For the men which professe these sciences, and giue cause to their discountenaunce, they be either meere ignorant, and maintaine their credit with the vse of some tearmes, propositions, and particularities which be in ordinarie courses that way, and neuer came nigh the kernell: or hauing some knowledge in them in deede, rather employe their time, and knowledge aboute the degenerate, and sophisticall partes of them, applyed by vaine heades to meere collusions though they promise great consequences: then to the true vse, and auauncement of art. Howbeit in the meane time, though the one disgrace them with contempt, and the other make them contemptible, by both their leaues I do thinke thus of them: but what a poore thing is my thought? yet some thing it is where it shalbe beleeued. In time all learning may be brought into one toungue, and that naturall to the inhabitant, so that schooling for toungues, may proue nedeles, as once they were not needed: but it can neuer fall out, that artes and sciences in their right nature, shalbe but most necessarie for any common weale, that is not giuen ouer vnto to to much barbarousnes. We do attribute to much to toungues, which do minde them more then we do matter chiefly in a monarchie: and esteeme it more honorable to speake finely, then to reason wisely: where wordes be but praised for the time, and wisedom winnes at length. For while the Athenian, and Romaine popular gouernementes, did yeald so much vnto eloquence, as one mans perswasion might make the whole assembly to sway with him, it was no meruell if the thing were in price, which commaunded: if wordes were of weight, which did rauish: if force of sentence were in credit, which ruled the fantsie, and bridled the hearer. Then was the toungue imperiall bycause it dealt with the people: now must it obey, bycause it deales with a prince, and be seruaunt vnto learned matter, acknowledging it to be her liege, and mistresse. All those great obseruations of eloquence, are either halfe drowned, for want of a democratie: or halfe douted of for discredit of diuinitie: which following the substance of matter, commendeth vnto vs the like in all studies.
For the credit of these mathematicall sciences, I must needes vse one authoritie of great, and well deserued countenaunce among vs, and so much the rather, bycause his iudgement is so often, and so plausibly vouched by the curteouse maister Askam in his booke, which I wish he had not himselfe, neither any other for him entitled the scoolemaister, bycause myselfe dealing in that argument must needes sometime dissent to farre from him, with some hasard of myne owne credit, seeing his is hallowed. The worthy, and well learned gentleman Sir Iohn Cheeke[69] in the middest of all his great learning, his rare eloquence, his sownd iudgement, his graue modestie, feared the blame of a mathematicall head so litle in himselfe, and thought the profession to be so farre from any such taint, being soundly and sadly studied by others, as he bewraid his great affection towards them most euidently in this his doing. Being himselfe prouost of the kings colledge in Cambridge, in the time of his most honored prince, and his best hoped pupill, the good king Edward, brother to our gracious soueraine Queene Elizabeth, he sent downe from the court one maister Bukley somtime fellow of the saide colledge, and very well studyed in the mathematicalls to reade Arithmeticke, and Geometrie to the youth of the colledge: and for the better encouraging of them to that studie gaue them a number of Euclides of his owne coast. Maister Bukley had drawne the rules of Arithmeticke into verses, and gaue the copies abroad to his hearers. My selfe am to honour the memorie of that learned knight, being partaker my selfe of his liberall distribution of those Euclides, with whom he ioyned Xenophon, which booke he wished, and caused to be red in the same house, and gaue them to the studentes, to encourage them aswell to the greeke toungue, as he did to the mathematikes. He did I take it as much for the studentes in S. Iohns colledge, whose pupill he had once bene, as he did for vs of the kinges colledge whose prouost he then was. Can he then mislike the mathematicall sciences, which will seeme to honour Syr Iohn Cheeke, and reuerence his iudgement? can he but thinke the opinion to proceede from wisedom, which counteth Socrates the wisest maister? Nay how dare he take vpon him to be a maister, not of art, but of artes (for so is the name,) which hath not studyed them, ear he proceeded? Are not the proceeders to reade in any of those sciences publickely, by the vice chauncelours appointment, after they haue commenced? and do they not promise, and professe the things, when they seeke to procure the titles? And with what face dare ignorance open her mouth, or but vtter some sounde of words, where she hath professed the weight of matter? So that the very vniuersity her selfe doth highly esteeme of them if she could entreat her people to esteeme of their mothers iudgement. These sciences bewray them selues in many professions and trades which beare not the titles of learning, whereby it is well seene, that they are no prating, but profitable grounds: not gay to the shew, but good to be shewed, and such meanes of vse, as the vse of our life were quite maimed without them. Then gather I, if bare experience, and ordinarie imitation do cause so great thinges to be done by the meere shadow, and roat of these sciences, what would iudiciall cunning do, being ioyned with so well affected experience? Neither is it any obiection of account to say what should marchauntes, carpentars, masons, shippmaisters, maryners, deuisours, architectes, and a number such do with latin, and learning? do they not well enough without, to serue the turne in our countrie? If they do well with out might they not do better with? And why may not an English carpentar, and his companions speake that toungue to helpe their countrie the more, being gotten in youth, eare they can be set to other labour, which the Romaine artificer did naturally vse, seing it is more commendable in ours, where labour is the conquerour, then in the Romain where nature was commendour? As if none should haue Latin but those which were for further degrees in learning.
