Selected quad for the lemma: book_n
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A13666
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A short inuentory of certayne idle inuentions the fruites of a close and secret garden of great ease, and litle pleasure. By C.T.
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Thimelthorpe, C.
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1581
(1581)
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STC 23952.3; ESTC S111413
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51,625
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158
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lyke so well as I procurde it to the presse with this title as you see and thought it as a tokeÌ„ worthy to send vnto you to read whether beyng led there unto by the greate good affection I bare to the maker or by desart of the matter I know not but wel wee both know it is the naturall incliation of friendes one alwayes to thinke the best of an other Therefore as I know the first inuentor hereof ment nothing lesse then to put this forth to the publicke construction of the world to hasarde or aduenture the allowing or disalowing therof I wil not take vponme to geue out any showe of commendatioÌ„ therin at all Fyrst because I knowe it was not made to that intente and besydes least if it should happen to be coÌ„dempned of others as a vayne and tryfling toy I should therewith also be condempned to haue made a partiall and vnworthye prayse But syr if you can rightly consider it as by the least byrde that flyes in the ayre by the least fish that swims in the Sea and by the smallest worme that creepes vpon the earth The omnipotent mighty power of God doth as fully playne appeare as by the hougest and greatest moÌ„sters that beares life in this worlde euen so by the smalest booke that can be written by the most babling ballet that can be made and by the least word that can be spoken his straÌ„ge and wonderful workes in maÌ„ with his most liberall and incomparable guiftes vnto theÌ„ do as perfectly set forth and shew themselues as by the greatest volume that euer was written by the wayghtyest or wysest concept that euer was made or by the most eloquente or learned oration that euer was vttered The honest wyse and ciuil man doth as little despyse the worst and meanest begger that goeth by the waye as he geeatly honoureth the cheefest greatest prince that ruleth in the world euen so here the indifferent and wel disposed myndes wil as litle trippe or spuâ—ne at thys stumped lame and hauiâ—nge toy as they would greatly fawne vppon or runne after a more fyne or pleasaunt inuention But ther is an old prouerb Figulus Figulo inuidit one Potter hateth an other the which to auoyd these may be sufficiently to assure you in that I know you are a craftes man in that arte that as for this vnskilful potter this small trifle and toy is the first that euer hee made who wil not iustify it to be lawful nor good in that he was neuer prentice thereunto and for any he intendes I dare bouldly say shall be the last vnlesse it be a little cup or cruese for his owne mouth yet syr if your friendly actions hadde at anye tyme bene agreable vnto your continual colourable showes you would haue inabled him long before this by your friendly instructions worthye of your felowship and company But vnderstanding he had though to verye small and litle purpose some smacke in this your art as only to take your vessels in hand and to reade them ouer you alwayes shooke hym of demaunding a double fee for the teachinge of your skill much like to amusition who vsed to take of hysschollare which had learned before they came vnto him double soulare deuble that he toke of others which neuer learned before sayinge that hee tooke double paynes with them as fyrst to make them forget that they had learned before and then to teach them perfectlye agayne who if now he were alyue shoulde surelye fynde as small resorte of schollers as I thinke you do in that you are so curyous in your art Therfore to imagine this short and vnpleasaunte sounde here at this tyme presented vnto your audable and pleasaunt eares to be but as a preludium vnto other conceytes that he wil stryue to marre your markets with any such lyke rough hewen or mishapen vessels it shal be in vayn for be intendes nothig lesse And as for this small conceipt here at this tyme being cast in a very litle mould wherin great want of an artifitial workman must needes appeare I hope you will not stryue to condemne but rather excuse though it hath neyther heade to begynne handle to houlde by nor foote to stand vpon though perhaps neare aboute