more but common porters, caryers, and bringers of matter and
stuffe togither. They order nothing: They lay before you,
what is done: they do not teach you, how it is done: They
busie not them selues with forme of buildyng: They do not
declare, this stuffe is thus framed by _Demosthenes_, and thus and
thus by _Tullie_, and so likewise in _Xenophon, Plato_ and _Isocrates_
and _Aristotle_. For ioyning _Virgil_ with _Homer_ I haue suf-
ficientlie declared before.
The like diligence I would wish to be taken in _Pindar_ and
_Pindarus._ // _Horace_ an equall match for all respectes.
_Horatius._ // In Tragedies, (the goodliest Argument of all,
and for the vse, either of a learned preacher, or a
Ciuill Ientleman, more profitable than _Homer, Pindar, Virgill_,
and _Horace_: yea comparable in myne opinion, with the doctrine
_Sophocles._ // of _Aristotle, Plato_, and _Xenophon_,) the
_Grecians_,
_Euripides._ // _Sophocles_ and _Euripides_ far ouer match our
_Seneca_,
_Seneca._ // in _Latin_, namely in oikonomia _et Decoro_, although
_Senacaes_ elocution and verse be verie commendable for his tyme.
And for the matters of _Hercules, Thebes, Hippolytus_, and _Troie_,
his Imitation is to be gathered into the same booke, and to be
tryed by the same touchstone, as is spoken before.
In histories, and namelie in _Liuie_, the like diligence of
Imitation, could bring excellent learning, and breede stayde
iudgement, in taking any like matter in hand.
Onely _Liuie_ were a sufficient taske for one mans studie,
_Tit. Liuius._ // to compare him, first with his fellow for all re-
_Dion. Hali-_ // spectes, _Dion. Halicarnassæus_: who both, liued in
_carn._ // one tyme: tooke both one historie in hande to
write: deserued both like prayse of learnyng and eloquence.
_Polibius._ // Than with _Polybius_ that wise writer, whom _Liuie_
professeth to follow: & if he would denie it, yet
it is plaine, that the best part of the thyrd _Decade_ in _Liuie_, is in
_Thucidides._ // a maner translated out of the thyrd and rest of
_Polibius_: Lastlie with _Thucydides_, to whose Imita-
tion _Liuie_ is curiouslie bent, as may well appeare by that one
1 _Decad._ // Oration of those of _Campania_, asking aide of the
_Lib._ 7. // _Romanes_ agaynst the _Samnites_, which is wholie
taken, Sentence, Reason, Argument, and order,
_Thucid._ 1. // out of the Oration of _Corcyra_, asking like aide of
the _Athenienses_ against them of _Corinth_. If some
_the ready way to the Latin tong._ 277
diligent student would take paynes to compare them togither, he
should easelie perceiue, that I do say trew. A booke, thus
wholie filled with examples of Imitation, first out of _Tullie_,
compared with _Plato, Xenophon, Isocrates, Demosthenes_ and
_Aristotle_: than out of _Virgil_ and _Horace_, with _Homer_ and
_Pindar_: next out of _Seneca_ with _Sophocles_ and _Euripides_:
Lastlie
out of _Liuie_, with _Thucydides, Polibius_ and _Halicarnassæus_,
gathered with good diligence, and compared with right order,
as I haue expressed before, were an other maner of worke for
all kinde of learning, & namely for eloquence, than be those
cold gatheringes of _Macrobius, Hessus, Perionius, Stephanus_, and
_Victorius_, which may be vsed, as I sayd before, in this case, as
porters and caryers, deseruing like prayse, as soch men do
wages; but onely _Sturmius_ is he, out of whom, the trew suruey
and whole workemanship is speciallie to be learned.
I trust, this my writyng shall giue some good student
occasion, to take some peece in hand of this worke of Imitation.
And as I had rather haue any do it, than my // Opus de
selfe, yet surelie my selfe rather than none at all. // recta imi-
And by Gods grace, if God do lend me life, with // tandi ratione.
health, free laysure and libertie, with good likyng
and a merie heart, I will turne the best part of my studie and
tyme, to toyle in one or other peece of this worke of Imitation.
This diligence to gather examples, to giue light and vnder-
standyng to good preceptes, is no new inuention, but speciallie vsed
of the best Authors and oldest writers. For _Aristotle_ // _Aristoteles._
him selfe, (as _Diog. Laertius_ declareth) when he
had written that goodlie booke of the _Topickes_, did gather out
of stories and Orators, so many examples as filled xv. bookes,
onelie to expresse the rules of his _Topickes_. These were the
Commentaries, that _Aristotle_ thought fit for hys // Commen-
_Topickes_: And therfore to speake as I thinke, I // tarij Græ-
neuer saw yet any Commentarie vpon _Aristotles_ // ci et Lati-
Logicke, either in _Greke_ or _Latin_, that euer I // ni in Dia-
lyked, bicause they be rather spent in declaryng // lect. Ari-
scholepoynt rules, than in gathering fit examples // stotelis.
for vse and vtterance, either by pen or talke. For preceptes in
all Authors, and namelie in _Aristotle_, without applying vnto
them, the Imitation of examples, be hard, drie, and cold, and
therfore barrayn, vnfruitfull and vnpleasant. But _Aristotle_,