For the setting of colours I do not much stand in, howbeit if any dexterity that waye do draw the child on, it is an honest mans liuing and I dare not condemne that famous fellowship: which is so renowned for handling the pencill. A large field is here offered to praise the praiseworthy, and to paint them out well, which painted all thinges so well, as the world still wondereth at the hearing of their workes. But the praise of painting is no part of my purpose at this time, but the appointing of it among the training principles, being so aunciently allowed, so necessarie in so many thinges, so great a ground to so gallant a misterie, as that profession is, wherof Apelles was: and last of all, so neare a cosen to the fairest writing, whose cradlefellow it is.
Musicke maketh vp the summe, and is deuided into two partes, the voice and the instrument, wherof the voice resembleth reading: as yealding that to the eare, which it seeth with the eye: and the instrument writing, by counterfeting the voice, both the two in this age best to be begon, while both the voice and the iointe be pliable to the traine. The voice craueth lesse cost to execute her part, being content with so much onely, as writing, and drawing did prouide for their furniture, when they began their houshold. The instrumente seemeth to be more costly, and claimes both more care in keping, and more charge in compassing. For the pleasauntnesse of Musick there is no man that doth doubt, bycause it seemeth in some degree to be a medicine from heauen, against our sorowes vpon earth. Some men thinke it to be too too sweete, and that it may be either quite forborne, or not so much followed. For mine owne parte I dare not dispraise it, which hath so great defendours, and deserueth so well, and I must needes allow it, which place it among those, that I do esteeme the cheife principles, for training vp of youth, not of mine owne head alone, but by the aduise of all antiquitie, all learned philosophie, all skilfull training, which make Musick still one of the principles, when they handle the question, what thinges be best, to bring youth first vp in. If I had sought occasion of raunging discours which I still auoide, but where the opening of some point, doth lighten the thing, and may delite the reader, whom flatte and stearne setting downe, by waye of aphorisme, would soone weary, (though many not of the meanest would allow of that kinde exceeding well:) I might haue found out many digressions long agoe, or if I had taken holde of that which hath bene offered, I haue mette with many such, since I began first to write: but of all, in all sortes I do finde any, wherin speeche might so spreede all the sailes, which she hath, and the penne might vse, all the pencilling, which she can: as in painting out the praise and ornamentes of Musick. The matter is so ample, the ground so large, the reasons so many, which sound to her renowne: the thing it selfe so auncient, and so honorable, so generall, and so priuate, so in Churches, and so without, so in all ages, and in all places, both highely preferred, and richely rewarded: the princesse of delites, and the delite of princes: such a pacifier in passion, such a maistres to the minde, so excellent in so many, so esteemed by so many, as euen multitude makes me wonder, and with all to staie my hand, for feare that I shall not easely get thence, if I enter once in. I will not therfore digresse: bycause there is better stuffe in place, and more fit for my purpose, then the praise of Musick is. The Philosophers, and Physicians, do allow the straining, and recoyling of the voice in children, yea though they crie, and baule, beside their singing, and showting: by the waie of exercise to stretche, and kepe open the hollow passages, and inward pipes of the tender bulke, whereby Musick will proue a double principle both for the soule, by the name of learning, and for the body, by the waye of exercise, as hereafter shall appeare.
But for the whole matter of Musick, this shalbe enough for me to say at this time, that our countrey doth allow it: that it is verie comfortable to the wearyed minde: a preparatiue to perswasion: that he must needes haue a head out of proportion, which cannot perceiue: or doth not delite in the proportions of number, which speake him so faire: that it is best learned in childehood, when it can do least harme, and may best be had: that if the constitution of man both for bodie and soule, had not some naturall, and nighe affinitie with the concordances of Musick, the force of the one, would not so soone stirre vp, the cosen motion in the other. It is wonderfull that is writen, and strange that we see, what is wrought therby in nature of Physick, for the remedying of some desperate diseases.
Miscontentment.
Aunswere.
