294 The second booke teachyng

And although the Latin tong did faire blome and blossome in L. Crassus, and M. Antonius, yet in Tullies tyme onely, and in Tullie himselfe chieflie, was the Latin tong fullie ripe, and growne to the hiest pitch of all perfection. And yet in the same tyme, it began to fade and stoupe, as Tullie him selfe, in Brutus de Claris Oratoribus, with weeping wordes doth witnesse. And bicause, emongs them of that tyme, there was some difference, good reason is, that of them of that tyme, should be made right choice also. And yet let the best Ciceronian in Italie read Tullies familiar epistles aduisedly ouer, and I beleue he shall finde small difference, for the Latin tong, either in propriety of wordes or framing of the stile, betwixt Tullie, and those that write vnto him. As ser. Sulpitius, A. Cecinna, M. Cælius, M. et D. Bruti, A. Pollio, L. Plancus, and diuerse Epi. Planci // other: read the epistles of L. Plancus in x. Lib. x. lib. Epist. // and for an assay, that Epistle namely to the Coss. 8. // and whole Senate, the eight Epistle in number, and what could be, eyther more eloquentlie, or more wiselie written, yea by Tullie himselfe, a man may iustly doubt. Thies men and Tullie, liued all in one tyme, were like in authoritie, not vnlike in learning and studie, which might be iust causes of this their equalitie in writing: And yet surely, they neyther were in deed, nor yet were counted in mens opinions, equall with Tullie in that facultie. And how is the difference hid in his Epistles? verelie, as the cunning of an expert Sea man, in a faire calme fresh Ryuer, doth litle differ from the doing of a meaner workman therein, euen so, in the short cut of a priuate letter, where, matter is common, wordes easie, and order not moch diuerse, small shew of difference can appeare. But where Tullie doth set vp his saile of eloquence, in some broad deep Argument, caried with full tyde and winde, of his witte and learnyng, all other may rather stand and looke after him, than hope to ouertake him, what course so euer he hold, either in faire or foule. Foure men onely whan the Latin tong was full ripe, be left vnto vs, who in that tyme did florish, and did leaue to posteritie, the fruite of their witte and learning: Varro, Salust, Cæsar, and Cicero. Whan I say, these foure onely, I am not ignorant, that euen in the same tyme, most excellent Poetes, deseruing well of the Latin tong, as Lucretius,

the ready way to the Latin tong. 295

Cattullus, Virgill and Horace, did write: But, bicause, in this litle booke, I purpose to teach a yong scholer, to go, not to daunce: to speake, not to sing, whan Poetes in deed, namelie Epici and Lyrici, as these be, are fine dauncers, and trime singers, but Oratores and Historici be those cumlie goers, and faire and wise speakers, of whom I wishe my scholer to wayte vpon first, and after in good order, & dew tyme, to be brought forth, to the singing and dauncing schole: And for this consi- deration, do I name these foure, to be the onelie writers of that tyme.

Varro.

Varro, in his bookes de lingua Latina, et Analogia as these be
left mangled and patched vnto vs, doth not enter // Varro.
there in to any great depth of eloquence, but as
one caried in a small low vessell him selfe verie nie the common
shore, not much vnlike the fisher men of Rye, and Hering men
of Yarmouth. Who deserue by common mens opinion, small
commendacion, for any cunning saling at all, yet neuertheles
in those bookes of Varro good and necessarie stuffe, for that
meane kinde of Argument, be verie well and learnedlie gathered
togither.
His bookes of Husbandrie, are moch to be regarded, and
diligentlie to be read, not onelie for the proprietie, // De Rep.
but also for the plentie of good wordes, in all // Rustica.
contrey and husbandmens affaires: which can not
be had, by so good authoritie, out of any other Author, either
of so good a tyme, or of so great learnyng, as out of Varro.
And yet bicause, he was fourescore yeare old, whan he wrote
those bookes, the forme of his style there compared with Tullies
writyng, is but euen the talke of a spent old man: whose
wordes commonlie fall out of his mouth, though verie wiselie,
yet hardly and coldie, and more heauelie also, than some eares
can well beare, except onelie for age, and authorities sake. And
perchance, in a rude contrey argument, of purpose and iudge-
ment, he rather vsed, the speach of the contrey, than talke of
the Citie.
And so, for matter sake, his wordes sometyme, be somewhat
rude: and by the imitation of the elder Cato, old and out of vse:

296 The second booke teachyng

And beyng depe stept in age, by negligence some wordes do so scape & fall from him in those bookes, as be not worth the Lib. 3. // taking vp, by him, that is carefull to speake or Cap. 1. // write trew Latin, as that sentence in him, Romani, in pace à rusticis alebantur, et in bello ab his tuebantur. A good student must be therfore carefull and diligent, to read with iudgement ouer euen those Authors, which did write in the most perfite tyme: and let him not be affrayd to trie them, both in proprietie of wordes, and forme of style, by the touch stone of Cæsar and Cicero, whose puritie was neuer soiled, no not by the sentence of those, that loued them worst. All louers of learnyng may sore lament the losse of those The loue // bookes of Varro, which he wrote in his yong and of Var- // lustie yeares, with good leysure, and great learnyng roes // of all partes of Philosophie: of the goodliest argu- bookes. // mentes, perteyning both to the common wealth, and priuate life of man, as, de Ratione studij, et educandis liberis, which booke, is oft recited, and moch praysed, in the fragmentes of Nonius, euen for authoritie sake. He wrote most diligentlie and largelie, also the whole historie of the state of Rome: the mysteries of their whole Religion: their lawes, customes, and gouernement in peace: their maners, and whole discipline in warre: And this is not my gessing, as one in deed that neuer saw those bookes, but euen, the verie iudgement, & playne testimonie of Tullie him selfe, who knew & read those bookes, in these wordes: Tu ætatem Patriæ: Tu descriptiones temporum: In Acad. // _Tu sacrorum, tu sacerdotum Iura: Tu domesticam, Quest. // tu bellicam disciplinam: Tu sedem Regionum, locorum, tu omnium diuinarum humanarumque rerum nomina, genera, officia, causas aperuisti. &c. But this great losse of Varro, is a litle recompensed by the happy comming of Dionysius Halicarnassæus to Rome in Augustus dayes: who getting the possession of Varros librarie, out of that treasure house of learning, did leaue vnto vs some frute of Varros witte and diligence, I meane, his goodlie bookes de Antiquitatibus Romanorum. Varro was so estemed for his excellent learnyng, as Tullie him selfe had a reuerence to his Cic. ad // iudgement in all doutes of learnyng. And Att. // Antonius Triumuir, his enemie, and of a contrarie faction, who had power to kill and bannish whom

the ready way to the Latin tong. 297

he listed, whan Varros name amongest others was brought in a schedule vnto him, to be noted to death, he tooke his penne and wrote his warrant of sauegard with these most goodlie wordes, Viuat Varro vir doctissimus. In later tyme, no man knew better, nor liked and loued more Varros learnyng, than did S. Augustine, as they do well vnderstand, that haue diligentlie read ouer his learned bookes de Ciuitate Dei: Where he hath this most notable sentence: Whan I see, how much Varro wrote, I meruell much, that euer he had any leasure to read: and whan I perceiue how many thinges he read, I meruell more, that euer he had any leasure to write. &c. And surelie, if Varros bookes had remained to posteritie, as by Gods prouidence, the most part of Tullies did, than trewlie the Latin tong might haue made good comparison with the Greke.