Henry the Sixth : $b a reprint of John Blacman's memoir, with translation and notesBlakman, John
History
Henry the Sixth : $b a reprint of John Blacman's memoir, with translation and notes
Blakman, John
Great Britain -- History -- Henry VI, 1422-1461; Henry VI, King of England, 1421-1471
Also to enlarge the house of God and His worship, in the time when he
bore rule he founded the two noble colleges before mentioned, which he
endowed with large lands and revenues, for the maintenance of poor
scholars not a few; wherein not only are the divine offices celebrated
daily in the most devout manner, to the praise of Almighty God, but also
scholastic teaching and the other arts pertaining thereto are constantly
carried on, to the increase of knowledge. And for the beginning and
foundation of these two colleges he sought out everywhere the best
living stones, that is, boys excellently equipped with virtue and
knowledge, and priests to bear rule over the rest as teachers and
tutors: and as concerned the getting of priests the king said to him
whom he employed in that behalf: 'I would rather have them somewhat weak
in music than defective in knowledge of the scriptures.' And with regard
to the boys or youths who were brought to him to be put to school, the
king's wish was that they should be thoroughly educated and nourished up
both in virtue and in the sciences. So it was that whenever he met any
of them at times in the castle of Windsor, whither they sometimes
repaired to visit servants of the king who were known to them, and when
he ascertained that they were of his boys, he would advise them
concerning the following of the path of virtue and, with his words,
would also give them money to attract them, saying: 'Be you good boys,
gentle and teachable, and servants of the Lord.' And if he discovered
that any of them visited his court, he sometimes restrained them with a
rebuke, bidding them not do so again, lest his young lambs should come
to relish the corrupt deeds and habits of his courtiers, or lose partly
or altogether their own good characters, like lambs or sheep, which, if
they feed among briars and thorns, tear their fleeces and oftentimes
wholly lose them.
_The humility of the king._
When I speak of the great humility of this king, I would have you know
that he was most eminent for that virtue of humility. This pious prince
was not ashamed to be a diligent server to a priest celebrating in his
presence, and to make the responses at the mass, as _Amen_, _Sed libera
nos_, and the rest. He did so commonly even to me, a poor priest. At
table even when he took a slight refection, he would (like a professed
religious) rise quickly, observe silence, and devoutly give thanks to
God standing on every occasion. Also on the testimony of Master Doctor
Towne, he made a rule that a certain dish which represented the five
wounds of Christ as it were red with blood, should be set on his table
by his almoner before any other course, when he was to take refreshment:
and contemplating these images with great fervour he thanked God
marvellous devoutly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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