here some man wyl laye vnto vs the godlye sayings of
the Hebrues. He that spareth the rod hateth hys chylde
and he that loueth hys sonne, beateth hym muche.
Agayne: Bowe downe the necke of thy chylde in youth,
and beate hys sydes whyle he is an infante very yonge.
Suche chastisemente peraduenture was meete in tyme
paste for the Iewes. Nowe must the sayinge be
expounded more ciuilely. And if a man wil be hard to
vs wyth letters and sillables, what is more cruell
then to bend the necke of a chyld, & to beat the sides
of an infant? woldest thou not beleue that a bull were
taught to y^e plowgh, or an asse to bear paniars, and
not a mã to vertue? And what rewarde doth he promise
vs? That he grope not after other mẽnes dores. He is
afeard lest his son shulde be poore, as the greateste
of all mischiefe. What is more coldly spoken then thys
sentence? Let gentle admonicion be oure rodde, and
sometyme chydyng also, but sauced wyth mekenes, not
bitternes. Let vs vse thys whyp continuallye in our
chyldren, y^t beyng wel brought vp, they maye haue at
home a meanes to lyue well, and not be cõpelled to beg
counsell at their neighbours how to do their busines.
Licon the philosopher hath shewed .ii. sharpe spurres
to quicken vp chyldrens wyttes, shame, and prayse:
shame is the feare of a iust reproch, prayse is the
norysher of all verteous actes: wyth these prickes
lette vs quicken our chyldrens wyttes. Also if you
wyl, I wyl shewe you a club to beate their sides
wythall. Continuall labour vanquysheth all thynges
sayth the best of al poetes. Let vs wake, let vs
prycke thẽ forwardes, & styl call vpon them, by
requiringe, repetynge, and often teachyng: Wyth this
club let vs beate the sydes of our infantes. Fyrst let
them lerne to loue, and maruell at vertue and lernyng,
to abhor sinne and ignorance. Let them hear some
praysed for theyr well doinges, and some rebuked for
their euyl. Let examples be brought in of those men to
whom lernyng hath gottẽ hygh glorye, ryches, dignitie,
and authoritie. And againe of them to whom their euyll
condicions & wyt wythout all lernyng hath brought
infamie, contempt, pouertye and myschiefe. These
verely be the clubbes meete for christians, that make
disciples of Iesu. [Sidenote: Emulacion is an enuye
wythout malice, for desire to be as good as an other,
& to be as much praysed.] And if we cã not profite by
monicions, nor prayers, neyther by emulacion, nor
shame, nor prayse, nor by other meanes, euen the
chastenyng w^t the rod, if it so require, ought to be
gentle & honeste. For euen thys that the bodies of
gẽtle children shulde be made bare, is a kind of
despice. Howbeit Fabius vtterly cõdemneth al y^e
custume to beate gentle chyldrẽ. Some mã wil saye,
what shall be done to them if they can not be driuen
to study but by stripes? I answer roũdly, what wold ye
do to asses or to oxen if thei went to schole? Woldest
thou not driue them in to the contrey, & put the one
to the backhouse, the other to the plowe. For there be
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