The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 84
THE FYRSTE ENSEYGNEMENT.
HE fyrst enseygnement of the thre is this: that ye take none offyce of your souerayne lord, yf so be that ye have good ynough & good suffysaunte after as your estate ought to haue, and nomore ye ought to aske of God. And therfore ye ought not put your self in subiection to lose your good by somme euyll word or by somme euyll reporte. For certaynly, my fayr sone, there be lordes of dyuerse condycions and maners. Somme ben hasty, and that lyghtely bileue, and somme haue other maners of condycion. And therfore men oughte to haue suffysaunce, and be doubtynge to put hym self, his estate, and worship, in parylle, and in the daunger of folke whiche ben lyght of wylle. The second enseygnement is, that ye respyte no man that hath deseruyd to deye, & specially yf he be custommed to doo euylle. For yf ye soo dyde, ye shold be participant in al the euylle that he afterward shold doo, as ryght were.
THE THRE ENSEYGNEMENTES OR LARNYNGES WHICH CATHON GAF TO HIS SONE