Thanks Martin. From: A briefe and plaine instruction 1574 Le Roy
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k1176218k/f138.image The sixtene Rule For to plaie fower partes, it is easely to be understande, that the thombe and the three fingers together, serve easely to strike the fower strynges or partes, eche doying his parte, strikyng upward and dounewarde. I assume the 1568 edition says the same. Brown says this is an English translation of a sightly earlier now lost edition. (1557 or 1567) And do we have permission to use the ring finger earlier in the 16th century? To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
