here at home, for like cause of excellent learning, great wisdome,
and gentle humanitie, which I haue seene in them, and felt at
their handes my selfe, where the matter of indifference is mere
conscience in a quiet minde inwardlie, and not contentious
malice with spitefull rayling openlie, I can be content to followe
this rewle, in misliking some one thing, not to hate for anie
thing els.
But as for all the bloodie beastes, as that fat Boore of the
_Psal._ 80. // wood: or those brauling Bulles of Basan: or any
lurking _Dormus_, blinde, not by nature, but by
malice, & as may be gathered of their owne testimonie, giuen
ouer to blindnes, for giuing ouer God & his word; or soch as
be so lustie runnegates, as first, runne from God & his trew
doctrine, than, from their Lordes, Masters, & all dewtie, next,
from them selues & out of their wittes, lastly from their Prince,
contrey, & all dew allegeance, whether they ought rather to be
pitied of good men, for their miserie, or contemned of wise
men, for their malicious folie, let good and wise men deter-
mine.
And to returne to _Epitome_ agayne, some will iudge moch
boldnes in me, thus to iudge of _Osorius_ style: but wise men do
know, that meane lookers on, may trewelie say, for a well made
Picture: This face had bene more cumlie, if that hie redde in
the cheeke, were somwhat more pure sanguin than it is: and
yet the stander by, can not amend it himselfe by any way.
And this is not written to the dispraise but to the great
commendation of _Osorius_, because _Tullie_ himselfe had the same
fulnes in him: and therefore went to _Rodes_ to cut it away: and
saith himselfe, _recepi me domum prope mutatus, nam quasi referuerat
iam oratio_. Which was brought to passe I beleue, not onelie by
the teaching of _Molo Appollonius_ but also by a good way of
_Epitome_, in binding him selfe to translate _meros Atticos Oratores_,
and so to bring his style, from all lowse grosnesse, to soch firme
fastnes in latin, as is in _Demosthenes_ in Greeke. And this to be
most trew, may easelie be gathered, not onelie of _L. Crassus_
talke in 1. _de Or._ but speciallie of _Ciceroes_ owne deede in
translating _Demosthenes_ and _æschines_ orations peri steph. to that
verie ende and purpose.
And although a man growndlie learned all readie, may take
moch proffet him selfe in vsing, by _Epitome_, to draw other mens
_the ready way to the Latin tong._ 263
workes for his owne memorie sake, into shorter rowme, as
_Conterus_ hath done verie well the whole _Metamorphosis_ of _Ouid_,
& _Dauid Cythræus_ a great deale better, the ix. Muses of _Hero-
dotus_, and _Melanchthon_ in myne opinion, far best of all, the whole
storie of Time, not onelie to his own vse, but to other mens
proffet and hys great prayse, yet, _Epitome_ is most necessarie of
all in a mans owne writing, as we learne of that noble Poet
_Virgill_, who, if _Donatus_ say trewe, in writing that perfite worke
of the _Georgickes_, vsed dailie, when he had written 40. or 50.
verses, not to cease cutting, paring, and pollishing of them, till
he had brought them to the nomber of x. or xij.
And this exercise, is not more nedefullie done in a great
worke, than wiselie done, in your common dailie writing, either
of letter, or other thing else, that is to say, to peruse diligentlie,
and see and spie wiselie, what is alwaies more than nedeth:
For, twenty to one, offend more, in writing to moch, than to
litle: euen as twentie to one, fall into sicknesse, rather by ouer
moch fulnes, than by anie lacke or emptinesse. And therefore
is he alwaies the best English Physition, that best can geue
a purgation, that is, by way of _Epitome_, to cut all ouer much
away. And surelie mens bodies, be not more full of ill humors,
than commonlie mens myndes (if they be yong, lustie, proude,
like and loue them selues well, as most men do) be full of fansies,
opinions, errors, and faultes, not onelie in inward inuention, but
also in all their vtterance, either by pen or taulke.
And of all other men, euen those that haue y^e inuentiuest
heades, for all purposes, and roundest tonges in all matters and
places (except they learne and vse this good lesson of _Epitome_)
commit commonlie greater faultes, than dull, staying silent men
do. For, quicke inuentors, and faire readie speakers, being
boldned with their present habilitie to say more, and perchance
better to, at the soden for that present, than any other can do,
vse lesse helpe of diligence and studie than they ought to do:
and so haue in them commonlie, lesse learning, and weaker
iudgement, for all deepe considerations, than some duller heades,
and slower tonges haue.
And therefore, readie speakers, generallie be not the best,
playnest, and wisest writers, nor yet the deepest iudgers in
weightie affaires, bicause they do not tarry to weye and iudge
all thinges, as they should: but hauing their heades ouer full of