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, whẽ 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 be looked for of the cõmon t vyces, before we teache them vertues. And it is no maruell if we haue them not verye apte to learne honestye, seyng they are nowe already taught to myschiefe. And who is ignoraunt, that the labour to vnteache, is both harder, and also goth before teachyng. e worst of our seruauntes. e day dyet, which longe ago was muche spokẽ of in ye name of Crates. They report it after thys fashion. Alow to thy coke .x. poũd, to thy physicion a grote, to thy flatterer .v. talẽts, to thy coũseller smoke, to thy harlot a talent, to thy philosospher .iii. halfpẽs. What lacketh to this preposterous count, but to put to it yt the teacher haue .iii. farthings: Howbeit I thinke yt the master is meant vnder ye name of philosopher. Whẽ one that was riche in money, but nedy of wit axed Aristippus what wages he wold axe for teching his son, & he answered .v.C. grotes. You axe quod he to great a sũme: for wt this much money a man maye bye a seruaunte. t speake good wordes .xx. pounde. No man can geue nature, eyther to himselfe, or to other: howbeit in this poynte also the diligẽce of the parẽtes helpeth much. behauinge hym selfe not verye soberlie, it is meruell quod he, but if thy father begat the whẽ he was dronke. e time of concepcion and byrthe, haue her mynde free from all crimes, and be of a good cõscience. For ther can be nothyng eyther more quiet or more merye then such a mynd. The thyrd point is yt the mother noryshe with her own brestes her infãt, or if ther hap any necessitie that it maye not so be, let be chosẽ a nurse, of a wholsome e very beginninges of lyfe, both of the bodye and of the mynd, abyde fast vntyl we be olde. t it skilleth muche who be his sucking felowes & who be his playfelowes. Fourthlye that in due season he be set to a chosen scholemaster alowed by all mens witnes, and many waies tryed. You must be diligẽt in chosyng, and after go thorowe with it. Homer disaloweth wher many beare rule: and after the olde prouerbe of the grekes. The multitude of captaines dyd lose Caria. And the oftẽ chaunginge of physicions hath destroyed manye. There is nothynge more vnprofitable, then often to chaunge ye master. For by that meanes the web of Penelopes is wouẽ and vnwouen. But I haue knowen childrẽ, whych before they wer .xii. yere old, had more thẽ .xii. masters, and that thorowe the rechelesnesse of their parẽtes. And yet after this is done must the parẽtes be diligẽt. e figure of the face and the behaueour of the rest of the bodie, what disposicion a man is of. Certes Aristotle so greate a philosopher vouchsaued to put oute a booke of phisiognonomye verye cunnynge and well laboured. As saylyng is more pleasaunt when wee haue borne the wynd and the tyde, so be we soner taught those things to the whych we be inclined by redines of wyt. Virgyll hath shewed markes wherby a man may know an oxe good for ye plough, or a cowe meete for generacion & encrease of cattell. Beste is yt oxe that looketh grimly. He techeth by what tokẽs you may espie a yong colt mete for iusting. Straight waye the colt of a lusty courage trãpleth garlic in the fieldes .&c. for you know the verses. sciences. Philosophy hath his infancie, hys youthe, and rype age. An horsecolt, which forthwyth sheweth his gentle kynd, is not straight way forced wyth the bytte to cary on his backe an armed manne, but wyth easy exercises he learneth the fashion of warre. The calfe that is appoynted to the plowghe, is not strayght wayes laden wyth werye yockes, nor prycked wyth sharpe godes, but as Virgyl hath elegantlye taught: Fyrst they knyt aboute his necke circles made of tender twygges, and after when his free necke hathe bene accustumed to do seruice, they make rounde hoopes mete, & when they be wrythẽ, ioyne a payre of meete ons together, and e offices of Cicero, or the Ethickes of Aristotle, or the moral bokes of Seneca or Plutarche, or the epistles of Paule, I confesse, but yet if he do any thyng vncomly at the table, he is monyshed, and when he is monyshed, he fashioneth hym selfe to do as he is taught. He is brought into the temple, he lerneth to bowe his kne, to holde hys handes manerly, to put of hys cap, and to fashion all the behaueour of hys bodie to worshyp God, he is e image of the crucifix. Thei that thinke yt these lytle rudimẽtes help nothing to vertue, in my mind be greatly deceiued, A certẽ yonge man whẽ he was rebuked of Plato because he had plaied at dice cõplained yt he was so bitterly chiddẽ, for so litle harme. Thẽ quod Plato, although it be but smal hurt to play at dice, yet is it great hurt to vse it.. Yet nedes must be some excellẽt wryter, which put forth such a booke that euen learned menne thought it to be of Hesiodus doing. But in case it were Hesiodus, without doute yet no mans authoritie oughte to be of suche force vnto vs, that we shulde not folowe the better if it be shewed vs. Howebeit who soeuer wer of thys mynd, they meant not thys, that all thys time vntyll seuen yeres shulde bee quite voyde of teachyng, but that before that tyme chyldren shulde not bee troubled wyth the laboure of studies, in the whych certeine tediousnes muste bee deuoured, as of cannyng hẽce we ought so much the more to take heede, because that yonge age led rather by sense then iudgemẽt, wyll assone or peraduenture soner lerne leudnes & things yt be naught. Yea we forget soner good thinges thẽ naught. Gentile philosophers espyed that, & merueyled at it, and could not search out the cause, whiche christẽ philosophers haue shewed vnto vs: which telleth yt this redines to mischiefe is setteled in vs of Adam the first father of mãkind.
