Fifty Godly and Learned Sermons (The Decades)

For laughter is blameworthy if it be immoderately used, childishly squeaked, or taken up by fits as women are wont to do. Esteem not saucy scoffing, but civil mirth with courteous humanity. Let thy conceits of mirth be without biting, thy sports not without profit, thy laughter without unseemly writhing of thy mouth and visage, thy voice without shrieking, & thy pace in going without hasty shuffling. Let not thy rest be idleness. And when other play, take thou some holy & honest thing in hand. If thou art continent, take heed of flattery, & let it grieve thee as much to be praised of naughty men, as if thou wert praised for thine own naughty deeds. Be the gladder for it, if thou displeasest evil men, and impute the evil opinions, which naughty men have of thee: for the best praise that can be given thee. The hardest work of continency, is, to put away the soothing courtesies of dissembling flatterers, whose fawning words undo the mind with pleasant sensuality. Presume not to much upon thy self, neither be thou arrogant. Submit thee self so far as thou mayest keep thy gravity, and yet make not thee self a footstool or cushion for every man to lean on. Be told of thy faults willingly, and suffer thee self gladly to be reprehē dead. If any man for a cause be angry with, and chide thee, acknowledge thy fault, and let his chiding profit thee. But if he chide thee without any cause, think that thereby he would have profited thee. Fear not sharp but sugared words. Do thou thee self eschew all sorts of vices, and be not an overbusy searcher out of other mens faults, be thou no sharp fault finder, but an admonisher without upbraiding, so that still thy warning may bear the show of cheerful mirth: and condescend easily to pardon the error. Neither praise nor dispraise any man overmuch. Be still and give ear to them that speak, & be ready to instruct them that do hearken: to him that asketh give a ready answer, to him that despiseth thee give place easily, and fall not out to chiding and cursing. If thou art continent, have an eye to the motions of thy body & mind that they be not unseemly: and set not light by them, because no body seeth them: For it maketh no matter if no body see them, so thou thee self does• spy and perceive them. Be moveabl• not ⟨p. 242⟩light, constant, not stubborn.

For laughter is blameworthie if it bee immoderately vsed, childishly squeaked, or taken vp by fittes as women are wont to do. Esteeme not saucie scoffing, but ciuil mirth with curteous humanitie. Let thy conceites of mirth be without biting, thy sportes not without profite, thy laughter without vnseemely writhing of thy mouth and visage, thy voyce without shriking, & thy pace in going without hastie shuffling. Let not thy rest bee idlenesse. And when other play, take thou some holy & honest thing in hand. If thou art continent, take heede of flatterie, & let it greeue thee as much to bee praised of naughtie men, as if thou werte praised for thine owne naughtie deedes. Be the gladder for it, if thou displeasest euil men, and impute the euill opinions, which naughtie men haue of thee: for the best praise that can be giuē thee. The hardest woorke of continencie, is, to put away the soothinge curtesies of dissembling flatterers, whose fawning woordes vndoe the minde with pleasaunt sensualitie. Presume not to much vpon thy selfe, neither be thou arrogant. Submit thee selfe so farre as thou mayste keepe thy grauitie, and yet make not thee selfe a footestoole or cousshen for euery mā to leane on. Be told of thy faultes willingly, and suffer thee selfe gladly to be reprehē ded. If any man for a cause be angrie with, and chide thee, acknowledge thy faulte, and let his chiding profite thee. But if he chide thee without any cause, thinke that therby he would haue profited thee. Feare not sharpe but sugred words. Do thou thee selfe eschew all sortes of vices, and be not an ouerbusie searcher out of other mens faultes, be thou no sharpe fault finder, but an admonisher without vpbrayding, so that still thy warning maye beare the shew of chearefull mirth: and condiscend easily to pardon the errour. Neither praise nor dispraise any man ouermuch. Be still and giue eare to them that speake, & bee readie to instructe them that doe hearken: to him that asketh giue a readie aunsweare, to him that despiseth thee giue place easily, and fal not out to chiding and cursing. If thou art continent, haue an eye to the motions of thy body & minde that they be not vnseemely: and set not light by them, because no bodie seeth them: For it maketh no matter if no body see them, so thou thee selfe does spie and perceiue them. Bee moueabl not