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 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 feete, and not by their own, what owtward brag so euer
is borne by them, is in deed, of it selfe, and in wise mens eyes,
of no great estimation.
Some wittes, moderate enough by nature, be many tymes
Som sci- // marde by ouer moch studie and vse of some
ences hurt // sciences, namelie, Musicke, Arithmetick, and
mens wits, // Geometrie. Thies sciences, as they sharpen mens
and mar // wittes ouer moch, so they change mens maners
mens ma- // ouer sore, if they be not moderatlie mingled, &
ners. //
wiselie applied to som good vse of life. Marke all Mathe-
Mathe- // maticall heades, which be onely and wholy bent
maticall // to those sciences, how solitarie they be themselues,
heades. // 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
_Galen._ // and sentence. _Galene_ saith, moch Musick marreth
_Plato._ // mens maners: and _Plato_ hath a notable place of
the same thing in his bookes _de Rep._ well marked
also, 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.
Contrariewise, a witte in youth, that is not ouer dulle,
Hard wits // heauie, knottie and lumpishe, but hard, rough, and
in learning. // 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
_the brynging vp of youth._ 191
should, not ouerwhartlie, and against the wood, by the schole-
master, both for learning, and hole course of liuing, 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 keepe: 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, seeme in
hope, but do not in deede, or else verie seldome, // Hard wits
euer attaine vnto. Also, for maners and life, hard // in maners
wittes commonlie, ar hardlie caried, either to // and lyfe.
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 deepe of iudgement,
whether they write, or giue counsell in all waightie affaires.
And theis be the men, 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, this place and matter doth require. But // The best
my purpose was hereby, plainlie to vtter, what // wittes dri-
iniurie is offered to all learninge, & to the common // uen from
welthe also, first, by the fond father in chosing, // learnyng,
but chieflie by the lewd scholemaster in beating // to other li-
and driuing away the best natures from learning. A childe // uyng.
that is still, silent, constant, and somewhat 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 to hate learninge, nor any deed that may driue
him from learning, to any other kinde of liuing.
And when this sadde natured, and hard witted child, is bette