and forme of those bookes, marke I pray you, how curious
_Tullie_ is to vtter his purpose and doyng therein, writing thus to
_Atticus_.
_Quod in his Oratorijs libris, quos tantopere laudas, personam
desideras Scæuolæ, non eam temerè dimoui: Sed feci idem, quod in
politeia Deus ille noster Plato, cum in Piræeum Socrates venisset ad
Cephalum locupletem & festiuum Senem, quoad primus ille sermo
haberetur, adest in disputando senex: Deinde, cum ipse quoque
commodissimè locutus esset, ad rem diuinam dicit se velle discedere,
neque postea reuertitur. Credo Platonem vix putasse satis consonum
fore, si hominem id ætatis in tam longo sermone diutius retinuisset:
Multo ego satius hoc mihi cauendum putaui in Scæuola, qui & ætate
et valetudine erat ea qua meministi, & his honoribus, vt vix satis
decorum videretur eum plures dies esse in Crassi Tusculano. Et erat
primi libri sermo non alienus à Scæuolæ studijs: reliqui libri
technologian habent, vt scis. Huic ioculatoriæ disputationi senem
illum vt noras, interesse sanè nolui._
If _Cicero_ had not opened him selfe, and declared hys owne
thought and doynges herein, men that be idle, and ignorant, and
enuious of other mens diligence and well doinges, would haue
sworne that _Tullie_ had neuer mynded any soch thing, but that
of a precise curiositie, we fayne and forge and father soch
thinges of _Tullie_, as he neuer ment in deed. I write this, not
for nought: for I haue heard some both well learned, and
otherwayes verie wise, that by their lustie misliking of soch
diligence, haue drawen back the forwardnes of verie good wittes.
But euen as such men them selues, do sometymes stumble vpon
doyng well by chance and benefite of good witte, so would
I haue our scholer alwayes able to do well by order of learnyng
and right skill of iudgement.
Concernyng Imitation, many learned men haue written,
with moch diuersitie for the matter, and therfore with great
contrarietie and some stomacke amongest them selues. I
haue read as many as I could get diligentlie, and what I
thinke of euerie one of them, I will freelie say my mynde.
With which freedome I trust good men will beare, bicause
it shall tend to neither spitefull nor harmefull controuersie.
In _Tullie_, it is well touched, shortlie taught, not fullie
_Cicero._ // declared by _Ant. in_ 2. _de Orat_: and afterward
in _Orat. ad Brutum_, for the liking and misliking
_the ready way to the Latin tong._ 271
of _Isocrates_: and the contrarie iudgement of _Tullie_ against
_Caluus, Brutus_, and _Calidius, de genere dicendi Attico & Asiatico_.
_Dionis. Halic._ peri mimeseos. I feare is lost: which
Author, next _Aristotle, Plato_, and _Tullie_, of all // _Dio. Hali-_
other, that write of eloquence, by the iudgement // _car._
of them that be best learned, deserueth the next
prayse and place.
_Quintilian_ writeth of it, shortly and coldlie for the matter,
yet hotelie and spitefullie enough, agaynst the // _Quintil._
Imitation of _Tullie_.
_Erasmus_, beyng more occupied in spying other mens faultes,
than declaryng his own aduise, is mistaken of // _Erasmus._
many, to the great hurt of studie, for his authoritie
sake. For he writeth rightlie, rightlie vnderstanded: he and
_Longolius_ onelie differing in this, that the one seemeth to giue
ouermoch, the other ouer litle, to him, whom they both, best
loued, and chiefly allowed of all other.
_Budæus_ in his Commentaries roughlie and obscurelie,
after his kinde of writyng: and for the matter, // _Budæus._
caryed somwhat out of the way in ouermuch
misliking the Imitation of _Tullie_. // _Ph. Me-_
_Phil. Melancthon_, learnedlie and trewlie. // _lanch._
_Camerarius_ largely with a learned iudgement, // _Ioa. Cam-_
but somewhat confusedly, and with ouer rough // _mer._
a stile.
_Sambucus_, largely, with a right iudgement but somewhat
a crooked stile. // _Sambucus._
Other haue written also, as _Cortesius_ to // _Cortesius._
_Politian_, and that verie well: _Bembus ad Picum_ // _P. Bembus._
a great deale better, but _Ioan. Sturmius de_ // _Ioan. Stur-_
_Nobilitate literata, & de Amissa dicendi ratione_, // _mius._
farre best of all, in myne opinion, that euer tooke
this matter in hand. For all the rest, declare chiefly this point,
whether one, or many, or all, are to be followed: but _Sturmius_
onelie hath most learnedlie declared, who is to be followed, what
is to be followed, and the best point of all, by what way & order,
trew Imitation is rightlie to be exercised. And although _Sturmius_
herein doth farre passe all other, yet hath he not so fullie and
perfitelie done it, as I do wishe he had, and as I know he could.
For though he hath done it perfitelie for precept, yet hath he