Thomas Hoby's Virtues of the Courtier
In 1561, Thomas Hoby published the first English translation of Baldassare Castiglione's Il Cortegiano, or, The Book of the Courtier. In his preface to the work, he included a summary of virtues, skills and traits that would interest the brisk reader or those who just wanted a quick checklist. Some of the other modern English translations I have of The Courtier do not feature this checklist and I think any reading of the work itself would benefit from knowing what one is wading into. I had intended to categorize these into some respective areas like sport, intellect and social life but I am lazy, detestable and born of common stock. But, you, oh reader, oh Soul; you indeed are the finer gem!
I don't really intend to introduce the work here but The Courtier is one of the most enduring works of world literature. As a student on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, I see some parallels between the works and, as a modern, I get frustrated by the popular cynicism that dismisses such a work on the basis of its complicated requirements or its peculiar sentiments on gender. Many of these virtues and traits are easily adaptable to modern life and, because of information saturation and American sporting culture, I would go so far as to say that we are better suited to achieve such standards in our silly private lives.
From Thomas Hoby’s 1561 English translation
THE CHIEFE CONDITIONS AND QUALITIES IN A COURTIER
- To be well borne and of a good stocke.
- To be of a meane stature, rather with the least then to high, and well made to his proportion.
- To be portly and amiable in countenance unto whoso beehouldeth him.
- Not to be womanish in his sayinges or doinges.
- Not to praise himself unshamefully and out of reason.
- Not to crake and boast of his actes and good qualities.
- To shon Affectation or curiosity above al thing in al things.
- To do his feates with a slight, as though they were rather naturally in him, then learned with
studye: and use a Reckelesness to cover art, without minding greatly what he hath in hand, to a
mans seeminge.
- Not to carie about tales and triflinge newis.
- Not to be overseene in speaking wordes otherwhile that may offende where he ment it not.
- Not to be stubborne, wilful nor full of contention: nor to contrary and overthwart men after a
spiteful sort.
- Not to be a babbler, brauler, or chatter, nor lavish of his tunge.
- Not to be given to vanitie and lightnesse, not to have a fantasticall head.
- No lyer.
- No fonde flatterer.
- To be well spoken and faire languaged.
- To be wise and well seene in discourses upon states.
- To have a judgement to frame himself to the maners of the Countrey where ever he commeth.
- To be able to alleage good, and probable reasons upon everie matter.
- To be seen in tunges, and specially in Italian, French, and Spanish.
- To direct all thinges to a goode ende.
- To procure where ever he goeth that men may first conceive a good opinion of him before he
commeth there.
- To felowship him self for the most part with men of the best sort and of most estimation, and
with his equalles, so he be also beloved of his inferiours.
- To play for his pastime at Dice and Cardes, not wholye for monies sake, nor fume and chafe in
his losse.
- To be meanly seene in the play at Chestes, and not overcounninge.
- To be pleasantlie disposed in commune matters and in good companie.
- To speake and write the language that is most in use emonge the commune people, without
inventing new woordes, inckhorn tearmes or straunge phrases, and such as be growen out of
use by long time.
- To be handesome and clenly in his apparaile.
- To make his garmentes after the facion of the most, and those to be black, or of some darkish
and sad colour, not garish.
- To gete him an especiall and hartye friend to companye withall.
- Not to be ill tunged, especiallie against his betters.
- Not to use any fonde saucinesse or presumption.
- To be no envious or malitious person.
- To be an honest, a faire condicioned man, and of an upright conscience.
- To have the vertues of the minde, as justice, manlinesse, wisdome, temperance, staidenesse,
noble courage, sober-moode, etc.
- To be more then indifferentlye well seene in learninge, in the Latin and Greeke tunges.
- Not to be rash, nor perswade hymselfe to knowe the thing that he knoweth not.
- To confesse his ignorance, whan he seeth time and place therto, in suche qualities as he
knoweth him selfe to have no maner skill in.
- To be brought to show his feates and qualities at the desire and request of others, and not
rashlye presse to it of himself.
- To speake alwaies of matters likely, least he be counted a lyer in reporting of wonders and
straunge miracles.
- To have the feate of drawing and peincting.
- To daunce well without over nimble footinges or to busie trickes.
- To singe well upon the booke.
- To play upon the Lute, and singe to it with the ditty.
- To play upon the Vyole, and all other instrumentes with freates.
- To delite and refresh the hearers mindes in being pleasant, feat conceited, and a meerie talker,
applyed to time and place.
