Positions

by Richard Mulcaster

2. The second is this, not noted in any one, but obserued by all, that marke and write of the declining and ruine of the Romain Empire. The principall cause among many, to raze that state, which did rise in the blood of other nations and fell in their owne, was, when their generalls vsed the helpe of forreine and barbarous fellowes, late foes, new freindes, to ouerthrow the contrarie factions in their ciuill warres, both before and in their Emperours time, and let them both smell and taste of the Romish wealth and fatnesse of Italie. Wherwith the horesons being rauished, euer as they went home sent more of their countreymen to serue in seditious or necessarie defenses: till at the last their whole nations ouerflew that flourishing towne, and that fertile countrey. Wherby that great abundance, that vnspeakeable wealth, those inestimable riches, which the whether conquering or rauening Romaines had gathered together in so many hundred yeares, from so many seuerall countries, in a verie small time, became a bootie to that barbarous offall of all kinde of people, which neuer had any, till they became lordes, both of the Romain substance and the soile of Italie. A glasse for those to gase on, which will rather stirre to fall, then be still to stand. If ye shew a child an apple, he will crye for it, but if you make a mightier then your selfe priuie to your pleasures, if he be desirous to haue, and speede not, he will make you crye for it.

But now as fauour founded not vpon desert, but vpon some fetch, is foe to all choice, enforcing for the fauorite, so free admissions into colledges, by but mildely and honestly replying: vpon fauour may helpe it in sufficiency, and lighten the booke of some needlesse burthen, which hurtes not onely in the admission, but also by sending abroade such broad dealers, which corrupt where they go, and poison more incurably, bycause of their meane, which is mothered vpon learning, which the cunninger it is, the craftyer meane it is: and of the more credit it is, the more conueiance it hath to corrupt with good colour, though it be to bad, when it is bewrayed. If hope were cut of to speede by disorder, such wittes would streight waye sorte themselues to order, as they be not the most blockheades, which offer violence to order: wherin I must needes say somwhat in plaine truth, and plausible to.

The abusing of great personages.

Those great personages, which be so tempted by the importunity of such petie companions, as seeke them for protection, to force good and godly statutes, are litle bound to them. For what do they? Their owne obscuritie comes in no daunger, as being but vnderlinges, neither much seene, nor whit cared for, though they cause the mischeife: but they force good, and well giuen dispositions, excellent and noble natures, by false and coloured informations, to serue their owne turnes, and to beguile their great freindes: they bring them in hatred of all those, which builde vpon the good zeale of vertuous founders. Which thing reacheth so farre, and to so many, as either the possibilitie to enioye their benefit doth, or the praise of their doing, to procure the like: or the protection of posteritie, which cannot but lament the great misuse, and foull ouerthrow of their ancestours good and most godly meaning. They cast all men in feare of them to be likewise forced in their best interest, as a principle to tyrannie, and make them to be odious to all, whom they would seeme to honour aboue all. The worst kinde of caterpillours, in countenaunce fine and neate, in speeche delicate and diuine, in pretence holy and heauenly, in meaning verie furies, and diuells: to themselues scraping howsoeuer they couer: to nobilitie and countenaunce, whatsoeuer shew they make, the verie seminarie of most daungerous dishonour, and therfore worthy to be thrust out, bycause they thirst so much. For if loue and honour be the treasures of nobility, the contrarie meane howsoeuer it be coloured deserues coudgelling out, when it croutcheth most. It is no dishonour to nobilitie, not to haue their will, but it is their greatest disgrace to yielde to that, by vnreasonable desire, which they ought not to will, and so make a diuorse betwene honestie and honour, which is vnseemely, seeing honestie, how basely soeuer some ruffians regard it, is the verie mother to honour of greatest moment, and in the best kinde. That such honorable natures yeelde to such importunate promoters, halfe against their will, bycause otherwise they cannot be rid of them: their owne and honorable contentment doth oftimes proue, when they haue bene aunswered truely and duetifully, by such either companies, or particulars, as haue preferred plaine trueth, before painted colours, whereby noble dispositions do well declare to the world, how vnwilling they be to force order by fauour, if they be enfourmed of the truth: which will alway proue the enfourmers warrant, and foile such fetchers, when it comes to the hearing. And as the learned Quintilian sayth, that in a grammarian it is a vertue not to seeme to know all: so sayth pollicy that in the verie highest, it is not good to do all, that authoritie and interest in the extremitie of right maie do, with some warrant to it selfe, though with small liking, where it goeth. Mine antecedent is of mine owne profession, which beareth blame of to much boldnesse, and hath bene thought to presumptuous for knowledg, as Rhemmius Palæmon one of our coate, was wont to brag, that learning began to liue, and should die with him: My consequent concerneth my countrey, and good will to nobilitie, which as in degree can do most, so were it great pitie that it should be vsed, but to worke the best. My chalenge is to those infamous meanes, which dishonour their honorable patrones, defeat honest men of best education, disturbe the state euen while they liue, poison the posteritie by their president, euen when they are dead.

