The Scholemaster Part 9

os ephat eddeisen d o geron, kai epeitheto mytho be d akeon para thina polyphloisboio thala.s.ses, polla d epeit apaneuthe kion erath o geraios Apolloni anakti, ton eukomos teke Leto.

klythi meu, argyrotox, os Chrysen amphibebekas, killan te zatheen, Tenedoio te iphi ana.s.seis, smintheu, ei pote toi Charient epi neon erepsa, e ei de pote toi kata piona meri ekea tauron, ed aigon, tode moi kreenon eeldor tiseian Danaoi ema dakrua soisi belessin.

Socrates in 3. _de Rep._ saith thus,

Phraso gar aneu metrou, ou gar eimi poietikos.

elthen o Chryses tes te thygatros lytra pheron, kai iketes ton Achaion, malista de ton basileon: kai eucheto, ekeinois men tous theous dounai elontas ten Troian, autous de sothenai, ten de thygatera oi auto lysai, dexamenous apoina, kai ton theon aidesthentas. Toiauta de eipontos autou, oi men alloi esebonto kai synenoun, o de Agamemnon egriainen, entel- lomenos nyn te apienai, kai authis me elthein, me auto to te skeptron, kai ta tou theou stemmata ouk eparkesoi. prin de lythenai autou thygatera, en Argei ephe gerasein meta ou.

apienai de ekeleue, kai me erethizein, ina sos oikade elthoi.

o de presbytes akousas edeise te kai apeei sige, apocho- resas d ek tou stratopedou polla to Apolloni eucheto, tas te eponymias tou theou anakalon kai ypomimneskon kai apaiton, ei ti popote e en naon oikodomesesin, e en ieron thysiais kecharismenon doresaito. on de charin kateucheto tisai tous Achaious ta a dakrua tois ekeinon belesin.

To compare _Homer_ and _Plato_ together, two wonders of nature and arte for witte and eloquence, is most pleasant and profitable, for a man of ripe iudgement. _Platos_ turning of _Homer_ in this place, doth not ride a loft in Poeticall termes, but goeth low and soft on foote, as prose and _Pedestris oratio_ should do. If _Sulpitius_ had had _Platos_ consideration, in right

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vsing this exercise, he had not deserued the name of _Tragicus Orator_, who should rather haue studied to expresse _vim Demos- thenis_, than _furorem Poaetae_, how good so euer he was, whom he did folow.

And therfore would I haue our Scholemaster wey well together _Homer_ and _Plato_, and marke diligentlie these foure pointes, what is kept: what is added: what is left out: what is changed, either, in choise of wordes, or forme of sentences: which foure pointes, be the right tooles, to handle like a worke- man, this kinde of worke: as our Scholer shall better vnder- stand, when he hath bene a good while in the Vniuersitie: to which tyme and place, I chiefly remitte this kinde of exercise.

And bicause I euer thought examples to be the best kinde of teaching, I will recite a golden sentence out of that Poete, which is next vnto _Homer_, not onelie in tyme, but also in worthines: which hath bene a paterne for many worthie wittes to follow, by this kind of _Metaphrasis_, but I will content my selfe, with foure workemen, two in _Greke_, and two in _Latin_, soch, as in both the tonges, wiser & worthier, can not be looked for. Surelie, no stone set in gold by most cunning workemen, is in deed, if right counte be made, more worthie the looking on, than this golden sentence, diuerslie wrought vpon, by soch foure excellent Masters.

_Hesiodus_. 2.

1. outos men panariotos, os auto panta noese, phra.s.samenos ta k epeita kai es telos esin ameino: 2. esthlos d au kakeinos, os eu eiponti pithetai, 3. os de ke met autos noee, met allou akouon en thymo balletai, o d aut achreios aner.

-- Thus rudelie turned into base English.