theyr onlye care, to seeke for their chyld a wyfe wyth a good dowrye. That done, they thynke they haue done all that belongeth to a father. But as the world is alwayes redy to be worse and worse, dayntines hathe perswaded vs to comune this office to a tuter that is one of our householde, and a gentleman is put to be taught of a seruaunte. In whyche thynge in deede, if we wolde take heede whom we chose, the ieopardy were so muche the lesse, because the teacher liued not only in ye fathers syght, but also wer vnder hys power if he dyd amysse. They that wer very wyse, either bought lerned seruauntes, or prouided they myghte be lerned, that they myghte be teachers to their children. But howe muche wyser were it, if the parents wolde get lernyng for thys entent, that they them selues myght teach theyr owne chyldren. Verelye by thys meanes the profite wolde be double, as the cõmoditie is double if the Byshoppe shewe hym selfe a good man, to the entente he maye e good health of the tender bodye weaker. t althoughe the strength of the bodye wer sumwhat taken awaye, that thys incõmoditie is well recompensed by so goodly gyftes of the mynd. For we fashion not a wrestler, but a philosopher, a gouernour of the common wealth, to whõ it is sufficient to be healthful, although he haue not the strengthe of Milo: yet do I cõfesse that somewhat we must tender the age, that it maye waxe the more lustye. But there be manye that foolyshely do feare leste their chyldren shulde catche harme by learnynge, whych yet feare not the much greater peryll that cometh of to muche meate, whereby the wyttes of the litle ons no lesse be hurted then bee theyr bodyes by kyndes of meates and drynkes that be not meete for A wayward feare for hurting childrẽs bewtye. Neyther do we more weywardlye fear any other thyng then the hurt of it to come by studie, where it is hurt a greate deale more by surfet, dronkennes, vntymelye watchynge, by fyghtyng and woundes, finally by vngracious pockes, which scarse Prouisiõ for easinge chyldrens labour Howbeit thys also may be prouided for by our care & diligẽce that ther shuld be very litle labour and therfore litle losse. This shal be if neyther many thyngs, neither euery lyght thynge be taught them when they be yong, but the best only & that be mete for their age, whiche is delighted rather in pleasaũt thynges then in subtile. Secondly, a fayre manoure of teachynge shall cause yt it may seme rather a playe then a labour, for here the age must be beguiled with sweete flattering wordes, which yet cã not tell what fruit, what honour, what pleasure lernyng shall brynge vnto them in tyme to come. And this partly shal be done by the teachers gẽtlenes & curteous behaueour, & partlye by his wit & subtile practise, wherbi he shal deuise diuerse prety meanes to make lerning plesaũt to ye chylde, & pul hym away frõ feling of labour. that one brought vp of one liberallye. e Scots say, ther be no greater beaters then frenche scholemasters. When they be tolde thereof, they be wonte to answere, that that naciõ euen lyke the Phrigians t dyd much helpe to caste downe the fiersnes of their wittes, & tame the wãtonnes of their youth. He neuer feasted amonge hys flocke, but as , remembrynge that they are rather felow seruauntes then masters, because they both haue a common master in heauen, whyche as well wyll punyshe the masters if they do amysse, as the seruauntes. The Apostle wolde not haue the masters ful of threatning, muche lesse full of beatynge: for he saythe not, pardonynge your strypes, but pardonynge your threatenynges, and yet wee woulde haue oure chyldren nothynge but beaten, whyche scarse the Galeye masters or Sea robbers do agaynste theyr slaues and rowers. But of chyldren, what dothe the same Apostle commaunde vs?