AFter the childe hath learned perfitlie the eight partes of speach, let him then learne the right ioy­ning togither of substan­tiues with adiectiues, the nowne with the verbe, the relatiue with the antece­dent. And in learninge far­ther hys Syntaxis, by mine aduice, he shall not vse the common order in common scholes, for making of la­tines: wherby, the childe commonlie learneth, first, an euill choice of wordes,Cic. de Cla. or. (and right choice of wordes, saith Caesar, is the foundation of eloquence) than, a wrong placing of wordes: and lastlie, an ill framing of the sentence, with a peruerse iudgement, both of wordes and sentences. These faultes, taking once roote in yougthe, be neuer, or hardlie, pluckt away in age.Making of Lattines marreth Children. Moreouer, there is no one thing, that hath more, either dulled the wittes, or taken awaye the will of children from learning, then the care they haue, to satis­fie their masters, in making of latines.

For, the scholer, is commonlie beat for the making, whē the master were more worthie to be beat for the mending, or rather, marring of the same: The master many times, being as ignorant as the childe, what to saie properlie and fitlie to the matter.

Two scholemasters haue set forth in print,Horman. either of them a booke, of soch kinde of latines, Horman and Whit­tington. Whitting­ton.

A childe shall learne of the better of them, that, which an other daie, if he be wise, and cum to iudgement, he must be faine to vnlearne againe.

There is a waie, touched in the first booke of Cicero De Oratore, 1. De Or. which, wiselie brought into scholes, truely taught, [Page] and cōstantly vsed, would not onely take wholly away this butcherlie feare in making of latines, but would also, with ease and pleasure, and in short time, as I know by good expe­rience, worke a true choice and placing of wordes, a right ordering of sentences, an easie vnderstandyng of the tonge, a readines to speake, a facilitie to write, a true iudgement, both of his owne, and other mens doinges, what tonge so euer he doth vse.

The waie is this. After the thrée Concordances lear­ned, as I touched before, let the master read vnto hym the Epistles of Cicero, gathered togither and chosen out by Sturmius, for the capacitie of children.

The order of teaching.First, let him teach the childe, cherefullie and plainlie, the cause, and matter of the letter: then, let him construe it into Englishe, so oft, as the childe may easilie carie awaie the vnderstanding of it: Lastlie, parse it ouer perfitlie. This done thus, let the childe, by and by, both construe and parse it ouer againe: so, that it may appeare, that the childe dou­teth in nothing, that his master taught him before. After this, the childe must take a paper booke, and sitting in some place, where no man shall prompe him, by him self, let him translate into Englishe his former lesson. Then shewing it to his master,Two pa­per bokes. let the master take from him his latin booke, and pausing an houre, at the least, than let the childe tran­slate his owne Englishe into latin againe, in an other pa­per booke. When the childe bringeth it, turned into latin, the master must compare it with Tullies booke, and laie them both togither: and where the childe doth well, either in chosing, or true placing of Tullies wordes, let the master praise him,Children learne by prayse. and saie here ye do well. For I assure you, there is no such whetstone, to sharpen a good witte and encourage a will to learninge, as is praise.

But if the childe misse, either in forgetting a worde, or in chaunging a good with a worse, or misordering the sen­tence, I would not haue the master, either froune, or chide with him, if the childe haue done his diligence, and died no [Page 2] frewandship therein.Ientlenes in teaching For I know by good experience, that a childe shall take more profit of two fautes, tentlie warned of, then of foure thinges, rightly hitt. For than, the master shall haue good occasion to saie vnto him. N. Tullie would haue vsed such a worde, not this: Tullie would haue placed this worde here, not there: would haue vsed this case, this number, this person, this degrée, this gender: he would haue vsed this moode, this tens, this simple, rather than this com­pound: this aduerbe here, not there: he would haue ended the sentence with this verbe, not with that nowne or par­ticiple. &c.

In these sewe lines, I haue wrapped vp, the most tedi­ous part of Grammer: and also the ground of almost all the Rewles, that are so busilie taught by the Master, and so hardlie learned by the Scholer, in all common Scholes: which after this sort, the master shall teach without all er­ror, and the scholer shall learne without great paine: the master being led by so sure a guide, and the scholer being brought into so plaine and casie a waie. And therefore, we do not contemne Rewles, but we gladlie teach Rewles: and teach them, more plainlie, sensiblie, and orderlie, than they be commonlie taught in common Scholes. For whan the Master shall compare Tullies booke with his Scholers tran­slation, let the Master, at the first, lead and teach his Scho­ler, to ioyne the Rewles of his Grammer booke, with the examples of his present lesson, vntill the Scholer, by him selfe, be hable to fetch out of his Grammer, euerie Rewle, for euerie Example: So, as the Grammer booke be euer in the Scholers hand, and also vsed of him, as a Dictionarie, for euerie present vse. This is a liuely and perfite waie of teaching of Rewles: where the common waie, vsed in com­mon Scholes, to read the Grammer alone by it selfe, is te­dious for the Master, hard for the Scholer, colde and vn­cumfortable for them bothe.

Let your Scholer be neuer afraide, to aske you any dout, but vse discretlie the best allurementes ye can, to encorage [Page] him to the same: lest, his euermoch fearinge of you, driue him to séeke some misorderlie shifte: as, to séeke to be helped by some other booke, or to be prompted by some other Scholer, and so goe aboute to begile you moch, and him selfe more.

With this waie, of good vnderstanding the mater, plaine construinge, diligent parsinge, dailie translatinge, chere­full admonishinge, and héedefull amendinge of faultes: ne­uer leauinge behinde iuste praise for well doinge, I would haue the Scholer brought vp withall, till he had red, & tran­slated ouer y^e first booke of Epistles chosen out by Sturmius, with a good péece of a Comedie of Terence also.

Latin speakyng.All this while, by mine aduise, the childe shall vse to speake no latine: For, as Cicero saith in like mater, with like wordes, loquendo, male loqui discunt. And, that excellent learned man, G. Budaeus, G. Budaeus. in his Gréeke Commentaries, sore complaineth, that whan he began to learne the latin tonge, vse of speaking latin at the table, and elsewhere, vn­aduisedlie, did bring him to soch an euill choice of wordes, to soch a crooked framing of sentences, that no one thing did hurt or hinder him more, all the daies of his life afterward, both for redinesse in speaking, and also good iudgement in writinge.

In very déede, if childrē were brought vp, in soch a house, or soch a Schole, where the latin tonge were properlie and perfitlie spoken, as Tib. and Ca. Gracci were brought vp, in their mother Cornelias house, surelie, than the dai­lie vse of speaking, were the best and readiest waie, to learne the latin tong. But, now, commonlie, in the best Scholes in England, for wordes, right choice is smallie regarded, true proprietie whollie neglected, confusion is brought in, barbariousnesse is bred vp so in yong wittes, as afterward they be, not onelie marde for speaking, but also corrupted in iudgement: as with moch adoe, or neuer at all, they be brought to right frame againe.

Yet all men couet to haue their children speake latin: [Page 3] and so do I verie earnestlie too. We bothe, haue one pur­pose: we agrée in desire, we wish one end: but we differ somewhat in order and waie, that leadeth rightlie to that end. Other would haue them speake at all aduentures: and, so they be speakinge, to speake, the Master careth not, the Scholer knoweth not, what. This is, to seeme, and not to bée: except it be, to be bolde without shame, rashe without skill, full of wordes without witte. I wish to haue them speake so, as it may well appeare, that the braine doth go­uerne the tonge, and that reason leadeth forth the taulke. Socrates doctrine is true in Plato, Plato. and well marked, and truely vttered by Horace in Arte Poetica, that, where so euer knowledge doth accompanie the witte,Horat. there best vt­terance doth alwaies awaite vpon the tonge:Much writyng bree­deth ready speakyng. For, good vn­derstanding must first be bred in the childe, which, being nu­rished with skill, and vse of writing (as I will teach more largelie hereafter) is the onelie waie to bring him to iudge­ment and readinesse in speakinge: and that in farre shorter time (if he followe constantlie the trade of this litle lesson) than he shall do, by common teachinge of the cōmon scholes in England.

But, to go forward, as you perceiue, your scholer to goe better and better on awaie, first, with vnderstanding his lesson more quicklie, with passing more readelie, with tran­slating more spedelie and perfitlie then he was wonte, af­ter, giue him longer lessons to translate: and withall, begin to teach him,The secōd degree and order in teachyng. both in nownes, & verbes, what is Proprium, and what is Translatum, what Synonymum, what Diuersum, which be Contraria, and which be most notable Phrases in all his leisure.

As:

Proprium.

Rex Sepultus est magnifice.

[Page] Translatum.

• Cum illo principe,
• Sepulta est & gloria
• & Salus Republicae.

Synonyma.

• Ensis, Gladius.
• Laundare, praedicare.

Diuersa.

• Diligere, Amare.
• Calere, Exardescere
• Inimicus, Hostis.

Contraria.

• Acerbū & luctuosum bellum.
• Dulcis & laeta Pax.

Phrases.

Dare verba. abijcerē obedientiam.

Your scholer then, must haue the third paper booke: in the which,The thyrd paper boke. after he hath done his double translation, let him write, after this sort foure of these forenamed sixe, diligent­lie marked out of euerie lesson.

Quatuor.

• Propria.
• Translata.
• Synonyma.
• Diuersa.
• Contraria.
• Phrases.

Or else, thrée, or two, if there be no moe: and if there be none of these at all in some lecture, yet not omitte the order, but write these.

• Diuersa nulla.
• Contraria nulla. &c.

[Page 4]This diligent translating, ioyned with this héedefull marking, in the foresaid Epistles, and afterwarde in some plaine Oration of Tullie, as, pro lege Manil: pro Archia Poeta, or in those thrée ad C. Caes: shall worke soch a right choise of wordes, so streight a framing of sentences, soch a true iudgement, both to write skilfullie, and speake witte­lie, as wise men shall both praise, and maruell at.

If your scholer do misse sometimes,Ientlenes in teaching▪ in marking rightlie these foresaid sixe thinges, chide not hastelie: for that shall, both dull his witte, and discorage his diligence: but monish him gentelie: which shall make him, both willing to a­mende, and glad to go forward in loue and hope of learning.

I haue now wished, twise or thrise, this gentle nature, to be in a Scholemaster: And, that I haue done so, neither by chance, nor without some reason, I will now declare at large, why, in mine opinion, loue is fitter then feare,Loue. ien­tlenes better than beating, to bring vp a childe rightlie in learninge.Feare.

With the common vse of teaching and beating in com­mon scholes of England,Common Scholes. I will not greatlie contend: which if I did, it were but a small grammaticall controuersie, nei­ther belonging to heresie nor treason, nor greatly touching God nor the Prince: although in very deede, in the end, the good or ill bringing vp of children, doth as much serue to the good or ill seruice, of God, our Prince, and our whole coun­trie, as any one thing doth beside.

I do gladlie agrée with all good Scholemasters in these pointes: to haue children brought to good perfitnes in lear­ning: to all honestie in maners: to haue all fautes rightlie amended: to haue euerie vice seuerelie corrected: but for the order and waie that leadeth rightlie to these pointes, we somewhat differ. For commonlie, many scholemasters, some,Sharpe Scholemasters. as I haue séen, moe, as I haue heard tell, be of so croo­ked a nature, as, when they méete with a hard witted scho­ler, they rather breake him, than bowe him, rather marre him, than mend him. For whan the scholemaster is angrie [Page] with some other matter, then will he sonest faul to beate his scholer: and though he him selfe should be punished for his folie, yet must he beate some scholer for his pleasure: though there be no cause for him to do so, nor yet fault in the scholer to deserue so. These ye will say, be fond scholema­sters, and fewe they be, that be found to be soch. They be fond in deede, but surelie ouermany soch be found euerie where. But this will I say, that euen the wisest of your great beaters,Nature punished. do as oft punishe nature, as they do correcte faultes. Yea, many times, the better nature, is sorer pu­nished: For, if one, by quicknes of witte, take his lesson readelie, an other, by hardnes of witte, taketh it not so spée­delie: the first is alwaies commended, the other is common­lie punished: whan a wise sholemaster, should rather dis­cretelie consider the right disposition of both their natures, and not so moch wey what either of them is able to do now, as what either of them is likelie to do hereafter.Quicke wittes for learnyng. For this I know, not onelie by reading of bookes in my studie, but also by experience of life, abrode in the world, that those, which be commonlie the wisest, the best learned, and best men also, when they be olde, were neuer commonlie the quickest of witte, when they were yonge The causes why, amongest other, which be many, that moue me thus to thinke, be these fewe, which I will recken. Quicke wittes commonlie, be apte to take, vnapte to kéepe: soone hote and desirous of this and that: as colde and sone wery of the same againe: more quicke to enter spedelie, than hable to pearse farre: euen like ouer sharpe tooles, whose edges be verie soone turned. Soch wittes delite them selues in easie and pleasant studies, and neuer passe farre forward in hie and hard sciences. And therfore the quickest wittes commonlie may proue the best Poetes, but not the wisest Orators: rea­die of tonge to speake boldlie, not déepe of iudgement, either for good counsell or wise writing.Quicke wittes, for maners & lyfe. Also, for maners and life, quicke wittes commonlie, be, in desire, newfangle, in pur­pose, vnconstant, light to promise any thing, readie to forget [Page 5] euery thing: both benefite and iniurie: and therby neither fast to frend, nor fearefull to foe: inquisitiue of euery trifle, not secret in greatest affaires: bolde, with any person: busie, in euery matter: sothing, soch as be present: nipping any that is absent: of nature also alwaies, flattering their bet­ters, enuying their equals, despising their inferiors: and, by quicknes of witte, verie quicke and readie, to like none so well as them selues.

