French king, to one that praide
his reward, shewing how he had bene cut in the face at a certain battell
fought in his seruice: ye may see, quoth the king, what it is to runne
away & looke backwards. And as _Alphonso_ king of Naples, said to one that
profered to take his ring when he washt before dinner, this wil serue
another well: meaning that the Gentlemen had another time taken them, &
becaufe the king forgot to aske for them, neuer restored his ring againe.

[Sidenote: _Sarcasmus_, or the Bitter taunt.]
Or when we deride with a certaine seueritie, we may call it the bitter
taunt [_Sarcasmus_] as _Charles_ the fift Emperour aunswered the Duke of
Arskot, beseeching him recompence of seruice done at the siege of Renty,
against _Henry_ the French king, where the Duke was taken prisoner, and
afterward escaped clad like a Colliar. Thou wert taken, quoth the
Emperour, like a coward, and scapedst like a Colliar, wherefore get thee
home and liue vpon thine owne. Or as king _Henry_ the eight said to one of
his priuy chamber, who sued for Sir _Anthony Rowse_, knight of Norfolke,
that his Maiestie would be good vnto him, for that he was an ill begger.
Quoth the king againe, if he be ashamed to beg, we are ashamed to geue. Or
as _Charles_ the fift Emperour, hauing taken in battaile _Iohn Frederike_
Duke of Saxon, with the Lantgraue of Hessen and others: this Duke being a
man of monstrous bignesse and corpulence, after the Emperor had seene the
prisoners, said to those that were about him, I haue gone a hunting many
times, yet neuer tooke I such a swine before.

[Sidenote: _Asteismus_ or the Merry scoffe, otherwise the ciuill iest.]
Or when we speake by manner of pleasantery, or mery skoffe, that is by a
kind of mock, whereof the sence is farreset, & without any gall or
offence. The Greekes call it [_Asteismus_] we may terme it the ciuill
iest, because it is a mirth very full of ciuilitie, and such as the most
ciuill men doo vse. As _Cato_ said to one that had geuen him a good knock
on the head with a long peece of timber he bare on his shoulder, and then
bad him beware: what (quoth _Cato_) wilt thou strike me againe? for ye
know, a warning should be geuen before a man haue receiued harme, and not
after. And as king _Edward_ the sixt, being of young yeres, but olde in
wit, saide to one of his priuie chamber, who sued for a pardon for one
that was condemned for a robberie, telling the king that if was but a
small trifle, not