Youths Behavior, or Decency in Conversation Amongst Men

Identification

Title: Youths Behavior, or Decency in Conversation Amongst Men

Translator: Francis Hawkins (1628-1681)

Original Author: Léonard Périn (1567-1638)

Translated Text: Bien-seance de la conversation entre les hommes
Published in 1617

Year of Publication: 1668

This is the 9th impression of the work, which includes 26 new precepts.

Place of publication: London, England

Publishers: Sarah Griffin and Ben Griffin

Printed for William Lee, a bookseller in London.

MSU Library Call Number: XX BJ1552 .B53 1668
https://catalog.lib.msu.edu/Record/folio.in00000012527

Contents of the Book and its Significance

The author, Léonard Périn, was a French Jesuit priest who lived at Pont-à-Mousson in Lorraine. In the 17th century, Pont-à-Mousson was a prominent religious and intellectual hub known for its Jesuit university. At said university, Périn was a beloved educator who was praised for his pure religious virtues. Périn was so popular with his students that when another professor was hired, he was boycotted and subsequently dismissed. Périn’s writing reflected broader Jesuit approaches to education, particularly their emphasis on discipline, civility, and the formation of character.

Francis Hawkins was an English Jesuit who was known as a child prodigy and translator. He was the son of grammarian and physician John Hawkins, and the nephew of Sir Thomas Hawkins and Jesuit leader Henry Hawkins. At the age of 10, he published An Alarum for Ladyes, translated from Jean Puget de la Serre. He was 13 when he published his second and final translation: Youths Behavior, or, Decency in Conversation Amongst Men.

Youths Behavior is a conduct manual intended for the instruction of young people in proper social behavior. It presents a series of rules governing behavior in conversation and daily life.

An additional section was added to the text in 1663, including material directed toward women, letters, proverbs in both Latin and English, a table interpreting difficult words, and work by William Lily, an English grammarian and scholar of the 15th/16th centuries who authored the most widely used Latin grammar in England. textbook. The second part of the book containing Lily’s additions has its own title page and table of contents.

As a whole, this work reflected broader Jesuit approaches to education, particularly their emphasis on discipline, civility, and the formation of character. The text would later be copied by George Washington in his 110 “Rules of Civility”, indicating its continued cultural influence beyond its original context.

At the time of publication, Catholics in England were being outlawed and persecuted. It is unusual that a book of Catholic beliefs about education was in circulation.

One can infer that Francis Hawkins did not agree with the anti-Catholic sentiments of the time. His uncle was Henry Hawkins, a Jesuit leader. In his early adult years, Francis would live at centers of Jesuit learning and service and attend three different Jesuit colleges. He would spend the latter half of his career among the Jesuits in exile.

Given his background, it makes sense why Hawkins would choose to translate a Jesuit text. It is still unusual that the book performed as well as it did. One explanation could be that readers paid no mind to the Catholic influence, as the rules of decency still applied to all of society.

There is an engraved portrait of the translator, Francis Hawkins, at the age of 10. It goes to show that he was truly a child prodigy.

There is another title page for the second part of the book, with an engraved frontispiece of two women labeled “Vertue” and “Vice”.

Physical Qualities

The book was rebound in the 19th century using different calf from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

The upper board’s designs are tooled in blind and gilt.

Upper board Lower board

Both the upper and lower board are completely detached.

There is some liquid damage and browning to the pages.

Evidence of Ownership

On one of the blank folios at the end, there is very faint writing in pencil that reads “Portrait in Evans”. This refers to the Edwards Evans, a man who published large catalogues of engraved portraits and their painters and engravers. I believe this writing to be the earliest mark of ownership.

The large ownership mark on the upper board shows the book was owned by Mr. Oliphant’s School, an institution for young ladies in the 19th century. The bookplate reveals that in 1856, it was awarded to Sophia Jane Drew for her English class division in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Throughout the book, certain lines are underlined and sections are bracketed. It looks to be red colored pencil, which leads me to believe these markings were left by an owner in the early-to-mid 20th century, when colored pencils became more prominently used.

