13. From the Persones (Parson's) Tale, in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, according to Wright's Edition :— about 1390.

A philosopher upon a tyme, that wolde have bete his disciple for his grete trespas, for which he was gretly amoeved, and brought a yerde (rod) to scoure (score) the child; and whan the child saugh the yerde, he sayde to his maister, What thenke ye to do? I wold bete the, quod the maister, for thi correccioun. Forsothe, quod the child, ye oughte first correcte youresilf, that han lost al your pacience for the gilt of a child. Forsothe, quod the maister al wepyng, thou saist soth; have thou the yerde, my deere sone, and correcte me for myn impacience.

14. From Lydgate's Poem entitled his Testament, according to Halliwell's Text, 1840:—about 1450.

During the tyme of this sesoun Ver,

I meene the sesoun of my yeerys greene,
Gynnyng fro childhood stretchith' up so fer
To the yeerys accountyd ful fifteene,
B' experience, as it was weel seene,
The gerisshe sesoun straunge of condiciouns
Dispoosyd to many unbridlyd passiouns;

Voyd of resoun, yove to wilfulnesse,
Froward to vertu, of thrift gafe litil heede,
Loth to lerne, lovid no besynesse

Sauf pley or merthe, straunge to spelle or reede,
Folwyng al appetites longyng to childheede,
Lihtly tournyng, wylde and seelde sad,
Weepyng for nouhte and anoon afftir glad.

For litil wroth to stryve with my felawe,
As my passiouns did my bridil leede,
Of the yeerde somtyme I stood in awe;
To be scooryd that was al my dreede ;-
Loth toward scole, lost my tyme indeede,
Lik a young
colt that ran withowte brydil,
Made my freendys ther good to spend in ydil.

I hadde in custom to come to scole late,
Nat for to lerne, but for a contenaunce;2
With my felawys reedy to debate,

In jangle and jape 3 was set al my pleasaunce;
Wherof rebuked this was my chevisaunce,1
To forge a lesyng5 and therupon to muse,
Whan I trespasyd mysilven to excuse.

То my bettre did no reverence,
Of my sovereyns gaf no fors at al,6
Wex obstynat by inobedience,
Ran into gardyns, applys ther I stal;
To gadre frutys sparyd hegg nor wal;
To plukke grapys in othir mennys vynes,
Was moor reedy than for to seyn matynes.

This is the reading in MS. Harl. 2255, fol. 60. In MS. Harl. 218, fol. 66, it is stretched.

2 Appearance. 3 Trick, jest.

4 Contrivance. 5 Lie.

This line seems to be corrupted. Perhaps sovereyns should be sufferance.

15. Conclusion of Caxton's English Translation of Higden's Polychronicon:-1482.

And here I make an ende of this lytel werke as nygh as I can fynde after the forme of the werk to fore made by Ranulph monk of Chestre. And where as ther is fawte, I beseche them that shal rede it to correcte it. For yf I coude haue founden moo storyes I wold haue sette in hit moo; but the substaunce that I can fynde and knowe I haue shortly sette hem in this book, to thentente that such thynges as haue ben done syth the deth or ende of the sayd boke of Polycronycon shold be had in remembraunce and not putte in oblyuyon ne forgetynge; prayenge all them that shall see this symple werke to pardone me of my symple and rude wrytynge. Ended the second day of Juyll the xxii yere of the regne of Kynge Edward the Fourth, and of the Incarnacion of oure Lord a thousand four honderd foure score and tweyne.

Fynysshed per Caxton.

16. A Letter written by Sir Thomas More to his Wife

after the Burning of his House at Chelsea, from his

Maistres Alyce, In my most harty wise I recommend me to you; and, whereas I am enfourmed by my son Heron [Jerome] of the losse of our barnes and of our neighbours also, with all the corn that was therein, albeit (saving God's pleasure) it is gret pitie of so much good corne lost, yet, sith it hath liked hym to sende us such a chaunce, we must and are bounden, not only to be content, but also to be glad of his visitacion. He sente us all that we have loste; and, sith he hath by such a chaunce taken it away againe, his pleasure be fulfilled. Let us never grudge ther at, but take it in good worth, and hartely thank him, as well for adversetie as for prosperitie. And peradventure we have more cause to thank him for our losse then for our winning; for his wisdome better seeth what is good for vs then we do our selves. Therfore I pray you be of good chere, and take all the howsold with you to church, and there thanke God, both for that he hath given us, and for that he hath taken from us, and for that he hath left us, which, if it please hym, he can encrease when he will. And, if it please hym to leave us yet lesse, at his pleasure be it.

I pray you to make some good ensearche what my poore neighbours have lost, and bid them take no thought therfore; for, and I shold not leave myself a spone, there

shal no pore neighbour of mine bere no losse by any chaunce happened in my house. I pray you be, with my children and your household, merry in God. And devise some what with your frendes, what waye wer best to take for provision to be made for corne for our household, and for sede thys yere comming, if ye thinke it good that we kepe the ground stil in our handes. And, whether ye think it good that we so shall do or not, yet I think it were not best sodenlye thus to leave it all up, and to put away our folk of our farme till we have somwhat advised us thereon. How beit, if we have more nowe then ye shall nede, and which can get them other maisters, ye may then discharge us of them. But I would not that any man were sodenly sent away he wote nere wether. . .

17. Beginning of Tyndal's translation of the 16th chapter of St. Luke, from the second edition of his New Testament (as reprinted in the "English Hexapla,” 1841); with the Variations, included within brackets, of the passage as given in his Treatise entitled "The Parable of the Wicked Mammon :"-1534 and 1536.

And he sayd also vnto his disciples, Ther was a certayne rych [certain riche] man, which [the whiche] had a stewarde [steward] that was acused [yt was accused] vnto him that [hym y'] he had wasted his goodes [goods]. And he called him, and sayd vnto him, How is it that I heare [hear] thys of the? Give a comptes [accomptes]