Now if choice had taken place in the beginning, such impudent wittes had wonne no place, and noble patrones had shaked of such sutes. For as deepe waters do seeme not to runne bycause of their stillnesse: so true vertue and honest learning will tary their calling, and not stirre to soone, to set forth their stuffe, though they be the deepest and most worthy the place. I must craue pardon: a well affected maister speaketh for all poore and toward scholers, well nusled in learning, well giuen in liuing, and ill thwarted in liuinges, by such visardes of counterfect countenaunces, which one may more then halfe gesse, what they will receiue, when none seeth but the offerer: which dare themselues offer such dishonorable requestes to those personages, at whose countenaunces, they ought in conscience to tremble, if that impudencie, which first hath reiected God secretly, and all goodnesse openly, had not tyrannised them to much, so vilely to abuse, where they ought to honour. The consideration of the good, the canuasing for the ill, hath caryed me from colledges, though not from colleginers, where for necessarie roomes there must be boursares, and why not of the learned sorte? Which the more towarde they be, the more trusty they will proue, and cheifly to that colledge, which auaunced them for value. Neuer wonder if he do sacrifice to the purse, which was admitted either for it, or by it. And yet there is some wrong, to fill priuate purses for entring, and to punish the common, when they be entred. If they could vse it so, as to still it from those, which strayned it from them, when they were to enter, the cunning were great, and the deceit not amisse, where craft is allowed to deceiue the deceiuer. But the common wrings, for the priuate wrong, and there the iniury is.

Preferment to degrees.

2. Preferment to degrees in schole may, nay in deede ought to be a mightier stripper of insufficiencie, bycause that way, the whole countrie is made either a lamentable spoile to bould ignorance, or a laudable soyle to sober knowledge. When a scholer is allowed by authoritie of the vniuersitie, to professe that qualitie, whereof he beares the title, and is sent abroad with the warrant of his commencement, and want of his cunning, who made either fauour and friendship, either countenaunce or canuase, or some other sleight the meane to enstawle him, what must our common countrie then say, when she heareth the bragge of the vniuersities title sound in her eares, and findes not the benefit of the vniuersitie learning to serue her in neede? Shee must needes thinke that the vnlearned and ignorant creature is free from blame, bycause he sought to countenaunce himselfe, as the customarie led him: but she must needes thinke her selfe not onely not bound to the vniuersitie, but shamefully abused, nay most vnnaturally offered to the spoile of ignorance and insufficiencie by the vniuersitie, to whom committing her sight shee is dealt with so blindly, in whom reposing her trust, she is betrayed so vntruely. For what is it to say in common collection, when the vniuersitie preferreth any, to degree: but as if she should protest thus much. Before God and my countrie, to whom I owe my selfe and my seruice, whereof the one I cannot deceiue, the other I ought not, I do knowe this man, whom I now prefer to this degree, in this facultie, in the sufficiencie of abilitie, which his title pretendeth, not perfunctorilie taken knowledge of, but thoroughly examined by me, to be well able to execute in the common weale of my countrie, that qualitie in art and profession, which his degree endoweth him with: and that my countrie may rest vpon my credit in securitie for his sufficiencie: and betrust her selfe vnto him vpon my warrant, which I do seale with the publike acknowledging of him to be such a one, as his title emporteth, being consideratly and aduisedly bestowed vpon him by me, as I will answere almightie God in iudgement, and my countrie in my conscience and vpon my credit. Now what if he be not such a one? where then is your aduisednesse? where then is your credit? where then is then your conscience? nay where then is your God, whom ye called to witnesse? What if the vniuersitie knew before, that he neither was such a one, neither like euer to proue any such? let him that weyeth this, if it be to light, reiect it as counterfect. Let the earnest professours of the truest religion in the vniuersities at this day call their consciences to counsell, and redresse the defect, for their owne credit, and the good of their countrie. If it shall please the vniuersities, to preferre these considerations of countrie and conscience, before any priuate persuasion (which if it were roundly repelled a while, would neuer be so impudent, as so to intrude it selfe) the matter were ended, and despaire that way would leaue rowme to learning: and send such fellowes to those faculties, which were fitter for them: and not suffer them vnder the titles of learning, to supplant the learned, and forstaull away their liuinges: to the discouraging of the right student in deede, and the defeating of the state. For if ye rip the cause why they seeke to set foorth then selues, with such forraine feathers, being vnlikely to looke on, in their owne coloures, if the eye might behold that which the minde conceiueth, ye shall finde that their desire to gaine vnder honorable titles, is the verie grounde whereupon they goe: which they seeke by indirect wayes, bycause they feele them selues to be of no direct worth. But what fooles be good scholers in deede, to lende such dawes their dignities, vnder that borrowed habit, to rob them of preheminence, and to seeme to be eagles, where they be but bussardes? Nay do they not discredit the vniuersitie more? as if they there were either so simple, as they could not descrie a calfe, or so easie to be entreated, as when they had discried it, they would sweare by perswasion, that the calfe were a camell? good my maisters make not all priestes that stand vpon the bridge as the Poope passeth. For then the cobler as one consecrated, bycause his person was in compasse, and his showes with in hearing, will sure be a priest, and set nothing by his naule, and as good as you and as fit for a benefice, as those that came to take orders in deede, and deserued them in doing. Looke to it betimes and lende not your garmentes to set forth bastardt and bold suters, for feare your selues be excluded, when ye entend to sue, both your labour and your loue being lost, through your owne follie.

