the ready way to the Latin tong. 301
a lesse point of Grammer than these be, noted of me in Salust, as, whether he should write, ad Piræea, in Piræea, or in Piræeum, or Piræeum sine præpositione: And in those heuie tymes, he was so carefull to know this small point of Grammer, that he addeth these wordes Si hoc mihi zetema persolueris, magna me molestia liberaris. If Tullie, at that age, in that authoritie, in that care for his contrey, in that ieoperdie for him selfe, and extreme necessitie of hys dearest frendes, beyng also the Prince of Eloquence hym selfe, was not ashamed to descend to these low pointes of Grammer, in his owne naturall tong, what should scholers do, yea what should any man do, if he do thinke well doyng, better than ill doyng: And had rather be, perfite than meane, sure than doutefull, to be what he should be, in deed, not seeme what he is not, in opinion. He that maketh perfitnes in the Latin tong his marke, must cume to it by choice & certaine knowledge, not stumble vpon it by chance and doubtfull ignorance: And the right steppes to reach vnto it, be these, linked thus orderlie together, aptnes of nature, loue of learnyng, diligence in right order, constancie with pleasant moderation, and alwayes to learne of them that be best, and so shall you iudge as they that be wisest. And these be those reules, which worthie Master Cheke dyd impart vnto me con- cernyng Salust, and the right iudgement of the Latin tong.
¶ Cæsar.
Cæsar for that litle of him, that is left vnto vs, is like the
halfe face of a Venus, the other part of the head beyng hidden,
the bodie and the rest of the members vnbegon, yet so
excellentlie done by Apelles, as all men may stand still to mase
and muse vpon it, and no man step forth with any hope to
performe the like.
His seuen bookes de bello Gallico, and three de bello Ciuili, be
written, so wiselie for the matter, so eloquentlie for the tong,
that neither his greatest enemies could euer finde the least note
of parcialitie in him (a meruelous wisdome of a man, namely
writyng of his owne doynges) nor yet the best iudegers of the
Latin tong, nor the most enuious lookers vpon other mens
writynges, can say any other, but all things be most perfitelie
done by him.
302 The ready way to the Latin tong.
Brutus, Caluus, and Calidius, who found fault with Tullies
fulnes in woordes and matter, and that rightlie, for Tullie did
both, confesse it, and mend it, yet in Cæsar, they neither did,
nor could finde the like, or any other fault.
And therfore thus iustlie I may conclude of Cæsar, that
where, in all other, the best that euer wrote, in any tyme, or in
any tong, in Greke or Latin, I except neither Plato, Demosthenes,
nor Tullie, some fault is iustlie noted, in Cæsar onelie, could
neuer yet fault be found.
Yet neuertheles, for all this perfite excellencie in
him, yet it is but in one member of eloquence, and
that but of one side neither, whan we must
looke for that example to folow, which hath
a perfite head, a whole bodie, forward
and backward, armes and
legges and all.