Lat take a cat, and fostre him wel with milk, And tendre flesh, and make his couche of silk, And let him seen a mous go by the wal; Anon he weyveth milk, and flesh, and al, And every deyntee that is in that hous, Swich appetyt hath he to ete a mous.

By nature, men love newfangledness.

The handsome gifts that fate and nature lend us Most often are the very ones that end us.

Make a virtue of necessity.

But manly set the world on sixe and sevene; And, if thou deye a martir, go to hevene.

And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche.

Fie on possession, But if a man be vertuous withal.