4 As to be heard where ear is none, The rocks do not so cruelly Proud of the spoil that thou hast got Vengeance shall fall on thy disdain 5 20 ΙΟ Sometime a barly corn; sometime a bean, For which she laboured hard both day and night In harvest time whilst she might go and glean; And where store 1 was stroyed 2 with the flood, Then welaway! for she undone was clean. Then was she fain to take instead of food Sleep, if she might, her hunger to beguile. 1 abundance 2 destroyed "My sister," quoth she, "hath a living good, And hence from me she dwelleth not a mile. So forth she goeth, trusting of all this wealth And to the door now is she come by stealth, And with her foot anon she scrapeth full fast. Th' other for fear durst not well scarce appear, 40 Of every noise so was the wretch aghast. At last she asked softly who was there, And in her language as well as she could. "Peep!" quoth the other sister, "I am here." "Peace," quoth the town mouse, "why speakest thou so loud?" And by the hand she took her fair and well. "Welcome," quoth she, "my sister, by the Rood!" She feasted her, that joy it was to tell The fare they had; they drank the wine so clear, And as to purpose now and then it fell, She cheered her with "Ho, sister, what cheer!" 50 Amid this joy befell a sorry chance, Had not i-seen such a beast before, Feard of her life. At home she wished her tho,1 And to the door, alas! as she did skip, was so, At the threshold her silly foot did trip; Alas, my Poines, how men do seek the best 70 No, no, although thy head were hooped with gold, Sergeant with mace, halberd, sword nor knife, 3 81 It irketh straight, and by itself doth fade. 100 For thou shalt feel it sitting in thy mind. These wretched fools shall have nought else of For my lord's guilt thus faultless bide I pains. Yet from my lord shall not my foot remove; Sweet is his death that takes his end by love. DESCRIPTION AND PRAISE OF HIS LOVE GERALDINE From Tuscan came my lady's worthy race; Fair Florence was sometime her ancient seat; The Western isle whose pleasant shore doth face Wild Camber's cliffs did give her lively heat; Fostered she was with milk of Irish breast; Her sire, an earl; her dame, of princes' blood; From tender years in Britain she doth rest, With a king's child, where she tasteth costly food; Hunsdon did first present her to mine eyes; Bright is her hue, and Geraldine she hight;1 Hampton me taught to wish her first for THE MEANS TO ATTAIN A HAPPY Martial, the things that do attain 5 They whisted all, with fixèd face attent, 1 is named 2 from nature 3 inherited 4 5 moderate became silent equal ΙΟ Thus 'gan to speak: "O Queen, it is thy will Those ruthful things that I myself beheld, What Myrmidon? or yet what Dolopes? 10 What stern Ulysses' wagèd soldier? And lo! moist night now from the welkin falls, And stars declining counsel us to rest; A huge horse made, high raised like a hill, 20 31 There stands in sight an isle hight Tenedon, Rich and of fame while Priam's kingdom stood, Now but a bay and road unsure for ship. Hither them secretly the Greeks withdrew, Shrouding themselves under the desert shore; And, weening we they had been fled and gone, And with that wind had fet3 the land of Greece, Troy discharged her long continued dole.1 The gates cast up, we issued out to play, The Greekish camp desirous to behold, The places void and the forsaken coasts. Here Pyrrhus' band, there fierce Achilles pight; 5 Here rode their ships, there did their battles Willed it to drown, or underset with flame, 50 Lo! foremost of a route that followed him, no trust Unto this horse, for, whatsoever it be, 60 I dread the Greeks, yea when they offer gifts."" ROGER ASCHAM (1515-1568) THE SCHOLEMASTER FROM THE FIRST BOOKE FOR THE YOUTH If your scholer do misse sometimes, in marking rightlie these foresaid sixe thinges, chide not hastelie: for that shall, both dull his witte, and discorage his diligence: but monish him gentelie: which shall make him, both willing to amende, and glad to go forward in love and hope of learning. I have now wished, twise or thrise, this gentle nature, to be in a Scholemaster: And, that I have done so, neither by chance, nor without some reason, I will now declare at large, why, in mine opinion, love is fitter then feare, gentlenes better than beating, to bring up a childe rightlie in learninge. With the common use of teaching and beating in common scholes of England, I will not greatlie contend: which if I did, it were but a small grammaticall controversie, neither belonging to heresie nor treason,3 nor greatly touching God nor the Prince: although in very deede, in the end, the good or ill bringing up of children, doth as much serve to the good or ill service, of God, our Prince, and our whole countrie, as any one thing doth beside. 