_Demosthenes_ and _Isocrates_ dailie without missing euerie forenone,
and likewise som part of Tullie euery afternone, for the space
of a yeare or two, hath atteyned to soch a perfite vnderstanding
in both the tonges, and to soch a readie vtterance of the latin,
and that wyth soch a iudgement, as they be fewe in nomber in
both the vniuersities, or els where in England, that be, in both
tonges, comparable with her Maiestie. And to conclude in
a short rowme, the commodities of double translation, surelie
the mynde by dailie marking, first, the cause and matter: than,
the wordes and phrases: next, the order and composition: after
the reason and argumentes: than the formes and figures of both
the tonges: lastelie, the measure and compas of euerie sentence,
must nedes, by litle and litle drawe vnto it the like shape of
eloquence, as the author doth vse, which is red.
And thus much for double translation.
_Paraphrasis._
_Paraphrasis_, the second point, is not onelie to expresse at
Lib. x. // large with moe wordes, but to striue and contend
(as _Quintilian_ saith) to translate the best latin
authors, into other latin wordes, as many or thereaboutes.
This waie of exercise was vsed first by _C. Crabo_, and taken
vp for a while, by _L. Crassus_, but sone after, vpon dewe profe
thereof, reiected iustlie by _Crassus_ and _Cicero_: yet allowed and
made sterling agayne by _M. Quintilian:_ neuerthelesse, shortlie
after, by better assaye, disalowed of his owne scholer _Plinius
Secundus_, who termeth it rightlie thus _Audax contentio_. It is
a bold comparison in deede, to thinke to say better, than that is
best. Soch turning of the best into worse, is much like the
turning of good wine, out of a faire sweete flagon of siluer, into
a foule mustie bottell of ledder: or, to turne pure gold and
siluer, into foule brasse and copper.
Such kinde of _Paraphrasis_, in turning, chopping, and
changing, the best to worse, either in the mynte or scholes,
(though _M. Brokke_ and _Quintilian_ both say the contrary) is
moch misliked of the best and wisest men. I can better allow
an other kinde of _Paraphrasis_, to turne rude and barbarus, into
proper and eloquent: which neuerthelesse is an exercise, not
fitte for a scholer, but for a perfite master, who in plentie hath
_the ready way to the Latin tong._ 247
good choise, in copie hath right iudgement, and grounded skill,
as did appeare to be in _Sebastian Castalio_, in translating _Kemppes_
booke _de Imitando Christo_.
But to folow _Quintilianus_ aduise for _Paraphrasis_, were euen
to take paine, to seeke the worse and fowler way, whan the
plaine and fairer is occupied before your eyes.
The olde and best authors that euer wrote, were content
if occasion required to speake twise of one matter, not to change
the wordes, but rhetos, that is, worde for worde to expresse it
againe. For they thought, that a matter, well expressed with
fitte wordes and apt composition, was not to be altered, but
liking it well their selues, they thought it would also be well
allowed of others.
A scholemaster (soch one as I require) knoweth that I say
trewe.
He readeth in _Homer_, almost in euerie booke, and speciallie
in _Secundo et nono Iliados_, not onelie som verses, // _Homerus._
but whole leaues, not to be altered with new, // {2.
but to be vttered with the old selfe same wordes. // {IL. {
He knoweth, that _Xenophon_, writing twise of // {9.
_Agesilaus_, once in his life, againe in the historie // _Xenophon._
of the Greekes, in one matter, kepeth alwayes the selfe same
wordes. He doth the like, speaking of _Socrates_, both in the
beginning of his Apologie and in the last ende of apomnemoneu-
maton.
_Demosthenes_ also in 4. _Philippica_ doth borow his owne
wordes vttered before in his oration _de Chersoneso_.
He doth the like, and that more at large, in his // _Demost-_
orations, against _Androtion_ and _Timocrates_. // _henes._
In latin also, _Cicero_ in som places, and _Virgil_ in mo, do
repeate one matter, with the selfe same wordes. // _Cicero._
Thies excellent authors, did thus, not for lacke // _Virgilius._
of wordes, but by iudgement and skill: whatso-
euer, other, more curious, and lesse skilfull, do thinke, write,
and do.
_Paraphrasis_ neuerthelesse hath good place in learning, but
not, by myne opinion, for any scholer, but is onelie to be left
to a perfite Master, eyther to expound openlie a good author
withall, or to compare priuatelie, for his owne exercise, how
some notable place of an excellent author, may be vttered with