And yet there groweth some miscontentment with it, though it be neuer so good, and that not only in personages of whom I make small account, but in some verie good, honest, and well disposed natures, though to stearnly bent, which neuerthelesse, for al their stearnnes, wil resigne ouer their sentence, and alter their opinion, sometimes of themselues vpon deeper meditation, what the thing in it selfe is, sometime by inducement, when they fal in with other which are better resolued: but most cheifly then, when Musick it selfe consideratly applyed, hath for a while obtained the fauorable vse of their listning eares. The science it selfe hath naturally a verie forcible strength to trie and to tuche the inclination of the minde, to this or that affection, thorough the propertie of number, wheron it consisteth, which made the Pythagorian, and not him alone to plat the soule out so much vpon number. It is also very pleasant for the harmonie and concent, wherby the hearer discouers his disposition, and lettes pleasure playe vpon the bitte, and dalye with the bridle, as delite will not be drowned, nor driuen to hidebare. For which cause Musick moueth great misliking to some men that waye, as to great a prouoker to vaine delites, still laying baite, to draw on pleasure: still opening the minde, to the entrie of lightnesse. And in matters of religion also, to some it seemes offensiue, bycause it carieth awaye the eare, with the sweetnesse of the melodie, and bewitcheth the minde with a Syrenes sounde, pulling it from that delite, wherin of duetie it ought to dwell, vnto harmonicall fantasies, and withdrawing it, from the best meditations, and most vertuous thoughtes to forreine conceites, and wandring deuises. For one aunswere to all, if abuse of a thing, which may be well vsed, and had her first being to be well vsed, be a sufficient condemnation to the thing that is abused, let glotonie forbid meat, distempering drinke, pride apparell, heresie religion, adulterie mariage, and why not, what not? Nay which of all our principles shall stand, if the persons blame, shal blemish the thing? We read foolish bookes, wherat to laugh, nay wherin we learne that, which we might and ought forbeare: we write strange thinges, to serue our owne fansie, if we sway but a litle to any lewde folly: we paint and draw pictures, not to be set in Churches, but such as priuate houses hide with curtaines, not to saue the colours, but to couer their owners, whose lightnesse is discouered, by such lasciuious obiectes. Shall reading therfore be reft from religion? shall priuate, and publike affaires, lease the benefit of writing? shall sense forgoe his forsight, and the beautifier of his obiect? Change thou thy direction, the thinges will follow thee more swifte to the good, then the other to the bad, being capable of both, as thinges of vse be, and yet bending to the better. Mans faulte makes the thing seeme filthie. Applie thou it to the best, the choice is before thee. It is the ill in thee, which seemeth to corrupte the good in the thing, which good, though it be defaced by thy ill, yet shineth it so cleare, as it bewraieth the naturall beautie, euen thorough the cloude of thy greatest disgracing. Musick will not harme thee, if thy behauiour be good, and thy conceit honest, it will not miscary thee, if thy eares can carie it, and sorte it as it should be. Appoint thou it well, it will serue thee to good purpose: if either thy manners be naught, or thy iudgement corrupt, it is not Musick alone which thou doest abuse, neither cannest thou auoide that blame, which is in thy person, by casting it on Musick, which thou hast abused and not she thee. And why should those people, which can vse it rightly, forgoe their owne good, or haue it with embasing to pleasure some peuishe, which will not yet be pleased? or seeke to heale sores, which will festure still, and neuer skinne, though ye plaster them daily, to your owne displeasure. But am I not to tedious? This therfore shall suffise now, that children are to be trained vp in the Elementarie schoole, for the helping forward of the abilities of the minde, in these fower things, as commaunded vs by choice and commended by custome. Reading, to receiue that which is bequeathed vs by other, and to serue our memorie with that which is best for vs. Writing to do the like thereby for others, which other haue done for vs, by writing those thinges which we daily vse: but most of al to do most for our selues: Drawing to be a directour to sense, a delite to sight, and an ornament to his obiectes. Musick by the instrument, besides the skill which must still encrease, in forme of exercise to get the vse of our small ioyntes, before they be knitte, to haue them the nimbler, and to put Musicianes in minde, that they be no brawlers, least by some swash of a sword, they chaunce to lease a iointe, an irrecouerable iewell vnaduisedly cast away. Musick by the voice, besides her cunning also, by the waye of Phisick, to sprede the voice instrumentes within the bodie, while they be yet but young. As both the kindes of Musick for much profit, and more pleasure, which is not voide of profit in her continuing kinde. All foure for such vses as be infinite in number, as they know best, which haue most knowledge and the parentes must learne, to lead their children to them: and the children must beleue, to winne their parentes choice, which may be in all, if they themselues liste, if they liste not, in no more then they like, their restraining conceite neither bridling, nor abbridging any other mans entent, which seeketh after more. And though all young ones be not thus farre trained, yet we may perceiue, that all these be vsed, in particular proofes, and not to be refused in generall trade, where all turnes be serued, by setting foor[t]h of all thinges that be generally in vse, though not generally used. Thus much of these thinges at this time, which I do meane by Gods grace to handle in their owne Elementarie, as precisely and yet, as properly, as euer I can.