the end you shall find it very imperfect and so ful of secrete chinks and litle crantse as it wil hardly hold liquor without leaking but if your graue head shal esteeme it as an ydle toy imagine it as it is the fruictes of an ydle place For phisicke sake I know you haue swallowed many vnpleasant and bitter pylles for friendship sake you may as wel at this time digest this trifling and ydle toy But if you shal answeare mee that your such Phisical rescerpts haue alwaies inforced you to vse the pap of an apple or els to roule them in suger otherwise they might haue stucke in your throate then for answeare agayne I can but aduise you for the more easy digesting of this my friendly conceipt sent onely as a token vnto you to the rest of my friendes to roule it in styd of an apple in the sott asd slyppery pappe of your gentle pattence or otherwyse in stead of a suger lofe in some sweete and sugred spice of your most frienly interpretation and in this for the old acquayntaunce of longe tyme continued betweene vs I hope I shal not fayle but misse of your willing friendly conformity and therfore now since I haue sufficiently declared vnto you the cause of the publishing herof with the dispositioÌ„ and intent of the deuisor and least I shoulde make this my foretrottiÌ„g shew or preamble which rightly should be but a breefe declaration of what is to come longer then this his whole rase which is very short and consideryng my old lesson worthy in euery act to be remembred and obserued quod satis est sufficit I commend me vnto you you vnto God and these few lines following vnto your friendly construction Your assured friend VVilliam VVouldwell A SHORT PRELVDIVM to the friendly Reader Interpone tuis interdum gaâ—dia curis TO mingle mirth sometymes vvith care and vsyng neither of them to much Preserues thy body vvel in health it keepes thy mynd in perfect state To glutte in sorrovv day and night from day to day from yeare to yeare Thou drovvnst thy selfe in drousy moodes it syngles thee from all thy vvites The hotchpot for varietyes sake is oft accepted of the best And taken as a daynty dish if kyndly mixt vvith diuers tastes Resceites of all preseruatiues vvhere shall you fynde more fyt for health Then vvher the skilful mixtures be in dayly practise to be made A sugred svveete and syluer sound the musicke mixt doth alvvayes yeeld VVith harmony so heauenly vvherein no man but greatly ioyes And here to make a vvindovv fight out of my mynd novv to your eyes Since mixtures make all thinges so good let this my hotchpot beare no blame A flickeryng
A SHORT Inuentory of certayne Idle Inuentions ⧠THE Fruites of a close and secret Garden of great ease and litle pleasure By C. T. IMPRINTED AT London in Fleet-street by Thomas Marsh 1581. ⧠TO THE RIGHT VVORSHIPFVLL I. R. C. T. WISHETH LONGE AND prosperous lyfe to the glory and pleasure of Almighty GOD. AFter I had bestovved some parte of my inforced ydle time in drawing these few and friuolous lynes of most vayne and ydle inuentions onely of purpose to occupy my mynd which otherwise by occasions vvas subiect to receyue a more troublesome greater incombrance and then bending my selfe to a further intent to bestow the sowre fruictes of these my ydle gatheringes thoughe from a place of small pleasure of some such of my friendes whose curtesye I supposed woulde vouchsafe very wel to accept of them and in euery perticular poynt to pardoÌ„ my folly knowing that a litle mite was as wel accepted at the poore womans hands comming with a willing mynde as the great and costly preaseÌ„t was at the handes of the rich I theÌ„ setled my selfe vnto a further consideration and this I wayghed and considered with my selfe if I should rashly take vppon me to send vnto one or two or many of my friends this litle buÌ„dle of trifling toyes not vnlike but in a short time it might be drawn froÌ„ one friende to an other and so at the lenghth cleane out of the hands of my frendes into the mouthes of some others where perhappes it may bee so champt mumbled as it shal cleane be altered from the deaceÌ„t forme and shape of mans meate and made lothsome to the sight of euerye man and onley fitte for the mouth of the Hogg Wherby beyng desyrous to proceede in my purpose I toke occasioÌ„ to enter into the imagination of the nature dispositioÌ„ of maÌ„ with this intent that if happily I could find the ciuil honest inclinatioÌ„s of some able to waigh in equal ballance couÌ„teruaile with the vnciuil dishonest dispositioÌ„ of others theÌ„ would I the more willingly be bold to aduenture the publishing hereof to some of my frends according to my former meanig now after a litle deliberatioÌ„ takeÌ„ therin eueÌ„ as the faulkner who presently after euery flight doth hye and hasten hymselfe to take the fruicts of his game from the foote of his hauke I in the lyke maner callynge my wittes togeather haue demauÌ„ ded a iust accompt of them what they haue gathered accordyng to my purpose to serue my turne or at the least to resolue my mynde and as the Hauke doth open hys foote to yeelde the pray vnto his mayster sometyme very e gentlye and sometyme not so easelye wythout some stryuinge and wrestynge euen so also haue they in the same manner accordinge to their skill now opened themselues in this sort vntome as hereafter followeth According to your appointment wee haue bestowed some time in trauayling and wandringe to and froe and haue not onely traueâ—st the large and wyld field of this world but as neare as wee coulde haue also beaten euery little scrubbe and bushe wherein to our iudgementes any likely hoode of any thinge was to bee seene whych possibly might serue your turne And now as touching those things vvhych at this tyme doe onely concerne our charge and serue for your purpose which onely bee pennes and tongues thus much wee haue gathered togeather of the behauiour dispositioÌ„ of meÌ„ therin In the opeÌ„ field we haue sene to the plaine sight of the worlde that there bee a very greate and infynite number of menne some wyth pennes in they r eares bendynge themselues onely vnto vvrightinge some wyth bookes in their hands and with great delighte bestowinge all theyr tyme wholly in studye Some others vvee fynde neyther with Pen nor Booke but only with a lump of flesh in their mouthes so restles as it seemeth seldom or neuer willâ—gly coÌ„tent to take any rest of these some be restles onely of zeale ernest good wil coÌ„tinually to do good or els of pleasure to recreat themselues or delight their Fryends withoute vtterynge at any tyme any cause of offence some others agayne with their naturall and mother witts do alwais busy beate their braines and most vainly occupy their tougues onely in carpinge and snatching doing nothing themselues continually at other mens doinges On the other syde of those which geue their minds onely vnto wrightinge we fynde the dispositions of them bee also diuerse some to set forth and make playne vnto the ignoraunt and common people continually the heauenly and deuine misteryes onely for the pleasure and comfort to the Soule of man some to wryghting of such necessary matters which onely touch and concerne a coÌ„mon wealth beyng as needful for gouernment as the other is necessarye for comfort other some onely touchâ—g the safe keping and healthful preseruation of mans body which be the Phisitions But leauinge to report any further vnto you of necessarye writers we fynd an other kynde of people in the plaine and open field which geue themselues very often to write of pleasure only to refresh somtimes the weary witts as wel of themselues as of diuers other men beyng perhaps long incombred before with matters of greatter wayght which for recreation sake was neuer thought a thinge greatly amisse Of these we fynd very many which do greatly please and delyght the humoure of the common people without any iust cause of offence at all more vnto one man then to another And now to report vnto you no other vvyse in euery poynt then according to truth vvee cannot iustly say that in the open field wee haue seene anye honest or wyse man that will take vpon him by his penne willingly to iustefye anye vndecent dishonest or vncomelye thynge as wel for modestyes sake as for the preseruation safe keepinge of their credits for they know Litterae scriptae maneÌ„t that writinges remayne a long time be alwayes verye stronge testimonyes agaynste euerye manne Therefore wee fynde all menne striue to wright them in as good and comely order as possibly they canne Wee speake generallye euerye manne because we haue learned this in the worlde that amonge those kynde of menne with whom the commendable exercise of wrighting is mostly to best purpose vsed whosoeuer is founde to write otherwise theÌ„ according to honesty and good order they would not haue him taken or reputed among honest or wise meÌ„ as a man but rather as a rare deformed and mishapen monster they thinke no greater discreditâ— can any way fall vpon them then to haue such a one to beare the name of a companyon amyng them But yet ful well it is knowne among many of the wyse and learned penmen and to wel if it might be holpen that many nimble witted marchauntes though besydes very clownish dul mannered dolts vnder the counterfect habits of graue and ciuile callynges doe oftentymes intrude themselues into that coÌ„mendable