Chapter 10

_Nec nunc cum me vocet vltro, Accedam? an potius mediter finire dolores? Exclusit: reuocat, redeam? non si obsecret. Ecce Seruus non Paulo sapientior: ô Here, quæ res Nec modum habet, neque consilium, ratione modóque Tractari non vult. In amore, hæc sunt mala, bellum, Pax rursum: hæc si quis tempestatis propè ritu Mobilia, et cæca fluitantia sorte, laboret Reddere certa, sibi nihilò plus explicet, ac si Insanire paret certa ratione, modòque._

This exercise may bring moch profite to ripe heads, and stayd iudgementes: bicause, in traueling in it, the mynde must nedes be verie attentiue, and busilie occupide, in turning and tossing it selfe many wayes: and conferryng with great pleasure, the varietie of worthie wittes and iudgementes togither: But this harme may sone cum therby, and namelie to yong Scholers, lesse, in seeking other wordes, and new forme of sentences, they chance vpon the worse: for the which onelie cause, _Cicero_ thinketh this exercise not to be fit for yong men.

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_Epitome._

This is a way of studie, belonging, rather to matter, than to wordes: to memorie, than to vtterance: to those that be learned alreadie, and hath small place at all amonges yong scholers in Grammer scholes. It may proffet priuately some learned men, but it hath hurt generallie learning it selfe, very moch. For by it haue we lost whole _Trogus_, the best part of _T. Liuius_, the goodlie Dictionarie of _Pompeius festus_, a great deale of the Ciuill lawe, and other many notable bookes, for the which cause, I do the more mislike this exercise, both in old and yong. _Epitome_, is good priuatelie for himselfe that doth worke it, but ill commonlie for all other that vse other mens labor therein: a silie poore kinde of studie, not vnlike to the doing of those poore folke, which neyther till, nor sowe, nor reape themselues, but gleane by stelth, vpon other mens growndes. Soch, haue emptie barnes, for deare yeares. Grammer scholes haue fewe _Epitomes_ to hurt them, except _Epitheta Textoris_, and such beggarlie gatheringes, as _Horman, whittington_, and other like vulgares for making of latines: yea I do wishe, that all rules for yong scholers, were shorter than they be. For without doute, _Grammatica_ it selfe, is sooner and surer learned by examples of good authors, than by the naked rewles of _Grammarians_. _Epitome_ hurteth more, in the vni- uersities and studie of Philosophie: but most of all, in diuinitie it selfe. In deede bookes of common places be verie necessarie, to induce a man, into an orderlie generall knowledge, how to referre orderlie all that he readeth, _ad certa rerum Capita_, and not wander in studie. And to that end did _P. Lombardus_ the master of sentences and _Ph. Melancthon_ in our daies, write two notable bookes of common places. But to dwell in _Epitomes_ and bookes of common places, and not to binde himselfe dailie by orderlie studie, to reade with all diligence, principallie the holyest scripture and withall, the best Doctors, and so to learne to make trewe difference betwixt, the authoritie of the one, and the Counsell of the other, maketh so many seeming, and sonburnt ministers as we haue, whose

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learning is gotten in a sommer heat, and washed away, with a Christmas snow againe: who neuerthelesse, are lesse to be blamed, than those blind bussardes, who in late yeares, of wilfull maliciousnes, would neyther learne themselues, nor could teach others, any thing at all. _Paraphrasis_ hath done lesse hurt to learning, than _Epitome_: for no _Paraphrasis_, though there be many, shall neuer take away _Dauids_ Psalter. _Erasmus Paraphrasis_ being neuer so good, shall neuer banishe the new Testament. And in an other schole, the _Paraphrasis_ of _Brocardus_, or _Sambucus_, shal neuer take _Aristotles_ Rhetoricke, nor _Horace de Arte Poetica_, out of learned mens handes. But, as concerning a schole _Epitome_, he that wold haue an example of it, let him read _Lucian_ peri kallous which is the verie _Epitome_ of _Isocrates_ oration _de laudibus Helenæ_, whereby he may learne, at the least, this wise lesson, that a man ought to beware, to be ouer bold, in altering an excellent mans worke. Neuertheles, some kinde of _Epitome_ may be vsed, by men of skilful iudgement, to the great proffet also of others. As if a wise man would take _Halles_ Cronicle, where moch good matter is quite marde with Indenture Englishe, and first change, strange and inkhorne tearmes into proper, and commonlie vsed wordes: next, specially to wede out that, that is superfluous and idle, not onelie where wordes be vainlie heaped one vpon an other, but also where many sentences, of one meaning, be clowted vp together as though _M. Hall_ had bene, not writing the storie of England, but varying a sentence in Hitching schole: surelie a wise learned man, by this way of _Epitome_, in cutting away wordes and sentences, and diminishing nothing at all of the matter, shold leaue to mens vse, a storie, halfe as moch as it was in quantitie, but twise as good as it was, both for pleasure and also commoditie. An other kinde of _Epitome_ may be vsed likewise very well, to moch proffet. Som man either by lustines of nature, or brought by ill teaching, to a wrong iudgement, is ouer full of words, sentences, & matter, & yet all his words be proper, apt & well chosen: all his sentences be rownd and trimlie framed: his whole matter grownded vpon good reason, & stuffed with full arguments, for his intent & purpose. Yet when his talke

