Digital Index of Middle English Verse: No. 5289

DIMEV 5289

IMEV 3354.5

NIMEV TP 1730

The fruitful sentence and the noble works

Stephen Hawes, The Conuersion of Swerers — forty-six stanzas rhyme royal (including 6776 and a concluding envoy) and short-line emblem verses (‘See / Me / be kynde’).

Note: Cf. 6776; also Church (1946)

XChurch, Margaret. “The First English Pattern Poems.” PMLA 6 (1946): 636-50

, 636-50; Berdan (1920)

XBerdan, John M. Early Tudor Poetry, 1485-1547. New York: Macmillan, 1920

, 90.

Author(s): Stephen Hawes

Title(s): The Conuersion of Swerers

Subjects: advice, to princes; envoys

Versification: — seven-line — ababbcc

Print Witnesses:

1.Source: STC 12943. Hawes, Stephen, The conuersyon of swerers, [London]: Enprynted at London, in Fletestrete, at the sygne of the Sonne, by Wynken de Worde…, MCCCCCIX [1509]

First Lines:

The fruytfull sentence & the noble werkes
To our doctryne wryten in olde antyquyte…

Last Lines:

…And be[se]che his grace to pardon thy rudenes
Whiche of late was made to eschewe ydylnes

Editions:

Laing, David. The Conversyon of Swerers: a Joyfull Medytacyon…. Abbotsford Club. Edinburgh, 1865; anonymous.

Gluck, Florence, and Alice B. Morga. The Minor Poems of Stephen Hawes. EETS o.s. 271 (1974): 73-84.

2.Source: STC 12943.5. Hawes, Stephen, The conuersyon of swerers, [London]: Enprynted at London, in Fletestrete, at the sygne of the Sonne, by Wynken de Worde…, MCCCCCIX [1509] , sigs. a.ii-a.viii

First Lines:

Amonge all thynges no thynge so prouffytable
As is science with the sentencyous scrypture…

Last Lines:

…And beseche hys grace to pardon thy rudnesse
Whych of late was made to eschewe ydlenesse

Note: Huntington Library R.B. 61309.

Attributed Title: The conuersyon of swerers (sig. a.i); Thus endeth the conuersyon of swerers made and compyled by Stephen Hawys groome of the chambre of our souerigne lorde Kyng Henry the seuenth Enprynted at London in Fletestrete at the sygne of the Sonne by Wynkyn de Worde, Prynter vnto the moost excellent prynses my lady the kynges graundame the yere of our Lord a M CCCC IX the first yere of the reigne of our souerayne lord lyng Henry the VIII (a.viii)

3.Source: STC 12944. Hawes, Stephen, The conuercyon of swerers, [Imprynted at London: In Fletestrete at the sygne of saynt Iohan eua[n]gelyste, by me (J. Skot for) Iohan Butler, (1531?)] , sigs. a.iv-b.iv

First Lines:

THe frutefull sentence & the noble werkes
To our doctryne wryten in olde antyquyte…

Last Lines:

…And beseche his grace to pardon thy rudenes
Whiche of late was made to eschewe ydelnes

Note: Huntington Library R.B. 61308, written in rhyme royal stanzas (not eight-line stanzas).

Attributed Title: The Conuersyon of swerers (sig. a.i); Thus endeth the conuersyon of swerers made & compyled by Stephen Hawys grome of þe chambre of our souerayne lorde kynge Henry the seuenth Imprynted at London in Fletestrete at the sygne of saynt Johan euangelyste by me Johan Butler

4.Source: STC 12944.5. Hawes, Stephen, The conuersyon of swerers, Inprynted at London: by Wyllyam Copland, for Robert Toye, In the yere of our lorde. M.D.LI. [1551]