1. _That man in wisedome pa.s.seth all, to know the best who hath a head:_ 2. _And meetlie wise eeke counted shall, who yeildes him selfe to wise mens read:_ 3. _Who hath no witte, nor none will heare, amongest all fooles the bell may beare._

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_Sophocles in Antigone._

1. Phem egoge presbeuein poly, Phynai ton andra pant epiotemes pleon: 2. Ei d oun (philei gar touto me taute repein), Kai ton legonton eu kalon to manthanein.

Marke the wisedome of _Sophocles_, in leauyng out the last sentence, because it was not c.u.mlie for the sonne to vse it to his father.

-- _D. Basileus in his Exhortation to youth._

Memnesthe tou Esiodou, os phesi, ariston men einai ton par eautou ta deonta xynoronta. 2. Esthlon de kakei- non, ton tois, par eteron ypodeicheisin epomenon. 3. ton de pros oudeteron epitedeion achreion einai pros apanta.

-- M. Cic. Pro A. Cluentio.

1. _Sapientissimum esse dic.u.n.t eum, cui, quod opus sit, ipsi veniat in mentem:_ 2. _Proxime accedere illum, qui alterius bene inuentis obtemperet._ 3. _In stulticia contra est: minus enim stultus est is, cui nihil in mentem venit, quam ille, qui, quod stulte alteri venit in mentem comprobat._

_Cicero_ doth not plainlie expresse the last sentence, but doth inuent it fitlie for his purpose, to taunt the folie and simplicitie in his aduersarie _Actius_, not weying wiselie, the sutle doynges of _Chrysogonus_ and _Staienus_.

-- t.i.t. Liuius in Orat. Minutij. Lib. 22.

1. _Saepe ego audiui milites; eum primum esse virum, qui ipse consulat, quid in rem sit:_ 2. _Secundum eum, qui bene monenti obediat:_ 3. _Qui, nec ipse consulere, nec alteri parere scit, eum extremi esse ingenij._

Now, which of all these foure, _Sophocles, S. Basil, Cicero_, or _Liuie_, hath expressed _Hesiodus_ best, the iudgement is as hard, as the workemans.h.i.+p of euerie one is most excellent in deede. An other example out of the _Latin_ tong also I will recite, for the worthines of the workeman therof, and that is _Horace_, who hath

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so turned the begynning of _Terence Eunuchus_, as doth worke in me, a pleasant admiration, as oft so euer, as I compare those two places togither. And though euerie Master, and euerie good Scholer to, do know the places, both in _Terence_ and _Horace_, yet I will set them heare, in one place togither, that with more pleasure, they may be compared together.

-- Terentius in Eunucho.

_Quid igitur faciam? non eam? ne nunc quidem c.u.m accersor ultr? an potius ita me comparem, non perpeti meretric.u.m con- tumelias? exclusit: reuocat, redeam? non, si me obsecret._ PAR- MENO a little after. _Here, quae res in se neque consilium neque modum habet vllum, eam consilio regere non potes. In Amore haec omnia insunt vitia, iniuriae, suspiciones, inimicitiae, induciae, bellum, pax rursum. Incerta haec si tu postules ratione certa facere, nihilo plus agas, quem si des operam, vt c.u.m ratione insanias._

-- Horatius, lib. Ser. 2. Saty. 3.

_Nec nunc c.u.m me vocet vltro, Accedam? an potius mediter finire dolores?

Exclusit: reuocat, redeam? non si obsecret. Ecce Seruus non Paulo sapientior: o Here, quae res Nec modum habet, neque consilium, ratione modoque Tractari non vult. In amore, haec sunt mala, bellum, Pax rursum: haec si quis tempestatis prope ritu Mobilia, et caeca fluitantia sorte, laboret Reddere certa, sibi nihil plus explicet, ac si Insanire paret certa ratione, modque._

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 c.u.m 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, princ.i.p.allie 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 Helenae_, 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 diminis.h.i.+ng nothing at all of the matter, shold leaue to mens vse, a storie, halfe as moch as it was in quant.i.tie, 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 l.u.s.tines 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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