What praise shold they wynne to themselues, what com-
moditie 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 ouermuch. But perchance, som will say, I haue stepte to
farre, out of my schole, into the common welthe, from teaching
Written not // a yong scholer, to monishe greate and noble men:
for great // yet I trust good and wise men will thinke and
men, but for // iudge of me, that my minde was, not so moch,
great mens // to be busie and bold with them, that be great
children. // 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 deede. Yet, if som will
needes presse me, that I am to bold with great men, & stray to
Ad Philip. // farre from my matter, I will aunswere them with
_S. Paul, siue perc ontentionem, siue quocunqe modo,
modò Christus prædicetur, &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 ouer-
moch libertie breedeth 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 see the steppes of yougthe surelie staide by
good order, in that most slipperie tyme: and speciallie in the
Courte, a place most dangerous for yougthe to liue in, without
great grace, good regarde, and diligent looking to.
Syr _Richard Sackuile_, that worthy Ientlemen of worthy
Trauelyng // memorie, as I sayd in the begynnynge, in the
into Ita- // Queenes priuie Chamber at Windesore, after he
lie. // had talked with me, for the right choice of a good
_the brynging vp of youth._ 223
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
keepe 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 lead 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, and namelie the // The Ita-
Italian tonge, which next the Greeke and Latin // lian tong.
tonge, I like and loue aboue all other: or else
bicause I do despise, the learning that is gotten, or the experi-
ence that is gathered in strange contries: or for any priuate
malice that beare to Italie: which contrie, and // Italia.
in it, namelie Rome, I haue alwayes speciallie
honored: bicause, tyme was, whan Italie and // Roma.
Rome, haue bene, to the greate good of vs that now liue, the
best breeders 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 and white, as vertue and vice. Vertue
once made that contrie Mistres ouer all the worlde. Vice 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 breed vp euery where,
common contempt 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