Provenance

William Lee

The imprint tells us that this book was printed for William Lee, a bookseller in London who is said to have been active from 1620 to around 1676.

There were a plethora of William Lees in London at the time. I haven’t been able to find any biographical information about him, other than that he was elected Master of the Company of Stationers in 1659. I was able to pinpoint the approximate location of where his shop would have been on the corner of Fleet Street and Chancery Lane.

The last record I could find of a book printed for him was from 1676. If he operated the shop for 56 years, he would have been very old by the end. I imagine his shop closed due to him passing away, or by choice; the former is more likely. It is unknown when the book was sold, and to whom.

Mr. Oliphant’s School

As made evident by the binding, the book belonged to Mr. Oliphant’s school. Mr. Oliphant’s was one of a selection of institutions developed during the time period intended to improve girls’ education in Scotland. The curriculum would offer a comprehensive education, including subjects unusual for girls’ schools such as science. Mr. Oliphant’s School was initially set up in 1842 as a teacher-training college before being redefined in 1846 as an institution for young ladies. They obtained the book sometime between the initial founding in 1842 and 1856, when the book changed ownership. There is no record of their library or where they obtained their books.

Sophia Jane Drew

According to Scotland’s censuses, Sophia Jane Drew was born in 1850 or 1851 in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 1856, she was awarded the book for her performance in her English class division. She would have been 5 or 6 when she received the award, which is a bit unusual given the majority of the book is about men’s conduct. Nonetheless, it is unknown how long Sophia held on to the book or where the book ended up after.

Sophia Jane Drew would end up marrying George Robertson, changing her name to Sophia Jane Drew Robertson. They moved to Embleton in North England and resided on a farm owned by Robertson’s family. Sophia Jane Drew Robertson would pass away in 1931. The farm, named Embleton Mill, was purchased by her son William in 1935 and continued to be passed down through each generation of the family. The farm is still being operated today by the Robertson family.

C. Mackenzie Bookseller

On the bottom right corner of the front pastedown, there is a yellow sticker that reads “C. Mackenzie Bookseller 80 George Street Edinburgh”. The use of bookseller stickers started as early as the 1880’s and 1890’s. This means the sticker could have been added at any point in the past 130-140 years, making it very difficult to pinpoint when C. Mackenzie Bookseller was active.

After extensive research, I was unable to track down any record of C. Mackenzie Bookseller. The address listed now belongs to an office space, and I wasn’t able to find any record of C. Mackenzie Bookseller in archives. It’s possible the bookseller didn’t own a physical shop, which would explain why I’ve been unable to find any information in country directories. That does make me question why an address was included, however. As of now, it remains a mystery.

James Gray Bookseller

James Gray Bookseller has been active since 1992. James Gray could have obtained the book at any point between then and its date of sale. I’m inclined to believe the book was obtained later rather than sooner, since it likely wouldn’t have gone unsold for 3o years.

Michigan State University

The book now resides at Michigan State University in their special collections.

Sources

“Francis Hawkins (Jesuit).” Wikipedia, October 31, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Hawkins_(Jesuit).

“Griffin, Bennet | the Online Books Page,” n.d. https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/who/Griffin%2C%20Bennet.

Jamesgray2. “Decency in Conservation,” May 26, 2021. https://jamesgray2.me/2021/05/19/decency-in-conservation/#:~:text=1628%2D1681)-,Youths%20behaviour%2C%20or%2C%20Decency%20in%20conversation%20amongst%20men.,may%20be%20sold%20by%20themselves.

“Description: Prosopographia : :: Library Catalogue,” n.d. https://web.marshlibrary.ie/catalogue/Record/31921?sid=3470938.

“Griffin, Bennet | the Online Books Page,” n.d. https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/who/Griffin%2C%20Bennet.

“Farming | Embleton Mill.” Embletonmill.com, 2021, www.embletonmill.com/farming/.

‌Gallica.bnf.fr, 2016, gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k8704194z.