Moreouer commonlie, men, very quicke of witte, be al­so, verie light of conditions: and thereby, very readie of dis­position, to be caried ouer quicklie, by any light cumpanie, to any riot and vnthriftines when they be yonge: and ther­fore seldome, either honest of life, or riche in liuing, when they be olde. For, quicke in witte, and light in maners, be, either seldome troubled, or verie sone wery, in carying a verie heuie purse. Quicke wittes also be, in most part of all their doinges, ouerquicke, hastie, rashe, headie, and brain­sicke. These two last wordes, Headie, and Brainsicke, be fitte and proper wordes, rising naturallie of the matter, and tearmed aptlie by the condition, of ouer moch quickenes of witte. In yougthe also they be, readie scoffers, priuie moc­kers, and euer ouer light and mery. In aige, sone testie, ve­ry waspishe, and alwaies ouer miserable: and yet fewe of them cum to any great aige, by reason of their misordered life when they were yong: but a great deale fewer of them cum to shewe any great countenance, or beare any great authoritie abrode in the world, but either liue obscurelie, men know not how, or dye obscurelie, mē marke not whan. They be like trées, that shewe forth, faire blossoms & broad leaues in spring time, but bring out small and not long la­sting fruite in haruest time: and that onelie soch, as fall, and rotte, before they be ripe, and so, neuer, or seldome, cum to any good at all. For this ye shall finde most true by experi­ence, that amongest a number of quicke wittes in youthe, fewe be found, in the end, either verie fortunate for them selues, or verie profitable to serue the common wealth, but [Page] decay and vanish, men know not which way: except a very fewe, to whom peraduenture blood and happie parentage, may perchance purchace a long standing vpon the stage. The which felicitie, because it commeth by others pro­curing, not by their owne deseruinge, and stand by other mens féete, and not by their own, what owtward brag so euer is borne by them, is in déed, of it selfe, and in wise mens eyes, of no great estimation.

Som sci­ences hurt mēs wits, and mar mens ma­ners.Some wittes, moderate enough by nature, be many tymes marde by ouer moch studie and vse of some sciences, namelie, Musicke, Arithmetick, and Geometrie. Thies sciences, as they sharpen mens wittes ouer moch, so they change mens maners ouer sore, if they be not moderatlie mingled, & wiselie applied to som good vse of life. Marke all Mathematicall heades,Mathe­maticall heades. which be onely and wholy bent to those sciences, how solitarie they be thēselues, how vnfit to liue with others, & how vnapte to serue in the world. This is not onelie knowen now by common experience, but vt­tered long before by wise mens Iudgement and sentence. Galene saith,Galen. moch Musick marreth mens maners: and Plato hath a notable place of the same thing in his bookes de Rep. well marked also,Plato. and excellentlie translated by Tullie himself. Of this matter, I wrote once more at large, xx. yeare a go, in my booke of shoting: now I thought but to touch it, to proue, that ouer moch quicknes of witte, either giuen by nature, or sharpened by studie, doth not common­lie bring forth, eyther greatest learning, best maners, or happiest life in the end.

Hard wits in learning.Contrariewise, a witte in youth, that is not ouer dulle, heauie, knottie and lumpishe, but hard, rough, and though somwhat staffishe, as Tullie wisheth otium, quietum, non languidum: and negotium cum labore, non cum periculo, such a witte I say, if it be, at the first well hand­led by the mother, and rightlie smothed and wrought as it should, not ouerwhartlie, and against the wood, by the scholemaster, both for learning, and hole course of liuing, [Page 6] proueth alwaies the best. In woode and stone, not the soft­est, but hardest, be alwaies aptest, for portrature, both fai­rest for pleasure, and most durable for proffit. Hard wittes be hard to receiue, but sure to kéepe: painefull without werinesse, hedefull without wauering, constant without newfanglenes: bearing heauie thinges, thoughe not light­lie, yet willinglie: entring hard thinges, though not easelie, yet depelie, and so cum to that perfitnes of learning in the ende, that quicke wittes, séeme in hope, but do not in déede, or else verie seldome, euer attaine vnto. Also, for maners and life,Hard wits in maners and lyfe. hard wittes commonlie, ar hardlie caried, either to desire euerie new thing, or else to meruell at euery strange thinge: and therfore they be carefull and diligent in their own matters, not curious and busey in other mens affaires: and so, they becum wise them selues, and also ar counted honest by others. They be graue, stedfast, silent of tong, secret of hart. Not hastie in making, but constant in keping any promise. Not rashe in vttering, but ware in considering euery matter: and therby, not quicke in spea­king, but déepe of iudgement, whether they write, or giue counsell in all waightie affaires. And theis be the mē, that becum in the end, both most happie for themselues, and al­waise best estemed abrode in the world.

I haue bene longer in describing, the nature, the good or ill successe, of the quicke and hard witte, than perchance som will thinke,The best wittes dri­uen from learnyng, to other li­uyng. this place and matter doth require. But my purpose was hereby, plainlie to vtter, what iniurie is offered to all learninge, & to the common welthe also, first, by the fond father in chosing, but chieflie by the lewd schole­master in beating and driuing away the best natures from learning. A childe that is still, silent, constant, and som­what hard of witte, is either neuer chosen by the father to be made a scholer, or else, when he commeth to the schole, he is smally regarded, little looked vnto, he lacketh tea­ching, he lacketh coraging, he lacketh all thinges, onelie he neuer lacketh beating, nor any word, that may moue him [...] [Page] red horse, but wilde and vnfortunate Children: and ther­fore in the ende they finde more pleasure in their horse, than comforte in their children.

But concerning the trewe notes of the best wittes for learning in a childe, I will reporte, not myne own opinion, but the very iudgement of him, that was counted the best teacher and wisest man that learning maketh mention of, and that is Socrates in Plato, Plato in 7. de Rep. who expresseth orderlie thies seuen plaine notes to choise a good witte in a child for lear­ninge.

• 1. [...].
• Trewe notes of a good witte.
  2. [...].
• 3. [...].
• 4. [...].
• 5. [...].
• 6. [...].
• 7. [...].

And bicause I write English, and to Englishemen, I will plainlie declare in Englishe both, what thies wordes of Plato meane, and how aptlie they be linked, and how orderlie they folow one an other.

1. [...].

Witte.Is he, that is apte by goodnes of witte, and appliable by readines of will,Will. to learning, hauing all other qualities of the minde and partes of the bodie, that must an other day serue learning, not trobled, māgled, and halfed, but sounde, whole,The tong. full, & hable to do their office: as, a tong, not stame­ring, or ouer hardlie drawing forth wordes, but plaine, and redie to deliuer the meaning of the minde:The voice. a voice, not softe, weake, piping, womannishe, but audible, stronge, and man­like: a countenance, not werishe and crabbed, but faire and cumlie:Face. a personage, not wretched and deformed, but taule and goodlie:Stature. for surelie, a cumlie countenance, with a goodlie [Page 8] stature, geueth credit to learning, and authoritie to the per­son: otherwise commonlie,Learnyng ioyned with a cumlie perso­nage. either open contempte, or priuie disfauour doth hurte, or hinder, both person and learning. And, euen as a faire stone requireth to be sette in the finest gold, with the best workmanshyp, or else it leseth moch of the Grace and price, euen so, excellencye in learning, and namely Diuinitie, ioyned with a cumlie personage, is a meruelous Iewell in the world. And how can a cumlie bo­die be better employed, than to serue the fairest exercise of Goddes greatest gifte, and that is learning. But common­lie, the fairest bodies, ar bestowed on the foulest purposes. I would it were not so: and with examples herein I will not medle: yet I wishe, that those shold, both mynde it, & medle with it, which haue most occasion to looke to it, as good and wise fathers shold do, and greatest authoritie to amend it, as good & wise magistrates ought to do:Deformed creatures commonlie set to lear­nyng. And yet I will not l [...], openlie to lament the vnfortunate case of learning herein.

For, if a father haue foure sonnes, thrée faire and well formed both mynde and bodie, the fourth, wretched, lame, and deformed, his choice shalbe, to put the worst to learning, as one good enoughe to becum a scholer. I haue spent the most parte of my life in the Uniuersitie, and therfore I can beare good witnes that many fathers commonlie do thus: wherof, I haue hard many wise, learned, and as good men as euer I knew, make great, and oft complainte: a good horse­man will choise no soch colte, neither for his own, nor yet for his masters sadle And thus moch of the first note.

2 [...].

Good of memorie:Memorie. a speciall parte of the first note [...], and a mere benefite of nature: yet it is so necessarie for lear­ning: as Plato maketh it a separate and perfite note of it selfe, and that so principall a note, as without it, all other giftes of nature do small seruice to learning.Aul. Gel. Afranius, that olde Latin Poete maketh Memorie the mother of learning and wisedome, saying thus.

[Page] Vsus me genuit, Mater peperit memoria, and though it be the mere gifte of nature, yet is memorie well preserued by vse, and moch encreased by order, as our scholer must learne an other day in the Uniuersitie: but in a childe, a good me­morie is well known,Three sure signes of a good me­morie. by thrée properties: that is, if it be, quicke in receyuing, sure in keping, and redie in deliuering forthe againe.

3 [...].

Giuen to loue learning: for though a child haue all the giftes of nature of wishe, and perfection of memorie at wil, yet if he haue not a speciall loue to learning, he shall neuer attaine to moch learning. And therfore Isocrates, one of the noblest scholemasters, that is in memorie of learning, who taught Kinges and Princes, as Halicarnassaeus wri­teth, and out of whose schole, as Tullie saith, came forth, mo noble Capitanes, mo wise Councelors, than did out of Epeius horse at Troie. This Isocrates, I say, did cause to be writtē, at the entrie of his schole, in golden letters, this gol­den sentence, [...], which excellent­lie said in Greeke, is thus rudelie in Englishe, if thou louest learning, thou shalt attayne to moch learning.

4. [...].

Is he, that hath a lust to labor, and a will to take paines. For, if a childe haue all the benefites of nature, with perfe­ction of memorie, loue, like, & praise learning neuer so moch, yet if he be not of him selfe painfull, he shall neuer attayne vnto it. And yet where loue is present, labor is seldom ab­sent, and namelie in studie of learning, and matters of the mynde: and therfore did Isocrates rightlie iudge, that if his scholer were [...], he cared for no more. Aristotle, va­riing from Isocrates in priuate affaires of life, but agreing with Isocrates in common iudgement of learning, for loue and labor in learning,2. Rhet. ad Theod. is of the same opiniō, vttered in these wordes, in his Rhetorike ad Theodeiten Libertie kindleth [Page 9] loue: Loue refuseth no labor: and labor obteyneth what so euer it seeketh. And yet neuerthelesse, Goodnes of nature may do litle good: Perfection of memorie, may serue to small vse: All loue may be employed in vayne: Any labor may be sone graualed, if a man trust alwaies to his own singuler witte, and will not be glad somtyme to heare, take aduise, and learne of an other: And therfore doth Socrates very no­tablie adde the fifte note.

5. [...].

He, that is glad to heare and learne of an other. For o­therwise, he shall sticke with great troble, where he might go easelie forwarde: and also catche hardlie a verie litle by his owne toyle, whan he might gather quicklie a good deale, by an nother mans teaching. But now there be some, that haue great loue to learning, good lust to labor, be willing to learne of others, yet, either of a fonde shamefastnes, or else of a proude folie, they dare not, or will not, go to learne of an nother: And therfore doth Socrates wiselie [...] the sixte note of a good witte in a childe for learning, and that is.

6. [...].

He, that is naturallie bolde to aske any question, desi­rous to searche out any doute, not ashamed to learne of the meanest, not affraide to go to the greatest, vntill he be per­fitelie taught, and fullie satisfiede. The seuenth and last poynte is.

7. [...].

He, that loueth to be praised for well doing, at his father, or masters hand. A childe of this nature, will earnestlie loue learnyng, gladlie labor for learning, willinglie learne of o­ther, boldlie aske any doute. And thus, by Socrates iudge­ment, a good father, and a wise scholemaster, shold chose a childe to make a scholer of, that hath by nature, the foresayd perfite qualities, and cumlie furniture, both of mynde and [Page] bodie: hath memorie, quicke to receyue, sure to keape, and readie to deliuer: hath loue to learning: hath lust to labor: hath desire to learne of others: hath boldnes to aske any que­stiō: hath mynde holie bent, to wynne praise by well doing.

The two firste poyntes be speciall benefites of nature: which neuerthelesse, be well preserued, and moch encreased by good order. But as for the fiue laste, loue, labor, gladnes to learne of others, boldnes to aske doutes, and will to wynne praise, be wonne and maintened by the onelie wisedome and discretiō of the scholemaster. Which fiue poyntes, whe­ther a scholemaster shall worke soner in a childe, by feare­full beating, or curtese handling, you that be wise, iudge.

Yet some men, wise in déede, but in this matter, more by seueritie of nature, thā any wisdome at all, do laugh at vs, when we thus wishe and reason, that yong children should rather be allured to learning by ientilnes and loue, than compelled to learning, by beating and feare: They say, our reasons [...] onelie to bréede forth talke, and passe a waie tyme, but we neuer saw good scholemaster do so, nor neuer red of wise man that thought so.