- Not to use sluttish and Ruffianlike pranckes with anye man.
- Not to beecome a jester of scoffer to put anye man out of countenance.
- To consider whom he doth taunt and where: for he ought not to mocke poore seelie soules, nor
men of authoritie, nor commune ribaldes and persons given to mischeef, which deserve
punishment.
- To be skilfull in all kynd of marciall feates both on horsbacke and a foote, and well practised in
them: whiche is his cheef profession, though his understandinge be the lesse in all other thinges.
- To play well at fense upon all kinde of weapons.
- To be nimble and quicke at the play at tenise.
- To hunt and hauke.
- To ride and manege wel his horse.
- To be a good horsman for every saddle.
- To swimme well.
- To leape wel.
- To renn well.
- To vaute well.
- To wrastle well.
- To cast the stone well.
- To cast the barr well.
- To renn well at tilt, and at ring.
- To tourney.
- To fight at Barriers.
- To kepe a passage or streict.
- To play at Jogo di Canne.
- To renn at Bull.
- To fling a Speare or Dart.
- Not to renn, wrastle, leape, nor cast the stone or barr with men of the Countrey, except he be
sure to gete the victorie.
- To sett out himself in feates of chivalrie in open showes well provided of horse and harness, well
trapped, and armed, so that he may showe himselfe nymeble on horsbacke.
- Never to be of the last that appeere in the listes at justes, or in any open showes.
- To have in triumphes comelie armour, bases, scarfes, trappinges, liveries, and such other things
of sightlie and meerie coulours, and rich to beehoulde, wyth wittie poesies and pleasant divises,
to allure unto him chefflie the eyes of the people.
- To disguise himself in maskerie eyther on horsbacke or a foote, and to take the shape upon hym
that shall be contrarie to the feate that he mindeth to worke.
- To undertake his bould feates and couragious enterprises in warr, out of companye and in the
sight of the most noble personages in the campe, and (if it be possible) beefore his Princis eyes.
- Not to hasarde himself in forraginge and spoiling or in enterprises of great daunger and small
estimation, though he be sure to gaine by it.
- Not to waite upon or serve a wycked and naughtye person.
- Not to seeke to come up by any naughtie or subtill practise.
- Not to commit any mischevous or wicked fact at the wil and commaundesment of his Lord or
Prince.
- Not to folowe his own fansie, or alter the expresse wordes in any point of his commission from
hys Prince or Lorde, onlesse he be assured that the profit will be more, in case it have good
successe, then the damage, if it succeade yll.
- To use evermore toward his Prince or L. the respect that beecommeth the servaunt toward his
maister.
- To endevour himself to love, please and obey his Prince in honestye.
- Not to covett to presse into the Chambre or other secrete part where his Prince is withdrawen
at any time.
- Never to be sad, melancho[l]ie or solemn beefore hys Prince.
- Sildome or never to sue to hys Lorde for anye thing for himself.
- His suite to be honest and reasonable whan he suyth for others.
- To reason of pleasaunt and meerie matters whan he is withdrawen with him into private and
secrete places alwayes doinge him to understande the truth without dissimulation or flatterie.
- Not to love promotions so, that a man shoulde thinke he coulde not live without them, nor
unshamefastlye to begg any office.
- Not to presse to his Prince where ever he be, to hould him with a vaine tale, that others should
thinke him in favor with him.
- To consyder well what it is that he doeth or speaketh, where in presence of whom, what time,
why, his age, his profession, the ende, and the meanes.
- The final end of a Courtier, where to al his good condicions and honest qualities tende, is to
beecome an Instructer and Teacher of his Prince or Lorde, inclininge him to vertuous practises:
and to be francke and free with him, after he is once in favour in matters touching his honour
and estimation, alwayes putting him in minde to folow vertue and to flee vice, opening unto him
the commodities of the one and inconveniences of the other: and to shut his eares against
flatterers, whiche are the first beeginninge of self leekinge and all ignorance.
- His conversation with women to be alwayes gentle, sober, meeke, lowlie, modest, serviceable,
comelie, merie, not bitinge or sclaundering with jestes, nippes, frumpes, or railinges, the
honesty of any.
- His love towarde women, not to be sensuall or fleshlie, but honest and godly, and more ruled
with reason, then appetyte: and to love better the beawtye of the minde, then of the bodie.
