children and came to yonge men, namely, Ientlemen: we
taulked of their to moch libertie, to liue as they lust: of their
letting louse to sone, to ouer moch experience of ill, contrarie to
the good order of many good olde common welthes of the
Persians and Grekes: of witte gathered, and good fortune
gotten, by some, onely by experience, without learning. And
lastlie, he required of me verie earnestlie, to shewe, what I
thought of the common goinge of Englishe men into Italie.
But, sayth he, bicause this place, and this tyme, will not suffer
so long taulke, as these good matters require, therefore I pray
you, at my request, and at your leysure, put in some order of
writing, the cheife pointes of this our taulke, concerning the
right order of teachinge, and honestie of liuing, for the good
bringing vp of children & yong men. And surelie, beside
contentinge me, you shall both please and profit verie many
others. I made some excuse by lacke of habilitie, and weakenes
of bodie: well, sayth he, I am not now to learne, what you can
do. Our deare frende, good M. _Goodricke_, whose iudgement I
could well beleue, did once for all, satisfye me fullie therein.
Againe, I heard you say, not long agoe, that you may thanke
Syr _John Cheke_, for all the learninge you haue: And I know
verie well my selfe, that you did teach the Quene. And
therefore seing God did so blesse you, to make you the Scholer
of the best Master, and also the Scholemaster of the best
Scholer, that euer were in our tyme, surelie, you should please
God, benefite your countrie, & honest your owne name, if you
would take the paines, to impart to others, what you learned
of soch à Master, and how ye taught such à scholer. And, in
vttering the stuffe ye receiued of the one, in declaring the
order ye tooke with the other, ye shall neuer lacke, neither
matter, nor maner, what to write, nor how to write in this
kinde of Argument.
I beginning some farther excuse, sodeinlie was called to
cum to the Queene. The night following, I slept litle, my
head was so full of this our former taulke, and I so mindefull,
somewhat to satisfie the honest request of so deare à frend,
I thought to præpare some litle treatise for a New yeares gift
that Christmas. But, as it chanceth to busie builders, so, in
building thys my poore Scholehouse (the rather bicause the forme
of it is somewhat new, and differing from others) the worke
_A Præf ace to the Reader._ 179
rose dailie higher and wider, than I thought it would at the
beginninge.
And though it appeare now, and be in verie deede, but a
small cotage, poore for the stuffe, and rude for the workemanship,
yet in going forward, I found the site so good, as I was lothe to
giue it ouer, but the making so costlie, outreaching my habilitie,
as many tymes I wished, that some one of those three, my deare
frendes, with full pursses, Syr _Tho. Smithe_, M. // {_Smith._
_Haddon_, or M. _Watson_, had had the doing of it. // M. {_Haddon._
Yet, neuerthelesse, I my selfe, spending gladlie // {_Watson._
that litle, that I gatte at home by good Syr _Iohn_ // Syr_ I._
_Cheke_, and that that I borrowed abroad of my // _Cheke._
frend _Sturmius_, beside somewhat that was left me // _I. Sturmius._
in Reuersion by my olde Masters, _Plato, Aristotle_, // _Plato._
and _Cicero_, I haue at last patched it vp, as I could, // _Aristotle._
and as you see. If the matter be meane, and meanly handled, // _Cicero._
I pray you beare, both with me, and it: for neuer worke went
vp in worse wether, with mo lettes and stoppes, than this poore
Scholehouse of mine. Westminster Hall can beare some
witnesse, beside moch weakenes of bodie, but more trouble of
minde, by some such sores, as greue me to toche them my
selfe, and therefore I purpose not to open them to others.
And, in middes of outward iniuries, and inward cares, to
encrease them withall, good Syr _Rich. Sackuile_
dieth, that worthie Ientleman: That earnest // Syr _R._
fauorer and furtherer of Gods true Religion: // _Sackuill._
That faithfull Seruitor to his Prince and Countrie: A louer of
learning, & all learned men: Wise in all doinges: Curtesse to
all persons: shewing spite to none: doing good to many: and as
I well found, to me so fast à frend, as I neuer lost the like
before. Whan he was gone, my hart was dead. There was
not one, that woare à blacke gowne for him, who caried à
heuier hart for him, than I. Whan he was gone, I cast this
booke àwaie: I could not looke vpon it, but with weping eyes,
in remembring him, who was the onelie setter on, to do it, and
would haue bene, not onelie à glad commender of it, but also
à sure and certaine comfort, to me and mine, for it. Almost
two yeares togither, this booke lay scattered, and neglected,
and had bene quite giuen ouer of me, if the goodnesse of one
had not giuen me some life and spirite againe. God, the