The Scholemaster

by Roger Ascham

sayd, for pastime and pleasure, which, as some say, were made in Monasteries, by idle Monkes, or wanton Chanons: as one for example, Morte Arthure: the whole pleasure // Morte Ar- of which booke standeth in two speciall poyntes, // thur. in open mans slaughter, and bold bawdrye: In which booke those be counted the noblest Knightes, that do kill most men without any quarell, and commit fowlest aduoulteries by sutlest shiftes: as Sir Launcelote, with the wife of king Arthure his master: Syr Tristram with the wife of king Marke his vncle: Syr Lamerocke with the wife of king Lote, // hand.gif that was his own aunte. This is good stuffe, for wise men to laughe at, or honest men to take pleasure at. Yet I know, when Gods Bible was banished the Court, and Morte Arthure receiued into the Princes chamber. What toyes, the dayly readyng of such a booke, may worke in the will of a yong ientleman, or a yong mayde, that liueth welthelie and idlelie, wise men can iudge, and honest men do pitie. And yet ten Morte Arthures do not the tenth part so much harme, as one of these bookes, made in Italie, and translated in // hand.gif England. They open, not fond and common wayes to vice, but such subtle, cunnyng, new, and diuerse shiftes, to cary yong willes to vanitie, and yong wittes to mischief, to teach old bawdes new schole poyntes, as the simple head of an English man is not hable to inuent, nor neuer was hard of in England before, yea when Papistrie ouerflowed all. Suffer these bookes to be read, and they shall soone displace all bookes of godly learnyng. For they, carying the will to vanitie, and marryng good maners, shall easily // hand.gif corrupt the mynde with ill opinions, and false iudgement in doctrine: first, to thinke ill of all trewe Religion, and at last to thinke nothyng of God hym selfe, one speciall pointe that is to be learned in Italie, and Italian // hand.gif bookes. And that which is most to be lamented, and therfore more nedefull to be looked to, there be moe of these vngratious bookes set out in Printe within these fewe monethes, than haue bene sene in England many score yeare before. And bicause our English men made Italians, can not hurt, but certaine persons, and in certaine places, therfore these Italian bookes are made English, to bryng mischief enough

232 The first booke teachyng

openly and boldly, to all states great and meane, yong and old,
euery where.
And thus yow see, how will intised to wantonnes, doth
easelie allure the mynde to false opinions: and how corrupt
maners in liuinge, breede false iudgement in doctrine: how sinne
and fleshlines, bring forth sectes and heresies: And therefore
suffer not vaine bookes to breede vanitie in mens willes, if yow
would haue Goddes trothe take roote in mens myndes.
That Italian, that first inuented the Italian Prouerbe
against our Englishe men Italianated, ment no more their
The Ita- // vanitie in liuing, than their lewd opinion in
lian pro- // Religion. For, in calling them Deuiles, he carieth
uerbe ex- // them cleane from God: and yet he carieth them
pounded. // no farder, than they willinglie go themselues,
that is, where they may freely say their mindes, to the open
contempte of God and all godlines, both in liuing and doctrine.
And how? I will expresse how, not by a Fable of Homere,
nor by the Philosophie of Plato, but by a plaine troth of
Goddes word, sensiblie vttered by Dauid thus. Thies men,
abhominabiles facti in studijs suis, thinke verily, and singe
gladlie the verse before, Dixit insipiens in Corde suo, non est
Psa. 14. // Deus: that is to say, they geuing themselues vp to
vanitie, shakinge of the motions of Grace, driuing
from them the feare of God, and running headlong into all
sinne, first, lustelie contemne God, than scornefullie mocke his
worde, and also spitefullie hate and hurte all well willers
thereof. Than they haue in more reuerence, the triumphes of
Petrarche: than the Genesis of Moses: They make more
accounte of Tullies offices, than S. Paules epistles: of a tale in
Bocace, than a storie of the Bible. Than they counte as
Fables, the holie misteries of Christian Religion. They make
Christ and his Gospell, onelie serue Ciuill pollicie: Than
neyther Religion cummeth amisse to them: In tyme they be
Promoters of both openlie: in place againe mockers of both
priuilie, as I wrote once in a rude ryme.

Now new, now olde, now both, now neither,
To serue the worldes course, they care not with whether.