Yes forsothe: as wise as they be, either in other mens o­pinion, or in their owne conceite, I will bring the contrarie iudgement of him, who, they them selues shall confesse▪ was as wise as they are, or else they may be iustlie thought to haue small witte at all: and that is Socrates, whose iudge­ment in Plato is plainlie this in these wordes: which, bi­cause they be verie notable,Plato in 7. de Rep. I will recite them in his owne tong, [...]: in Englishe thus, No learning ought to be learned with bondage: For, bodelie labors, wrought by compulsion, hurt not the bodie: but any learning learned by cōpulsion, tarieth not lōg in the mynde: And why? For what soeuer the mynde doth learne vnwil­linglie with feare, the same it doth quicklie forget without care. And lest proude wittes, that loue not to be contraryed, [Page 10] but haue lust to wrangle or trifle away troth, will say, that Socrates meaneth not this of childrens teaching, but of som other higher learnyng, heare, what Socrates in the same place doth more plainlie say: [...], that is to say, and ther­fore, my deare frend, bring not vp your children in learning by compulsion and feare, but by playing and pleasure. And you,The right readyng of Plato. that do read Plato, as ye shold, do well perceiue, that these be no Questions asked by Socrates, as doutes, but they be Sentences, first affirmed by Socrates, as mere trothes, and after, giuen forth by Socrates, as right Rules, most necessarie to be marked, and fitte to be folowed of all them, that would haue children taughte, as they should. And in this counsell, iudgement, and authoritie of Socrates I will repose my selfe, vntill I meete with a man of the con­trarie mynde, whom I may iustlie take to be wiser, than I thinke Socrates was.Yong Ien­tlemen, be wiselier taught to ryde, by cō ­mon ry­ders, than to learne, by common Schole­masters. Fonde scholemasters, neither can vn­derstand, nor will folow this good counsell of Socrates, but wise ryders, in their office, can and will do both: which is the onelie cause, that cōmonly, the yong ientlemen of England, go so vnwillinglie to schole, and run so fast to the stable: For in verie déede fond scholemasters, by feare, do beate into thē, the hatred of learning, and wise riders, by ientle allure­mentes, do bréed vp in them, the loue of riding. They finde feare, & bondage in scholes, They féele libertie and fréedome in stables: which causeth them, vtterlie to abhorre the one, and most gladlie to haunt the other. And I do not write this, that in exhorting to the one, I would dissuade yong ientle­men from the other: yea I am sorie, with all my harte, that they be giuen no more to riding,Ryding. then they be: For, of all outward qualities, to ride faire, is most cumelie for him selfe, most necessarie for his contrey, and the greater he is in blood, the greater is his praise, the more he doth excede all o­ther therein. It was one of the thrée excellent praises, a­mongest the noble ientlemen the old Percians, Alwaise to say troth, to ride faire, and shote well: and so it was engra­uen [Page] vpon Darius tumbe,Strabo 15. as Strabo beareth witnesse.

But, to our purpose, yong men, by any meanes, léesing the loue of learning, whan by tyme they cum to their owne rule, they carie commonlie, from the schole with them, a perpetuall hatred of their master, and a continuall con­tempt of learning. If ten Ientlemen be asked, why they for­get so sone in Court, that which they were learning so long in schole, eight of them, or let me blamed, will laie the fault on their ill handling, by their scholemasters.

Cuspinian doth report, that, that noble Emperour Ma­ximilian, would lament verie oft, his misfortune herein.

Pastime.Yet, some will say, that children of nature, loue pastime, and mislike learning:Learnyng. bicause, in their kinde, the one is easie & pleasant, the other hard and werison: which is an opinion not so trewe, as some men wéene: For, the matter lieth not so much in the disposition of them that be yong, as in the or­der & maner of bringing vp, by them that be old, nor yet in the differēce of learnyng and pastime. For, beate a child, if he daunce not well, & cherish him, though he learne not well, ye shall haue him, vnwilling to go to daunce, & glad to go to his booke. Knocke him alwaies, when he draweth his shaft ill, and fauor him againe, though he faut at his booke, ye shall haue hym verie loth to be in the field, and verie willing to be in the schole. Yea, I saie more, and not of my selfe, but by the iudgemēt of those, from whom few wisemen will glad­lie dissent, that if euer the nature of man be giuen at any tyme, more than other, to receiue goodnes, it is, in innocen­cie of yong yeares, before, that experience of euill, haue ta­ken roote in hym. For, the pure cleane witte of a sweete yong babe, is like the newest wax, most hable to receiue the best and fayrest printing: and like a new bright siluer dishe neuer occupied, to receiue and kepe cleane, anie good thyng that is put into it.

[Page 11]And thus,Will. in Children.Witte. in Children. will in children, wiselie wrought withall, maie easelie be won to be verie well willing to learne. And witte in childrē, by na­ture, namelie memorie, the onely keie and ke­per of all learning, is readiest to receiue, and surest to kepe anie maner of thing, that is learned in yougth: This, lewde and learned, by common experiēce, know to be most trewe For we remember nothyng so well when we be olde, as those thinges which we learned when we were yong: And this is not straunge, but common in all natures workes. Euery man sées,Yōg yeares aptest for learnyng. (as I sayd before) new wax is best for prin­tyng: new claie, fittest for working: new shorne woll, aptest for sone and surest dying: new fresh flesh, for good and dura­ble salting. And this similitude is not rude, nor borowed of the larder house, but out of his scholehouse, of whom, the wisest of England, néede not be ashamed to learne. Yong Graftes grow not onelie sonest, but also fairest, and bring alwayes forth the best and swéetest frute: yong whelpes learne easelie to carie: yong Popingeis learne quicklie to speake: And so, to be short, if in all other thinges, though they lacke reason, sens, and life, the similitude of youth is fittest to all goodnesse, surelie nature, in mankinde, is most beneficiall and effectuall in this behalfe.

Therfore, if to the goodnes of nature, be ioyned the wise­dome of the teacher, in leading yong wittes into a right and plaine waie of learnyng, surelie, children, kept vp in Gods feare, and gouerned by his grace, maie most easelie be brought well to serue God, and contrey both by vertue and wisedome.

But if will, and witte, by farder age, be once allured frō innocencie, delited in vaine sightes, filed with foull taulke, crooked with wilfulnesse, hardned with stubburnesse, and let louse to disobedience, surelie it is hard with ientlenesse, but vnpossible with seuere crueltie, to call them backe to good frame againe. For, where the one, perchance maie bend it, the other shall surelie breake it: and so in stead of some hope, [Page] leaue an assured desperation, and shamelesse contempt of all goodnesse,Xen. 1. Cy­ri Pad. the fardest pointe in all mischief, as Xenophon doth most trewlie and most wittelie marke.

Therfore, to loue or to hate, to like or contemne, to plie this waie or that waie to good or to bad, ye shall haue as ye vse a child in his youth.

And one example, whether loue or feare doth worke more in a child, for vertue and learning, I will gladlie re­port: which maie be hard with some pleasure, and folowed with more profit. Before I went into Germanie, I came to Brodegate in Lecetershire, to take my leaue of that no­ble Ladie Iane Grey, Lady Iane Grey. to whom I was exceding moch be­holdinge. Hir parentes, the Duke and the Duches, with all the houshould, Gentlemen and Gentlewomen, were huntinge in the Parke: I founde her, in her Chamber, rea­dinge Phaedon Platonis in Gréeke, and that with as moch delite, as som ientleman wold read a merie tale in Bocase. After salutation, and dewtie done, with som other taulke, I asked hir, whie she wold léese soch pastime in the Parke? smiling she answered me: I wisse, all their sporte in the Parke is but a shadoe to that pleasure, that I find in Plato: Alas good folke, they neuer felt, what trewe pleasure ment. And howe came you Madame, quoth I, to this déepe know­ledge of pleasure, and what did chieflie allure you vnto it: se­iuge, not many women, but verie fewe men haue atteined thereunto. I will tell you, quoth she, and tell you a troth, which perchance ye will meruell at. One of the greatest be­nefites, that euer God gaue me, is, that he sent me so sharpe and seuere Parentes, and so ientle a scholemaster. For whē I am in presence either of father or mother, whether I speake, kepe silence, sit, stand, or go, eate, drinke, be merie, or sad, be sawyng, plaiyng, dauncing, or doing anie thing els, I must do it, as it were, in soch weight, mesure, and number, euen so perfitelie, as God made the world, or else I am so sharplie taunted, so cruellie threatened, yea presentlie some tymes, with pinches, nippes, and bobbes, and other waies, [Page 12] which I will not name, for the honor I beare them, so with­out measure misordered, that I thinke my selfe in hell, till tyme cum, that I must go to M. Elmer, who teacheth me so ientlie, so pleasantlie, with soch faire allurementes to lear­ning, that I thinke all the tyme nothing, whiles I am with him. And when I am called from him, I fall on wéeping, be­cause, what soeuer I do els, but learning, is ful of grief, trou­ble, feare, and whole misliking vnto me: And thus my booke, hath bene so moch my pleasure, & bringeth dayly to me more pleasure & more, that in respect of it, all other pleasures, in very déede, be but trifles and troubles vnto me. I remember this talke gladly, both bicause it is so worthy of memorie, & bicause also, it was the last talke that euer I had, and the last tyme, that euer I saw that noble and worthie Ladie.

I could be ouer long, both in shewinge iust causes, and in recitinge trewe examples, why learning shold be taught, ra­ther by loue than feare.Sturmius de Inst. Princ. He that wold sée a perfite discourse of it, let him read that learned treatese, which my frende Ioan. Sturmius wrote de institutione Principis, to the Duke of Cleues.

The godlie counsels of Salomon and Iesus the sonne of Sirach, Qui par­cit virgae, odit film. for sharpe kepinge in, and bridleinge of youth, are ment rather, for fatherlie correction, then masterlie bea­ting, rather for maners, than for learninge: for other places, than for scholes. For God forbid, but all euill touches, wan­tonnes, lyinge, pickinge, slouthe, will, stubburnnesse, and dis­obedience, shold be with sharpe chastisemēt, daily cut away.

This discipline was well knowen, and diligentlie vsed, among the Graecians, and old Romanes, as doth appeare in Aristophanes, Isocrates, and Plato, and also in the Co­medies of Plautus: where we sée that children were vnder the rule of thrée persones:Schole­master. Praeceptore, Paedagogo, Parente: the scholemaster taught him learnyng withall ientlenes: the Gouernour corrected his maners,Gouer­nour. with moch sharpe­nesse: The father, held the sterne of his whole obedience: And so,Father. he that vsed to teache, did not commōlie vse to beate, [Page] but remitted that ouer to an other mans charge. But what shall we saie, whan now in our dayes, the scholemaster is vsed, both for Praeceptor in learnyng, and Paedagogus in ma­ners. Surelie, I wold he shold not cōfound their offices, but discretelie vse the dewtie of both so, that neither ill touches shold be left vnpunished, nor ientlesse in teaching anie wise omitted. And he shall well do both, if wiselie he do appointe diuersitie of tyme, & separate place, for either purpose: vsing alwaise soch discrete moderation,The scholehouse. as the scholehouse should be counted a sanctuarie against feare: and verie well lear­ning, a common perdon for ill doing, if the fault, of it selfe be not ouer heindus.

And thus the children, kept vp in Gods feare, and pre­serued by his grace, finding paine in ill doing, and pleasure in well studiyng, shold easelie be brought to honestie of life, and perfitenes of learning, the onelie marke, that good and wise fathers do wishe and labour, that their children, shold most buselie, and carefullie shot at.

Youth of England brought vp with to much li­bertie.There is an other discommoditie, besides crueltie in scholemasters in beating away the loue of learning from childrē, which hindreth learning and vertue, and good brin­ging vp of youth, and namelie yong ientlemen, verie moch in England. This fault is cleane contrary to the first. I wi­shed before, to haue loue of learning bred vp in children: I wishe as moch now, to haue yong men brought vp in good order of liuing, and in some more seuere discipline, thē com­monlie they be. We haue lacke in England of soch good or­der, as the old noble Persians to carefullie vsed:Xen. 7. Cyr [...] Ped. whose chil­dren, to the age of xxi. yeare, were brought vp in learnyng, and exercises of labor, and that in soch place, where they should, neither sée that was vncumlie, nor heare that was vnhonest. Yea, a yong ientlemā was neuer frée, to go where he would, and do what he liste him self, but vnder the kepe, and by the counsell, of some graue gouernour, vntill he was, either maryed, or cald to beare some office in the common wealth.

[Page 13]And sée the great obedience, that was vsed in old tyme to fathers and gouernours. No sonne, were he neuer so old of yeares, neuer so great of birth, though he were a kynges sonne, might not mary, but by his father and mothers also consent. Cyrus the great, after he had conquered Babylon, and subdewed Riche king Craesus with whole Asia minor, cummyng tryumphantlie home, his vncle Cyaxeris offered him his daughter to wife. Cyrus thanked his vncle, and praised the maide, but for mariage he answered him with thies wise and swéete wordes, as they be vttered by Xeno­phon, [...],Xen. 8. Cy­ri [...]ad. &c. that is to say: Uncle Cyaxeris, I com­mend the stocke, I like the maide, and I allow well the dowrie, but (sayth he) by the counsell and consent of my fa­ther and mother, I will determine farther of thies matters.

Strong Samson also in Scripture saw a maide that li­ked him, but he spake not to hir, but went home to his fa­ther, and his mother, and desired both father and mother to make the mariage for him. Doth this modestie, doth this o­bedience, that was in great kyng Cyrus, and stoute Sam­son, remaine in our yongmen at this daie? no surelie: For we liue not longer after them by tyme, than we liue farre different from them by good order. Our tyme is so farre from that old discipline and obedience, as now, not onelie yong ientlemen, but euen verie girles dare without all feare, though not without open shame, where they list, and how they list, marie them selues in spite of father, mother, God, good order, and all. The cause of this euill is, that youth is least looked vnto, when they stand most néede of good kepe and regard. It auaileth not, to sée them well taught in yong yeares, and after whā they cum to lust and youthfull dayes, to giue them licence to liue as they lust them selues. For, if ye suffer the eye of a yong Ientleman, once to be entangled with vaine sightes, and the eare to be corrupted with fond or filthie taulke, the mynde shall quicklie fall seick, and sone [Page] vomet and cast vp, all the holesome doctrine, that he recei­ued in childhoode, though he were neuer so well brought vp before. And being ons inglutted with vanitie, he will streight way loth all learning, and all good counsell to the same. And the parentes for all their great cost and charge, reape onelie in the end, the frute of grief and care.

Great mēs sonnes worst brought vp.This euill, is not common to poore men▪ as God will haue it, but proper to riche and great mens children, as they deserue it. In déede from seuen, to seuentene, yong ientle­men commonlie be carefullie enough brought vp: But from seuentene to seuen and twentie (the most dangerous tyme of all a mans life, and most slipperie to stay well in) they haue commonlie the reigne of all licens in their owne hand, and speciallie soch as do liue in the Court.Wise men fond fa­thers. And that which is most to be merueled at, commonlie, the wisest and also best men, be found the fondest fathers in this behalfe. And if som good father wold seick some remedie herein, yet the mother (if the house hold of our Lady) had rather, yea, & will to, haue her sonne cunnyng & bold, in making him to lyue trimlie when he is yong, than by learning and trauell, to be able to serue his Prince and his contrie, both wiselie in peace, and stoutelie in warre, whan he is old.