The tounges be helpes indifferent to all trades as well as to learning. Neither is the speaking of Latin any necessarie argument of deeper learning, as the Mathematicall sciences be the olde rudimentes of young children, and the certaine directours to all those artificers, which without them go by roate, and with them might shew cunning. I maye not at this time prosecute this position, as to fremd for this place: but after my Elementarie and toungue schoole, I meane to search it to the very bottom, with the whole profession of those faculties, if God send me life, and health. 1. For the while this shall suffise that these sciences, which we terme the Mathematicalles in their effectual nature, do worke still some good thing, sensible euen to the simple, by number, figure, sound, or motion: 2. In the manner of their teaching they do plant in the minde of the learner, an habite inexpungable by bare probabilities, and not to be brought to beleeue vpon light coniectures, in any other knowledge, being still drawne on by vnfallible demonstrations: 3. In their similitudinarie applications, they let one see by them in sense the like affection in contemplatiue, and intelligible thinges, and be the surest groundes to retourne vnto in replies and instances, either vpon defect in memorie, or in checke of aduersarie, contrarie to the common similitudes. For when ye compare the common weale to a ship, and the people to the passagers, the application being vnder saile, maye be out of sight, when ye seeke for your proofe. But in these sciences the similitudinarie teaching is so certain in applying, and so confirmed by effectes: as there is nothing so farre from sense, and so secret in vnderstanding, but it will make it palpable. They be taken from the sense, and trauell the thought, but they resolue the minde. And though such as vnderstand them not, do mislike them, which yet is no reason in them, nor any disgrace to the thing misliked by them, seeing ignoraunce misliketh: yet those that vnderstand them, may boldly mislike the mislikers, and oppose the whole auncient Philosophie, and all well appointed common weales against such mockmathematicalles, without whose helpe they could not liue, nor haue houses to hide their heades, though they thanke not their founders.
The colledge for Philosophie.
3. If Philosophie with her three kindes had the third colledge, were it thinke you vnproper? Then the naturall might afterward proceede to Physick, whom she fitteth: the Politicke to Lawe, whom she groundeth: the morall to Diuinitie, whom she helpeth in discourse. Which three professions, Diuinitie, Lawe, Physick should euery one be endowed with their particular colledges, and liuinges. 4. To haue the Physician thus learned, it were nothing to much, considering his absolutenesse is learning, and his ignoraunce butcherie, if he do but marke his owne maister Galene[70] in his booke of the best profession. 5. For the Diuine to tarie time, and to haue the handmaiden sciences to attend vpon their mistres profession, were it any hindrance to his credit, where discretion the daughter of time is his fairest conusance, and if he come without her, what sternesse so euer he pretend in countenance, we will measure the man, though we marke his sayinges? 6. The Lawyers best note in the best iudgementes is contentment, not to couet to much, and for that desire not to striue to gaine to much: not beyond the extremitie of lawe, but farre on this side the extremitie of right. And can digesting time be but commodious in this case, and contempt of toyes eare he enter into them, be but mother to contentment? Time to bread sufficiencie, and sufficiencie to bring sound iudgement, cut of all matter of blame, and leaue all matter to praise. But in this distribution where is Logicke and Rethoricke, some will saye? Where is Grammer then will I saye? A directour to language. And so Logicke, for her demonstratiue part, plaieth the Grammer to the Mathematicalles, and naturall Philosophie: for her probabilitie to morall, and politike, and such other as depend not vpon necessitie of matter. Rhetoricke for puritie without passion doth ioyne with the writer in any kinde, for perswasion with passion, with the speaker in all kindes, and yet both the speaker dealeth sometime quietly, and the plaine writer waxeth very hoate.
The necessitie of the college for toungues.
1. Of these colledges, that which is for toungues is so necessary as scant any thing more. For the toungues being receites for matter, without the perfect vnderstanding of them, what hope is there to vnderstand matter? and seeing wordes be names of thinges applyed and giuen according to their properties, how can thinges be properly vnderstood by vs, which vse the ministrie and seruice of wordes to know them by, onelesse the force of speeche be thoroughly knowen? And do you not thinke that euery profession hath neede to haue a title of the signification of wordes, as well as the ciuill lawyer? I do see in writers, and I do heare in speakers great defectes in the mistaking of meaninges: and euident errours thorough insufficiencie herin. And as toungues cannot be better perfitted, then streight after their entrie by the grammer schoole: so they must be more perfitted, then they can be there. And what if some will neuer proceede any further, but rest in those pleasaunt kinde of writers, which delite most in gaing of their language as poetes, histories, discourses, and such, as will be counted generall men?
The necessitie of the Mathematicall colledge.