‌“La Grande Cour de La Faculté de Pont-à-Mousson – Les Collections — Musée Lorrain – Ville de Nancy.” Nancy.fr, 2024, musee-lorrain.nancy.fr/les-collections/catalogues-numeriques/la-lorraine-pour-horizon/laffirmation-de-la-souverainete-des-duches-de-lorraine-et-de-bar-1477-1572/la-grande-cour-de-la-faculte-de-pont-a-mousson.

‌Wikipedia Contributors. “Francis Hawkins (Jesuit).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Oct. 2024.

‌“William Lily (Grammarian).” Wikipedia, 20 Oct. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lily_(grammarian).

‌“Catalogue of a Collection of Engraved Portraits … : Comprising Nearly Twenty Thousand Portraits of Persons Connected with the History and Literature of This Country, from the Earliest Period to the Present Time : With an Enumeration of the Circumstances Connecting the Most Eminent Persons with the Various Counties of Great Britain, Preferments of the Clergy, &C. : Alphabetically Arranged with the Names of the Painter and Engraver, and the Size of Each Plate : Now on Sale … : Evans, Edward, 1789-1835 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive.” Internet Archive, 2026, archive.org/details/catalogueofcolle02evan/page/194/mode/2up.

Internet Archive. “A Dictionary of the Booksellers and Printers Who Were at Work in England, Scotland and Ireland … : Henry Robert Plomer : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive,” 1907. https://archive.org/details/adictionarybook00plomgoog/page/n142/mode/2up.

Mrgich, JoJo, and JoJo Mrgich. “The Amazing History of Labels: When Were Stickers Invented?” Avery Blog, March 12, 2026. https://www.avery.com/blog/history-of-labels-when-were-stickers-invented/#:~:text=Advances%20in%20printing%20made%20paper,%2C%20organization%2C%20and%20personal%20expression.

Henry R. Plomer et al., “A DICTIONARY OF THE PRINTERS AND BOOKSELLERS WHO WERE AT WORK IN ENGLAND, SCOTLAND AND IRELAND FROM 1668 TO 1725,” ed. Arundell Esdaile (PRINTED FOR THE BIBLIOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, AT THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, 1922), https://dn790009.ca.archive.org/0/items/dictionaryofprin00plomiala/dictionaryofprin00plomiala.pdf.

Parish: Edinburgh St Cuthberts; ED: 5; Page: 8; Line: 11; Roll: CSSCT1871_156
link
Parish: Edinburgh St Cuthberts; ED: 49A; Page: 10; Line: 3; Roll: CSSCT1851_183; Year: 1851
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Evans, Edward. “Catalogue of a Collection of Engraved Portraits … : Comprising Nearly Twenty Thousand Portraits of Persons Connected with the History and Literature of This Country, from the Earliest Period to the Present Time : With an Enumeration of the Circumstances Connecting the Most Eminent Persons with the Various Counties of Great Britain, Preferments of the Clergy, &c. : Alphabetically Arranged with the Names of the Painter and Engraver, and the Size of Each Plate : Now on Sale … : Evans, Edward, 1789-1835 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” Internet Archive, n.d. https://archive.org/details/catalogueofcolle01evan.

“A School Prize Certificate Issued by Mr Oliphant’s School.” Victorianweb.org, 2019, victorianweb.org/art/design/books/prizes/2.html. ‌‌

Moore, Lindy. “Young Ladies’ Institutions: The Development of Secondary Schools for Girls in Scotland, 1833- C. 1870.” History of Education, vol. 32, no. 3, May 2003, pp. 249–272, https://doi.org/10.1080/00467600304141.

‌“Ancestry Library Edition.” Ancestrylibrary.com, 2026, www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/60558/records/268252?_gl=1.

‌“Ancestry Library Edition.” Ancestrylibrary.com, 2026, www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/2352/records/36993990?tid=&pid=&queryId=4a35718a-615b-4fdc-aa3c-700224d3dc86&usePUBJs=true&_gl=1.

‌

Victoria Shannon, ENG 475, spring semester 2026.
Thank you to the MSU special collections staff.