The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 75
HOW THAUNCYENT WERE WONTE TO LERNE THE YONGE.
HERFORE hit became that yf they sawe a yonge man of age make ony thyng that dyd ageynst his honour, they shewed hym his fawte before the folke. And therfor the yong men dradde them moche. For thenne as I herd saye to my lord my fader, how a yonge man cam to a feste where were many lordes, ladyes, and damoysels, and arrayed as they wold haue sette them to dyner, and had on hem a coot hardye, after the maner of almayne. He cam and salewed the lordes and ladyes, and whanne he had done to them reuerence, the forsayd Syre Geffroy called hym before hym and demaunded hym where his vyell or clauycordes were, and that he shold make his craft. And the yonge man ansuerd, "Syre, I can not medle therwith." "Ha a!" sayd the knyght, "I can not byleue it, for ye be contrefaytted and clothed lyke a mynystrell. Neuertheles I knowe well your auncestrye and the good and trewe men of the towre, of the whiche ye be come of. But in good faythe I sawe neuer none of your lygnage that wolde haue contrefayted hym ne also be clothed of suche gowne as ye be." And thenne he ansuerd to the knyght ageyn, "Syth that my clothynge semeth to yow lothely and dishoneste, hit shalle be amended." Thenne he called to hym a mynystrell & gaf hym his gowne, and toke another, and came ageyne to the halle. And whan the good & auncyent knyght sawe hym he sayd, "Trewely this yonge man forueyeth not, for he byleueth the counceylle of his older. And euery yonge man and yonge wymmen whiche byleue the counceylle of thauncyent & good folke may not faylle to come to honour and worshyp." And therfore is here a good ensample how none ought to byleue, and not to haue shame ne vergoyne of the techynge of the wyse men and more auncyent than he is. For that whiche they saye and techen, they done it not but for good. But the yonge men and wymmen that ben at this day take to thys no hede, but haue grete despyte whanne they be repreued of theyr wyckednes and folye, and wene to be more wyse than the olde and auncyent folke. It is grete pyte thenne, of suche vaknowlege, for every gentylle herte and of honeste lyuynge, aughte to haue grete Loye whan he is repreued of his fawte and mysdede, and yf he be wyse and sage, he shalle thanke hym by whome he knoweth his fawte. And in this is shewen and perceyued the free kynd of the good yonge man & yong woman, for no chorlysshe nor vylayne herte shall neuer yeue thanke ne graces of it. Now haue I told to yow how thauncyent spake and chastysed the yong men, and now I shalle telle yow how they gaf good ensamples to the good ladyes & damoysels that were at that tyme.