Meane mēs sonnes come to great au­thoritie.The fault is in your selues, ye noble men sonnes, and therfore ye deserue the greater blame, that commonlie, the meaner mens children, cum to be, the wisest councellours, and greatest doers, in the weightie affaires of this Realme. And why? for God will haue it so, of his prouidence: bicause ye will haue it no otherwise, by your negligence.

And God is a good God, & wisest in all his doinges, that will pla [...] vertue, & displace vice, in those kingdomes, where he doth gouerne.Nobilitie without wisedome. For he knoweth, that Nobilitie, without vertue and wisedome, is bloud in déede, but bloud trewelie, without bones & sinewes: & so of it selfe, without the other, verie wéeke to beare the burden of weightie affaires.

The greatest shippe in déede commonlie carieth the greatest burden, but yet alwayes with the greatest ieoper­die, [Page 14] not onelie for the persons and goodes committed vnto it, but euen for the shyppe it selfe, except it, be gouerned, with the greater wisedome.Nobilitie with wise­dome.

But Nobilitie, gouerned by learning and wisedome, is in déede, most like a faire shippe, hauyng tide and winde at will,Nobilitie with Wisedom.Nobilitie with Out wise­dome. vnder the reule of a skil­full master: whan contrarie wise, a shippe, ca­ried, yea with the hiest tide & greatest winde, lacking a skilfull master, most commonlie, doth either, sinck it selfe vpō sandes, or breake it selfe vpon rockes. And euen so, how manie haue bene, either drowned in vaine pleasure, or ouerwhel­med by stout wilfulnesse,Uaine pleasure, and stoute wil­fulnes, two greatest enemies to Nobilitie. the histories of England be able to affourde ouer many examples vnto vs. Therfore, ye great and noble mens children, if ye will haue rightfullie that praise, and enioie surelie that place, which your fathers haue, and elders had, and left vnto you, ye must kepe it, as they gat it, and that is, by the onelie waie, of vertue, wise­dome, and worthinesse.

For wisedom, and vertue, there be manie faire exam­ples in this Court, for yong Ientlemen to folow. But they be, like faire markes in the feild, out of a mans reach, to far of, to shote at well. The best and worthiest men, in deede, be somtimes séen, but seldom taulked withall: A yong Ientle­man, may somtime knele to their person, smallie vse their companie, for their better instruction.

But yong Ientlemen ar faine commonlie to do in the Court, as yong Archers do in the feild: that is take soch markes, as be nie them, although they be neuer so foule to shote at.Ill companie marreth youth. I méene, they be driuen to kepe companie with the worste: and what force ill companie hath, to corrupt good wittes, the wisest men know best.

And not ill companie onelie, but the ill opinion also of the most part,The Court iudgeth worst of the best natures in youth. doth moch harme, and namelie of those, which shold be wise in the trewe decyphring, of the good disposition of nature, of cumlinesse in Courtlie maners, and all right [Page] doinges of men.

But error and phantasie, do commonlie occupie, the place of troth and iudgement. For, if a yong ientleman, be demeure and still of nature, they say, he is simple and lac­keth witte: if he be bashefull, and will soone blushe, they call him a babishe and ill brought vp thyng,Xea. in 1. Cyr. Pad. when Xenophon doth preciselie note in Cyrus, that his bashfulnes in youth, was y^e verie trewe signe of his vertue & stoutnes after: If he be innocent and ignorant of ill, they say, he is rude, and hath no grace, so vngraciouslie do som gracelesse men, misuse the faire and godlie word GRACE. The Grace in Courte.

But if ye would know, what grace they méene, go, and looke, and learne emonges them, and ye shall sée that it is: First, to blush at nothing. And blushyng in youth, sayth Ari­stotle is nothyng els, but feare to do ill: which feare beyng once lustely fraid away from youth,Grace of Courte. thē foloweth, to dare do any mischief, to cōtemne stoutly any goodnesse, to be busie in euery matter, to be skilfull in euery thyng, to acknowledge no ignorance at all. To do thus in Court, is coūted of some, the chief and greatest grace of all: and termed by the name of a vertue,Cic. 3. de Or. called Corage & boldnesse, whan Crassus in Ci­cero teacheth the cleane contrarie, and that most wittelie, saying thus:Boldnes yea in a good mat­ter, not to be praised. Audere, cum bonis etiam rebus coniunctum, per seipsum est magnopere fugiendum. Which is to say, to be bold, yea in a good matter, is for it self, greatie to be exchewed.

Moreouer, where the swing goeth, there to follow, fawne, flatter, laugh and lie lustelie at other mens liking. To face, stand formest,More Grace of Courte. shoue backe: and to the meaner man, or vn­knowne in the Court, to séeme somwhat solume, coye, big, and dangerous of looke, taulk, and answere: To thinke well of him selfe, to be lustie in contemning of others, to haue some trim grace in a priuie mock. And in greater presens, to beare a braue looke: to be warlike, though he neuer looked enimie in the face in warre: yet somwarlike signe must be vsed, either a slouinglie busking, or an ouerstaring frounced hed, as though out of euerie heeres toppe, should suddenlie [Page 15] start out a good big othe, when nede requireth, yet praised be God,Men of warre, best of conditi­ons. England hath at this time, manie worthie Capitaines and good souldiours, which be in déede, so honest of behaui­our, so cumlie of conditions, so milde of maners, as they may be examples of good order, to a good sort of others, which ne­uer came in warre. But to retorne, where I left: In place also, to be able to raise taulke, and make discourse of euerie rishe: to haue a verie good will, to heare him selfe speake: To be séene in Palmestrie,Palmistrie. wherby to conueie to chast eares, som fond or filthie taulke:

And, if som Smithfeild Ruffian take vp, som strange going: som new mowing with the mouth: som wrinchyng with the shoulder, som braue prouerbe: som fresh new othe, that is not stale, but will rin round in the mouth: som new disguised garment, or desperate hat, fond in facion, or gau­rish in colour, what soeuer it cost, how small soeuer his li­uing be, by what shift soeuer it be gotten, gotten must it be, and vsed with the first, or els the grace of it, is stale and gone: som part of this gracelesse grace, was discribed by me, in a litle rude verse long ago.

• To laughe, to lie, to flatter, to face:
• Foure waies in Court to win men grace.
• If thou be thrall to none of thiese,
• Away good Peek goos, hens Iohn Cheese:
• Marke well my word, and marke their dede,
• And thinke this verse part of thy Crede.

Would to God, this taulke were not trewe, and that som mens doinges were not thus: I write not to hurte any, but to proffit som: to accuse none, but to monish soch, who, allured by ill counsell,Ill Councell.Ill Cōpany. and folowing ill example, cōtra­rie to their good bringyng vp, and against their owne good nature, yeld ouermoch to thies folies and faultes: I know many seruing men, of good order, and well staide:Seruinge men. And againe, I heare saie, there be som seruing men [Page] do but ill seruice to their yong masters.Terentius. Yea, rede Terence and Plaut. aduisedlie ouer,Plautus. and ye shall finde in those two wise writers, almost in euery commedie, no vnthriftie yong man,Serui cor­ruptelae iuuenum. that is not brought there vnto, by the sotle inticement of som lewd seruant. And euen now in our dayes Getae and Daui, Gnatos and manie bold bawdie Phormios to, be­preasing in,Multi Ge­tae pauci Parmeno­nes. to pratle on euerie stage, to medle in euerie matter, whan honest Parmenos shall not be hard, but beare small swing with their masters. Their companie, their taulke, their ouer great experience in mischief, doth easelie corrupt the best natures, and best brought vp wittes.

Misorders in the coun­trey. But I meruell the lesse, that thies misorders be e­monges som in the Court, for commonlie in the contrie al­so euerie where, innocencie is gone: Bashfulnesse is bani­nished: moch presumption in yougthe: small authoritie in aige: Reuerence is neglected: dewties be confounded: and to be shorte, disobedience doth ouerflowe the bankes of good order, almoste in euerie place, almoste in euerie degrée of man.

Meane men haue eies to sée, and cause to lament, and occasion to complaine of thies miseries: but other haue au­thoritie to remedie them, and will do so to, whan God shall think time fitte. For, all thies misorders, be Goddes iuste plages, by his sufferance, brought iustelie vpon vs, for our sinnes, which be infinite in nomber, and horrible in deede, but namelie, for the greate adhominable sin of vnkindnesse: but what vnkindnesse? euen such vnkindnesse as was in the Iewes,Contempt of Gods trewe Re­ligion. in contemninge Goddes voice, in shrinking frō his woorde, in wishing backe againe for Aegypt, in commit­ting aduoultrie and hordom, not with the women, but with the doctrine of Babylon, did bring all the plages, destructi­ons, and Captiuities, that fell so ofte and horriblie, vpon Israell.

We haue cause also in England to beware of vnkind­nesse, who haue had, in so fewe yeares, the Candel of Goddes woorde, so oft lightned, so oft put out, and yet will [Page 16] venture by our vnthankfulnesse in doctrine and sinfull life, to léese againe,Doctrina Mores. lighte, Candle, Candlesticke and all.

God kepe vs in his feare, God grafte in vs the trewe knowledge of his woorde, with a forward will to folowe it, and so to bryng forth the swéete fruites of it, & then shall he preserue vs by his Grace, from all maner of terrible dayes.

The remedie of this,Publicae Leges. doth not stand onelie, in making good common lawes for the hole Realme, but also, (and per­chance cheiflie) in obseruing priuate discipline euerie man carefullie in his own house:Domestica disciplina. and namelie, if speciall regard be had to yougth:C [...]gnitio boni. and that, not so moch, in teaching them what is good, as in keping them from that, that is ill.

Therefore, if wise fathers, be not as well waare in wée­ding from their Children ill thinges,Ignoratio mali. and ill companie, as they were before, in graftinge in them learninge, and pro­uiding for them good scholemasters, what frute, they shall reape of all their coste & care, common experience doth tell.

Here is the place,Some ignorance, as good as knowledge. in yougthe is the time whan som ig­norance is as necessarie, as moch knowlege, and not in matters of our dewtie towardes God, as som wilful wittes willinglie against their owne knowledge, perniciouslie a­gainste their owne conscience, haue of late openlie taught. In déede S. Chrysostome, Chrisost. de Fato. that noble and eloquent Doctor, in a sermon contra fatum, and the curious serchinge of na­tiuities, doth wiselie saie, that ignorance therein, is better than knowledge: But to wring this sentence, to wreste thereby out of mens handes, the knowledge of Goddes doc­trine, is without all reason, against common sence, contra­rie to the iudgement also of them, which be the discretest men,Iulia. Apo­stat. and best learned, on their own side. I know, Iulia­nus Apostata did so, but I neuer hard or red, that any aun­cyent father of the primitiue chirch, either thought or wrote so.

But this ignorance in yougthe,Innocency in youth. which I spake on, or rather this simplicitie, or most trewlie, this innocencie, is that, which the noble Persians, as wise Xenophon doth te­stifie, [Page] were so carefull, to breede vp their yougth in. But Christian fathers commonlie do not so. And I will tell you a tale, as moch to be misliked, as the Persians example is to be folowed.

This last somer, I was in a Ientlemans house: where a yong childe,A childe ill brought vp. somwhat past fower yeare olde, cold in no wise frame his tonge, to saie, a litle shorte grace: and yet he could roundlie rap out, so manie vgle othes, and those of the newest facion, as som good man of fourescore yeare olde hath neuer hard named before: and that which was most de­testable of all,Ill Pa­rentes. his father and mother wold laughe at it. I moche doubte, what comforte, an other daie, this childe shall bring vnto them. This Childe vsing moche the com­panie of seruinge men, and geuing good care to their taulke, did easelie learne, which he shall hardlie forget, all daies of his life hereafter: So likewise, in the Courte, if a yong Ien­tleman will ventur him self into the companie of Ruffians, it is ouer greate a ieoperdie, lest, their facions, maners, thoughtes, taulke, and deedes, will verie sone, be euer like. The confounding of companies,Ill compa­nie. bréedeth confusion of good maners both in the Courte, and euerie where else.

And it maie be a great wonder, but a greater shame, to vs Christian men, to vnderstand, what a heithen writer, Isocrates, Isocrates. doth leaue in memorie of writing, concerning the care, that the noble Citie of Athens had, to bring vp their yougthe, in honest companie, and vertuous discipline, whose taulke in Greke, is, to this effect, in Englishe.

‘The Citie, was not more carefull, to sée their Children well taughte,In Orat Ariopag. than to sée their yong men well gouerned: which they brought to passe, not so much by common lawe, as by priuate discipline. For, they had more regard, that their yougthe, by good order shold not offend, than how, by lawe, they might be punished: And if offense were commit, ted, there was, neither waie to hide it, neither hope of par­don for it. Good natures, were not so moche openlie praised­as they were secretlie marked, and watchfullie regarded, [Page 17] lest they should lease the goodnes they had. Therefore in scholes of singing and dauncing, and other honest exercises, gouernours were appointed, more diligent to ouersee their good maners, than their masters were, to teach them anie learning. It was som shame to a yong man, to be seene in the open market: and if for businesse, he passed throughe it, he did it, with a meruelous modestie, and bashefull facion. To eate, or drinke in a Tauerne, was not onelie a shame, but also punishable, in a yong man. To contrarie, or to stand in termes with an old man, was more heinous, than in som place, to rebuke and scolde with his owne father: with manie other mo good orders, and faire disciplines, which I referre to their reading, that haue lust to looke vp­on the description of such a worthie common welthe.’

And to know,Good sede. worthie frute. what worthie frute, did spring of soch worthie seade, I will tell yow the most meruell of all, and yet soch a trothe, as no man shall denie it, except such as be ignorant in knowledge of the best stories.

Athens, Athenes. by this discipline and good ordering of yougthe, did bréede vp, within the circute of that one Citie, within the compas of one hondred yeare, within the memorie of one mans life, so manie notable Capitaines in warre, for worthinesse, wisdome and learning, as be scarse matchable no not in the state of Rome,Roma. in the compas of those seauen hondred yeares, whan it florished moste.

And bicause, I will not onelie saie it, but also proue it, the names of them be these.The noble Capitaines of Athens. Miltiades, Themistocles, Xantippus, Pericles, Cymon, Alcybiades, Thrasybulus, Conon, Iphicrates, Xenophon, Timotheus, Theopom­pus, Demetrius and diuers other mo: of which euerie one, maie iustelie be spoken that worthie praise, which was ge­uen to Scipio Africanus, who, Cicero douteth, whether he were, more noble Capitaine in warre, or more eloquent and wise councelor in peace. And if ye beleue not me, read diligentlie, Aemilius Probus in Latin,Aemil. Pro­bus. Plutarchus. and Plutarche in Greke, which two, had no cause either to flatter or lie vpon [Page] anie of those which I haue recited.

The lear­ned of A­thenes.And beside nobilitie in warre, for excellent and matche­les masters in all maner of learninge, in that one Citie, in memorie of one aige, were mo learned men, and that in a maner altogether, than all tyme doth remember, than all place doth affourde, than all other tonges do conteine. And I do not méene of those Authors, which, by iniurie of tyme, by negligence of men, by crueltie of fier and sworde, be lost, but euen of those, which by Goddes grace, are left yet vnto vs: of which I thank God, euen my poore studie lacketh not one. As, in Philosophie, Plato, Aristotle, Xenophon, Eu­clide and Theophrast: In eloquens and Ciuill lawe, De­mosthenes, Aeschines, Lycurgus, Dinarchus, Demades, Isocrates, Isaeus, Lysias, Antisthenes, Andocides: In histories, Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon: and which we lacke, to oure great losse, Theopompus and Eph: In Poetrie, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, A­ristophanes, and somwhat of Menander, Demosthenes sister sonne.

Now, let Italian, and Latin it self, Spanishe, French, Douch,Learnyng, chiefly con­teined in the Greke and in no o­ther tong. and Englishe bring forth their lerning, and recite their Authors, Cicero onelie excepted, and one or two moe in Latin, they be all patched cloutes and ragges, in comparison of faire wouen broade clothes. And trewelie, if there be any good in them, it is either lerned, borowed, or stolne, from some one of those worthie wittes of Athens.

The remembrance of soch a common welthe, vsing soch discipline and order for yougthe, and thereby bringing forth to their praise, and leaning to vs for our example, such Ca­pitaines for warre, soch Councelors for peace, and matche­les masters, for all kinde of learninge, is pleasant for me to recite, and not irksum, I trust, for other to heare, except it be soch, as make neither counte of vertue nor learninge.

And whether, there be anie soch or no, I can not well tell:Contem­ners of learnyng. yet I heare saie, some yong Ientlemen of oures, count it their shame to be counted learned: and perchance, they [Page 18] count it their shame, to be counted honest also, for I heare saie, they medle as litle with the one, as with the other. A meruelous case, that Ientlemen shold so be ashamed of good learning, and neuer a whit ashamed of ill maners: soch do laie for them, that the Ientlemen of France do so:Ientlemen of France. which is a lie, as God will haue it. Langaeus, and Bellaeus that be dead, & the noble Vidam of Chartres, that is a liue, and in­finite mo in France, which I heare tell of, proue this to be most false. And though som, in France, which will nedes be Ientlemen, whether men will or no, and haue more ien­tleshipe in their hat, than in their hed, be at déedlie feude, with both learning and honestie, yet I beleue, if that noble Prince, king Francis the first were aliue,Franciscus 1. Nobilis. Francorū Rex. they shold haue, neither place in his Courte, nor pension in his warres, if he had knowledge of them. This opinion is not French, but plaine Turckishe: from whens, som Frenche fetche moe faultes, than this: which, I praie God, kepe out of Eng­land, and send also those of oures better mindes, which bend them selues againste vertue and learninge, to the con­tempte of God, dishonor of their contrie to the hurt of ma­nie others, and at length, to the greatest harme, and vtter destruction of themselues.

Som other, hauing better nature, but lesse witte, (for ill commonlie, haue ouer moch witte) do not vtterlie dis­praise learning,Experience without learnyng. but they saie, that without learning, com­mon experience, knowledge of all facions, and haunting all companies, shall worke in yougthe, both wisdome, and ha­bilitie, to execute anie weightie affaire. Surelie long expe­rience doth proffet moch, but moste, and almost onelie to him (if we méene honest affaires) that is diligentlie before instructed with preceptes of well doinge. For good precepts of learning, be the eyes of the minde, to looke wiselie before a man, which waie to go right, and which not.

Learning teacheth more in one yeare than experience in twentie:Learnyng. And learning teacheth safelie,Experiēce. when experience maketh mo miserable then wise. He hasardeth sore, that [...] [Page] good pastime, I méene nothing lesse: For it is well knowne, that I both like and loue, and haue alwaies, and do yet still vse, all exercises and pastimes, that be fitte for my nature and habilitie. And beside naturall disposition, in iudgement also, I was neuer, either Stoick in doctrine, or Anabaptist in Religion, to mislike a merie, pleasant, and plaifull na­ture, if no outrage be committed, against lawe, mesure, and good order.

Therefore, I wold wishe, that, beside some good time, fitlie appointed, and constantlie kepte, to encrease by rea­dinge, the knowledge of the tonges and learning, yong ien­tlemen shold vse, and delite in all Courtelie exercises, and Ientleman like pastimes. And good cause whie: For the self same noble Citie of Athenes,Learnyng ioyned with pastures. iustlie commended of me be­fore, did wiselie and vpon great consideration, appoint, the Muses, Apollo, and Pallas, to be patrones of learning to their yougthe.Musa. For the Muses, besides learning, were also Ladies of dauncinge,Appollo. mirthe and minstrelsie: Apollo, was god of shooting, and Author of cunning playing vpō Instru­mentes: Pallas also was Laidie mistres in warres.Pallas. Wher­bie was nothing else ment, but that learninge shold be al­waise mingled, with honest mirthe, and cumlie exercises: and that warre also shold be gouerned by learning, and mo­derated by wisdom, as did well appeare in those Capitaines of Athenes named by me before, and also in Scipio & Cae­sar, the two Diamondes of Rome.

Learning rewleth both warre and peace.And Pallas, was no more feared, in wéering Aegida, thā she was praised, for chosing Oliua: whereby shineth the glory of learning, which thus, was Gouernour & Mistres, in the noble Citie of Athenes, both of warre and peace.

Therefore, to ride cumlie: to run faire at the tilte or ring:The pas­times that be fitte for Courtlie Ientlemē. to plaie at all weapones: to shote faire in bow, or sure­lie in gon: to vant lustely: to runne: to leape: to wrestle: to swimme: To daunce cumlie: to sing, and playe of instru­mentes cunnyngly: to Hawke: to hunte: to playe at tennes, & all pastimes generally, which be ioyned with labor, vsed in [Page 20] open place, and on the day light, conteining either some fitte exercise for warre, or some pleasant pastime for peace, be not onelie cumlie and decent, but also verie necessarie, for a Courtlie Ientleman to vse.

But, of all kinde of pastimes, fitte for a Ientleman, I will, godwilling, in fitter place, more at large, declare ful­lie, in my booke of the Cockpitte:The Cok­pitte. which I do write, to satisfie som, I trust, with som reason, that be more curious, in marking other mens doinges, than carefull in mendyng their owne faultes. And som also will nedes busie them sel­ues in merueling, and adding thereunto vnfrendlie taulke, why I, a man of good yeares, and of no ill place, I thanke God and my Prince, do make choise to spend soch tyme in writyng of trifles, as the schole of shoting, the Cockpitte, and this booke of the first Principles of Grammer, rather, than to take some weightie matter in hand, either of Reli­gion, or Ciuill discipline.

Wise men I know, will well allow of my choise here­in: and as for such, who haue not witte of them selues, but must learne of others, to iudge right of mens doynges, let them read that wise Poet Horace in his Arte Poetica, A booke of a lofty title, beareth the brag of o­uer great a promise. who willeth wisemen to beware, of hie and loftie Titles. For, great shippes, require costlie tackling, and also afterward dangerous gouernment: Small boates, be neither verie chargeable in makyng, nor verie oft in great ieoperdie: and yet they cary many tymes, as good and costlie ware, as grea­ter vessels do.The right choise, to chose a fitte Argument to write vpon. A meane Argument, may easelie beare, the light burden of a small faute, and haue alwaise at hand, a ready excuse for ill handling: And, some praise it is, if it so chaunce, to be better in déede, than a man dare venture to séeme. A hye title, doth charge a man, with the heauie bur­den, of to great a promise:Hor. in Arte Poet. and therfore sayth Horace ve­rie wittelie, that, that Poete was a verie foole, that began hys booke, with a goodlie verse in déede, but ouer proude a promise. [Page]

And after, as wiselie.

Méening Homer, Homers wisdom in choice of his Argu­ment. who, within the compasse of a smal Argu­ment, of one harlot, and of one good wife, did vtter so moch learning in all kinde of sciences, as, by the iudgement of Quintilian, he deserueth so hie a praise, that no man yet de­serued to sit in the second degree beneth him. And thus moch out of my way, concerning my purpose in spending penne, and paper, & tyme, vpō trifles, & namelie to aunswere some, that haue neither witte nor learning, to do any thyng them selues, neither will nor honestie, to say well of other.

To ioyne learnyng with cumlie exercises, Conto Balde­saer Castiglione in his booke, Cortegiane, doth trimlie teache: which booke,The Cor­tegian, an excellent booke for a ientleman. aduisedlie read, and diligentlie folowed, but one yeare at home in England, would do a yong ientleman more good, I wisse, then thrée yeares trauell abrode spent in Italie. And I meruell this booke, is no more read in the Court, than it is, seyng it is so well translated into English by a worthie Ientleman Syr Th. Hobbie, Syr Tho. Hobbye. who was many wayes well furnished with learnyng, and very expert in knowledge of diuers tonges.

And beside good preceptes in bookes, in all kinde of tonges, this Court also neuer lacked many faire examples, for yong ientlemen to folow:Examples better then preceptes. And surelie, one example, is more valiable, both to good and ill, than xx. preceptes writ­ten in bookes: and so Plato, not in one or two, but diuerse places, doth plainlie teach.

King Ed. 6.If kyng Edward had liued a litle longer, his onely ex­ample had bréed soch a rase of worthie learned ientlemen, as this Realme neuer yet did affourde.

And, in the second degrée, two noble Primeroses of No­bilitie, the yong Duke of Suffolke,The yong Duke of Suffolke. L. H. Mar­treuers. and Lord H. Matre­uers, were soch two examples to the Court for learnyng, as our tyme may rather wishe, than looke for agayne.

At Cambrige also, in S. Iohns Colledge, in my tyme, I [Page 21] do know, that, not so much the good statutes, as two Ientle­men, of worthie memorie Syr Iohn Cheke, Syr Iohn Cheke. and Doctour Readman, by their onely example of excellency in lear­nyng, of godlynes in liuyng,D. Read­man. of diligēcie in studying, of coun­cell in exhorting, of good order in all thyng, did bréed vp, so many learned men, in that one College of S. Iohns, at one time, as I beleue, the whole Uniuersitie of Louaine, in ma­ny yeares, was neuer able to affourd.

Present examples of this present tyme, I list not to touch:Queene Elizabeth. yet there is one example, for all the Ientlemen of this Court to folow, that may well satisfie them, or nothing will serue them, nor no example moue them, to goodnes and learnyng.

It is your shame, (I speake to you all, you yong Ientle­men of England) that one mayd should go beyond you all, in excellencie of learnyng, and knowledge of diuers tonges. Pointe forth six of the best giuen Ientlemen of this Court, and all they together, shew not so much good will, spend not so much tyme, bestow not so many houres, dayly orderly, & constantly, for the increase of learning & knowledge, as doth the Quéenes Maiestie her selfe. Yea I beleue, that beside her perfit readines, in Latin, Italian, French, & Spanish, she readeth here now at Windsore more Gréeke euery day, than some Prebendarie of this Chirch doth read Latin in a whole wéeke. And that which is most praise worthie of all, within the walles of her priuie chamber, she hath obteyned that excellencie of learnyng, to vnderstand, speake, & write, both wittely with head, and faire with hand, as scarse one or two rare wittes in both the Uniuersities haue in many yeares reached vnto. Amongest all the benefites y^t God hath blessed me with all, next the knowledge of Christes true Religion, I counte this the greatest, that it pleased God to call me, to be one poore minister in settyng forward these ex­cellent giftes of learnyng in this most excellent Prince. Whose onely example, if the rest of our nobilitie would fo­low, than might England be, for learnyng and wisedome [Page] in nobilitie,Ill Examples haue more force, then good examples. a spectacle to all the world beside. But sée the mishap of men: The best examples haue neuer such forse to moue to any goodnes, as the bad, vaine, light and fond, haue to all ilnes.

And one example, though out of the compas of learning, yet not out of the order of good maners, was notable in this Courte, not fullie xxiiij. yeares a go, when all the actes of Parlament, many good Proclamations, diuerse strait com­maundementes, sore punishment openlie, speciall regarde priuatelie, cold not do so moch to take away one misorder, as the example of one big one of this Courte did, still to kepe vp the same: The memorie whereof, doth yet re­maine, in a common prouerbe of Birching lane.

Great men in Court, by their example, make or marre, all other mens maners.Take hede therfore, ye great ones in y^e Court, yea though ye be y^e greatest of all, take hede, what ye do, take hede how ye liue. For as you great ones vse to do, so all meane men loue to do. You be in deed, makers or marrers, of all mens maners within the Realme. For though God hath placed yow, to be cheife in making of lawes, to beare greatest au­thoritie, to commaund all others: yet God doth order, that all your lawes, all your authoritie, all your commaunde­mentes, do not halfe so moch with meane men, as doth your example and maner of liuinge.Example in Religiō. And for example euen in the greatest matter, if yow your selues do serue God gladlie and orderlie for conscience sake, not coldlie, and somtyme for maner sake, you carie all the Courte with yow, and the whole Realme beside, earnestlie and orderlie to do the same. If yow do otherwise, yow be the onelie au­thors, of all misorders in Religion, not onelie to the Courte, but to all England beside. Infinite shall be made cold in Religion by your example, that neuer were hurt by reading of bookes.

And in meaner matters, if thrée or foure great ones in Courte,Example in apparell. will nedes outrage in apparell, in huge hose, in monstrous hattes, in gaurishe colers, let the Prince Pro­clame, make Lawes, order, punishe, commaunde euerie [Page 22] gate in London dailie to be watched, let all good men beside do euerie where what they can, surelie the misorder of ap­parell in mean men abrode, shall neuer be amended, except the greatest in Courte will order and mend them selues first. I know, som greate and good ones in Courte, were authors, that honest Citizens of London, should watche at euerie gate, to take misordered persones in apparell. I know, that honest Londoners did so: And I sawe, which I sawe than, & reporte now with som greife, than som Court­lie men were offended with these good men of London. And that, which greued me most of all, I sawe the verie same tyme, for all theis good orders, commaunded from the Courte and executed in London, I sawe I say, cum out of London,Masters, Ushers, & Scholers of sense. euen vnto the presence of the Prince, a great ra­ble of meane and light persones, in apparell, for matter, against lawe, for making, against order, for facion, name­lie hose, so without all order, as he thought himselfe most braue, that durst do most in breaking order and was most monsterous in misorder. And for all the great commaunde­mentes, that came out of the Courte, yet this bold misor­der, was winked at, and borne withall, in the Courte. I thought, it was not well, that som great ones of the Court, durst declare themselues offended, with good men of Lon­don, for doinge their dewtie, & the good ones of the Courte, would not shew themselues offended, with ill men of Lon­don, for breaking good order. I fownde thereby a sayinge of Socrates to be most trewe that ill men be more hastie, than good men be forwarde, to prosecute their purposes, euen as Christ himselfe saith, of the Children of light and darknes.

Beside apparell, in all other thinges to, not so moch, good lawes and strait commaundements as the example and maner of liuing of great men, doth carie all meane men euerie where, to like, and loue, & do, as they do. For if but two or thrée noble men in the Court,Example in shoo­tyng. wold but beginne to shoote, all yong Ientlemen, the whole Court, all London, the whole Realme, wold straight waie exercise shooting.

[Page]What praise shold they wynne to themselues, what commoditie shold they bring to their contrey, that would thus deserue to be pointed at: Beholde, there goeth, the au­thor of good order, the guide of good men. I cold say more, and yet not ouermoch. But perchance, som will say, I haue stepte to farre, out of my schole, into the common welthe, from teaching a yong scholer, to monishe greate and noble men:Writtē, not for great mē, but for great mens children. yet I trust good and wise men will thinke and iudge of me, that my minde was, not so moch, to be busie and bold with them, that be great now, as to giue trewe aduise to them, that may be great hereafter. Who, if they do, as I wishe them to do, how great so euer they be now, by blood and other mens meanes, they shall becum a greate deale greater hereafter, by learninge, vertue, and their owne desertes: which is trewe praise, right worthi­nes, and verie Nobilitie in déede. Yet, if som will néedes presse me, that I am to bold with great men, & stray to farre from my matter. I will aunswere them with S. Paul, siue per contētionem, Ad Philip. siue quocun (que) modo, modò Christus praedicetur, &c. euen so, whether in place, or out of place, with my matter, or beside my matter, if I can hereby either prouoke the good, or staye the ill, I shall thinke my writing herein well imployed.

But, to cum downe, from greate men, and hier mat­ters, to my litle children, and poore scholehouse againe, I will, God willing, go forwarde orderlie, as I purposed, to instructe Children and yong men, both for learninge and maners.

Hitherto, I haue shewed, what harme, ouermoch feare bringeth to children: and what hurte, ill companie, and o­uermoch libertie bréedeth in yougthe: meening thereby, that from seauen yeare olde, to seauentene, loue is the best al­lurement to learninge: from seauentene to seauen and twentie, that wise men shold carefullie sée the steppes of yougthe surelie staide by good order, in that most slipperie tyme: and speciallie in the Courte, a place most dangerous [Page 23] for youngthe to liue in, without great grace, good regarde, and diligent looking to.

Syr Richard Sackuile, that worthy Ientleman of worthy memorie, as I sayd in the begynnynge, in the Queenes priuie Chamber of Windesore,Trauelyng into Ita­lie. after he had tal­ked with me, for the right choice of a good witte in a child for learnyng, and of the trewe difference betwixt quicke and hard wittes, of alluring yong children by ientlenes to loue learnyng, and of the speciall care that was to be had, to kéepe yong men from licencious liuyng, he was most earnest with me, to haue me say my mynde also, what I thought, concernyng the fansie that many yong Ientle­men of England haue to trauell abroad, and namely to leadde a long lyfe in Italie. His request, both for his authori­tie, and good will toward me, was a sufficient commaunde­ment vnto me, to satisfie his pleasure, with vtteryng plain­lie my opinion in that matter. Syr quoth I, I take goyng thither, and liuing there, for a yonge ientleman, that doth not goe vnder the kepe and garde of such a man, as both, by wisedome can, and authoritie dare rewle him, to be meruelous dangerous. And whie I said so than, I will de­clare at large now: which I said than priuatelie, and write now openlie, not bicause I do contemne, either the know­ledge of strange and diuerse tonges,The Ita­lian tong. and namelie the Itali­an tonge, which next the Greeke and Latin tonge, I like and loue aboue all other: or else bicause I do despise, the learning that is gotten, or the experience that is gathered in strange contries: or for any priuate malice that I beare to Italie:Italia. which contrie, and in it, namelie Rome, I haue alwayes speciallie honored:Roma. bicause, tyme was, whan Ita­lie and Rome, haue bene, to the greate good of vs that now liue, the best bréeders and bringers vp, of the worthiest men, not onelie for wise speakinge, but also for well doing, in all Ciuill affaires, that euer was in the worlde. But now, that tyme is gone, and though the place remayne, yet the olde and present maners, do differ as farre, as blacke [Page] and white, as vertue and vice. Uertue once made that con­trie Mistres ouer all the worlde. Uice now maketh that contrie slaue to them, that before, were glad to serue it. All men seeth it: They themselues confesse it, namelie soch, as be best and wisest amongest them. For sinne, by lust and va­nitie, hath and doth bréed vp euery where, common contēpt of Gods word, priuate contention in many families, open factions in euery Citie: and so, makyng them selues bonde, to vanitie and vice at home, they are content to beare the yoke of seruyng straungers abroad, Italie now, is not that Italie, that it was wont to be: and therfore now, not so fitte a place, as some do counte it, for yong men to fetch either wisedome or honestie from thence. For surelie, they will make other but bad Scholers, that be so ill Masters to them selues. Yet, if a ientleman will nedes trauell into Italie, he shall do well, to looke on the life, of the wisest traueler, that euer traueled thether, set out by the wisest writer, that euer spake with tong, Gods doctrine onelie excepted: and that is Vlysses in Homere. Vlysses. Vlysses, and his trauell, I wishe our trauelers to looke vpon,Homere. not so much to feare them, with the great daungers, that he many tymes suffered, as to instruct them, with his excellent wisedome, which he alwayes and euerywhere vsed. Yea euen those, that be learned and wittie trauelers, when they be disposed to prayse traueling, as a great commendacion, and the best Scripture they haue for it, they gladlie recite the third verse of Homere, in his first booke of Odyssea, [...]. conteinyng a great prayse of Vlysses, for the witte he gathered, & wisedome he vsed in his traueling.

Which verse, bicause, in mine opinion, it was not made at the first, more naturallie in Greke by Homere, nor after turned more aptelie into Latin by Horace, than it was a good while ago, in Cambrige, translated into English, both plainlie for the sense, and roundlie for the verse, by one of the best Scholers, that euer S. Iohns Colledge bred. M. Wat­son, myne old frend, somtime Bishop of Lincolne, therfore, for their sake, that haue lust to sée how our English tong, in [Page 24] auoidyng barbarous ryming, may as well receiue, right quantitie of sillabes, and trewe order of verifiyng (of which matter more at large hereafter) as either Greke or Latin, if a cunning man haue it in handling, I will set forth that one verse in all thrée tonges, for an Example to good wittes, that shall delite in like learned exercise.

And yet is not Vlysses commended,Vlyss. [...].Vlyss. [...]. so much, nor so oft, in Homere, bicause he was [...], that is, skilfull in many mēs maners and facions, as bicause he was [...], that is, wise in all purposes, & ware in all places: which wisedome and ware­nes will not serue neither a traueler,Pallas from heauen. except Pallas be al­wayes at his elbow, that is Gods speciall grace from hea­uen, to kepe him in Gods feare, in all his doynges, in all his ieorneye. For, he shall not alwayes in his absence out of En­gland, light vpon a ientle Alcynous, Alcynous. [...]. 2. and walke in his faire gardens full of all harmelesse plea­sures: but he shall sometymes, fall, either into the handes of some cruell Cyclops, Cyclops. [...]. 1. or into the lappe of some wanton and dalying Dame Calypso: Calypso. [...]. and so suffer the danger of many a deadlie Denne, not so full of perils,Sirenes. [...]. to distroy the body, as, full of vayne pleasures, to poyson the mynde. Some Siren shall sing him a song, swéete in tune, but sownding in the ende,Scylla. [...]. to his vtter destruction. If Scylla drowne him not, Carybdis may fortune swalow hym.Caribdis. [...]. Some Circes shall make him,Circes. [...]. of a plaine English [Page] man, a right Italian. And at length to hell, or to some hel­lish place, [...]. is he likelie to go: from whence is hard returning, although one Vlysses, and that by Pallas ayde, and good coū ­sell of Tiresias, once escaped that horrible Den of deadly darkenes.

Therfore, if wise men will nedes send their sonnes in­to Italie, let them do it wiselie, vnder the kepe and garde of him, who, by his wisedome and honestie, by his example and authoritie, may be hable to kepe them safe and sound, in the feare of God, in Christes trewe Religion, in good order and honestie of liuyng: except they will haue them run head­ling, into ouer many ieoperdies, as Vlysses had done many tymes, if Pallas had not alwayes gouerned him: if he had not vsed, [...]. to stop his eares with waxe: to bind him selfe to the mast of his shyp: [...]. to feede dayly, vpon that swete herbe Moly with the blake roote and white floore, giuen vnto hym by Mercurie,Moly Her­ba. to auoide all the inchantmētes of Circes. Wher­by, the Diuine Poete Homer ment couertlie (as wise and Godly men do iudge) that loue of honestie, and hatred of ill, which Dauid more plainly doth call the feare of God:Psal. 33. the onely remedie agaynst all inchantementes of sinne.

I know diuerse noble personages, and many worthie Ientlemen of England, whom all the Siren songes of Ita­lie, could neuer vntwyne from the maste of Gods word: nor no inchantment of vanitie, ouerturne them, from the feare of God, and loue of honestie.

But I know as many, or mo, and some, sometyme my deare frendes, for whose sake I hate going into that coūtrey the more, who, partyng out of England feruent in the loue of Christes doctrine, and well furnished with the feare of God, returned out of Italie worse transformed, than euer was any in Circes Court. I know diuerse, that went out of England, men of innocent life, men of excellent learnyng, who returned out of Italie, not onely with worse maners, but also with lesse learnyng: neither so willing to liue order­ly, nor yet so hable to speake learnedlie, as they were at [Page 25] home, before they went abroad. And why? Plato,, y^t wise wri­ter, and worthy traueler him selfe, telleth the cause why. He went into Sicilia, a coūtrey, no nigher Italy by site of place, thā Italie that is now, is like Sicilia that was thē, in all cor­rupt maners and licēciousnes of life. Plato found in Sicilia, euery Citie full of vanitie, full of factions, euen as Italie is now. And as Homere, like a learned Poete, doth feyne, that Circes, by pleasant inchantmētes, did turne men into beastes,Plat. ad Dionys. Epist. 3. some into Swine, som into Asses, some into Foxes, some into Wolues &c. euen so Plato, like a wise Philoso­pher, doth plainlie declare, that pleasure, by licentious va­nitie, that swéete and perilous poyson of all youth, doth in­gender in all those, that yeld vp themselues to her, foure no­torious properties.

• 1. [...].
  The fruits of varne pleasure.
• 2. [...].
• 3. [...].
• 4. [...].

The first,Causes, why men returne out of Italie, lesse lear­ned and worse ma­nered. forgetfulnes of all good thinges learned before: the second, dulnes to receyue either learnyng or honestie euer after: the third, a mynde embracing lightlie the worse opinion, and baren of discretion to make trewe difference betwixt good and ill, betwixt troth, and vanitie, the fourth, a proude disdainfulnes of other good mē, in all honest matters. Homere and Plato, haue both one meanyng, looke both to one end.Homer and Plato ioy­ned and ex­pounded. For, if a mā inglutte him selfe with vanitie, or wal­ter in filthines like a Swyne, all learnyng, all goodnes, is sone forgotten. Than, quicklie shall he becum a dull Asse, to vnderstand either learnyng or honestie:A Swyne and yet shall he be as sutle as a Foxe, in bréedyng of mischief, in bringyng in misorder,An Asse. with a busie head, a discoursing tōg, and a factious harte,A Foxe. in euery priuate affaire, in all matters of state, with this pretie propertie, [...]. Quid, et vnde. alwayes glad to commend the worse partie, and euer ready to defend the falser opiniō. And why? For, where will is giuē from goodnes to vanitie, the mynde [Page] is sone caryed from right iudgement, to any fond opinion, in Religion, in Philosophie, or any other kynde of learning. The fourth fruite of vaine pleasure, [...]. by Homer and Platos iudgement, is pride in them selues, contempt of others, the very badge of all those that serue in Circes Court. The trewe méenyng of both Homer and Plato, is plainlie decla­red in one short sentence of the holy Prophet of God Hiere­mie, Hieremias 4. Cap. crying out of the vaine & vicious life of the Israelites. This people (sayth he) be fooles and dulhedes to all goodnes, but sotle, cunning and bolde, in any mischiefe, &c.

