A Short Catechisme, or Playne Instruction (1553)
The Master's Invitation
The Master greets his son and expresses eagerness to hear his teaching.
Master. Now you're speaking, my son — that's exactly what I'd gladly hear about.1
The Scholar's Summary of the Second Table
The Scholar humbly recites the commandments of the second table, from honoring parents to not coveting.
Scholar. I'll cover it in a few words, as far as my simple understanding will allow.2 Moses has summed it up in a short summary: that is, that with all loving affection we honor and reverence our father and mother.3 That we kill no one.4 That we commit no adultery. That we steal nothing. That we bear false witness against no one.5 Last of all, that we covet nothing that is our neighbor's.6
Read the original English
Master. Thou sayest new, my sonne, that is it in deede that I wold faine hear of.
Scholer. I wyll in few w…des dispatche it, as my simple wit wyll serue me. Moses hathe knitte it vppe in a sh…rte summe: that is, that with al louing affection, we honoure and reuerence oure father & mother. That we… k…ll no man. That we commit no aduoutrie. That we steale nothynge. That we …are false wytnes agaynst …. Last of all that we co… nothynge, that is oure …yghboures.
Notes
- 1 ↩Early modern 'new' read as 'now' (a common period sense); 'faine' as 'gladly/eagerly' (fain).
- 2 ↩Source has truncated 'w…des'; Early Modern idiom and sense support restoring 'wordes' ('words').
- 3 ↩Source has truncated 'sh…rte'; sense and spelling support restoring 'shorte' ('short').
- 4 ↩Source has truncated 'That we… k…ll no man'; Decalogue parallel and remaining letters support restoring 'That we kyll no man'.
- 5 ↩Source has truncated 'That we …are false wytnes agaynst ….'; remaining letters and Decalogue idiom support restoring 'beare' and an object of negation such as 'none' / 'no man' (rendered here as 'no one'). Neighboring ch. 16 frames the commandment as 'bearynge no false wytnesse'.
- 6 ↩Source has truncated 'co…' and '…yghboures'; neighboring ch. 17 ('coueting any thyng that is our neighbours') and Decalogue sense support restoring 'couet' and 'neighboures'.
John Ponet's Short Catechisme (1553) companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit