cheife Iustice, wold tell of him selfe. When he was Auncient in Inne of Courte, Certaine yong Ientlemen // Syr Roger were brought before him, to be corrected for Chamloe. certaine misorders: And one of the lustiest saide: Syr, we be yong ientlemen, and wisemen before vs, haue proued all facions, and yet those haue done full well: this they said, because it was well knowen, that Syr Roger had bene a good feloe in his yougth. But he aunswered them verie wiselie. In deede saith he, in yougthe, I was, as you ar now: and I had twelue feloes like vnto my self, but not one of them came to a good ende. And therfore, folow not my example in yougth, but folow my councell in aige, if euer ye thinke to cum to this place, or to thies yeares, that I am cum vnto, lesse ye meete either with pouertie or Tiburn in the way. Thus, experience of all facions in yougthe, beinge, in profe, alwaise daungerous, in isshue, seldom lucklie, is // Experience. a waie, in deede, to ouermoch knowledge, yet vsed commonlie of soch men, which be either caried by som curious affection of mynde, or driuen by som hard necessitie of life, to hasard the triall of ouer manie perilous aduentures. Erasmus the honor of learning of all oure time, saide wiselie that experience is the common schole- // Erasmus. house of foles, and ill men: Men, of witte and // Experience, honestie, be otherwise instructed. For there be, // the schole- that kepe them out of fier, and yet was neuer // house of burned: That beware of water, and yet was neuer // Foles, and nie drowninge: That hate harlottes, and was // ill men. neuer at the stewes: That abhorre falshode, and neuer brake promis themselues. But will ye see, a fit Similitude of this aduentured experience. A Father, that doth let louse his son, to all experiences, is most like a fond Hunter, that letteth slippe a whelpe to the hole herde. Twentie to one, he shall fall vpon a rascall, and let go the faire game. Men that hunt so, be either ignorant persones, preuie stealers, or night walkers. Learning therefore, ye wise fathers, and good bringing vp, and not blinde & dangerous experience, is the next and readiest waie, that must leede your Children, first, to wisdom, and than to worthinesse, if euer ye purpose they shall cum there. And to saie all in shorte, though I lacke Authoritie to giue
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counsell, yet I lacke not good will to wisshe, that the yougthe How expe- // in England, speciallie Ientlemen, and namelie no- rience may // bilitie, shold be by good bringing vp, so grounded proffet. // in iudgement of learninge, so founded in loue of honestie, as, whan they shold be called forthe to the execution of great affaires, in seruice of their Prince and contrie, they might be hable, to vse and to order, all experiences, were they good were they bad, and that, according to the square, rule, and line, of wisdom learning and vertue. And, I do not meene, by all this my taulke, that yong Diligent // Ientlemen, should alwaies be poring on a booke, learninge // and by vsing good studies, shold lease honest ought to be // pleasure, and haunt no good pastime, I meene ioyned with // nothing lesse: For it is well knowne, that I both pleasant // like and loue, and haue alwaies, and do yet still pastimes, // vse, all exercises and pastimes, that be fitte for my namelie in a // nature and habilitie. And beside naturall dispo- ientleman. // sition, in iudgement also, I was neuer, either Stoick in doctrine, or Anabaptist in Religion, to mislike a merie, pleasant, and plaifull nature, if no outrage be committed, against lawe, mesure, and good order. Therefore, I wold wishe, that, beside some good time, fitlie appointed, and constantlie kepte, to encrease by readinge, the knowledge of the tonges and learning, yong ientlemen shold Learnyng // vse, and delite in all Courtelie exercises, and ioyned with // Ientlemanlike pastimes. And good cause whie: pastimes. // For the self same noble Citie of Athenes, iustlie commended of me before, did wiselie and vpon great considera- tion, appoint, the Muses, Apollo, and Pallas, to be patrones of Musæ. // learninge to their yougthe. For the Muses, besides learning, were also Ladies of dauncinge, Apollo. // mirthe and ministrelsie: Apollo, was god of shooting, and Author of cunning playing vpon Instrumentes: Pallas. // Pallas also was Laidie mistres in warres. Wher- bie was nothing else ment, but that learninge shold be alwaise mingled, with honest mirthe, and cumlie exercises: and that warre also shold be gouerned by learning, and moderated by wisdom, as did well appeare in those Capitaines of Athenes named by me before, and also in Scipio & Cæsar, the two Diamondes of Rome.
the brynging vp of youth. 217
And Pallas, was no more feared, in weering ægida, than she was praised, for chosing Oliva: whereby shineth // Learning the glory of learning, which thus, was Gouernour // rewleth & Mistres, in the noble Citie of Athenes, both of // both warre warre and peace. // and peace. Therefore, to ride cumlie: to run faire at the tilte or ring: to plaie at all weapones: to shote faire in bow, or surelie in gon: to vaut lustely: to runne: to leape: to wrestle: // The pas- to swimme: To daunce cumlie: to sing, and playe // times that of instrumentes cunnyngly: to Hawke: to hunte: // be fitte for to playe at tennes, & all pastimes generally, which // Courtlie be ioyned with labor, vsed in open place, and on // Ientlemen. the day light, conteining either some fitte exercise for warre, or some pleasant pastime for peace, be not onelie cumlie and decent, but also verie necessarie, for a Courtlie Ientleman to vse. But, of all kinde of pastimes, fitte for a Ientleman, I will, godwilling, in fitter place, more at large, declare fullie, in my booke of the Cockpitte: which I do write, to // The Cok- satisfie som, I trust, with som reason, that be // pitte. more curious, in marking other mens doinges, than carefull in mendying their owne faultes. And som also will nedes busie them selues in merueling, and adding thereunto vnfrendlie taulke, why I, a man of good yeares, and of no ill place, I thanke God and my Prince, do make choise to spend soch tyme in writyng of trifles, as the schole of shoting, the Cockpitte, and this booke of the first Principles of Grammer, rather, than to take some weightie matter in hand, either of Religion, or Ciuill discipline. Wise men I know, will well allow of my choise herein: and as for such, who haue not witte of them selues, but must learne of others, to iudge right of mens doynges, let them // A booke of read that wise Poet Horace in his Arte Poetica, // a lofty title, who willeth wisemen to beware, of hie and loftie // beareth the Titles. For, great shippes, require costlie tack- // brag of o- ling, and also afterward dangerous gouernment: // uergreat a Small boates, be neither verie chargeable in // promise. makyng, nor verie oft in great ieoperdie: and yet they cary many tymes, as good and costlie ware, as greater vessels do. A meane Argument, may easelie beare, the light burden of a small faute, and haue alwaise at hand, a ready excuse for
218 The first booke teachyng
ill handling: And, some praise it is, if it so chaunce, to be
The right // better in deede, than a man dare venture to
choise, to // seeme. A hye title, doth charge a man, with
chose a fitte // the heauie burden, of to great a promise: and
Argument // therefore sayth Horace verie wittelie, that, that
to write // Poete was a verie foole, that began hys booke,
vpon. // with a goodlie verse in deede, but ouer proude
Hor. in // a promise.
Arte Poet. //
Fortunam Priami cantabo & nobile bellum,
And after, as wiselie.
Quantò rectiùs hic, qui nil molitur ineptè. etc.