CHAPTER 6.
Of exercises and training the body. How necessarie a thing exercise is. What health is, and how it is maintained: what sicknesse is, how it commeth, and how it is preuented. What a parte exercise playeth in the maintenaunce of health. Of the student and his health. That all exercises though they stirre some one part most, yet helpe the whole bodie.
The soule and bodie being coparteners in good and ill, in sweete and sowre, in mirth and mourning, and hauing generally a common sympathie, and a mutuall feeling in all passions: how can they be, or rather why should they be seuered in traine? the one made stronge, and well qualified, the other left feeble, and a praye to infirmitie? will ye haue the minde to obtaine those thinges, which be most proper vnto her, and most profitable vnto you, when they be obtained? Then must ye also haue a speciall care, that the bodie be well appointed, for feare it shrink, while ye be either in course to get them, or in case to vse them. For as the powers of the soule come to no proofe, or to verie small, if they be not fostered by their naturall traine, but wither and dye, like corne not reaped, but suffered to rotte by negligence of the owner, or by contention in chalenge: euen so, nay much more, the bodie being of it selfe lumpishe and earthy, must needes either dye in drowsinesse, or liue in loosenesse, if it be not stirred and trained diligently to the best. And though the soule, as the fountaine of life, and the quickner of the body, may and will beare it out for some while, thorough valiauntnesse of courage: yet weaknesse will not be alwayes dissembled, but in the ende will and must bewraie her owne want, euen then perauenture, when it were most pittie. Many notable personages for stomacke and courage, many excellent men for learning and skill, in most and best professions haue then left their liues, thorough the plaine weaknesse, of their contemned bodies, when they put their countries in most apparent and gladsome hope of rare and excellent effectes, the one of valiantnesse and manhood, the other of knowledge and skill. Seing therfore there is a good in them both, which by diligent endeuour may be auaunced to that, for which it was ordained, and by negligent ouersight, doeth either decaye quite, or proues not so well, as otherwayes it might, I maye not slightly passe ouer the bodies good, being both so neare, and so necessarie a neighbour unto the soule: considering I haue bestowed so much paines already, and must bestow much more, in the seruice of the soule: nay rather considering I deale with the bodie but once, and that onely here, wheras I entreat of the soule, and the furniture therof in what so euer I shall medle with, in my whole course hereafter. If common sense did not teach vs the necessitie of this point, and extreme feeblenes did not force men to confesse, how great feates they could do, and how actiue they would proue, if their weake limmes and failing ioyntes, would aunswere the lusty courage, and braue swinge of their fierie and fresh spirites: I would take paines to perswade them by argumentes, both of proofe in experience, and of reason in nature, that as it is easie, so it were needefull to helpe the body by some traine, not left at random to libertie, but brought in to forme of ordinarie discipline, generally in all men, bycause all men neede helpe, for necessarie health, and ready execution of their naturall actions: but particularly for those men, whose life is in leasure, whose braynes be most busied, and their wittes most wearied, in which kinde studentes be no one small part, but the greatest of all, which so vse their mindes as if they cared not for their bodies, and yet so neede their bodies, as without the strength and soundnesse wherof, they be good for nothing, but to moane themselues, and to make other maruell, why they take no more heede, how to do that long, which they do so well, being a thing within compasse of their owne care, and knowledge. For who is so grosse, as he will denie that exercise doth good, and that so great, as is without comparison, seing olde Asclepiades is by Galene confuted, and stawled for an asse: as Erasitratus also his dissembling friend? or who is so sore tied either to studie, or to stocks, as he cannot stirre himselfe if he will, or ought not if he may? But the matter being confessed, euen by the most idle, and vnweildy to be healthfull and good, I shall neede no more reason, to procure assent, and allowaunce for exercise. My whole trauell therfore must be to finde out, and set foorth, what shalbe requisite to the perfourmaunce of this point, concerning the traine and exercising of the body, that it may proue healthy, and liue long: and be ready to assist, all the actions of the minde.