An Introductorie for to Lerne to Read, To Pronounce, and to Speke French Trewly

Excerpt

FOR IMPLORATION OF GRACE.

Grace of God that I love so moche
G race de Dieu que jayme tant

I your requier ryght humbly
I e uous requier treshumblement

the gift of love without any further
L e don damour sans plus auant

of it to make any refuce
E n faire aulcun refusement

If ye do fynde in any wise
S e uous trouués aulcunement

of me service, but in trouth
D e moy seruice quen loyaulté

I gyve you leve utterly
U ous habandonne entierement

to wyll at all at your wyll
U oulloir du tout a uoulenté

toward me to use of great rigour
U ers moy user de grant rigeur

and me to banysshe from all good hap
E t me bannir de tout bon heur

without 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 Mary
Pour lhonneur de Marye

God doughter to saynt Mary
filleule a saynte Marye

virgin and mother Jesu Christ
vierge et mere Jhesuh Crist

have these verses ben written.
ont ces verse esté escripts.


MARIA.

glasse mesure shewynge
mirouer mesure monstrant

lenyng lovynge fulfilled
appuis amoureus assouuie

rose redde well smellyng
rose rouge redolente

that can nat vade yonge jolie
inmarcessible jeune jolie

amonge chosen exellente
entre eslytes exellente

for ever more be ye blessyd.
a tousjours mais soyez benye. Amen.


How beit that I do nat, nat knowe how that many as well lerned in good
Combien que ne ignore point que pluisieurs tant qualifiéz es bonnes

lettres as also well spoken in the frenche tonge (at the lest nat beyng
lectres come aussy élégant en la langue francoise (au moins pour non estre

naturall and borne of the lande and countrey) have composed, and written rules and
naturél et natif du territoire et pais) ont composés et escripz régles et

principles for introduction in the sayd tonge the whiche par aventure, as
principes pour introduction en la dicte langue les quelz peult estre, come

witnessed saint Hierome to Paulin, have tought before that they have ben
tiesmoigne saint Hierome a Paulin, ont ensegnés auant que auoir esté

conynge, 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,

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yet neuerthelesse can nat she ouertake her. Wherfore the sayd composytours
sy ne la peult elle toutefois aconsuiuir. Pourquoy les ditz compilateurs

all togyder leanyng to the same ben by nature in sondrie places checked reproued
du tout adherens à icelle sont par nature en diuers lieux cancellés repris

and corrected. Shulde it nat seme a thynge selde and strange to se a Frenchman
et corrigéz. Ne sembleroit ce point chose rare et estrange ueoir ung Francois

endeuoir 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 beit
uoire et qui plus est, sur icelle composer régles et principes, combien

that agaynst me and my reason some body myght say, that one
que contre moy et ma rayson quelque ung pourroit dire que on

shulde fynde no body whiche shulde teche Hebreu, Greke, nor Laten, if it were nat
ne trouueroit ame qui ensegneroit Hebrieu, Grec, ne Latin, sil ne

laufull to any body so to do but to him which shulde have it of nature: to whom I
loisoit a auscun de ce faire sinon a celui qui laroit de nature: a quoy je

answere that it is another thyng to teche and instruct by the principles
respons que cest aultre chose densegnér et daprendre par les principes

and reules made by divers well expertz auctours, by great space and longe proces
et régles faictz par diuérs expertz aucteurs, par interualle et diuturnité

of longe tyme well approved, than at the fyrst metyng and nat havyng a
de long temps bien approuuéez, que de premiére abordée et nauoir ung

language but meanely and as a thynge borowed to be wyllyng by and by
langage que moienement et come par emprunt, en uoulloir cy pris cy mis,

nat only instructe the others, but also to compyle upon the same reules
non seullement ensegnér les aultres, mais aussy composér sur ce régles

certayne, the whiche doyng is nat graunted but unto ryght few of them whiche
infallibles, ce que scauoir faire nest ottroie a bien peu de ceulz qui

ben borne of the sayd langage, for touchyng my self to whom the sayd
sont mesme natif du dict langage, car touchant moy mesmes a qui la dicte

tonge is maternall or naturall, and whiche by the space of therty yeres
langue est maternelle ou naturelle, et qui par lespase de trente ans

and more have besyed me how beit that I am ryght ignorant, to teche
et plus me suis entremis (combien que soie tres ignorant) densegnér

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and instruct many great princes and princesses, as to decessed of
et apprendre pluisieurs grandz princes et princesses, comme a feu de

noble and recomended memory the prince Arthur, the noble kyng Henry
noble et recommandée memoire le prince Arthur, le noble roy Henry

for 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....