University of Virginia Library

The prologe of Alexāder Barclay vpon the four Uertues cardynal to his ryght honorable Mayster Gyles Alingtō Knyght Translate of the preface of dominyke Mācyne by hym wrytyn to Frederyke Seuerine busshop of Maleacence.

The fyrst reason.

Myne age wyll nat suffer/to wryte of sport or game
Wherto/wanton iuuent/moste wyllingly intende
To scottes and gestes/myne age wyll nat frame
Nor dissolute bourdis/whiche comons moste cōmende
Hoore age to yonge bourdes/shold nat it selfe extende
A man with hore heres/vncomely doth inclyne
To mysframyd fablys/or gesture femynyne

An olde man decrepyte/ladyd with lockys gray
And with berde lyke brystyls/dependynge on his chyn
With yonge mennys wepyn besemyth nai to play
To gāba wde nor florysshe/smale prayse so shall he wyn
And certis me semyth/his wyt is veray thyn
Whiche mynglyd with chyldren: and he a man of age
Wolde playe with cherystonys/or nuttys/by dotage

To catō/or curius howe yll wolde it agre
Or to sad fabricius/the Romayne moste famous
Forgettynge theyr honour/wysdome and grauyte
To wryte of thinge wanton: vayne/or venerious
To man resonable is as contrarious
To take on hym labour/or besynes nat mete
As to be a monstre/with assys head & fete

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Nat wele he presentith the wower in a daunce
But veray: yll he playeth the volage amorous
Which fettered in a gyue/wolde gambalde leap & prance
Attachyd to a chayne/of lynkys ponderous
So faynt crokyd age/frayle and oblyuyous
Aggrauat with yeres/as lynke ioyned to lynke
Of loue venereous/shulde nether speke nor thynke

If the crowe or cokkowe/pryuate of melody
With swan or nyghtingale/in synginge wolde cōpare
Al byrdes myght them scorne/& nat vnworthely
What shold a yrenmonger/mel with a grocers ware
Or salter with sylkes/ful symply cowde fare
As yonth showeth sportes/frayle luste and vanyte
So meddyl shulde men agyd/with thinge of grauite

The seconde reason.

Ferthermore/the order/holy and commendable
To whiche/god of mercy hath me associate
My fayth/and profession/sholde be inuiolable
Cōmaundynge my wrytynge/to be intemerate
These thre wyll none other/but after myne estate
My style and my wrytinge/insuyngly to sounde
On thinge that one goodnes/and vertue hath the groūde

And vtterly to wryte of thinge of holynes
And on the same to muse with pure and clene intent
To speke of holy fayth/of vertue and goodnes
What sholde a man/sacred/to god omnipotent
By god hauynge power/of euery sacrament
Sith god by soche gyftys/so greatly doth hym bynde
What shuld he frō goodnes tourne or wtdrawe his mynde

A warriour/or capitayne/dysposyd for to fyght
Thynketh on his wepyn/his harnes and armour
Hors/harnes/and speres/ar musynge of a knyght
The couetous merchant in mynde tourneth eche hour
His merchaundyse/changis/and fraudelent tresour
But the prystys musynge/laboure and exercyse
Shold be in proclaymynge/playne war agaynst vice

And in abydynge batayle/dayly agaynst syn
Deuisynge and musynge/with all labour and payne
To reconcyle synners/and people for to wyn
By word and example/he ought hym selfe cōstrayne
Men fallyn/and errynge/to lyft and call agayne
And brefely this ought he/to comfort ignorance
Exhortynge good lyuers/vnto perseuerance

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And bysely to watche/about our lordys folde
The wylde wolues chasynge/from pore & symple shepe
As redy at al season/to soucour yonge and olde
Them chefely attendynge/whome he hath cure to kepe
But no thynge is vyler/nor mouinge more to wepe
Than a preeste a rayler/dysdaynynge his honour
Or clothed as a courter/or cruell Sowdiour

With wepyn or armour/as one redy to fyght
Usurpynge wronge honour/to lyuynge repugnant
And where he/by order is callyd chrystys knyght
Te be a wordly rybawde/the name is dissonant
And thinge nat lesse vyler/is to be ignorant
Of maners vncomly/ageynst al honestee
As fable/or lawghynge stouke/of lewdest comonte

Contemnyd dysdayned/and without reuerence
For dyssolute maners/or wantynge of cōnynge
Or of hys chefe plesour/be set in vyolence
In dyscord/theft/surfet/frawde/malice or brawlynge
To repyne dysposyd/or lustys insuinge
And with al these vycys/haue wordes rybawdyous
What is more vucomely/or more contagious

Wherfore it nat semyth/a pryste only to kepe
His fame and his lyuynge: from vicys fre and quyte
But also hym semyth/for hurtynge of his shepe
Nought soundynge to foly/to comon nor to wryte
Thoughe worde be tollerable/what thynge one doth in dyte
If it be infectyd/by fowle contagion
By longe tyme red often/it hurteth many one

The thyrde reason.