2. As for the Mathematicalles, they had the place before the toungues were taught, which though they be now some necessarie helpes, bycause we vse forreine language for conueaunce of knowledge: yet they push vs one degree further of from knowledge. That the Mathematicalles had the place, and were proposed still to children, he that hath read any thing in Philosophie cannot be ignorant. Plato is full of it, and termeth them commonly the childrens entrance, but cheifly in the seuenth booke of his common weale. So is his scholer though long after his death Philo the Iewe (whom euen his countrieman Iosephus, a man somewhat parciall in praising other, yet calleth a singular man for eloquence and wisedome, speaking of his embassage to Caius the Emperour) but specially in that treatise, which he maketh of the foretraine, for so I turne Platoes προπαιδεία, and Philoes προπαίδευμα.[71] There he deuiseth, as he is a perpetuall allegoriser, Sara to be the image of Diuinitie, and Agar the figure of all other handmaiden sciences, wherein he wisheth a young man to deale very long, or he venture vpon Sara, which will not be fertil but in late, and ripe yeares. He construeth both in that place, and in Moses his life also, those wordes of the bringing vp of Moses in all the doctrine of the Ægyptians, to be meant in the Mathematicalles, which was the traine of that time, and the brood of that soile, or there about. And to saye the trueth let any man marke the course of all auncient learning, and he shall finde, that it could not be possibly otherwise, but that the Mathematicall was their rudiment, though no historie, no describer of common weale, no setter forth of Philosophers life, no Philosopher himselfe had tolde it vs? Is not Aristotles first booke of all in course of his teaching, his Organum, which conteineth his whole Logicke? and in his proofes for the piking out of his syllogismes doth he not bewraie, wherin he was brought vp? I vse Aristotle alone for example, bycause our studentes be best acquainted with him: whom yet they cannot vnderstand without these helpes, as one Brauardine espied well, though not he alone, who tooke the paines to gather out of Euclide two bookes purposely for the vnderstanding of Aristotle. Can his bookes of Demonstration, the Analytica prosteriora be vnderstood without this helpe? His whole treatise of Motion wheresoeuer, commonly fetcht from the verie forme of the thing moued: His confutation of others by the nature of Motion, and site: His Mathematicall discriptions in many places: His naturall Theoremes echwhere can they be conceiued, much lesse vnderstood by any ignorant in this pointe? Wherin Aristotle sheweth vs his owne education, to whom he commendeth the like, if we like of him, whose liking will not fall, though fooles oftimes shake it. It were to infinite to vse proofes in so generall, and so knowne a case, which the whole antiquitie still allowed of, and the famous Athenian common weale vsed euen then, when she had the great brood of the most excellent persons, for her ordinary traine to her youth as Socrates still alledgeth in Plato: or rather Plato fathering the speach vpon Socrates sayth so himselfe. Aristippus after his shipwrake found releise thorough that train, and encoraged his companions vpon sight of Geometricall figures in the sande. He that will iudge of these sciences in generall, what degree they haue in the course of learning, and wherin they be profitable to all other studies whatsoever, let him read but either Proclus his foure bookes vpon Euclides first in Greeke, or bycause the greeke is ill, and corruptly printed: Io. Barocius, a young gentleman of Venice which hath turned them into Latin, and corrected the copie. Though many haue delt in the argument they be but secondarie to Proclus. For he handleth euery question that either makes for them, or against them cheifly in his first booke. It were to much for me to stand vpon enumeration of testimonies in this place, that the auncient schoole did begin at the Mathematicall after the first Elementarie, while they minded sound learning in deede, and sequestred their thoughtes from other dealinges in the world. He that marketh but the ordinary metaphores in the eloquentest Greeke writers of that time, whence we prescribe, shall easily bewray, where in the auncient discipline trauelled. To alledge the Romain for learning is to alledge nothing, whose cunning Virgile[72] describeth to lye in gouernement, and conquests, remitting other faculties to other people. For till the forreine learning in latter yeares, was translated into their toungue, of themselues they had litle. Rhetoricke, poetrie, historie, ciuill lawe, and some petie treatises of Philosophie, and Physicke were the Romaines learning. Some one, or two as Gallus, and Figulus were noted for the Mathematicalles, as many yeares after them Iulius Firmicus, and some architecture Mathematicke in Vitruuius. But their owne stories can tell, what an afterdeale in the wynning of Syracusæ Archimedes by those faculties put Marcellus their generall vnto, which yet was as carefull to haue saued Archimedes, if the rashnesse of a rude soldiar had not preuented his proclamation: as Demetrius πολιορκητής was to saue Protogenes at Rhodes. After the state was brought to a monarchie, the Greekes ouerlaid their learning, as it appeareth, from Dionysius of Halycarnassus, and Strabo, which were in Augustus Cæsars time, downe still in a number of most notable Grecians, which serued that state continually both for training vp their young Emperours, and for all other kinde of learning: so that the authoritie of the Mathematicall must be fetcht from the Grekes, though they themselues borrowed the matter of other nations, and were founders onely to language, methode, and those faculties, which serue for the direction of language.
The necessitie of the colledge for Philosophie.