1 excited 2 injure 3 This is a proverbial expression. I do gladlie agree with all good Scholemasters in these pointes: to have children brought to a good perfitnes in learning: to all honestie in maners: to have all fautes 1 rightlie amended: to have everie vice severelie corrected: but for the order and waie that leadeth rightlie to these pointes, we somewhat differ. For commonlie, many scholemasters, some, as I have seen, moe, as I have heard tell, be of so crooked a nature, as, when they meete with a hard witted scholer, they rather breake him than bowe him, rather marre him then mend him. For whan the scholemaster is angrie with some other matter, then will he sonest faul to beate his scholer: and though he him selfe should be punished for his folie, yet must he beate some scholer for his pleasure: though there be no cause for him to do so, nor yet fault in the scholer to deserve so. These, ye will say, be fond scholemasters, and fewe they be that be found to be soch. They be fond in deede, but surelie overmany soch be found everie where. But this will I say, that even the wisest of your great beaters, do as oft punishe nature as they do correcte faultes. Yea, many times, the better nature is sorer punished: For, if one, by quicknes of witte, take his lesson readelie, an other, by hardnes of witte, taketh it not so speedclie: the first is alwaies commended, the other is commonlie punished: whan a wise scholemaster should rather discretelie consider the right disposition of both their natures, and not so moch wey what either of them is able to do now, as what either of them is likelie to do hereafter. For this I know, not onclie by reading of bookes in my studie, but also by experience of life, abrode in the world, that those which be commonlie the wisest, the best learned, and best men also, when they be olde, were never commonlie the quickest of witte, when they were yonge. The causes why, amongst other, which be many, that move me thus to thinke, be these fewe, which I will recken. Quicke wittes, commonlie, be apte to take, unapte to keepe: soone hote and desirous of this and that: as colde and sone wery of the same againe: more quicke to enter spedelie, than hable to pearse farre: even like over sharpe tooles, whose edges be verie soone turned. Soch wittes delite them selves in easie and pleasant studies, and never passe farre forward in hie and hard sciences. And 4 1 faults 2 more foolish weigh 5able pierce therefore the quickest wittes commonlie may prove the best Poetes, but not the wisest Orators: readie of tonge to speake boldlie, not deepe of judgement, either for good counsel or wise writing. Also, for maners and life, quicke wittes, commonlie, be, in desire, newfangle,1 in purpose unconstant, light to promise any thing, readie to forget every thing: both benefite and injurie: and thereby neither fast to frend, nor fearefull to foe: inquisitive of every trifle, not secret in greatest affaires: bolde, with any person : busie, in every matter: sothing 2 soch as be present: nipping any that is absent: of nature also, alwaies, flattering their betters, envying their equals, despising their inferiors: and, by quicknes of witte, verie quicke and readie, to like none so well as them selves. Moreover commonlie, men, very quicke of witte, be also, verie light of conditions: 3 and thereby, very readie of disposition, to be caried over quicklie, by any light cumpanie to any riot and unthriftiness, when they be yonge: and therfore seldome, either honest of life, or riche in living, when they be olde. For, quicke in witte and light in maners, be, either seldome troubled, or verie sone wery, in carying a verie hevie purse. Quicke wittes also be, in most part of all their doinges, overquicke, hastie, rashe, headie, and brainsicke. These two last wordes, Headie, and Brainsicke, be fitte and proper wordes, rising naturallie of the matter, and tearmed aptlie by the condition, of over moch quickenes of witte. In yougthe also they be readie scoffers, privie mockers, and ever over light and mery. In aige, sone testie, very waspishe, and alwaies over miserable: and yet fewe of them cum to any great aige, by reason of their misordered life when they were yong: but a great deale fewer of them cum to shewe any great countenance, or beare any great authoritie abrode in the world, but either live obscurelie, men know not how, or dye obscurelie, men marke not whan. They be like trees, that shewe forth faire blossoms and broad leaves in spring time, but bring out small and not long lasting fruite in harvest time: and that, onelie soch as fall and rotte before they be ripe, and so, never, or seldome, cum to any good at all. For this ye shall finde most true by experience, that amongest a number of quicke wittes in youthe, fewe be found, in the end, either verie fortu |