And certaynly I knowe: whyle ye ar wont to rede
No thinge count ye plesant/to vertue repugnant
Or that to bad maners mynystryth any sede
And wele I consyder/your mynde is so constant
That to your prudent eares/nought sundeth more plesāt
Than tretyse conteynynge/in euident processe
The fourme of good liuynge/and grounde of holynes

To this be ye mouyd/of your nature benygne
Helpyd by mylde planete/and constellacion
If planetys haue power/or may helpe any thynge
So in tender age/your conuersacion
In vertue and lernynge/and lyke occupation
Besemynge your nature/your blode and your lynage
Cawsith you loue vertue/more veruently in age

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Also/conuersacyon/of wysemen and cōnynge
With whome ye ioy dayly/to be in company
Excityth your spyryt/aboue all other thynge
To the loue of vertue/and of philosophy
The fame and remembrance/of your auncestry
By manyfolde vertues/excityth you also
From vertue to vertue (as they haue done) to go

For certes the lawdes/renowm and worthy fame
And noble interpryses of olde progenitours
Ar left as bright sparcles/yonge myndes to inflame
And as sede prouokynge/theyr myndes to honours
Nat by ambicion/nor heapynge of tresours
Nor rentys augmentyd/without lawe or mesure
But by godly vertue/and maners clere and pure

So as in ver veruant/whan Phebus is shynynge
Swete showres descēdyng/with droppys chrystallyne
Ende wyth the drye groūde/cawsynge the plantes spring
Ryght so/ye regardinge/the hye vertues dyuyne
Of your olde forefaders/shall leaue vnto your lyne
Example of good maners/as fruytfull nutryment
To dewe them in vertue/as plantis to augment

But if I wolde purpose/here seriatly to wryte
The actes auncient/of your progenitours
My reason repugneth/for wantynge of respyte
For thinges lately done/by your predecessours
Excitynge noble hertes/to sewe them in honours
To wryte were longe processe/and nat expedient
Unto this my purpose/but inconuenient

But agayne to purpose/nowe to reuoke my style
Where as I fyrst began: this playne is myne entent
Wherfore/I nat purpose/vayne tryfyls to compyle
For to myne age/nor order/it is nat congruent
Nor to your prudent eares/no thinge conuenient
Wherfore me besemyth to wryte of grauite
Whiche to both our states: more comely may agre

Whiche a preste may wryte nat hurtynge his estate
Nor of honest name/obumbrynge nat his lyght
And that a knyght may rede/after lyke maner rate
To this I prepare me/after my symple myght
For longe haue I musyd/and stodyed day and nyght
What matter I myght wryte/to your auctoryte
To testyfye my loue/and my fydelyte

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In whiche two I knowlege/my self vnto you bounde
Wherfore to recompence/your dedes lyberall
At laste/longe tyme musynge/mete matter haue I fon̄de
That is the foure vertues/surnamyd cardynall
Whiche comely to be vsyd/ar vnto man mortall
For/them and theyr suers/god doth alway cōmende
Wherfore to my power/to wryte them I intende

To you these accordyth/these vnto you a[illeg.]we
Of you late procedynge/as of theyr heed fountayne
Your lyfe/as example/in wrytynge I Insue
For more than my writynge within it can contayne
Your maners perfourmyth: and doth therto attayne
So/towchynge these vertues/ye haue in your lyuynge
More then thre my meter/cōteynith in wrytinge

My dytyes indityd/may counsell many one
But nat you: your maners/surmountith my doctryne
Wherfore I regarde you/and your maners alone
After whose lyuynge/my processe I combyne
So other men instructinge/I muste to you inclyne
Conformynge my processe: as moche as I am able
To your sad behauour/and maners cōmendable

But thoughe your hye courage/belongynge to a knyght
Muse on gretter matters/than I intende to wryte
Yet al thinges endyd/at mornynge or at nyght
Rede this my rude meter/at layser and respyte
The Egle at al seasons/hath nat hyr moste delite
To fle to the clowdes/nor hyer in the Ayre
Some tyme nere lowe feldes/hyr pleasith to repayre

And oft hath she plesour in fleinge nere the grounde
So whan greater curys wyl graunte to you respyte
And whā your mynde from them: for season: is vnboūde
Graunt than to our musis/some pleasure and delyte
That gladly for to rede: which gladly I indyte
My spyrit shall reioyce/to here/that in effect
My werkes ye shal rede: And them mende & correct

For though in rude meter/my matter/I compyle
Men shal count it ornate/whan ye it lyst to rede
Your tonge shal it polyshe/garnysshe adorne and fyle
But this thinge omittynge/I purpose me to spede
To shewe in what order I purpose to procede
Fyrst of al/in meter/intende I for to shewe
Of fayre lady prudence/mother of al vertue

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Of whome lady Iustice/drawith hyr holy lyght
Of whome nexte ensuynge I wryte with breuite
Than thyrdly I purpose/for to discrybe the myght
Of a valyant courage/or magnanimyte
Redy forto suffer/all harde aduersyte
And than last intende I/by the deuyne suffraunce
To descrybe the maner of lady temperaunce

These four are four whelys/to chacet of vertue
To whiche: who ascendith/is great and gloriouse
And as a cōquerour/hym selfe playne shall he shewe
To all maner people tryumphant and famouse
And shalbe reputed/moche more victoryouse
More eurouse or happy/more stronge or fortunate
Than yf the hole worlde/by hym were subiugate.

Fewe kynges/fewe prynces/or worldely gouernours
Haue into this charet/ascendyd perfytely
For many in the worlde/haue ben great cōquerours
And them selfe haue suffred/subduyd of foly
But agayne to purpose/my matter to apply
Consyder ye your selfe/in redynge my wrytynge
And as in a myrrour/contemple your lyuynge

Nowe be ye my Iuge/in wrytynge/if my hande
Shall these four ymages/forge as they ought to be
Or yf the hande fulfyll/that mynde doth vnderstande
This thynge to determyne/haue ye auctoryte
Nowe wyll I here begyn/to wryte with breuyte
Wherof these four vertues/haue theyr origynall
For whan the grounde is clere/the warke is clerer all