Positions

by Richard Mulcaster

Then for reparers from forreine countries into his, whom he will haue well entertained in any case, he appointeth foure kindes. 1. The first wherof be merchantes, whose mercates, hauens, and lodging, he assigneth to be without the citie but very neare to it: and certain officers to see, that they innouate nothing in the state, that they do, and receaue right, that they haue all thinges necessarie, but without ouerplus.

2. The second kinde of straungers he appointeth to be such as arriue for religion, for philosophie, for learning sake, whom he willeth the Diuines, and church treasurers, to entertaine, to lodge, to care for, as the presidentes of true hospitalitie for straungers. That when they shall haue taryed some conuenient time, when they shall haue seene, and heard, what they will desire to see or heare: they may depart without either doing, or suffering any iniurie or wrong. And that during their abode for any plea vnder fiftie drammes, the Diuines shalbe iudges betwene them, and the other partie: if it be aboue that summe, that then the maior of the citie shall determine the matter.

3. The third sorte were Embassadours, sent from forreine Princes, and states, vpon publike affaires. Their entertainment he commendeth to the common purse, their lodging to some generall, some coronell, or some captaine onely. The care of them was committed to the hie treasurer, and their host, where they lodged.

4. The fourth kinde was such obseruers from some other place, as his countrey did send abroad before, aboue fiftie yeares old, pretending a desire to see some good thing among them, or to saye some good thing vnto them. This kinde of man he excludeth from none, as being comparable with the best, bycause of his person so aduisedly choosen. Who so was wise, wealthy, learned, valiant might entertaine, and entreat him. When he minded to depart after he had seene, and obserued all thinges at full, he was sent away honorablely, with great presentes, and rewardes. Thus thinketh Plato both of comers in, and goers out of one countrey into another. But you will say this was a deuise of Plato in his lawes, as other be in his common weale. Yet it is a wisemans deuise, that findes the harme, and would auoide it, and in this our case is well worthy the weying. But as Plato neede not to blush for the deuise, which is grounded vpon incorruption, whervnto we say that trauelling is a foe: so if such a lawe were in very deede, politikly planted in any common weale, as it is naturally engraffed in any honest witte: there would be exception notwithstanding against it. In all this Platonicall prouision, we may easely obserue, that his cheife care is by trauelling, either to amend the countrey, or not to marre it: and that the forreine vsually is a steppemother to a strange countrey. Therefore as young gentlemen maye trauell, both for their pleasure, to see forreine countries, and for their profit, to returne wise home: so their owne countrey desires them, to minde that profit in deede, and not to marre it with to much pleasure, which is the cause why that all ages haue misliked trauelling, as the occasion of corruption in most, and thinke it better forborne for hindring of so many, then to be allowed, for the good of some few, which is hasarded at the first, and vncertaine to proue well. The reason of all this is, both for the forreine euill, which may corrupt, and for the very good, which will not fit, be it neuer so fit their, from whence it is fetcht.

But to my purpose, and the training at home for home. I remit this trauelling abroad to their consideration, which vse it, which I dare not quite mislike, bycause I see very many honest people, which haue trauelled, and the argument of misliking receiueth instance, that the thing may be well vsed, euen bycause some do misuse it, whervnto all other indifferences else be also subiect. Nay I dare scant but thinke well of it, bycause my Prince doth allow it, thorough whose licence their trauelling is warranted. I say but thus much generally though some traueller do some good to his countrey, euen by the frute of his trauell, and most in best places: that yet the statarie countrieman doth a great deale more. The reason why is this. The continuall residenciarie at home hath his eye still bent vpon some one thing: where he meanes to light, and makes the direct and naturall meane vnto it: which though the trauellers do alledge to be their minde to, yet their meane is not so fit, as that is, which ordinarily, and orderly is made for the thing. Neither is this allegation generall. For we see the course which the most do vse after their returne, to bewraie a passage for pleasure, rather then any sound, and aduised enterprise. And therefore I do wish the domesticall traine to be well trauelled to better vs with our owne, and that we did not so much trie how forraine effects do make vs out of fashion, though they feede our fantsies, and that it would please well disposed yong gentlemen to sort them selues betimes to some kinde of learning to make them in deede liberall, their abilitie being throughly fensed against feare of corruption, to serue their country honorably that way which doth so honour them.

