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 propotion.
• 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.

   

  Sildome in open syght of the people but privilye with himselfe alone, or emonge hys friendes and familiers.

• 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.

  These thinges in open syght to delyte the commune people withall.

• 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 thinges 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 sevaunt 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 solenn 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 handes for honest affections sake.