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shalbe heard, or his writing be red, of soch one, as is, either of my two dearest frendes, _M. Haddon_ at home, or _Iohn Sturmius_ in Germanie, that _Nimium_ in him, which fooles and vnlearned will most commend, shall eyther of thies two, bite his lippe, or shake his heade at it. This fulnes as it is not to be misliked in a yong man, so in farder aige, in greater skill, and weightier affaires, it is to be temperated, or else discretion and iudgement shall seeme to be wanting in him. But if his stile be still ouer rancke and lustie, as some men being neuer so old and spent by yeares, will still be full of youthfull conditions as was Syr _F. Bryan_, and euer- more wold haue bene: soch a rancke and full writer, must vse, if he will do wiselie the exercise of a verie good kinde of _Epitome_, and do, as certaine wise men do, that be ouer fat and fleshie: who leauing their owne full and plentifull table, go to soiorne abrode from home for a while, at the temperate diet of some sober man: and so by litle and litle, cut away the grosnesse that is in them. As for an example: If _Osorius_ would leaue of his lustines in striuing against _S. Austen_, and his ouer rancke rayling against poore _Luther_, and the troth of Gods doctrine, and giue his whole studie, not to write any thing of his owne for a while, but to translate _Demosthenes_, with so straite, fast, & temperate a style in latine, as he is in Greeke, he would becume so perfit & pure a writer, I beleue, as hath bene fewe or none sence _Ciceroes_ dayes: And so, by doing himself and all learned moch good, do others lesse harme, & Christes doctrine lesse iniury, than he doth: & with all, wyn vnto himselfe many worthy frends, who agreing with him gladly, in y^e loue & liking of excellent learning, are sorie to see so worthie a witte, so rare eloquence, wholie spent and consumed, in striuing with God and good men. Emonges the rest, no man doth lament him more than I, not onelie for the excellent learning that I see in him, but also bicause there hath passed priuatelie betwixt him and me, sure tokens of moch good will, and frendlie opinion, the one toward the other. And surelie the distance betwixt London and Lysbon, should not stoppe, any kinde of frendlie dewtie, that I could, eyther shew to him, or do to his, if the greatest matter of all did not in certeyne pointes, separate our myndes. And yet for my parte, both toward him, and diuerse others

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here at home, for like cause of excellent learning, great wisdome, and gentle humanitie, which I haue seene in them, and felt at their handes my selfe, where the matter of indifference is mere conscience in a quiet minde inwardlie, and not contentious malice with spitefull rayling openlie, I can be content to followe this rewle, in misliking some one thing, not to hate for anie thing els. But as for all the bloodie beastes, as that fat Boore of the _Psal._ 80. // wood: or those brauling Bulles of Basan: or any lurking _Dormus_, blinde, not by nature, but by malice, & as may be gathered of their owne testimonie, giuen ouer to blindnes, for giuing ouer God & his word; or soch as be so lustie runnegates, as first, runne from God & his trew doctrine, than, from their Lordes, Masters, & all dewtie, next, from them selues & out of their wittes, lastly from their Prince, contrey, & all dew allegeance, whether they ought rather to be pitied of good men, for their miserie, or contemned of wise men, for their malicious folie, let good and wise men deter- mine. And to returne to _Epitome_ agayne, some will iudge moch boldnes in me, thus to iudge of _Osorius_ style: but wise men do know, that meane lookers on, may trewelie say, for a well made Picture: This face had bene more cumlie, if that hie redde in the cheeke, were somwhat more pure sanguin than it is: and yet the stander by, can not amend it himselfe by any way. And this is not written to the dispraise but to the great commendation of _Osorius_, because _Tullie_ himselfe had the same fulnes in him: and therefore went to _Rodes_ to cut it away: and saith himselfe, _recepi me domum prope mutatus, nam quasi referuerat iam oratio_. Which was brought to passe I beleue, not onelie by the teaching of _Molo Appollonius_ but also by a good way of _Epitome_, in binding him selfe to translate _meros Atticos Oratores_, and so to bring his style, from all lowse grosnesse, to soch firme fastnes in latin, as is in _Demosthenes_ in Greeke. And this to be most trew, may easelie be gathered, not onelie of _L. Crassus_ talke in 1. _de Or._ but speciallie of _Ciceroes_ owne deede in translating _Demosthenes_ and _æschines_ orations peri steph. to that verie ende and purpose. And although a man growndlie learned all readie, may take moch proffet him selfe in vsing, by _Epitome_, to draw other mens

