142. ¶ A lesson made in Englisshe verses, to teache a gentylmans seruaunt, to saye at euery tyme whan he taketh his horse, for his remembraunce, that he shall not forget his gere in his inne behynde hym.
[Sidenote: Hexameter verses, to help the memory.] Pvrse, dagger, cloke, nyght-cap, kerchef, shoyng-horne, boget, and shoes. Spere, male, hode, halter, sadelclothe, spores, hatte, with thy horse-combe. Bowe, arrowes, sworde, bukler, horne, leisshe, gloues, stringe, and thy bracer. Penne, paper, inke, parchmente, reedwaxe, pommes, bokes, thou remember. 4 Penknyfe, combe, thimble, nedle, threde, poynte, leste that thy gurthe breake. Bodkyn, knyfe, lyngel, gyue thy horse meate, se he be showed well. Make mery, synge and thou can; take hede to thy gere, that thou lose none.
[Sidenote: [Fol. 59_b_.]] 143. ¶ A prologue for the wyues occupation.
Nowe thou husbande, that haste doone thy dylygence and labour, that longeth to an husbande, to get thy lyuynge, thy wyues, thy chyldrens, and thy seruauntes: [Sidenote: Seldom thrives the husband without his wife’s leave.] yet are there other thynges, that muste nedes be done, 4 or elles thou shalte not thryue. For there is an olde common sayenge, that seldom doth the housbande thryue, withoute the leue of his wyfe. By this sayenge it shoulde seme, that there be other occupations and labours, that 8 be moste conuenient for the wyues to do. And howe be [Sidenote: I will tell the wives part of their duties.] it that I haue not experyence of al theyr occupations and warkes, as I haue of husbandry, yet a lyttell wyl I speke what they ought to do, though I tel them nat howe they 12 shulde doo and exercyse theyr labours and occupations.
But yet er I begynne to shewe the wyfe, what warkes [Sidenote: A lesson of Solomon.] she shall do, I wyll firste teche her a lesson of Salomon, as I did to her husbande a lesson of the philosopher, and that is, that she shulde not be ydle at noo tyme: 4 for Salomon saythe, _Ociosus non gaudebit cum electis in cælo: sed lugebit in æternum cum reprobis in inferno_: That [Sidenote: [Fol. 60.]] is to say, The ydle folke shall not ioye with the chosen folkes in heuen, but they shall sorowe with the reproued 8 [Sidenote: A lesson of Jerome.] and forsaken folkes in hell. And saynt Iherom saythe: _Semper boni operis aliquid facito, vt te diabolus inueniat occupatum: Quia sicut in aqua stante generantur vermes: sic in homine ocioso generantur malæ cogitationes_: That is to say, 12 Alwaye be doinge of some good werkes, that the dyuell may fynde the euer occupied: for as in standynge water are engendred wormes, ryghte soo in an ydle body are engendred ydle thoughtes. Here mayste thou se, that 16 of ydelnes commeth damnation, and of good warkes and labour cometh saluation. Nowe arte thou at thy lyberty, [Sidenote: Choose either idleness or labour.] to chose whether waye thou wylt, wherin is a great diuersitie. And he is an vnhappy man or woman, that 20 god hath giuen bothe wyt and reason, and putteth hym in chose, and woll chose the worst parte. Nowe thou wyfe, I trust to shewe to the dyuers occupations, warkes, and laboures, that thou shalt not nede to be ydle no tyme 24 of the yere.