The true medicine against the inchantmentes of Cir­ces,, the vanitie of licencious pleasure, the inticementes of all sinne, is, in Homere, the herbe Moly, with the blacke roote, and white flooer, sower at the first, but swéete in the end: which, Hesiodus termeth the study of vertue,Hesiodus de virtute. hard and irksome in the beginnyng, but in the end, easie and pleasant. And that, which is most to be marueled at, the diuine Poete Homere sayth plainlie that this medicine against sinne and vanitie,Homerus, diuinus Poeta. is not found out by man, but giuen and taught by God. And for some one sake, that will haue delite to read that swéete and Godlie Uerse, I will recite the very wordes of Homere and also turne them into rude English metre.

In English thus.

Plato also, that diuine Philosopher, hath many Godly medicines agaynst the poyson of vayne pleasure, in many places,Plat. ad Dio. but specially in his Epistles to Dionisius the tyrant of Sicilie: yet agaynst those, that will nedes becum beastes, with seruyng of Circes, the Prophet Dauid, crieth most loude,Psal. 31. Nolite fieri sicut equus & mulus: and by and by giueth the right medicine, the trewe herbe Moly, In camo & freno maxillas corum constringe, that is to say, let Gods grace be the [Page 26] bitte, let Gods feare be the bridle, to stay them from run­nyng headlong into vice, and to turne them into the right way agayne.Psal. 33. Dauid in the second Psalme after, giueth the same medicine, but in these plainer wordes, Diuerte à malo, & fac bonum. But I am affraide, that ouer many of our trauelers into Italie, do not exchewe the way to Circes Court: but go, and ryde, and runne, and flie thether, they make great hast to cum to her: they make great sute to serue her: yea, I could point out some with my finger, that neuer had gone out of England, but onelie to serue Circes, in Italie. Uanitie and vice, and any licence to ill liuyng in England was counted stale and rude vnto them. And so, beyng Mules and Horses before they went, returned verie Swyne and Asses home agayne:A trewe Picture of a knight of Circes Court. yet euerie where verie Foxes with sutlie and busie heades: and where they may, verie wolues, with cruell malicious hartes. A meruelous monster, which, for filthines of liuyng, for dulnes to lear­ning him selfe, for wilinesse in dealing with others, for ma­lice in hurting without cause, should carie at once in one bodie, the belie of a Swyne, the head of an Asse, the brayne of a Foxe, the wombe of a wolfe. If you thinke, we iudge amisse,The Ita­liās iudge­ment of Englishmē brought vp in Italie. and write to sore against you, heare, what the Ita­lian sayth of the English man, what the master reporteth of the scholer: who vttereth playnlie, what is taught by him, and what is learned by you, saying, Englese Italia­nato, e vn diabolo incarnato, that is to say, you remaine men in shape and facion, but becum deuils in life and con­dition. This is not, the opinion of one, for some priuate spite, but the iudgement of all, in a common Prouerbe, which riseth,The Ita­lian diffa­meth him selfe▪ to shame the Englishe man. of that learnyng, and those maners, which you gather in Italie: a good Scholehouse of wholesome doctrine: and worthy Masters of commendable Scholers, where the Master had rather diffame hym selfe for hys teachyng, than not shame his Scholer for his learning. A good nature of the maister, and faire conditions of the scho­lers. And now chose you, you Italian English men, whe­ther [Page] you will be angrie with vs, for calling you monsters, or with the Italianes, for callyng you deuils, or else with your owne selues, that take so much paines, and go so farre, to make your selues both. If some yet do not well vnderstand, what is an English man Italianated, I will plainlie tell him.In Eng­lish man Italiana­ted. He, that by liuing, & traueling in Italie, bringeth home into Englād out of Italie, the Religion, the learning, the po­licie, the experiēce, the maners of Italie. That is to say, for Religion,The 1 Religion. gotten in Italie.The 2 Learnyng. gotten in Italie.The 3 Pollicie. gotten in Italie.The 4 Experience. gotten in Italie.The 5 Maners. gotten in Italie. Papistrie or worse: for learnyng, lesse commonly than they caried out with them: for pollicie, a factious hart, a discoursing head, a mynde to medle in all mens mat­ters: for experience, plentie of new mischieues neuer knowne in Eng­land before: for maners, varietie of vanities, and chaunge of filthy ly­uing. These be the inchantementes of Circes, brought out of Italie, to marre mens maners in England: much, by example of ill life, but more by preceptes of fonde bookes, of late translated out of Italian into English,Italian bokes trās­lated into English. sold in euery shop in London, commended by honest titles the soner to corrupt honest maners: dedicated ouer boldlie to vertuous and honorable personages, the easielier to begile simple and innocēt wittes.☞ It is pitie, that those, which haue authoritie and charge, to allow and dissalow bookes to be printed, be no more circumspect herein, than they are. Ten Sermons at Paules Crosse do not so moch good for mouyng mē to trewe doctrine, as one of those bookes do harme, with inticing men to ill liuing. Yea, I say farder, those bookes, tend not so moch to corrupt honest liuyng, as they do, to subuert trewe Reli­gion. Mo Papistes be made, by your mery bookes of Italie, than by your earnest bookes of Louain. And bicause our great Phisicians, do winke at the matter, and make no counte of this sore, I, though not admitted one of their fe­lowshyp, yet hauyng bene many yeares aprentice to Gods [Page 27] trewe Religion, and trust to continewe a poore iorney man therein all dayes of my life, for the dewtie I owe, & loue I beare, both to trewe doctrine, and honest liuing, though I haue no authoritie to amend the sore my selfe, yet I will de­clare my good will, to discouer the sore to others.

S. Paul saith,Ad Gal. 5. that sectes and ill opinions, be the workes of the flesh, and frutes of sinne, this is spoken, no more trew­lie for the doctrine, than sensiblie for the reason. And why? For, ill doinges, bréed ill thinkinges. And of corrupted ma­ners,Voluntas Respicit Bonum.Mens Respicit Verum. spryng peruersed iudgementes. And how? there be in man two speci­all thinges: Mans will, mans mynde. Where will inclineth to goodnes, the mynde is bent to troth: Where will is caried from goodnes to vanitie, the mynde is sone drawne from troth to false opi­nion. And so, the readiest way to entangle the mynde with false doctrine, is first to intice the will to wanton liuyng. Therfore, when the busie and open Papistes abroad, could not, by their contentious bookes, turne men in England fast enough,☜ from troth and right iudgement in doctrine, than the sutle and secrete Papistes at home, procured baw­die bookes to be translated out of the Italian tonge, whereby ouer many yong willes and wittes allured to wantonnes, do now boldly contemne all seuere bookes that sounde to ho­nestie and godlines. In our forefathers tyme, whan Papi­strie, as a standyng poole, couered and ouerflowed all Eng­land, fewe bookes were read in our tong, sauyng certaine bookes of Cheualrie, as they sayd, for pastime and pleasure, which, as some say, were made in Monasteries, by idle Monkes, or wanton Chanons: as one for example, Morte Arthure: Morte Ar­thur. the whole pleasure of which booke standeth in two speciall poyntes, in open mans slaughter, and bold bawdrye: In which booke those be counted the noblest Knightes, that do kill most men without any quarell, and commit fowlest aduoulteres by sutlest shiftes: as Sir Laun­celote, with the wife of King Arthure his master: Syr Tri­stram [Page] with the wife of kyng Marke his vncle: Syr Lame­rocke, with the wife of king Lote, that was his own aunte. This is good stuffe,☞ for wise men to laughe at, or honest men to take pleasure at. Yet I know, when Gods Bible was banished the Court, and Morte Arthure receiued into the Princes chamber. What toyes, the dayly readyng of such a booke, may worke in the will of a yong ientleman, or a yong mayde, that liueth welthelie and idlelie, wise men can iudge, and honest mē do pitie. And yet ten Morte Arthures do not the tenth part so much harme, as one of these bookes, made in Italie, ☞ and translated in England. They open, not fond and common wayes to vice, but such sutle, cunnyng, new, and diuerse shiftes, to cary yong willes to vanitie, and yong wittes to mischief, to teach old bawdes new schole poyntes, as the simple head of an English man is not hable to inuent, nor neuer was hard of in England before, yea when Papistrie ouerflowed all. Suffer these bookes to be read, and they shall soone displace all bookes of godly lear­nyng. For they,☞ carying the will to vanitie, and marryng good maners, shall easily corrupt the mynde with ill opini­ons, and false iudgement in doctrine: first, to thinke ill of all trewe Religion, and at last to thinke nothyng of God hym selfe, one speciall pointe that is to be learned in Italie, and Italian bookes.☞ And that which is most to be lamented, and therfore more nedefull to be looked to, there be moe of these vngratious bookes set out in Printe within these fewe monethes, than haue bene sene in England many score yeare before. And bicause our English men made Italians, can not hurt, but certaine persons, and in certaine places, therfore these Italian bookes are made English, to bryng mischief enough openly and boldly, to all states great and meane, yong and old, euery where.

And thus yow sée, how will intised to wantonnes, doth easelie allure the mynde to false opinions: and how corrupt maners in liuinge, bréede false iudgement in doctrine: how sinne and fleshlines, bring forth sectes and heresies: And [Page 28] therefore suffer not vaine bookes to bréede vanitie in mens willes, if yow would haue Goddes trothe take roote in mens myndes.

That Italian, that first inuented the Italian Prouerbe against our Englishe men Italianated,The Ita­lian pro­uerbe ex­pounded. ment no more their vanitie in liuing, than their lewd opinion in Religion: For, in calling them Deuiles, he carieth them cleane from God: and yet he carieth them no farder, than they willinglie go themselues, that is, where they may fréely say their mindes, to the open contempte of God and all godlines, both in li­uing and doctrine.

And how? I will expresse how, not by a Fable of Ho­mere, nor by the Philosophie of Plato, but by a plaine troth of Goddes word, sensiblie vttered by Dauid thus. Thies men, abhominabiles facts in studijs suis, thinke verily, and singe gladlie the verse before,Psal. 14. Dixit insipiens in Corde suo, non est Deus: that is to say, they geuing themselues vp to vanitie, shakinge of the motions of Grace, driuing from them the feare of God, and running headlong into all sinne, first, lustelie contemne God, than scornefullie mocke his worde, and also spitefullie hate and hurte all well willers thereof. Than they haue in more reuerence, the triumphes of Petrarche: than the Genesis of Moses: They make more accounte of Tullies offices, than S. Paules epistles: of a tale in Bocace, than a storie of the Bible. Than they counte as Fables, the holie misteries of Christian Religion. They make Christ and his Gospell, onelie serue Ciuill pollicie: Than neyther Religion cummeth amisse to them: In tyme they be Promoters of both openlie: in place againe mockers of both priuilie, as I wrote once in a rude ryme.

For where they dare, in cumpanie where they like, they boldlie laughe to scorne both protestant and Papist. They eare for no scripture: They make no coūte of generall coun­cels: [Page] they contēne the consent of the Chirch: They passe for no Doctores: They mocke the Pope: They raile on Lu­ther: They allow neyther side: They like none, but onelie themselues: The marke they shote at, the ende they looke for, the heauen they desire, is onelie, their owne present pleasure, and priuate proffit: whereby, they plainlie declare, of whose schole, of what Religion they be: that is, Epicures in liuing, and [...] in doctrine: this last worde, is no more vnknowne now to plaine Englishe men, than the Person was vnknown somtyme in England, vntill som Englishe man tooke peines, to fetch that deuelish opinion out of Ita­lie. Thies men, thus Italianated abroad, can not abide our Godlie Italian Chirch at home:The Ita­liā Chirche in London. they be not of that Parish, they be not of that felowshyp: they like not y^e preacher: they heare not his sermons: Excepte somtymes for cōpanie, they cum thither, to heare the Italian tonge naturally spoken, not to heare Gods doctrine trewly preached.

And yet, thies men, in matters of Diuinitie, openlie pretend a great knowledge, and haue priuatelie to them selues, a verie compendious vnderstanding of all, which ne­uertheles they will vtter when and where they liste: And that is this: All the misteries of Moses, the whole lawe and Cerimonies, the Psalmes and Prophetes, Christ and his Gospell, GOD and the Deuill, Heauen and Hell, Faith, Conscience, Sinne, Death, and all they shortlie wrap vp, they quickly expounde with this one halfe verse of Horace.

Yet though in Italie they may fréely be of no Religion, as they are in England in verie déede to, neuerthelesse re­turning home into England they must countenance the profession of the one or the other, howsoeuer in wardlie, they laugh to scorne both. And though, for their priuate matters they can follow, fawne, and flatter noble Personages, con­trarie to them in all respectes, yet commonlie they allie [Page 29] themselues with the worst Papistes, to whom they be wed­ded, and do well agrée togither in thrée proper opinions:Papistrie and [...] agree in three opini­ons. In open contempte of Goddes worde: in a secret securitie of sinne: and in a bloodie desire to haue all taken away, by sword or burning, that be not of their faction. They that do read,Pigius. with indifferent iudgement, Pygius and Machianel, two indifferent Patriarches of thies two Religions,Machiane­lus. do know full well that I say trewe.

Ye sée, what manners and doctrine, our Englishe men fetch out of Italie: For finding no other there, they can bring no other hither. And therefore, manie godlie and ex­cellent learned Englishe men,Wise and honest tra­uelers. not manie yeares ago, did make a better choice, whan open crueltie, draue them out of this contrie, to place themselues there, where Christes do­ctrine, the feare of God,Germanie. punishment of sinne, and discipline of honestie, were had in speciall regarde.