- Not to withdrawe his maistresse good will from his felowlover with revilinge or railinge at him,
but with vertuous deedes, and honest condicions, and with deserving more then he, at her
hands for honest affections sake.
OF THE CHIEF CONDITIONS AND QUALITYES IN A WAYTYNG GENTYLWOMAN
- TO be well born and of a good house.
- To flee affectation or curiositie.
- To have a good grace in all her doinges.
- To be of good condicions and wel brought up.
- To be wittie and foreseing, not heady and of a renning witt.
- Not to be haughtie, envious, yltunged, lyght, contentious nor untowardlye.
- To win and keepe her in her Ladies favour and all others.
- To do the exercises meete for women, comlye and with a good grace.
- To take hede that give none accasion to bee yll reported of.
- To commit no vice, nor yet to be had in suspition of any vice.
- To have the vertues of the minde, as wisdome, justice, noblenesse of courage, temperance,
strength of the mide, continency, sobermoode, etc.
- To be good and discreete.
- To have the understandinge beinge maried, how to ordre her husbandes substance, her house
and children, and to play the good huswyef.
- To have a sweetenesse in language and a good uttrance to entertein all kinde of men with
communication woorth the hearing, honest, applyed to time and place and to the degree and
dispostion of the person which is her principall profession.
- To accompany sober and quiet maners and honesty with a livelie quicknesse of wit.
- To be esteamed no lesse chast, wise and courteious, then pleasant, feat conceited and sober.
- Not to make wise to abhorr companie and talke, though somewhat of the wantonnest, to arise
and forsake them for it.
- To geve the hearing of such kinde of talke with blushing and bashfulnesse.
- Not to speake woordes of dishonestye and baudrye to showe her self pleasant, free and a good
felowe.
- Not to use over much familyaritie without measure and bridle.
- Not willinglie to give eare to suche as report ill of other women.
- To be heedfull in her talke that she offend not where she ment it not.
- To beeware of praysinge her self undiscreatlye, and of beeing to tedious and noysome in her
talke.
- Not to mingle with grave and sad matters, meerie jestes and laughinge matters: nor with mirth,
matters of gravitie.
- To be circumspect that she offend no man in her jesting and tauntynge, to appeere therby of a
readye witt.
- Not to make wise to knowe the thing that she knoweth not, but with sobernesse gete her
estimation with that she knoweth.
- Not to come on loft nor use to swift measures in her daunsinge.
- Not to use in singinge or playinge upon instrumentes to muche devision and busy pointes, that
declare more cunning then sweetenesse.
- To come to daunce, or to showe her musicke with suffringe her self to be first prayed somewhat
and drawen to it.
- To apparaile her self so, that she seeme not fonde and fantasticall.
- To sett out her beawtye and disposition of person with meete garmentes that shall best become
her, but as feininglye as she can, makyng semblant to bestowe no labour about it, nor yet to
minde it.
- To have an understandinge in all thinges belonginge to the Courtier, that she maye gyve her
judgemente to commend and to make of gentilmen according to their worthinesse and
desertes.
- To be learned.
- To be seene in the most necessarie languages.
- To drawe and peinct.
- To daunse.
- To devise sportes and pastimes.
- Not to be lyghte of creditt that she is beloved, thoughe a man commune familierlye with her of
love.
- To shape him that is oversaucie wyth her, or that hath small respecte in hys talke, suche an
answere, that he maye well understande she is offended wyth hym.
- To take the lovynge communication of a sober Gentylman in an other signifycatyon, seeking to
straye from that pourpose.
- To acknoweleage the prayses whyche he giveth her at the Gentylmans courtesye, in case she
can not dissemble the understandinge of them: debasynge her owne desertes.
- To be heedefull and remembre that men may with lesse jeopardy show to be in love, then
women.
- To geve her lover nothing but her minde, when eyther the hatred of her husband, or the love
that he beareth to others inclineth her to love.
- To love one that she may marye withall, beeinge a mayden and mindinge to love.
- To showe suche a one all signes and tokens of love savynge suche as maye put hym in anye
dyshonest hope.
- To use a somewhat more famylyar conversation wyth men well growen in yeeres, then with
yonge men.
- To make her self beloved for her desertes, amiablenesse, and good grace, not with anie
uncomelie or dishonest behaviour, or flickeringe enticement with wanton lookes, but with
vertue and honest condicions.
