And beyng depe stept in age, by negligence some wordes do so
scape & fall from him in those bookes, as be not worth the
Lib. 3. // taking vp, by him, that is carefull to speake or
Cap. 1. // write trew Latin, as that sentence in him, _Romani,
in pace à rusticis alebantur, et in bello ab his tuebantur_.
A good student must be therfore carefull and diligent, to read
with iudgement ouer euen those Authors, which did write in the
most perfite tyme: and let him not be affrayd to trie them,
both in proprietie of wordes, and forme of style, by the touch
stone of _Cæsar_ and _Cicero_, whose puritie was neuer soiled, no
not by the sentence of those, that loued them worst.
All louers of learnyng may sore lament the losse of those
The loue // bookes of _Varro_, which he wrote in his yong and
of Var- // lustie yeares, with good leysure, and great learnyng
roes // of all partes of Philosophie: of the goodliest argu-
bookes. // mentes, perteyning both to the common wealth,
and priuate life of man, as, _de Ratione studij, et educandis liberis_,
which booke, is oft recited, and moch praysed, in the fragmentes
of _Nonius_, euen for authoritie sake. He wrote most diligentlie
and largelie, also the whole historie of the state of _Rome_: the
mysteries of their whole Religion: their lawes, customes, and
gouernement in peace: their maners, and whole discipline in
warre: And this is not my gessing, as one in deed that neuer
saw those bookes, but euen, the verie iudgement, & playne
testimonie of _Tullie_ him selfe, who knew & read those bookes,
in these wordes: _Tu ætatem Patriæ: Tu descriptiones temporum:_
In Acad. // _Tu sacrorum, tu sacerdotum Iura: Tu domesticam,
Quest. // _tu bellicam disciplinam: Tu sedem Regionum, locorum,_
_tu omnium diuinarum humanarumque rerum nomina,
genera, officia, causas aperuisti. &c._
But this great losse of _Varro_, is a litle recompensed by the
happy comming of _Dionysius Halicarnassæus_ to _Rome_ in
_Augustus_ dayes: who getting the possession of _Varros_ librarie,
out of that treasure house of learning, did leaue vnto vs some
frute of _Varros_ witte and diligence, I meane, his goodlie bookes
_de Antiquitatibus Romanorum. Varro_ was so estemed for his
excellent learnyng, as _Tullie_ him selfe had a reuerence to his
Cic. ad // iudgement in all doutes of learnyng. And
Att. // _Antonius Triumuir_, his enemie, and of a contrarie
faction, who had power to kill and bannish whom
_the ready way to the Latin tong._ 297
he listed, whan _Varros_ name amongest others was brought in a
schedule vnto him, to be noted to death, he tooke his penne and
wrote his warrant of sauegard with these most goodlie wordes,
_Viuat Varro vir doctissimus_. In later tyme, no man knew better,
nor liked and loued more _Varros_ learnyng, than did _S. Augustine_,
as they do well vnderstand, that haue diligentlie read ouer his
learned bookes _de Ciuitate Dei_: Where he hath this most
notable sentence: Whan I see, how much _Varro_ wrote, I
meruell much, that euer he had any leasure to read: and whan
I perceiue how many thinges he read, I meruell more, that euer
he had any leasure to write. &c.
And surelie, if _Varros_ bookes had remained to posteritie, as
by Gods prouidence, the most part of _Tullies_ did, than trewlie
the _Latin_ tong might haue made good comparison with the
_Greke_.
_Saluste._
_Salust_, is a wise and worthy writer: but he requireth
a learned Reader, and a right considerer of him. // _Salust._
My dearest frend, and best master that euer I had // Syr Iohn
or heard in learning, Syr _I. Cheke_, soch a man, as // Chekes
if I should liue to see England breed the like // iudgement
againe, I feare, I should liue ouer long, did once // and coun-
giue me a lesson for _Salust_, which, as I shall neuer // sell for rea-
forget my selfe, so is it worthy to be remembred // dyng of
of all those, that would cum to perfite iudgement // _Saluste._
of the Latin tong. He said, that _Salust_ was not verie fitte for
yong men, to learne out of him, the puritie of the Latin tong:
because, he was not the purest in proprietie of wordes, nor
choisest in aptnes of phrases, nor the best in framing of
sentences: and therefore is his writing, sayd he neyther plaine
for the matter, nor sensible for mens vnderstanding. And what
is the cause thereof, Syr, quoth I. Verilie said he, bicause in
_Salust_ writing, is more Arte than nature, and more labor than
Arte: and in his labor also, to moch toyle, as it were, with an
vncontented care to write better than he could, a fault common
to very many men. And therefore he doth not expresse the
matter liuely and naturally with common speach as ye see
_Xenophon_ doth in Greeke, but it is caried and driuen forth