amended, it were no great hurt, neither to them selues, nor to
others.
An other propertie of this our English _Italians_ is, to be
meruelous singular in all their matters: Singular in knowledge,
ignorant of nothyng: So singular in wisedome (in their owne
opinion) as scarse they counte the best Counsellor the Prince
hath, comparable to them: Common discoursers of all
matters: busie searchers of most secret affaires: open flatterers
of great men: priuie mislikers of good men: Faire speakers,
with smiling countenances, and much curtessie openlie to all
men. Ready bakbiters, sore nippers, and spitefull reporters
priuilie of good men. And beyng brought vp in _Italie_, in some
free Citie, as all Cities be there: where a man may freelie
discourse against what he will, against whom he lust: against
any Prince, agaynst any gouernement, yea against God him
selfe, and his whole Religion: where he must be, either
_Guelphe_ or _Gibiline_, either _French_ or _Spanish_: and alwayes
compelled to be of some partie, of some faction, he shall neuer
be compelled to be of any Religion: And if he medle not ouer
much with Christes true Religion, he shall haue free libertie to
embrace all Religions, and becum, if he lust at once, without
any let or punishment, Iewish, Turkish, Papish, and Deuillish.
A yong Ientleman, thus bred vp in this goodly schole, to
learne the next and readie way to sinne, to haue a busie head,
a factious hart, a talkatiue tonge, fed with discoursing of
factions: led to contemne God and his Religion, shall cum
home into England, but verie ill taught, either to be an honest
man him self, a quiet subiect to his Prince, or willyng to serue
God, vnder the obedience of trewe doctrine, or within the
order of honest liuing.
I know, none will be offended with this my generall
writing, but onelie such, as finde them selues giltie priuatelie
therin: who shall haue good leaue to be offended with me,
vntill they begin to amende them selues. I touch not them
that be good: and I say to litle of them that be nought. And
so, though not enough for their deseruing, yet sufficientlie for
this time, and more els when, if occasion so require.
And thus farre haue I wandred from my first purpose of
teaching a child, yet not altogether out of the way, bicause
_the brynging vp of youth._ 237
this whole taulke hath tended to the onelie aduauncement of
trothe in Religion, and honestie of liuing: and hath bene wholie
within the compasse of learning and good maners, the speciall
pointes belonging in the right bringyng vp of youth.
But to my matter, as I began, plainlie and simplie
with my yong Scholer, so will I not leaue him,
God willing, vntill I haue brought him a per-
fite Scholer out of the Schole, and placed
him in the Vniuersitie, to becum a fitte
student, for Logicke and Rhetoricke:
and so after to Phisicke, Law, or
Diuinitie, as aptnes of na-
ture, aduise of frendes, and
Gods disposition shall
lead him.
_The ende of the first booke._
_The second booke._
AFter that your scholer, as I sayd before, shall cum in
deede, first, to a readie perfitnes in translating, than, to a
ripe and skilfull choice in markyng out hys sixe pointes, as,
{1. _Proprium._
{2. _Translatum._
{3. _Synonymum._
{4. _Contrarium._
{5. _Diuersum._
{6. _Phrases._
Than take this order with him: Read dayly vnto him,
_Cicero._ // some booke of _Tullie_, as the third booke of
_de Senectute_, Epistles chosen out by _Sturmius, de Amicitia_,
or that excellent Epistle conteinyng almost the
whole first book _ad Q. fra_: some Comedie of
_Terentius._ // _Terence_ or _Plautus_: but in _Plautus_, skilfull
choice
_Plautus._ // must be vsed by the master, to traine his Scholler
to a iudgement, in cutting out perfitelie ouer old and vnproper
_Iul. Cæsar._ // wordes: _Cæs. Commentaries_ are to be read with
all curiositie, in specially without all exception to
be made, either by frende or foe, is seene, the vnspotted
proprietie of the Latin tong, euen whan it was, as the _Grecians_
say, in akme, that is, at the hiest pitch of all perfitenesse: or
_T. Liuius._ // some Orations of _T. Liuius_, such as be both longest
and plainest.
These bookes, I would haue him read now, a good deale at
euery lecture: for he shall not now vse dalie translation, but
onely construe againe, and parse, where ye suspect, is any nede:
yet, let him not omitte in these bookes, his former exercise, in
_The ready way to the Latin tong._ 239
marking diligently, and writyng orderlie out his six pointes.
And for translating, vse you your selfe, euery second or thyrd
day, to chose out, some Epistle _ad Atticum_, some notable
common place out of his Orations, or some other part of
_Tullie_, by your discretion, which your scholer may not know
where to finde: and translate it you your selfe, into plaine
naturall English, and than giue it him to translate into Latin
againe: allowyng him good space and tyme to do it, both with
diligent heede, and good aduisement. Here his witte shalbe
new set on worke: his iudgement, for right choice, trewlie
tried: his memorie, for sure reteyning, better exercised, than
by learning, any thing without the booke: & here, how much
he hath proffited, shall plainly appeare. Whan he bringeth it
translated vnto you, bring you forth the place of _Tullie_: lay
them together: compare the one with the other: commend his
good choice, & right placing of wordes: Shew his faultes iently,
but blame them not ouer sharply: for, of such missings, ientlie
admonished of, proceedeth glad & good heed taking: of good
heed taking, springeth chiefly knowledge, which after, groweth
to perfitnesse, if this order, be diligentlie vsed by the scholer &
iently handled by the master: for here, shall all the hard
pointes of Grammer, both easely and surelie be learned vp:
which, scholers in common scholes, by making of Latines, be
groping at, with care & feare, & yet in many yeares, they
scarse can reach vnto them. I remember, whan I was yong,
in the North, they went to the Grammer schole, litle children:
they came from thence great lubbers: alwayes learning, and
litle profiting: learning without booke, euery thing, vnder-
standyng within the booke, litle or nothing: Their whole
knowledge, by learning without the booke, was tied onely to
their tong & lips, and neuer ascended vp to the braine & head,
and therfore was sone spitte out of the mouth againe: They
were, as men, alwayes goyng, but euer out of the way: and
why? For their whole labor, or rather great toyle without
order, was euen vaine idlenesse without proffit. In deed,
they tooke great paynes about learning: but employed small
labour in learning: Whan by this way prescribed in this
booke, being streight, plaine, & easie, the scholer is alwayes
laboring with pleasure, and euer going right on forward with
proffit: always laboring I say, for, or he haue construed