- The final ende whereto the Coutier applieth all his good condicions, properties, feates and
qualities, serveth also for a waiting Gentilwoman to grow in favour with her Lady, and by that
meanes so to instruct her and traine her to vertue, that she may both refraine from vice and
from committing anye dishonest matter, and also abhorr flatterers, and give her self to
understand the full troth in every thyng, without entring into self leeking and ignorance, either
of other outward thinges, or yet of her owne self.
I don't really intend to introduce the work here but The Courtier is one of the most enduring works of world literature. As a student on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, I see some parallels between the works and, as a modern, I get frustrated by the popular cynicism that dismisses such a work on the basis of its complicated requirements or its peculiar sentiments on gender. Many of these virtues and traits are easily adaptable to modern life and, because of information saturation and American sporting culture, I would go so far as to say that we are better suited to achieve such standards in our silly private lives.
From Thomas Hoby’s 1561 English translation
THE CHIEFE CONDITIONS AND QUALITIES IN A COURTIER
- To be well borne and of a good stocke.
- To be of a meane stature, rather with the least then to high, and well made to his proportion.
- To be portly and amiable in countenance unto whoso beehouldeth him.
- Not to be womanish in his sayinges or doinges.
- Not to praise himself unshamefully and out of reason.
- Not to crake and boast of his actes and good qualities.
- To shon Affectation or curiosity above al thing in al things.
- To do his feates with a slight, as though they were rather naturally in him, then learned with
studye: and use a Reckelesness to cover art, without minding greatly what he hath in hand, to a
mans seeminge.
- Not to carie about tales and triflinge newis.
- Not to be overseene in speaking wordes otherwhile that may offende where he ment it not.
- Not to be stubborne, wilful nor full of contention: nor to contrary and overthwart men after a
spiteful sort.
- Not to be a babbler, brauler, or chatter, nor lavish of his tunge.
- Not to be given to vanitie and lightnesse, not to have a fantasticall head.
- No lyer.
- No fonde flatterer.
- To be well spoken and faire languaged.
- To be wise and well seene in discourses upon states.
- To have a judgement to frame himself to the maners of the Countrey where ever he commeth.
- To be able to alleage good, and probable reasons upon everie matter.
- To be seen in tunges, and specially in Italian, French, and Spanish.
- To direct all thinges to a goode ende.
- To procure where ever he goeth that men may first conceive a good opinion of him before he
commeth there.
- To felowship him self for the most part with men of the best sort and of most estimation, and
with his equalles, so he be also beloved of his inferiours.
- To play for his pastime at Dice and Cardes, not wholye for monies sake, nor fume and chafe in
his losse.
- To be meanly seene in the play at Chestes, and not overcounninge.
- To be pleasantlie disposed in commune matters and in good companie.
- To speake and write the language that is most in use emonge the commune people, without
inventing new woordes, inckhorn tearmes or straunge phrases, and such as be growen out of
use by long time.
- To be handesome and clenly in his apparaile.
- To make his garmentes after the facion of the most, and those to be black, or of some darkish
and sad colour, not garish.
- To gete him an especiall and hartye friend to companye withall.
- Not to be ill tunged, especiallie against his betters.
- Not to use any fonde saucinesse or presumption.
- To be no envious or malitious person.
- To be an honest, a faire condicioned man, and of an upright conscience.
- To have the vertues of the minde, as justice, manlinesse, wisdome, temperance, staidenesse,
noble courage, sober-moode, etc.
- To be more then indifferentlye well seene in learninge, in the Latin and Greeke tunges.
- Not to be rash, nor perswade hymselfe to knowe the thing that he knoweth not.
- To confesse his ignorance, whan he seeth time and place therto, in suche qualities as he
knoweth him selfe to have no maner skill in.
- To be brought to show his feates and qualities at the desire and request of others, and not
rashlye presse to it of himself.
- To speake alwaies of matters likely, least he be counted a lyer in reporting of wonders and
straunge miracles.
- To have the feate of drawing and peincting.
- To daunce well without over nimble footinges or to busie trickes.
- To singe well upon the booke.
- To play upon the Lute, and singe to it with the ditty.
- To play upon the Vyole, and all other instrumentes with freates.
- To delite and refresh the hearers mindes in being pleasant, feat conceited, and a meerie talker,
applyed to time and place.
- Not to use sluttish and Ruffianlike pranckes with anye man.
- Not to beecome a jester of scoffer to put anye man out of countenance.
- To consider whom he doth taunt and where: for he ought not to mocke poore seelie soules, nor
men of authoritie, nor commune ribaldes and persons given to mischeef, which deserve
punishment.
- To be skilfull in all kynd of marciall feates both on horsbacke and a foote, and well practised in
them: whiche is his cheef profession, though his understandinge be the lesse in all other thinges.
- To play well at fense upon all kinde of weapons.
- To be nimble and quicke at the play at tenise.
- To hunt and hauke.
- To ride and manege wel his horse.
- To be a good horsman for every saddle.
- To swimme well.
- To leape wel.
- To renn well.
- To vaute well.
- To wrastle well.
- To cast the stone well.
- To cast the barr well.
- To renn well at tilt, and at ring.
- To tourney.
- To fight at Barriers.
- To kepe a passage or streict.
- To play at Jogo di Canne.
- To renn at Bull.
- To fling a Speare or Dart.
- Not to renn, wrastle, leape, nor cast the stone or barr with men of the Countrey, except he be
sure to gete the victorie.
- To sett out himself in feates of chivalrie in open showes well provided of horse and harness, well
trapped, and armed, so that he may showe himselfe nymeble on horsbacke.
- Never to be of the last that appeere in the listes at justes, or in any open showes.
- To have in triumphes comelie armour, bases, scarfes, trappinges, liveries, and such other things
of sightlie and meerie coulours, and rich to beehoulde, wyth wittie poesies and pleasant divises,
to allure unto him chefflie the eyes of the people.
- To disguise himself in maskerie eyther on horsbacke or a foote, and to take the shape upon hym
that shall be contrarie to the feate that he mindeth to worke.
- To undertake his bould feates and couragious enterprises in warr, out of companye and in the
sight of the most noble personages in the campe, and (if it be possible) beefore his Princis eyes.
- Not to hasarde himself in forraginge and spoiling or in enterprises of great daunger and small
estimation, though he be sure to gaine by it.
- Not to waite upon or serve a wycked and naughtye person.
- Not to seeke to come up by any naughtie or subtill practise.
- Not to commit any mischevous or wicked fact at the wil and commaundesment of his Lord or
Prince.
- Not to folowe his own fansie, or alter the expresse wordes in any point of his commission from
hys Prince or Lorde, onlesse he be assured that the profit will be more, in case it have good
successe, then the damage, if it succeade yll.
- To use evermore toward his Prince or L. the respect that beecommeth the servaunt toward his
maister.
- To endevour himself to love, please and obey his Prince in honestye.
- Not to covett to presse into the Chambre or other secrete part where his Prince is withdrawen
at any time.
- Never to be sad, melancho[l]ie or solemn beefore hys Prince.
- Sildome or never to sue to hys Lorde for anye thing for himself.
- His suite to be honest and reasonable whan he suyth for others.
- To reason of pleasaunt and meerie matters whan he is withdrawen with him into private and
secrete places alwayes doinge him to understande the truth without dissimulation or flatterie.
- Not to love promotions so, that a man shoulde thinke he coulde not live without them, nor
unshamefastlye to begg any office.
- Not to presse to his Prince where ever he be, to hould him with a vaine tale, that others should
thinke him in favor with him.
- To consyder well what it is that he doeth or speaketh, where in presence of whom, what time,
why, his age, his profession, the ende, and the meanes.
- The final end of a Courtier, where to al his good condicions and honest qualities tende, is to
beecome an Instructer and Teacher of his Prince or Lorde, inclininge him to vertuous practises:
and to be francke and free with him, after he is once in favour in matters touching his honour
and estimation, alwayes putting him in minde to folow vertue and to flee vice, opening unto him
the commodities of the one and inconveniences of the other: and to shut his eares against
flatterers, whiche are the first beeginninge of self leekinge and all ignorance.
- His conversation with women to be alwayes gentle, sober, meeke, lowlie, modest, serviceable,
comelie, merie, not bitinge or sclaundering with jestes, nippes, frumpes, or railinges, the
honesty of any.
- His love towarde women, not to be sensuall or fleshlie, but honest and godly, and more ruled
with reason, then appetyte: and to love better the beawtye of the minde, then of the bodie.
- Not to withdrawe his maistresse good will from his felowlover with revilinge or railinge at him,
but with vertuous deedes, and honest condicions, and with deserving more then he, at her
hands for honest affections sake.
OF THE CHIEF CONDITIONS AND QUALITYES IN A WAYTYNG GENTYLWOMAN
- TO be well born and of a good house.
- To flee affectation or curiositie.
