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FOR IMPLORATION OF GRACE.Grace of God that I love so mocheG race de Dieu que jayme tantI your requier ryght humblyI e uous requier treshumblementthe gift of love without any furtherL e don damour sans plus auantof it to make any refuceE n faire aulcun refusementIf ye do fynde in any wiseS e uous trouués aulcunementof me service, but in trouthD e moy seruice quen loyaultéI gyve you leve utterlyU ous habandonne entierementto wyll at all at your wyllU oulloir du tout a uoulentétoward me to use of great rigourU ers moy user de grant rigeurand me to banysshe from all good hapE t me bannir de tout bon heurwithout more of me to have pite.S ans plus de moy auoir pité.Sola salus seruire Deo, sunt cetera fraudes.
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AN INTRODUCTORIE TO THE LADY MARY.For the honour of MaryPour lhonneur de MaryeGod doughter to saynt Maryfilleule a saynte Maryevirgin and mother Jesu Christvierge et mere Jhesuh Cristhave these verses ben written.ont ces verse esté escripts.MARIA.glasse mesure shewyngemirouer mesure monstrantlenyng lovynge fulfilledappuis amoureus assouuierose redde well smellyngrose rouge redolentethat can nat vade yonge jolieinmarcessible jeune jolieamonge chosen exellenteentre eslytes exellentefor ever more be ye blessyd.a tousjours mais soyez benye. Amen. THE PROLOGUE. How beit that I do nat, nat knowe how that many as well lerned in goodCombien que ne ignore point que pluisieurs tant qualifiéz es bonneslettres as also well spoken in the frenche tonge (at the lest nat beynglectres come aussy élégant en la langue francoise (au moins pour non estrenaturall and borne of the lande and countrey) have composed, and written rules andnaturél et natif du territoire et pais) ont composés et escripz régles etprinciples for introduction in the sayd tonge the whiche par aventure, asprincipes pour introduction en la dicte langue les quelz peult estre, comewitnessed saint Hierome to Paulin, have tought before that they have bentiesmoigne saint Hierome a Paulin, ont ensegnés auant que auoir estéconynge, for how beit that arte is folower of nature folowyng her right nygh,scauantz, car ja soit que art soit imitatrice de nature lensuiuant de bien pres,Page 895
yet neuerthelesse can nat she ouertake her. Wherfore the sayd composytourssy ne la peult elle toutefois aconsuiuir. Pourquoy les ditz compilateursall togyder leanyng to the same ben by nature in sondrie places checked reproueddu tout adherens à icelle sont par nature en diuers lieux cancellés reprisand corrected. Shulde it nat seme a thynge selde and strange to se a Frenchmanet corrigéz. Ne sembleroit ce point chose rare et estrange ueoir ung Francoisendeuoir and inforce himself to teche unto the Germayns the langage of Almaine:se ingerer et efforcer dapprendre aux Allemans la lange tyoise,ye and that more over is, upon the same to compyle rules and principles, how beituoire et qui plus est, sur icelle composer régles et principes, combienthat agaynst me and my reason some body myght say, that oneque contre moy et ma rayson quelque ung pourroit dire que onshulde fynde no body whiche shulde teche Hebreu, Greke, nor Laten, if it were natne trouueroit ame qui ensegneroit Hebrieu, Grec, ne Latin, sil nelaufull to any body so to do but to him which shulde have it of nature: to whom Iloisoit a auscun de ce faire sinon a celui qui laroit de nature: a quoy jeanswere that it is another thyng to teche and instruct by the principlesrespons que cest aultre chose densegnér et daprendre par les principesand reules made by divers well expertz auctours, by great space and longe proceset régles faictz par diuérs expertz aucteurs, par interualle et diuturnitéof longe tyme well approved, than at the fyrst metyng and nat havyng ade long temps bien approuuéez, que de premiére abordée et nauoir unglanguage but meanely and as a thynge borowed to be wyllyng by and bylangage que moienement et come par emprunt, en uoulloir cy pris cy mis,nat only instructe the others, but also to compyle upon the same reulesnon seullement ensegnér les aultres, mais aussy composér sur ce réglescertayne, the whiche doyng is nat graunted but unto ryght few of them whicheinfallibles, ce que scauoir faire nest ottroie a bien peu de ceulz quiben borne of the sayd langage, for touchyng my self to whom the saydsont mesme natif du dict langage, car touchant moy mesmes a qui la dictetonge is maternall or naturall, and whiche by the space of therty yereslangue est maternelle ou naturelle, et qui par lespase de trente ansand more have besyed me how beit that I am ryght ignorant, to techeet plus me suis entremis (combien que soie tres ignorant) densegnérPage 896
and instruct many great princes and princesses, as to decessed ofet apprendre pluisieurs grandz princes et princesses, comme a feu denoble and recomended memory the prince Arthur, the noble kyng Henrynoble et recommandée memoire le prince Arthur, le noble roy Henryfor the present prosperously regnyng, to whom God gyve lyfe perpetuall:pour le present prospereusement regnant, a qui Dieu doint uie perpetuelle:the quenes of France and Scotlande, with the noble marquis of Excestre,les roynes de France et dEscosse, auec le noble marquis dExcestre, etc....