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workes for his owne memorie sake, into shorter rowme, as _Conterus_ hath done verie well the whole _Metamorphosis_ of _Ouid_, & _Dauid Cythræus_ a great deale better, the ix. Muses of _Hero- dotus_, and _Melanchthon_ in myne opinion, far best of all, the whole storie of Time, not onelie to his own vse, but to other mens proffet and hys great prayse, yet, _Epitome_ is most necessarie of all in a mans owne writing, as we learne of that noble Poet _Virgill_, who, if _Donatus_ say trewe, in writing that perfite worke of the _Georgickes_, vsed dailie, when he had written 40. or 50. verses, not to cease cutting, paring, and pollishing of them, till he had brought them to the nomber of x. or xij. And this exercise, is not more nedefullie done in a great worke, than wiselie done, in your common dailie writing, either of letter, or other thing else, that is to say, to peruse diligentlie, and see and spie wiselie, what is alwaies more than nedeth: For, twenty to one, offend more, in writing to moch, than to litle: euen as twentie to one, fall into sicknesse, rather by ouer moch fulnes, than by anie lacke or emptinesse. And therefore is he alwaies the best English Physition, that best can geue a purgation, that is, by way of _Epitome_, to cut all ouer much away. And surelie mens bodies, be not more full of ill humors, than commonlie mens myndes (if they be yong, lustie, proude, like and loue them selues well, as most men do) be full of fansies, opinions, errors, and faultes, not onelie in inward inuention, but also in all their vtterance, either by pen or taulke. And of all other men, euen those that haue y^e inuentiuest heades, for all purposes, and roundest tonges in all matters and places (except they learne and vse this good lesson of _Epitome_) commit commonlie greater faultes, than dull, staying silent men do. For, quicke inuentors, and faire readie speakers, being boldned with their present habilitie to say more, and perchance better to, at the soden for that present, than any other can do, vse lesse helpe of diligence and studie than they ought to do: and so haue in them commonlie, lesse learning, and weaker iudgement, for all deepe considerations, than some duller heades, and slower tonges haue. And therefore, readie speakers, generallie be not the best, playnest, and wisest writers, nor yet the deepest iudgers in weightie affaires, bicause they do not tarry to weye and iudge all thinges, as they should: but hauing their heades ouer full of

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matter, be like pennes ouer full of incke, which will soner blotte, than make any faire letter at all. Tyme was, whan I had experience of two Ambassadors in one place, the one of a hote head to inuent, and of a hastie hand to write, the other, colde and stayd in both: but what difference of their doinges was made by wise men, is not vnknowne to some persons. The Bishop of Winchester _Steph_: _Gardiner_ had a quicke head, and a readie tong, and yet was not the best writer in England. _Cicero_ in _Brutus_ doth wiselie note the same in _Serg: Galbo_, and _Q. Hortentius_, who were both, hote, lustie, and plaine speakers, but colde, lowse, and rough writers: And _Tullie_ telleth the cause why, saying, whan they spake, their tong was naturally caried with full tyde & wynde of their witte: whan they wrote their head was solitarie, dull, and caulme, and so their style was blonte, and their writing colde: _Quod vitium_, sayth _Cicero_, _peringeniosis hominibus neque satis doctis plerumque accidit_. And therfore all quick inuentors, & readie faire speakers, must be carefull, that, to their goodnes of nature, they adde also in any wise, studie, labor, leasure, learning, and iudgement, and than they shall in deede, passe all other, as I know some do, in whome all those qualities are fullie planted, or else if they giue ouer moch to their witte, and ouer litle to their labor and learning, they will sonest ouer reach in taulke, and fardest cum behinde in writing whatsoeuer they take in hand. The methode of _Epitome_ is most necessarie for soch kinde of men. And thus much concerning the vse or misuse of all kinde of _Epitomes_ in matters of learning.

