new gyse.
The next yere after this I trust to be wyse,
Not only in wering my gorgious aray,
For I wyl go to learnyng a hoole somers day;
I wyll learne Latyne, Hebrew, Greeke and Frenche,
And I wyl learne Douche, sittyng on my benche.
I do feare no man; all men feryth me;
I ouercome my aduersaries by land and by see;
I had no peere, yf to my selfe I were trew;
Bycause I am not so, dyuers times I do rew.
Yet I lake nothyng, I haue all thynge at wyll;
Yf I were wyse, and wolde holde my self styl,
And medel wyth no matters not to me partayning,
But euer to be trew to God and [to] my kynge.
But I haue suche matters rolling in my pate,
That I wyl speake and do, I cannot tell what;
No man shall let me, but I wyl haue my mynde,
And to father, mother, and freende, I wyl be vnkynde;
I wyll folow myne owne mynd and myn old trade;
Who shal let me, the deuyls nayles vnpared?
Yet aboue al thinges, new fashions I loue well,
And to were them, my thryft I wyl sell.
In all this worlde, I shall haue but a time;
Holde the cuppe, good felow, here is thyne and myne!
118
The Auctor respondith.
O good Englyshe-man, here what I shall say:Study to haue learnyng, with vertue, night and day;
Leue thy swearyng, and set pryde a syde,
And cal thou for grace, that with thee it may byde;
Than shall al nacions, example of the take,
That thou hast subdued syn, for Iesus Christes sake.
And werkes of mercy, and charyte, do thou vse;
And al vyces and syn, vtterly refuse;
Than al countreys a confluence wyl haue to thee,
To haue knowledge of trueth and of the veryte,
Of lernyng of Englyshe, of maners also.
Iesus I beseche, to kepe thee from all wo,
And send thee euer fortune, and also much grace,
That in heauen thou mayst haue a restyng place.
122
The apendex to the fyrst Chapter, treatinge of Cornewall, and Cornyshe men.
Iche cham a Cornyshe man, al[e] che can brew;
It wyll make one to kacke, also to spew;
It is dycke and smoky, and also it is dyn;
It is lyke wash, as pygges had wrestled dryn.
Iche cannot brew, nor dresse Fleshe, nor vyshe;
Many volke do segge, I mar many a good dyshe.
Dup the dore, gos! iche hab some dyng to seg,
‘Whan olde knaues be dead, yonge knaues be fleg.”
Iche chaym yll afyngred, iche swere by my fay
Iche nys not eate no soole sens yester daye;
Iche wolde fayne taale ons myd the cup;
Nym me a quart of ale, that iche may it of sup.
A, good gosse, iche hab a toome, vyshe, and also tyn;
Drynke, gosse, to me, or els iche chyl begyn.
God! watysh great colde, and fynger iche do abyd!
Wyl your bedauer, gosse, come home at the next tyde.
Iche pray God to coun him wel to vare,
That, whan he comit home, myd me he do not starre
For putting a straw dorow his great net.
Another pot of ale, good gosse, now me fet;
For my bedauer wyl to London, to try the law,
To sew Tre poll pen, for waggyng of a straw.
Now, gosse, farewell! yche can no lenger abyde;
Iche must ouer to the ale howse at the yender syde;
And now come myd me, gosse, I thee pray,
And let vs make mery, as longe as we may.
It wyll make one to kacke, also to spew;
It is dycke and smoky, and also it is dyn;
It is lyke wash, as pygges had wrestled dryn.
Iche cannot brew, nor dresse Fleshe, nor vyshe;
Many volke do segge, I mar many a good dyshe.
Dup the dore, gos! iche hab some dyng to seg,
‘Whan olde knaues be dead, yonge knaues be fleg.”
Iche chaym yll afyngred, iche swere by my fay
Iche nys not eate no soole sens yester daye;
Iche wolde fayne taale ons myd the cup;
Nym me a quart of ale, that iche may it of sup.
A, good gosse, iche hab a toome, vyshe, and also tyn;
Drynke, gosse, to me, or els iche chyl begyn.
God! watysh great colde, and fynger iche do abyd!
Wyl your bedauer, gosse, come home at the next tyde.
Iche pray God to coun him wel to vare,
That, whan he comit home, myd me he do not starre
For putting a straw dorow his great net.
Another pot of ale, good gosse, now me fet;
For my bedauer wyl to London, to try the law,
To sew Tre poll pen, for waggyng of a straw.
Now, gosse, farewell! yche can no lenger abyde;
Iche must ouer to the ale howse at the yender syde;
123
And let vs make mery, as longe as we may.
| The fyrst chapter treateth of the naturall dysposicion
of an Englyshman, and of the noble realme of
England, & of the money that there is vsed. The Fyrst Boke of the Introduction of Knowledge made by Andrew Borde | |