And to know, what worthie frute, did spring of soch
Good sede, // worthie seade, I will tell yow the most meruell
worthie // of all, and yet soch a trothe, as no man shall
frute. // denie it, except such as be ignorant in knowledge
of the best stories.
_Athens_, by this discipline and good ordering of yougthe, did
_Athenes._ // breede 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
Roma. // matchable no not in the state of Rome, 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
The noble // names of them be these. _Miltiades, Themistocles_,
Capitaines // _Xantippus, Pericles, Cymon, Alcybiades, Thrasybulus_,
of Athens. // _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
_æmil._ // in peace. And if ye beleue not me, read dili-
_Probus._ // gentlie, _æmilius Probus_ in Latin, and _Plutarche_
_Plutarchus._ // in Greke, which two, had no cause either to
flatter or lie vpon anie of those which I haue
recited.
And beside nobilitie in warre, for excellent and matchles
The lear- // masters in all maner of learninge, in that one
ned of A- // Citie, in memorie of one aige, were mo learned
thenes. // 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 meene 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 us: of which I thank God, euen my
poore studie lacketh not one. As, in Philosophie, _Plato, Aris-
totle, Xenophon, Euclide_ and _Theophrast_: In eloquens and Ciuill
lawe, _Demosthenes, æschines, Lycurgus, Dinarchus, Demades,
Isocrates, Isæus, Lysias, Antisthenes, Andocides_: In histories, _He-
rodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon_: and which we lacke, to our
_the brynging vp of youth._ 213
great losse, _Theopompus_ and _Eph[orus]_: In Poetrie _æschylus,
Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes_, and somwhat of _Menander,
Demosthenes_ sister sonne.
Now, let Italian, and Latin it self, Spanishe, French,
Douch, and Englishe bring forth their lerning, // Learnyng,
and recite their Authors, _Cicero_ onelie excepted, // chiefly con-
and one or two moe in Latin, they be all patched // teined in
cloutes and ragges, in comparison of faire wouen // the Greke,
broade clothes. And trewelie, if there be any // and in no o-
good in them, it is either lerned, borowed, or // ther tong.
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 leauing 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:
yet I hear saie, some yong Ientlemen of oures, // Contem-
count it their shame to be counted learned: and // ners of
perchance, they count it their shame, to be // learnyng.
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 saie for them, that the
Ientlemen of France do so: which is a lie, as // Ientlemen
God will haue it. _Langæus_, and _Bellæus_ that be // of France.
dead, & the noble _Vidam_ of Chartres, that is aliue, 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 deedlie feude, with both learning and
honestie, yet I beleue, if that noble Prince, king _Francis_ the
first were aliue, they shold haue, neither place in // Franciscus
his Courte, nor pension in his warres, if he had // I. Nobilis.
knowledge of them. This opinion is not French, // Francorum
but plaine Turckishe: from whens, some Frenche // Rex.
fetche moe faultes, than this: which, I praie God, kepe out of