ill handling: And, some praise it is, if it so chaunce, to be
The right // better in deede, than a man dare venture to
choise, to // seeme. A hye title, doth charge a man, with
chose a fitte // the heauie burden, of to great a promise: and
Argument // therefore sayth _Horace_ verie wittelie, that, that
to write // Poete was a verie foole, that began hys booke,
vpon. // with a goodlie verse in deede, but ouer proude
_Hor. in_ // a promise.
_Arte Poet._ //
_Fortunam Priami cantabo & nobile bellum,_
And after, as wiselie.
_Quantò rectiùs hic, qui nil molitur ineptè. etc._
Meening _Homer_, who, within the compasse of a smal
_Homers_ // Argument, of one harlot, and of one good wife,
wisdom in // did vtter so moch learning in all kinde of sciences,
choice of // as, by the iudgement of _Quintilian_, he deserueth
his Argu- // so hie a praise, that no man yet deserued to sit
ment. // in the second degree beneth him. And thus moch
out of my way, concerning my purpose in spending penne, and
paper, & tyme, vpon 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 Baldesær_
The Cor- // _Castiglione_ in his booke, _Cortegiano_, doth trimlie
tegian, an // teache: which booke, aduisedlie read, and dili-
excellent // gentlie folowed, but one yeare at home in
booke for a // England, would do a yong ientleman more good,
ientleman. // I wisse, then three yeares trauell abrode spent in
_Italie_. And I meruell this booke, is no more read in the Court,
than it is, seying it is so well translated into English by a worthie
Syr _Tho._ // Ientleman Syr _Th. Hobbie_, who was many wayes
_Hobbye._ // 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
Examples // ientlemen to folow: And surelie, one example,
better than // is more valiable, both to good and ill, than xx.
preceptes. // preceptes written in bookes: and so _Plato_, not in
one or two, but diuerse places, doth plainlie teach.
_the brynging vp of youth._ 219
If kyng _Edward_ had liued a litle longer, his onely example
had breed soch a rase of worthie learned ientlemen, // _King Ed._ 6.
as this Realme neuer yet did affourde.
And, in the second degree, two noble Primeroses of
Nobilitie, the yong Duke of Suffolke, and Lord // The yong
_H. Matreuers_, were soch two examples to the // Duke of
Court for learnyng, as our tyme may rather wishe, // Suffolke.
than looke for agayne. // _L. H. Mar-_
// _treuers._
At Cambrige also, in S. Iohns Colledge, in
my tyme, I do know, that, not so much the good statutes, as two
Ientlemen, of worthie memorie Syr _Iohn Cheke_, // _Syr John_
and Doctour _Readman_, by their onely example // _Cheke._
of excellency in learnyng, of godlynes in liuyng, of
diligencie in studying, of councell in exhorting, of good order in
all thyng, did breed vp, so many learned men, in // _D. Read-_
that one College of S. Iohns, at one time, as I // _man._
beleue, the whole Vniuersitie of _Louaine_, in many
yeares, was neuer able to affourd.
Present examples of this present tyme, I list not to
touch: yet there is one example, for all the Ien- // _Queene_
tlemen of this Court to folow, that may well // _Elisabeth._
satisfie them, or nothing will serue them, nor no
example moue them, to goodnes and learning.
It is your shame, (I speake to you all, you yong Ientlemen
of England) that one mayd should go beyond you all, in excel-
lencie 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 Queenes Maiestie
her selfe. Yea I beleue, that beside her perfit readines, in
_Latin, Italian, French_, & _Spanish_, she readeth here now at
Windsore more Greeke euery day, than some Prebendarie of
this Chirch doth read _Latin_ in a whole weeke. 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
Vniuersities haue in many yeares reached vnto. Amongest
all the benefites y^t God hath blessed me with all, next the