For as all will be lawyers, or in houses of law, and court, to some priuate end: so what if some of choice became both diuines, and physicianes, and so furth in other learned sciences, as I said before? If there be any gentleman in our countrie so qualified at this daie in any kind of learning, is he not therefore praysed, esteemed, and honoured of all others, and aboue all others of his calling, and somewhat higher to which are: not comparably qualyfied? Whence I gather this argument: That the worthynes of the thing is confessed by the honour giuen vnto it, and that such as desire honour ought to seeke for such worthinesse, as enforceth the assured confession of the best deserued honour. And I pray you be not these faculties for their subiect to be reuerenced, as they are? and for their effectes to be esteemed of speciall account? which haue bene allway the very groundes of the best, and most beneficiall nobilitie? I do not hold Tamerlane, or any barbarous, and bloody inuasions to be meanes to true nobilitie, which come for scourges: but such as be pacifike most, and warlike but vpon defense, if the country be assailed: or to offend, if reueng be to be made, and former wrong to be awraked. Neither take I wealth to be any worthy cause to renowme the owner, vnlesse it be both got by laudable meanes, and likewise be employed vpon commendable workes: neither any qualitie or gift, which beawtifieth the body vnlesse vertue do commende it, as seruiceable to good vse, neither yet any endewement of the minde, but onely such as keepe residence in reason, hauing authoritie in hand, and direction to rule, by the philosophers termed το ἡγεμονικὸν.[64] Wherein those qualities do claime a tenure, which I haue assigned as foundations to honour, and notes of nobilitie, worthy the esteeming, and of inestimable worth. Who dare abase diuinitie for the thing it selfe; or who is so impudent, as not to confesse that profession honorable which hath God himselfe to father, and friend, our most louing, and mercifull maker: the deuill himselfe to enemie and foe, our most suttle, and despitefull marrer, the doctrine of life, the daunter of death? Some scruple there is now, which was not sometime when the allurement was larger, the liuing fatter, and the countenaunce greater: but the matter is now better, though the man be brought both to more basenes in opinion, and barenesse in prouision, and will honour a good gentleman, which will seeke honour by it, and ought so to do. The time was when the great Cesar,[65] at his going furth from his house in his sute for the great pontificate sayd to his mother, that she should either see her sonne at his returne the great bishop, or else no body. Such a step was that state to his whole preferment after. Isocrates[66] in his oration, where he frameth a prince, ioyneth priesthood with the prince, as two thinges of like care, requiring like sufficiencie in persons, like skill in well handling, which two sayth he, euery one thinkes, he can cunningly weild, but hardly anie one can handle them well.

If gentlemen wil not trauel and professe physicke, let them feele the price of ignorance, and punish their carcasses besides the consumption of their cofers, as all learning being refused by them hath no other way to reueng her selfe, then only to leaue them to ignorance, which will still attend to flatter and fawne there where small stuffing is, and that which is most miserable, bycause themselues see it not, will cause them selues to be their owne Gnatoes, a most vnproper part, to be seene vpon a stage, when the same person plaieth Thraso, and answereth himselfe, as if he were two. Were it not most honorable for them to see these effectes in their owne persons? singuler knowledge where studie is for knowledge and knowledge for no neede? liberall execution, where desire to do good, and good for gramercie be the true ends of most honour? where the promises from heauen, the princes vpon earth, the perpetuall prayer, and neuer dying prayse of the profited people will remember, and requite that honorable labour, so honestly employed, that fortunate reuenew so blessedly bestowed, not for priuate pleasure, but for common profit?

Albeit there is one note here necessarily to be obserued in yong gentlemen that it were a great deale better that they had no learning at all and knew their owne ignorance, then any litle smattering, vnperfit in his kinde, and fleeting in their heades. For their knowne ignorance doth but harme them selues, where other that be cunning may supply their rowmes: but their vnripe learning though pretie in the degree, and very like to haue proued good, if it had taryed the pulling, and hung the full haruest, doth keepe such a rumbling in their heades, as it will not suffer them to rest, such a wonder it is to see the quickesiluer. For the greatnes of their place emboldeneth the rash vnripenes of their studie, in what degree so euer it be, whether in not digesting that which they haue read, or in not reading sufficiently, or in chusing of absurdities to seeme to be able to defende where their state makes them spared, and meaner mens regard doth procure them reuerence, though their rashnes be seene, or in not resting vpon any one thing, but desultorie ouer all. A matter that may seeme to be somewhat in scholes, euen amongst good scholers: and very much in that state, where least learning is conmonly best liked, though best learning be most aduanced, when it ioynes with birth in sowndnes, and admiration. As the contrary troubleth all the world, with most peruerse opinions, beginning at the insufficient, though stout gentleman, and so marching forward still among such, as make more account of the person whence the ground comes, then of the reason which the thing carieth. Wherefore to conclude, I wish yong gentlemen to be better then the common in the best kinde of learning, as their meane to come to it, is euery way better. I wish them in exercise, and the frutes thereof to be their defendours, bycause they are able to beare out the charge, wherevnder the common of necessitie must shrinke: That both those wayes they may helpe their countrie in all needes, and themselues, to all honour.

The Princes traine.

The prince and soueraigne being the tippe of nobilitie: and growing in person most priuate for traine, though in office most publike for rule, doth claime of me that priuate note, which I promised before. The greatest prince in that he is a childe, is, as other children be, for soule sometimes fine, sometimes grosse: for body, sometimes strong, sometimes weake: of mould sometime faire, sometime meane: so that for the time to beginne to learne, and the matter which to learne, and all other circumstances, wherein he communicateth with his subiectes, he is no lesse subiect, then his subiectes be. For exercise to health, the same: to honour, much aboue: as he is best able to beare it, where coast is the burden, and honour the ease. We must take him as God sendes him, bycause we cannot chuse, as we could wish: as he must make the best of his people, though his people be not the best. Our dutie is to obey him, and to pray for him: his care will be to rule ouer vs, and to prouide for vs, the most in safetie the least in perill. Which seeing we finde it proue true in the female, why should we mistrust to find it in the male? If the prince his naturall constitution be but feeble, and weake, yet good traine as it helpeth forwardnes, so it strengthneth infirmitie: and is some restraint euen to the worst giuen, if it be well applyed, and against the libertie of high calling oppose the infamie of ill doing. Which made euen Nero stay the fiue first yeares of his gouernment, and to seeme incomparable good. When the yong princes elementarie is past, and greater reading comes on, such matter must be pikt, as may plant humilitie in such height, and sufficiencie in such neede, that curtesie be the meane to winne, as abilitie to wonder. Continuall dealing with forraine Embassadours, and conferring at home with his owne counsellours require both tongues to speake with, and stuffe to speake of.