- To have a good grace in all her doinges.
- To be of good condicions and wel brought up.
- To be wittie and foreseing, not heady and of a renning witt.
- Not to be haughtie, envious, yltunged, lyght, contentious nor untowardlye.
- To win and keepe her in her Ladies favour and all others.
- To do the exercises meete for women, comlye and with a good grace.
- To take hede that give none accasion to bee yll reported of.
- To commit no vice, nor yet to be had in suspition of any vice.
- To have the vertues of the minde, as wisdome, justice, noblenesse of courage, temperance,
strength of the mide, continency, sobermoode, etc.
- To be good and discreete.
- To have the understandinge beinge maried, how to ordre her husbandes substance, her house
and children, and to play the good huswyef.
- To have a sweetenesse in language and a good uttrance to entertein all kinde of men with
communication woorth the hearing, honest, applyed to time and place and to the degree and
dispostion of the person which is her principall profession.
- To accompany sober and quiet maners and honesty with a livelie quicknesse of wit.
- To be esteamed no lesse chast, wise and courteious, then pleasant, feat conceited and sober.
- Not to make wise to abhorr companie and talke, though somewhat of the wantonnest, to arise
and forsake them for it.
- To geve the hearing of such kinde of talke with blushing and bashfulnesse.
- Not to speake woordes of dishonestye and baudrye to showe her self pleasant, free and a good
felowe.
- Not to use over much familyaritie without measure and bridle.
- Not willinglie to give eare to suche as report ill of other women.
- To be heedfull in her talke that she offend not where she ment it not.
- To beeware of praysinge her self undiscreatlye, and of beeing to tedious and noysome in her
talke.
- Not to mingle with grave and sad matters, meerie jestes and laughinge matters: nor with mirth,
matters of gravitie.
- To be circumspect that she offend no man in her jesting and tauntynge, to appeere therby of a
readye witt.
- Not to make wise to knowe the thing that she knoweth not, but with sobernesse gete her
estimation with that she knoweth.
- Not to come on loft nor use to swift measures in her daunsinge.
- Not to use in singinge or playinge upon instrumentes to muche devision and busy pointes, that
declare more cunning then sweetenesse.
- To come to daunce, or to showe her musicke with suffringe her self to be first prayed somewhat
and drawen to it.
- To apparaile her self so, that she seeme not fonde and fantasticall.
- To sett out her beawtye and disposition of person with meete garmentes that shall best become
her, but as feininglye as she can, makyng semblant to bestowe no labour about it, nor yet to
minde it.
- To have an understandinge in all thinges belonginge to the Courtier, that she maye gyve her
judgemente to commend and to make of gentilmen according to their worthinesse and
desertes.
- To be learned.
- To be seene in the most necessarie languages.
- To drawe and peinct.
- To daunse.
- To devise sportes and pastimes.
- Not to be lyghte of creditt that she is beloved, thoughe a man commune familierlye with her of
love.
- To shape him that is oversaucie wyth her, or that hath small respecte in hys talke, suche an
answere, that he maye well understande she is offended wyth hym.
- To take the lovynge communication of a sober Gentylman in an other signifycatyon, seeking to
straye from that pourpose.
- To acknoweleage the prayses whyche he giveth her at the Gentylmans courtesye, in case she
can not dissemble the understandinge of them: debasynge her owne desertes.
- To be heedefull and remembre that men may with lesse jeopardy show to be in love, then
women.
- To geve her lover nothing but her minde, when eyther the hatred of her husband, or the love
that he beareth to others inclineth her to love.
- To love one that she may marye withall, beeinge a mayden and mindinge to love.
- To showe suche a one all signes and tokens of love savynge suche as maye put hym in anye
dyshonest hope.
- To use a somewhat more famylyar conversation wyth men well growen in yeeres, then with
yonge men.
- To make her self beloved for her desertes, amiablenesse, and good grace, not with anie
uncomelie or dishonest behaviour, or flickeringe enticement with wanton lookes, but with
vertue and honest condicions.
- The final ende whereto the Coutier applieth all his good condicions, properties, feates and
qualities, serveth also for a waiting Gentilwoman to grow in favour with her Lady, and by that
meanes so to instruct her and traine her to vertue, that she may both refraine from vice and
from committing anye dishonest matter, and also abhorr flatterers, and give her self to
understand the full troth in every thyng, without entring into self leeking and ignorance, either
of other outward thinges, or yet of her owne self.