parced, twise translated ouer by good aduisement, marked out
his six pointes by skilfull iudgement, he shall haue necessarie
occasion, to read ouer euery lecture, a dosen tymes, at the
least. Which, bicause he shall do alwayes in order, he shall do
it alwayes with pleasure: And pleasure allureth loue: loue hath
lust to labor: labor alwayes obteineth his purpose, as most
Rhet. 2 // trewly, both _Aristotle_ in his Rhetoricke & _Oedipus_
In Oedip. Tyr. // in _Sophocles_ do teach, saying, pan gar ekponou-
Epist. lib. 7. // menon aliske. _et. cet._ & this oft reading, is the
verie right folowing, of that good Counsell, which
_Plinie_ doth geue to his frende _Fuscus_, saying, _Multum, non
multa_. But to my purpose againe:
Whan, by this diligent and spedie reading ouer, those
forenamed good bokes of _Tullie, Terence, Cæsar_, and _Liuie_, and
by this second kinde of translating out of your English, tyme
shall breed skill, and vse shall bring perfection, than ye may
trie, if you will, your scholer, with the third kinde of translation:
although the two first wayes, by myne opinion, be, not onelie
sufficent of them selues, but also surer, both for the Masters
teaching, and scholers learnyng, than this third way is: Which
is thus. Write you in English, some letter, as it were from
him to his father, or to some other frende, naturallie, according
to the disposition of the child, or some tale, or fable, or plaine
narration, according as _Aphthonius_ beginneth his exercises of
learning, and let him translate it into Latin againe, abiding in
soch place, where no other scholer may prompe him. But yet,
vse you your selfe soch discretion for choice therein, as the
matter may be within the compas, both for wordes and
sentences, of his former learning and reading. And now
take heede, lest your scholer do not better in some point, than
you your selfe, except ye haue bene diligentlie exercised in these
kindes of translating before:
I had once a profe hereof, tried by good experience, by
a deare frende of myne, whan I came first from Cambrige, to
serue the Queenes Maiestie, than Ladie _Elizabeth_, lying at
worthie Syr _Ant. Denys_ in Cheston. _Iohn Whitneye_, a yong
ientleman, was my bedfeloe, who willyng by good nature and
prouoked by mine aduise, began to learne the Latin tong, after
the order declared in this booke. We began after Christmas:
I read vnto him _Tullie de Amicitia_, which he did euerie day
_the ready way to the Latin tong._ 241
twise translate, out of Latin into English, and out of English
into Latin agayne. About S. Laurence tyde after, to proue
how he proffited, I did chose out _Torquatus_ taulke _de Amicitia_,
in the later end of the first booke _de finib._ bicause that place
was, the same in matter, like in wordes and phrases, nigh to
the forme and facion of sentences, as he had learned before in
_de Amicitia_. I did translate it my selfe into plaine English,
and gaue it him to turne into Latin: Which he did, so choislie,
so orderlie, so without any great misse in the hardest pointes of
Grammer, that some, in seuen yeare in Grammer Scholes, yea,
& some in the Vniuersities to, can not do halfe so well. This
worthie yong Ientleman, to my greatest grief, to the great
lamentation of that whole house, and speciallie to that most
noble Ladie, now Queene _Elizabeth_ her selfe, departed within
few dayes, out of this world.
And if in any cause, a man may without offence of God
speake somewhat vngodlie, surely, it was some grief vnto me,
to see him hie so hastlie to God, as he did. A Court, full of
soch yong Ientlemen, were rather a Paradise than a Court vpon
earth. And though I had neuer Poeticall head, to make any
verse, in any tong, yet either loue, or sorrow, or both, did wring
out of me than, certaine carefull thoughtes of my good will
towardes him, which in my murning for him, fell forth, more
by chance, than either by skill or vse, into this kinde of
misorderlie meter.
_Myne owne Iohn Whitney, now farewell, now death doth parte vs
twaine,
No death, but partyng for a while, whom life shall ioyne agayne.
Therfore my hart cease sighes and sobbes, cease sorowes seede to sow,
Wherof no gaine, but greater grief, and hurtfull care may grow.
Yet, whan I thinke vpon soch giftes of grace as God him lent,
My losse, his gaine, I must a while, with ioyfull teares lament.
Yong yeares to yelde soch frute in Court, where seede of vice is sowne,
Is sometime read, in some place seene, amongst vs seldom knowne.
His life he ledde, Christes lore to learne, with will to worke the
same:
He read to know, and knew to liue, and liued to praise his name.
So fast to frende, so foe to few, so good to euery weight,
I may well wishe, but scarcelie hope, agayne to haue in sight._