[dingbat omitted] _Imitatio._

_Imitation_, is a facultie to expresse liuelie and perfitelie that example: which ye go about to folow. And of it selfe, it is large and wide: for all the workes of nature, in a maner be examples for arte to folow. But to our purpose, all languages, both learned and mother tonges, be gotten, and gotten onelie by _Imitation_. For as ye vse to heare, so ye learne to speake: if ye heare no other, ye speake not your selfe: and whome ye onelie heare, of them ye onelie learne. And therefore, if ye would speake as the best and wisest do,

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ye must be conuersant, where the best and wisest are: but if yow be borne or brought vp in a rude contrie, ye shall not chose but speake rudelie: the rudest man of all knoweth this to be trewe. Yet neuerthelesse, the rudenes of common and mother tonges, is no bar for wise speaking. For in the rudest contrie, and most barbarous mother language, many be found can speake verie wiselie: but in the Greeke and latin tong, the two onelie learned tonges, which be kept, not in common taulke, but in priuate bookes, we finde alwayes, wisdome and eloquence, good matter and good vtterance, neuer or seldom a sonder. For all soch Authors, as be fullest of good matter and right iudgement in doctrine, be likewise alwayes, most proper in wordes, most apte in sentence, most plaine and pure in vttering the same. And contrariwise, in those two tonges, all writers, either in Religion, or any sect of Philosophie, who so euer be founde fonde in iudgement of matter, be commonlie found as rude in vttering their mynde. For Stoickes, Anabaptistes, and Friers: with Epicures, Libertines and Monkes, being most like in learning and life, are no fonder and pernicious in their opinions, than they be rude and barbarous in their writinges. They be not wise, therefore that say, what care I for a mans wordes and vtterance, if his matter and reasons be good. Soch men, say so, not so moch of ignorance, as eyther of some singular pride in themselues, or some speciall malice or other, or for some priuate & perciall matter, either in Religion or other kinde of learning. For good and choice meates, be no more requisite for helthie bodies, than proper and apte wordes be for good matters, and also plaine and sensible vtterance for the best and depest reasons: in which two pointes standeth perfite eloquence, one of the fairest and rarest giftes that God doth geue to man. Ye know not, what hurt ye do to learning, that care not for wordes, but for matter, and so make a deuorse betwixt the tong and the hart. For marke all aiges: looke vpon the whole course of both the Greeke and Latin tonge, and ye shall surelie finde, that, whan apte and good wordes began to be neglected, and properties of those two tonges to be confounded, than also began, ill deedes to spring: strange maners to oppresse good orders, newe and fond opinions to striue with olde and trewe doctrine, first in Philosophie: and after in Religion: right

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iudgement of all thinges to be peruerted, and so vertue with learning is contemned, and studie left of: of ill thoughtes cummeth peruerse iudgement: of ill deedes springeth lewde taulke. Which fower misorders, as they mar mans life, so destroy they good learning withall. But behold the goodnesse of Gods prouidence for learning: all olde authors and sectes of Philosophy, which were fondest in opinion, and rudest in vtterance, as Stoickes and Epicures, first contemned of wise men, and after forgotten of all men, be so consumed by tymes, as they be now, not onelie out of vse, but also out of memorie of man: which thing, I surelie thinke, will shortlie chance, to the whole doctrine and all the bookes of phantasticall Anabaptistes and Friers, and of the beastlie Libertines and Monkes. Againe behold on the other side, how Gods wisdome hath wrought, that of _Academici_ and _Peripatetici_, those that were wisest in iudgement of matters, and purest in vttering their myndes, the first and chiefest, that wrote most and best, in either tong, as _Plato_ and _Aristotle_ in Greeke, _Tullie_ in Latin, be so either wholie, or sufficiently left vnto vs, as I neuer knew yet scholer, that gaue himselfe to like, and loue, and folow chieflie those three Authors but he proued, both learned, wise, and also an honest man, if he ioyned with all the trewe doctrine of Gods holie Bible, without the which, the other three, be but fine edge tooles in a fole or mad mans hand. But to returne to _Imitation_ agayne: There be three kindes of it in matters of learning. The whole doctrine of Comedies and Tragedies, is a perfite _imitation_, or faire liuelie painted picture of the life of euerie degree of man. Of this _Imitation_ writeth _Plato_ at large in 3. _de Rep._ but it doth not moch belong at this time to our purpose. The second kind of _Imitation_, is to folow for learning of tonges and sciences, the best authors. Here riseth, emonges proude and enuious wittes, a great controuersie, whether, one or many are to be folowed: and if one, who is that one: _Seneca_, or _Cicero_: _Salust_ or _Cæsar_, and so forth in Greeke and Latin. The third kinde of _Imitation_, belongeth to the second: as when you be determined, whether ye will folow one or mo, to know perfitlie, and which way to folow that one: in what

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