To seeme is not so much in weight as to be, but in paines it is much more. To counterfeat vertue, and to auoide spying, requireth a long labour, and daily new deuises: to be vertuouse in deede, and learned in deede, craues labour at the first, and lendes leysure in the end, borne out by it selfe, neuer needing any vele. And therefore great warines must be vsed to discerne and shake of the counterfeat smaller consideration will soone finde, and sooner content sufficient stuffe. Let deepe dissembling and dubling hypocrisie leape the ladder, and honest learning be beholder the while. In these pointes to haue worthinesse preferred, and to haue choice to seeke, and saue it, if a teacher deale thus earnestly, as methinke I do now, he may deserue pardon as I hope I shall haue, considering his end, to him selfe ward is delite, to his charge is their profit: to his countrie is sound stuffe sent from him. And can he be but grieued to see the effect so disorderly defeated, wherunto with infinite toile, with inconparable care, with incredible paines, he did so orderly proceed? I take it very tollerable for any, that hath charge of number and multitude to be carefull for their good, not only in priuate gouernment, but also in publike protection, so farre, as either the honestie of the cause, or the dutie to magistrate, will maintaine his attempt. As truely in learning and learned executions, me thinke it concerneth all men to be very carefull, bycause the thing tucheth themselues so neare in age, and theirs so much in youth.

Auauncement to liuinges.

3. For the third part which consisteth in auauncement to liuinges, as it is commonly handled by the highest in state, and eldest in yeares, which haue best skill to iudge, and least neede to be misled: so it needes least precept: bycause the misse there is mostwhat without amendes, being made by great warrant: and the hitting right is the blessed fortune of ech kinde of state, when value is in place, whence there is no appeale but pleasure in the perfit: pitie in imperfection: the common good either carried to ruine by intrusion of insufficiencie, or strongly supported by sufficient staie. Repulse here is a miserable stripp, that insufficiencie should be suffered to growe vp so high, and not be hewed downe before. And some great iniurie is offered to the bestowers of prefermentes, that they are made obiectes to the danger of insufficient boldnes, which ought to be cut of by sufficient modestie, who pretendeth the claime to be her owne of dutie, and to whom the patrones, would rediliest yeild, if they could discerne and were not abused by the worthy themselues, which lend the vnworthy the worth of their countenance to deceiue the disposers, and to beguile their owne selues. But blind bayard, if he haue any burden that is worth the taking downe, and bestowing somwhere else, wilbe farre bolder then a better horse, and so farre from shame, as he will not shrinke to offer himselfe to the richest sadle, being in deede no better then a blinde iade and seeking to occupie the stawle where Bucephalus the braue horse of duety ought to stand. And in this case of preferrement, store is lightely the greatest enemie to the best choice, bycause in number no condition wilbe offered, which will not be admitted, though some do refuse. The preuenting of all or most of these inconueniences, I do take to be in the right sorting of wittes at the first, when learning shall be left to them alone, whom nature doth allow by euident signes, and such sent awaye to some other trades, as are made to that ende. Wherby the sorters are to haue thankes in the ende of both the parties, which finding themselues fitted in the best kinde of their naturall calling, must of necessitie honour them, which vsed such foresight in their first bestowing.