Chapter 3

¶ All thys profite is lost except thou caste seede into the forowe, excepte thou noryshe wyth thy labour this tender plant as it groweth, and as it were make it tame by graffyng. Thou awakest in tamyng thy plãt, and slepeste thou in thy sonne? All the state of mans felicitie standeth specially in thre poyntes: nature, good orderyng, and exercyse. I cal nature an aptnes to be taught, and a readines that is graffed within vs to honestye. Good orderynge or teachyng, I call doctryne, which stondeth in monicions and preceptes. I call exercyse the vse of that perfitenes which nature hath graffed in vs, and that reason hath furthered. Nature requyreth good order and fashionynge: exercyse, except it be gouerned by reason, is in daunger to manye perylles and erroures. They be greatly therefore deceiued, whych thynke it suffici[en]t to be borne, & no lesse do they erre whyche beleue that wysedome is got by handelynge matters and greate affayres wythoute the preceptes of philosophye. Tel me I praye you, when shall he be a good runner whych runneth lustelye in deede, but eyther runneth in the darke, or knoweth not the waye? ¶ When shall he bee a good sworde player, whych shaketh hys sworde vp and downe wynkyng? Preceptes of philosophye be as it were the eyes of the mynde, and in manner geue lyght before vs that you may see what is nedefull to be done and what not. Longe experience of diuerse thinges profite much in dede, I confesse, but to a wyse man that is diligently instructed in preceptes of well doynge. Counte what thei haue done, and what thei haue suffered all theyr lyfe, whych haue gotten them by experience of thinges a sely small prudence & thinke whether y^u woldest wyshe so greate myschiues to thy sonne. Moreouer philosophye teacheth more in one yere, then dothe anye experience in thyrty, and it teacheth safely, wh[en] by experience mo men waxe miserable then prudent, in so much that the old fathers not without a cause sayde: a man to make a perill or be in ieopardy, whych assayed a thyng by experience. Go to, if a man wold haue hys sonne well seene in physycke, whether wolde he rather he shulde reade the bookes of physicions or learne by experience what thynge wolde hurt by poysonyng, or helpe by a remedy. Howe vnhappye prudence is it, when the shypman hathe learned the arte of saylynge by often shypwrackes, when the prince by continuall batayles and tumultes, and by cõmon myschieues hath learned to beare hys office? Thys is the prudence of fooles, and that is bought to dearlye, that men shulde be wyse after they be strycken wyth myschief. He learneth very costely, whych by wanderyng lerneth not to wander. Philippus wyselye learned hys sonne Alexander to shewe hym selfe glad to lerne of Aristotle: and to learne philosophy perfectlye of him to the ent[en]t he shuld not do that he shuld repent hym of. And yet was Phylyp cõmended for hys singuler towardnes of wytte. What thynke ye then is to be looked for of the cõmon sorte. But the manner of teachynge doth briefly shewe what we shulde folowe, what wee shulde auoyde: neyther dothe it after wee haue taken hurte monyshe vs, thys came euyll to passe, hereafter take heede: but or euer ye take the matter in hande, it cryeth: If thou do thys, thou shalt get vnto the euyll name and myschiefe. Let vs knytte therfore this threfolde corde, that both good teachyng leade nature, and exercise make perfite good teachynge. Moreouer in other beastes we do perceiue that euery one doth sonest learne that that is most properly belonging to hys nature, and whych is fyrste to the sauegarde of hys healthe: and that standeth in those thynges which brynge either payne or destrucciõ. Not onlye liuing thyngs but plantes also haue thys sence. For we se that trees also in that parte where the sea doth sauour, or the northen winde blow, to shrynke in their braunches and boughes: and where the wether is more gentle, there to spreade them farther oute.