Ac eremites that enhabiten hem By the heye weyes, And in borwes among brewesters, And beggen in churches Al that holy eremytes Hateden and despisede, As rychesses and reverences And rychemennes almesse.
Let other men live as hem list; 1170 Spende in good, or kepe in store; Other mennes conscience never thou nist.
Suche richesse[s] ben more worthy whan they ben in +gadering; in departing, ginneth his love of other mennes praysing.
I see wel mennes owne falsenesse Hem causeth wommen for to trusten lesse.
Wherfore I pray to the holy gost, he lene of his oyntmentes, menneswittes to clere; and, for goddes love, no man wonder why or how this question come to my mynde.
But I saye it for many men there been, that to knowinge of other mennes doinges setten al their cure, and lightly desyren the badde to clatter rather than the good, and have no wil their owne maner to amende.
After these wordes 120 they clepen "goddes" images wrought with mennes handes.
It must be remembered that Ascham ordains that 'good mennes faultes are not to be followed.
But there is so grete hete in tho marches, and namely in that ile, that for the grete distresse of the hete, mennes ballokkes hangen doun to here knees, for the gret dissolucioun of the body.
And seint Poul him self was there a physicyen, for to kepen mennes bodies in hele, before he was converted: and aftre that, he was phisicien of soules.
And than aftre this, Halaon wan alle the lond of promyssioun, and putte it in to Cristene mennes hondes.
That castle let make kyng Baldwyn, (that was Kyng of France) whan he had conquered that lond; and putte it in to cristene mennes hondes, for to kepe that contree.
And zif wee ben righte children of Crist, we oughte for to chalenge the heritage, that oure Fadre lafte us, and do it out of hethene mennes hondes.
Both the princes prouision being made for so great an expedition, they seuering their armies, entered on their iourney.
For hee knew that they were very much out of hope of his life and safetie.
I wol worshipe therwith Truthe by my lyve, And ben his pilgrym atte plow, 4000 For povere mennes sake.
Nought to fare as a fithelere or a frere, For to seke festes Homliche at othere mennes houses, And hatien hir owene.
Yet ar ther fibicches in forceres Of fele mennes makyng, Experimentz of alkenamye The peple to deceyve; If thow thynke to do-wel, Deel therwith nevere.
And of mennes lesynge I laughe, That liketh myn herte; And for hir wynnynge I wepe, And waille the tyme; And deme that thei doon ille, There I do wel werse.
Seint Johan and othere seintes Were seyen in poore clothyng, And as povere pilgrymes Preyed mennes goodes.
Wherfore to geten more and more He set his herte and his desire; 5705 So hote he brennith in the fire Of coveitise, that makith him wood To purchase other mennes good.
And many tymes I make enquestes; For me that office not honest is; To dele with other mennes thing, That is to me a gret lyking.
Sir John Mennes was, however, not a contemporary of John Shakespeare, but doubtless merely passed on the description from some eyewitness.
They were to dine in a hall appointed for the purpose, and called Hundred Mennes Hall, from this circumstance.
And if there bee no Purgatorie (as by the holy Scriptures it plainly gathered there is not) surely thenmennes soules can neyther returne from thence, nor offer themselues to be séene of men.
Seruius= saith, thatmennes soules are called Manes, at suche time as departing from their bodies, they are not yet passed into other bodies.
Neither should we be touched with compassion of other mennes miserie which are vexed with spirits: but we woulde rather say, that they cannot tell what they speake, and that they imagine many vaine feares.
Shortly after menne began to praye, and offer sacrifice for dead mennes soules, yea and that with a good intention, as it may euidently appeare in many of the auncient fathers.
Suerly by the same authoryte that thay steyle and pycke straungers males and bowgettes, by the whiche they take a way mennes pursys, if they se tyme and place conuenyent.
Thay be payntyd byfore mennes eyes, bycause that no cowrtyer after thys shuld laye violêt handes other apõ Byshopes, or the churche goodes.
I walke, and fisshe Cristen mennes soules, 1820 To yelden Iesu Crist his propre rente; To sprede his word is set al myn entente.
Who coude telle yow the forme of daunces, So uncouthe and so fresshe contenaunces, Swich subtil loking and dissimulinges 285 For drede of Ialouse mennes aperceyvinges?
The mihti kinges retenue That dai may stonde of no value 3410 With worldes strengthe to defende; For every man mot thanne entende To stonde upon his oghne dedes And leve alle othre mennes nedes.
And therupon was schape a weie, That he his oghne wif be nyhte Hath out of alle mennes sihte So prively that non it wiste Broght to the king, which as him liste Mai do with hire what he wolde.
Bot yit o thing I you beseche, Which stant in alle mennes speche, The godd and the goddesse of love, Of whom ye nothing hier above Have told, ne spoken of her fare, That ye me wolden now declare 1380 Hou thei ferst comen to that name.
The seintz that weren ous tofore, Be whom the feith was ferst upbore, That holi cherche stod relieved, Thei oghten betre be believed Than these, whiche that men knowe Noght holy, thogh thei feigne and blowe Here lollardie in mennes Ere.
Bot lest nou what seith the clergie; 380 For upon hem that I have seid The creatour hath set and leid The kinde and the complexion Of alle mennes nacion.
Whan the felowe sawe him do so, he sayde: O thou folissh and madde man, goest thou aboute to dyuine other mennes matters, and arte ignorant in thine owne?
A precher in pulpet whiche prechyd the worde of God, amonge other matters spake of mennes soules and sayd that the soule was so subtyll that a thousande soules myght daunce on the space of the nayle of a mannes fynger.
If thou shuldest refuse to do any of these thynges, and woldest assaye to do some thing of more sadnes and prudence, they wyll esteme and count the vnmanerly, cloubbysshe, frowarde, and clene contrarye to all mennes myndes.
Calle and Elys owen, wher of he is alowid; and thanne see that the seid John Russe be content of the remnaunt of his parcellis that is dew by me, but loke ye pay non other mennes dewtes.
But take ye hed and inquere and knowe other mennes purpos, and kepe your intent as close as ye can; and what some evir boost be mad, werk ye wisely and set not by it but send me word what ye here.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "mennes" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