I was once in Italie my selfe:Venice. but I thanke God, my a­bode there,London. was but ix. dayes: And yet I sawe in that litle tyme, in one Citie, more libertie to sinne, than euer I hard tell of in our noble Citie of London in ix. yeare. I sawe, it was there, as frée to sinne, not onelie without all punish­ment, but also without any mans marking, as it is free in the Citie of London, to chose, without all blame, whe­ther a man lust to weare Shee or pantocle. And good cause why: For being vnlike in troth of Religion, they must nedes be vnlike in honestie of liuing. For blessed be Christ, in our Citie of London,Seruice of God in England. commonlie the commandementes of God, be more diligentlie taught, and the seruice of God more reuerentlie vsed, and that daylie in many priuate mens houses,Seruice of God in I­talie. than they be in Italie once a wéeke in their common Chirches: where, masking Ceremonies, to delite the eye, and vaine soundes, to please the eare, do quite thrust out of the Chirches, all seruice of God in spirit and troth. Yea,The Lord Maior of London. the Lord Maior of London, being but a Ciuill officer, is commonlie for his tyme, more diligent, in punishing sinne, the bent enemie against God and good order, than all [Page] the bloodie Inquisitors in Italie be in seauen yeare.The In­quisitors in Italie For, their care and charge is, not to punish sinne, not to amend manners, not to purge doctrine, but onelie to watch and ouersée that Christes trewe Religion set no sure footing, where the Pope hath any Iurisdiction. I learned, when I was at Venice, An vngod­lie pollicie. that there it is counted good pollicie, when there be foure or fiue brethren of one familie, one, onelie to marie: & all the rest, to waulcer, with as litle shame, in open lecherie, as Swyne do here in the common myre. Yea, there be as fayre houses of Religion, as great prouision, as diligent officers, to kepe vp this misorder, as Bridewell is, and all the Masters there, to kepe downe misorder. And therefore, if the Pope himselfe, do not onelie graunt par­dons to furder thies wicked purposes abrode in Italie, but also (although this present Pope, in the beginning, made som shewe of misliking thereof) assigne both méede and me­rite to the maintenance of stewes and brothelhouses at home in Rome, than let wise men thinke Italie a safe place for holsom doctrine, and godlie manners, and a fitte schole for yong ientlemen of England to be brought vp in.

Our Italians bring home with them other faultes from Italie, though not so great as this of Religion, yet a great deale greater, thā many good men can well beare. For com­monlie they cum home,Contempt of mariage. common contemners of mariage and readie persuaders of all other to the same: not because they loue virginitie, nor yet because they hate prettie yong virgines, but, being frée in Italie, to go whither so euer lust will cary them, they do not like, that lawe and honestie should be soch a barre to their like libertie at home in Eng­land. And yet they be, the greatest makers of loue, the day­lie daliers, with such pleasant wordes, with such smilyng and secret countenances, with such signes, tokens, wagers, purposed to be lost, before they were purposed to be made, with bargaines of wearing colours, floures, and herbes, to bréede occasion of ofter méeting of him and her, and bolder talking of this and that &c. And although I haue séene some, [Page 30] innocent of all ill, and stayde in all honestie, that haue vsed these thinges without all harme, without all suspicion of harme, yet these knackes were brought first into England by them, that learned thē before in Italie in Circes Court: and how Courtlie curtesses so euer they be counted now, yet, if the meaning and maners of some that do vse them, were somewhat amended, it were no great hurt, neither to them selues, nor to others.

An other propertie of this our English Italians is, to be meruelous singular in all their matters: Singular in knowledge, ignorant of nothyng: So singular in wisedome (in their owne opinion) as scarse they counte the best Coun­sellor the Prince hath, comparable with them: Common discoursers of all matters: busie searchers of most secret af­faires: open flatterers of great men: priuie mislikers of good men: Faire speakers, with smiling countenāces, and much curtessie openlie to all men. Ready bakbiters, sore nippers, and spitefull reporters priuilie of good men. And beyng brought vp in Italie, in some frée Citie, as all Cities be there: where a man may fréelie discourse against what he will, against whom he lust: against any Prince, agaynst any gouernement, yea against God him selfe, and his whole Re­ligion: where he must be, either Guelphe or Gibiline, ei­ther French or Spanish: and alwayes compelled to be of some partie, of some faction, he shall neuer be compelled to be of any Religion: And if he medle not ouer much with Christes true Religion, he shall haue frée libertie to embrace all Religions, and becum, if he lust at once, without any let or punishment, Iewish, Turkish, Papish, and Deuillish.

A yong Ientleman, thus bred vp in this goodly schole, to learne the next and readie way to sinne, to haue a busie head▪ a factious hart, a talkatiue tonge: fed with discoursing of factions: led so contemne God and his Religion, shall cum home into England, but verie ill taught, either to be an ho­nest man him selfe, a quiet subiect to his Prince, or willyng to serue God, vnder the obedience of trewe doctrine, or with [Page] in the order of honest liuing.

I know, none will be offended with this my generall writing, but onelie such, as finde them selues giltie priuate­lie therin: who shall haue good leaue to be offended with me, vntill they begin to amende them selues. I touch not them that be good: and I say to litle of them that be nought. And so, though not enough for their deseruing, yet sufficient­lie for this time, and more els when, if occasion so require.

And thus farre haue I wandred from my first purpose of teaching a child, yet not altogether out of the way, bi­cause this whole taulke hath tended to the onelie aduaunce­ment of trothe in Religion, an honestie of liuing: and hath bene wholie within the compasse of learning and good ma­ners, the speciall pointes belonging in the right bringyng vp of youth.

But to my matter, as I began, plainlie and simplie with my yong Scholer, so will I not leaue him, God willing, vntill I haue brought him a per­fite Scholer out of the Schole, and placed him in the Uniuersitie, to becum a [...]tte student, for Logicke and Rhetoricke: and so after to Phisicke, Law, or Diuinitie, as aptnes of na­ture, aduise of frendes, and Gods disposition shall lead him.

AFter that your scholer, is I sayd before, shall cum in déede, first, to a readie per­fitnes in translating, than, to a ripe and skilfull choice in markyng cut hys sixe pointes, as,

• 1. Proprium.
• 2. Translatum.
• 3. Synonymum.
• 4. Contrarium.
• 5. Diuersum.
• 6. Phrases.

Than take this order with him: Read dayly vnto him, some booke of Tullie, Cicero. as the third booke of Epistles chosen out by Sturmius, de Amicitia, de Senetute, or that excellent Epistle conteinyng almost the whole first booke ad Q. fra: some Comedie of Terence or Plautus: Terentius. but in Plautus, skil­full choice must be vsed by the master,Plautus. to traine his Scho­ler to a iudgement, in cutting out perfitelie ouer old and vn­proper wordes:Iul. Caesar. Caes. Commentaries are to be read with all curiositie, in specially without all exception to be made, either by frende or foe, is séene, the vnspotted proprietie of the Latin tong, euen whan it was, as the Grecians say, in [...], that is, at the hiest pitch of all perfitenesse: or some O­rations of T. Liuius, T. Liuius. such as be both longest and plainest.

These bookes, I would haue him read now, a good deale at euery lecture: for he shall not now vse dalie translation, but onely construe againe, and parse, where ye suspect, is any nede: yet, let him not omitte in these bookes, his former exercise, in marking diligently, and writyng orderlie out his six pointes. And for translating, vse you your selfe, eue­ry second or thyrd day, to chose out, some Epistle ad Atti­cum, some notable common place out of his Orations, or some other part of Tullie, by your discretion, which your [Page] scholer may not know where to finde: and translate it you your selfe, into plaine naturall English, and than giue it him to translate into Latin againe: allowyng him good space and tyme to do it, both with diligent héede, and good ad­uisement. Here his witte shalbe new set on worke: his iudgement, for right choice, trewlie tried: his memorie, for sure reteyning, better exercised, than by learning, any thing without the booke: & here, how much he hath proffited, shall plainly appeare. Whan he bringeth it translated vnto you, bring you forth the place of Tullie: lay them together: com­pare the one with the other: commend his good choice, & right placing of wordes: Shew his faultes iently, but blame them not ouer sharply: for, of such missings, ientlie admonished of, procedeth glad & good héed taking: of good héed taking, sprin­geth chiefly knowledge, which after, groweth to perfitnesse, if this order, be diligentlie vsed by the scholer & iently hand­led by the master: for here, shall all the hard pointes of Grā ­mer, both easely and surelie be learned vp: which, scholers in common scholes, by making of Latines, be groping at, with care & feare, & yet in many yeares, they scarse can reach vn­to them. I remember, whan I was yong, in the North, they went to the Grammer schole, litle children: they came from thence great lubbers: alwayes learning, and litle profiting: learning without booke, euery thing, vnderstādyng with in the booke, litle or nothing: Their whole knowledge, by lear­ning without the booke, was tied onely to their tong & lips, and neuer ascēded vp to the braine & head, and therfore was sone spitte out of the mouth againe: They were, as men, al­wayes goyng, but euer out of the way: and why? For their whole labor, or rather great toyle without order, was euen vaine idlenesse without proffit. In déed, they tooke great paynes about learning: but employed small labour in lear­ning: Whan by this way prescribed in this booke, being streight, plaine, & easie, the scholer is alwayes laboring with pleasure, and euer going right on forward with proffit: Al­wayes laboring I say, for, or he haue cōstrued, parced, twise [Page 32] trāslated ouer by good aduisemēt, marked out his six pointes by skilfull iudgement, he shall haue necessarie occasion, to read ouer euery lecture, a dosen tymes, at the least. Which, bicause he shall do alwayes in order, he shall do it alwayes with pleasure: And pleasure allureth loue: loue hath lust to labor: labor alwayes obteineth his purpose, as most trewly, both Aristotle in his Rhetoricke & Oedipus in Sophocles do teach,Rhet: 2. In Oedip▪ Tyr. saying, [...]. et cet & this oft reading, is the verie right folowing, of that good Counsell, which Plinie doth geue to his frende Fuscus, Epist lib. 7 saying, Mul­tum, non multa. But to my purpose againe:

Whan, by this diligent and spedie reading ouer, those forenamed good bokes of Tullie, Terence, Caesar, and Liuie, and by this second kinde of translating out of your English, tyme shall bréed skill, and vse shall bring perfection, than ye may trie, if you will, your scholer, with the third kinde of translation: although the two first wayes, by myne opinion, be, not onelie sufficient of them selues, but also surer, both for the Masters teaching, and scholers learnyng, than this third way is: Which is thus. Write you in English, some letter, as it were from him to his father, or to some other frende, naturallie, according to the disposition of the child, or some tale, or fable, or plaine narration, according as Aph­thonius beginneth his exercises of learning, and let him translate it into Latin againe, abiding in soch place, where no other scholer may prompe him. But yet, vse you your selfe soch discretion for choice therein, as the matter may be within the compas, both for wordes and sentences, of his former learning and reading. And now take héede, lest your scholer do not better in some point, than you your selfe, ex­cept ye haue bene diligentlie exercised in these kindes of translating before:

I had once a profe hereof, tried by good experience, by a deare frende of myne, whan I came first from Cambrige, to serue the Quéenes Maiestie, than Ladie Elizabeth, lying at worthie Syr Ant. Denys in Cheston. Iohn Whitneye, [Page] a yong ientleman, was my bedfeloe, who willyng by good nature and prouoked by mine aduise, began to learne the Latin tong, after the order declared in this booke. We be­gan after Christmas: I read vnto him Tullie de Amicitia, which he did euerie day twise translate, out of Latin into English, and out of English into Latin agayne. About S. Laurence tyde after, to proue how he proffited, I did chose out Torquatus taulke de Amicitia, in the later end of the first booke de finib. bicause that place was, the same in mat­ter, like in wordes and phrases, nigh to the forme and fa­cion of sentences, as he had learned before in de Amicitia. I did translate it my selfe into plaine English, and gaue it him to turne into Latin: Which he did, so choislie, so order­lie, so without any great misse in the hardest pointes of Grammer, that some, in seuen yeare in Grammer scholes, yea, & some in the Uniuersities to, can not do halfe so well. This worthie yong Ientleman, to my greatest grief, to the great lamentation of that whole house, and speciallie to that most noble Ladie, now Quéene Elizabeth her selfe, de­parted within few dayes, out of this world.

And if in any cause, a man may without offence of God speake somewhat vngodlie, surely, it was some grief vnto me, to see him hie so hastlie to God, as he did. A Court, full of soch yong Ientlemen, were rather a Paradise than a Court vpon earth. And though I had neuer Poeticall head, to make any verse, in any tong, yet either loue, or sorow, or both, did wring out of me than, certaine carefull thoughtes of my good will towardes him, which in my murning for him, fell forth, more by chance, than either by skill of vse, into this kinde of misorderlie meter.

In this place, or I procede farder, I will now declare, by whose authoritie I am led, and by what reason I am mo­ued, to thinke, that this way of duble translation out of one tong into an other, in either onelie, or at least chiefly, to be [...]ised, speciallie of youth, for the ready and sure ob­teining of any tong.

There be six wayes appointed by the best learned men, for the learning of tonges, and encreace of eloquence, as

• 1. Translatiolinguarum.
• 2. Paraphrasis.
• 3. Metaphrasis.
• 4. Epitome.
• 5. Imitatio.
• 6. Declamatio.

[Page]All theis be vsed, and commended, but in order, and for respectes: as person, habilitie, place, and tyme shall re­quire. The fiue last, be fitter, for the Master, than the scho­ler: for men, than for children: for the vniuersities, rather than for Grammer scholes: yet neuerthelesse, which is, fit­test in mine opinion, for our schole, and which is, either wholie to be refused, or partlie to be vsed for our purpose, I will, by good authoritie, and some reason, I trust perticu­larlie of euerie one, and largelie enough of them all, declare orderlie vnto you.