matter, be like pennes ouer full of incke, which will soner
blotte, than make any faire letter at all. Tyme was, whan
I had experience of two Ambassadors in one place, the one of
a hote head to inuent, and of a hastie hand to write, the other,
colde and stayd in both: but what difference of their doinges
was made by wise men, is not vnknowne to some persons. The
Bishop of Winchester _Steph_: _Gardiner_ had a quicke head, and
a readie tong, and yet was not the best writer in England.
_Cicero_ in _Brutus_ doth wiselie note the same in _Serg: Galbo_, and
_Q. Hortentius_, who were both, hote, lustie, and plaine speakers,
but colde, lowse, and rough writers: And _Tullie_ telleth the
cause why, saying, whan they spake, their tong was naturally
caried with full tyde & wynde of their witte: whan they wrote
their head was solitarie, dull, and caulme, and so their style was
blonte, and their writing colde: _Quod vitium_, sayth _Cicero_,
_peringeniosis hominibus neque satis doctis plerumque accidit_.
And therfore all quick inuentors, & readie faire speakers,
must be carefull, that, to their goodnes of nature, they adde
also in any wise, studie, labor, leasure, learning, and iudgement,
and than they shall in deede, passe all other, as I know some do,
in whome all those qualities are fullie planted, or else if they
giue ouer moch to their witte, and ouer litle to their labor and
learning, they will sonest ouer reach in taulke, and fardest cum
behinde in writing whatsoeuer they take in hand. The methode
of _Epitome_ is most necessarie for soch kinde of men. And thus
much concerning the vse or misuse of all kinde of _Epitomes_ in
matters of learning.
[dingbat omitted] _Imitatio._
_Imitation_, is a facultie to expresse liuelie and perfitelie that
example: which ye go about to folow. And of it selfe, it is
large and wide: for all the workes of nature, in a maner be
examples for arte to folow.
But to our purpose, all languages, both learned and mother
tonges, be gotten, and gotten onelie by _Imitation_. For as ye
vse to heare, so ye learne to speake: if ye heare no other, ye
speake not your selfe: and whome ye onelie heare, of them ye
onelie learne.
And therefore, if ye would speake as the best and wisest do,
_the ready way to the Latin tong._ 265
ye must be conuersant, where the best and wisest are: but if
yow be borne or brought vp in a rude contrie, ye shall not chose
but speake rudelie: the rudest man of all knoweth this to be
trewe.
Yet neuerthelesse, the rudenes of common and mother
tonges, is no bar for wise speaking. For in the rudest contrie,
and most barbarous mother language, many be found can speake
verie wiselie: but in the Greeke and latin tong, the two onelie
learned tonges, which be kept, not in common taulke, but in
priuate bookes, we finde alwayes, wisdome and eloquence, good
matter and good vtterance, neuer or seldom a sonder. For all
soch Authors, as be fullest of good matter and right iudgement
in doctrine, be likewise alwayes, most proper in wordes, most
apte in sentence, most plaine and pure in vttering the same.
And contrariwise, in those two tonges, all writers, either in
Religion, or any sect of Philosophie, who so euer be founde
fonde in iudgement of matter, be commonlie found as rude in
vttering their mynde. For Stoickes, Anabaptistes, and Friers:
with Epicures, Libertines and Monkes, being most like in
learning and life, are no fonder and pernicious in their opinions,
than they be rude and barbarous in their writinges. They be
not wise, therefore that say, what care I for a mans wordes and
vtterance, if his matter and reasons be good. Soch men, say
so, not so moch of ignorance, as eyther of some singular pride
in themselues, or some speciall malice or other, or for some
priuate & perciall matter, either in Religion or other kinde of
learning. For good and choice meates, be no more requisite
for helthie bodies, than proper and apte wordes be for good
matters, and also plaine and sensible vtterance for the best and
depest reasons: in which two pointes standeth perfite eloquence,
one of the fairest and rarest giftes that God doth geue to man.
Ye know not, what hurt ye do to learning, that care not
for wordes, but for matter, and so make a deuorse betwixt the
tong and the hart. For marke all aiges: looke vpon the whole
course of both the Greeke and Latin tonge, and ye shall surelie
finde, that, whan apte and good wordes began to be neglected,
and properties of those two tonges to be confounded, than also
began, ill deedes to spring: strange maners to oppresse good
orders, newe and fond opinions to striue with olde and trewe
doctrine, first in Philosophie: and after in Religion: right