For where they dare, in cumpanie where they like, they

the brynging vp of youth. 233

boldlie laughe to scorne both protestant and Papist. They
care for no scripture: They make no counte of generall
councels: they contemne the consent of the Chirch: They passe
for no Doctores: They mocke the Pope: They raile on Luther:
They allow neyther side: They like none, but onelie
themselues: The marke they shote at, the ende they looke for,
the heauen they desire, is onelie, their owne present pleasure,
and priuate proffit: whereby, they plainlie declare, of whose
schole, of what Religion they be: that is, Epicures in liuing,
and atheoi in doctrine: this last worde, is no more vnknowne
now to plaine English men, than the Person was vnknown
somtyme in England, vntill som Englishe man tooke peines, to
fetch that deuelish opinion out of Italie. Thies men, thus
Italianated abroad, can not abide our Godlie // The Ita-
Italian Chirch at home: they be not of that // lian Chirche
Parish, they be not of that felowshyp: they like // in London.
not y^t preacher: they heare not his sermons: Excepte som-
tymes for companie, they cum thither, to heare the Italian tonge
naturally spoken, not to hear Gods doctrine trewly preached.
And yet, thies men, in matters of Diuinitie, openlie pretend
a great knowledge, and haue priuatelie to them selues, a verie
compendious vnderstanding of all, which neuertheles they will
vtter when and where they liste: And that is this: All the
misteries of Moses, the whole lawe and Cerimonies, the
Psalmes and Prophetes, Christ and his Gospell, GOD and the
Deuill, Heauen and Hell, Faith, Conscience, Sinne, Death, and
all they shortlie wrap vp, they quickly expounde with this one
halfe verse of Horace.
Credat Iudæus Appella.
Yet though in Italie they may freely be of no Religion, as
they are in Englande in verie deede to, neuerthelesse returning
home into England they must countenance the profession of
the one or the other, howsoeuer inwardlie, they laugh to
scorne both. And though, for their priuate matters they can
follow, fawne, and flatter noble Personages, contrarie to them
in all respectes, yet commonlie they allie them- // Papistrie
selues with the worst Papistes, to whom they be // and impie-
wedded, and do well agree togither in three // tie agree in
proper opinions: In open contempte of Goddes // three opini-
worde: in a secret securitie of sinne: and in // ons.

234 The first booke teachyng

a bloodie desire to haue all taken away, by sword or burning,
Pigius. // that be not of their faction. They that do
read, with indifferent iudgement, Pygius and
Machiaue- // _Machiauel,/i>, two indifferent Patriarches of thies
lus. // two Religions, do know full well that I say trewe.
Ye see, what manners and doctrine, our Englishe men fetch
out of Italie: For finding no other there, they can bring no
Wise and // other hither. And therefore, manie godlie and
honest tra- // excellent learned Englishe men, not manie yeares
uelers. // ago, did make a better choice, whan open crueltie
draue them out of this contrie, to place themselues there, where
Germanie. // Christes doctrine, the feare of God, punishment
of sinne, and discipline of honestie, were had in
speciall regarde.
I was once in Italie my selfe: but I thanke God, my
Venice. // abode there, was but ix. dayes: And yet I sawe
in that litle tyme, in one Citie, more libertie to
sinne, than euer I hard tell of in our noble Citie of London in
London. // ix. yeare. I sawe, it was there, as free to sinne,
not onelie without all punishment, but also
without any mans marking, as it is free in the Citie of London,
to chose, without all blame, whether a man lust to weare Shoo
or pantocle. And good cause why: For being vnlike in troth
of Religion, they must nedes be vnlike in honestie of liuing.
Seruice of // For blessed be Christ, in our Citie of London,
God in // commonlie the commandementes of God, be more
England. // diligentlie taught, and the seruice of God more
reuerentlie vsed, and that daylie in many priuate mens houses,
Seruice of // than they be in Italie once a weeke in their
God in I- // common Chirches: where, masking Ceremonies,
talie. // to delite the eye, and vaine soundes, to please
the eare, do quite thrust out of the Chirches, all seruice of
The Lord // God in spirit and troth. Yea, the Lord Maior
Maior of // of London, being but a Ciuill officer, is com-
London. // monlie for his tyme, more diligent, in punishing
sinne, the bent enemie against God and good order, than all
The In- // the bloodie Inquisitors in Italie be in seauen yeare.
quisitors in // For, their care and charge is, not to punish
Italie. // sinne, not to amend manners, not to purge
doctrine, but onelie to watch and ouersee that Christes trewe

the brynging vp of youth. 235