agaynst hym, And yt was this, to make them weare lōg kyrtils, to ye foot lyke woomen, and that euerye one of them shoulde haue a harpe or a lute, and learne to playe and sing whyche thinge if you do sayth Cresus (as he dyd in dede) you shall se them quickelye of men, made women. And thus lutinge and singinge take awaye a manlye stomake, whiche shulde enter & pearce depe and harde studye. Euen suche an other storie doeth Nymphodorus an olde Nymphod. greke Historiographer write, of one Sesostris kinge of Egypte, whiche storie because it is somewhat longe, and very lyke in al poyntes to the other and also you do well ynoughe remembre it, seynge you read it so Comment. late in Sophoclis commentaries, I wyll nowe passe in Antig. ouer. Therefore eyther Aristotle and Plato knowe not what was good and euyll for learninge and vertue, and the example of wyse histories be vainlie set afore vs or els the minstrelsie of lutes, pipes, harpes, and all other that standeth by suche nice, fine, minikin fingering (suche as the mooste parte of scholers whom I knowe vse, if they vse any) is farre more fitte for the womannishnesse of it to dwell in the courte among ladies, than for any great thing in it, whiche shoulde helpe good and sad studie, to abide in the vniuersitie amonges scholers. But perhaps you knowe some great goodnesse of suche musicke and suche instrumentes, whervnto Plato & Aristotle his brayne coulde neuer attayne, and therfore I will saye no more agaynst it. PHI. Well Toxophile is it not ynoughe for you to rayle vpon Musike, excepte you mocke me to? but to say the truth I neuer thought my selfe these kindes of musicke fit for learninge, but that whyche I sayde was rather to proue you, than to defende the matter. But yet as I woulde haue this sorte of musicke decaye amonge scholers, euen so do I wysshe from the bottome of my heart, that the laudable custome of Englande to teache chyldren their plainesong and priksong, were not so decayed throughout all the realme as it is. Whiche thing howe profitable it was for all sortes of men, those knewe not so wel than whiche had it most, as they do nowe whiche lacke it moste. And therfore it is true that Teucer sayeth in Sophocles. Sophocles Seldome at all good thinges be Knowen how good to be in Aiace. Before a man suche thinges do misse out of his handes. That milke is no fitter nor more naturall for the bringing vp of children than musike is, both Gallen proueth by authoritie, and dayly vse teacheth by experience. For euen the litle babes lacking the vse of reason, are scarse so well stilled in suckyng theyr mothers pap, as in hearynge theyr mother syng. Agayne how fit youth is made, by learning to sing, for grammar and other sciences, bothe we dayly do see, and Plutarch learnedly doth proue, and Plato wiselie did alowe, whiche receyued no scholer in to his schole, that had not learned his songe before. The godlie vse of praysing God, by singinge in the churche, nedeth not my prayse, seing it is so praysed through al the scripture, therfore nowe I wil speke nothing of it, rather than I shuld speke to litle of it. Besyde al these commodities, truly .ii. degrees of mēne, which haue the highest offices vnder the king in all this realme, shal greatly lacke the vse of Singinge, preachers and lawiers, bycause they shal not without this, be able to rule their brestes, for euery purpose. For where is no distinction in telling glad thinges and fearfull thinges, gentilnes & cruelnes, softenes and vehementnes, and suche lyke matters, there can be no great perswasion. For the hearers, as Tullie sayeth, be muche affectioned, as he is that speaketh. At his wordes be they drawen, yf he stande still in one facion, their mindes stande still with hym: If he thundre, they quake: If he chyde, they feare: If he cōplayne, they sory with hym and finally, where a matter is spoken, with an apte voyce, for euerye affection, the hearers for the moste parte, are moued as the speaker woulde. But when a man is alwaye in one tune, lyke an Humble bee, or els nowe vp in the top of the churche, nowe downe that no manne knoweth where to haue hym or piping lyke a reede, or roring lyke a bull, as some lawyers do, whiche thinke they do best, when they crye lowdest, these shall neuer greatly mooue, as I haue knowen many wel learned, haue done, bicause theyr voyce was not stayed afore, with learnyng to synge. For all voyces, great and small, base & shril, weke or softe, may be holpen and brought to a good poynt, by learnyng to synge. Whether this be true or not, they that stand mooste in nede, can tell best, whereof some I haue knowen, whiche, because they learned not to sing, whan they were boyes, were fayne to take peyne in it, whā they were men. If any man shulde heare me Toxophile, that woulde thinke I did but fondly, to suppose that a voice were so necessarie to be loked vpon, I would aske him if he thought not nature a foole, for makig such goodly instrumentes in a man, for wel vttring his woordes, or els if the .ii. noble orators Demosthenes & Cicero were not fooles, wherof the one dyd not onelie learne to sing of a man: But also was not ashamed to learne howe he shoulde vtter his soūdes aptly of a dogge, the other setteth oute no poynte of rhetorike, so fullie in all his bookes, as howe a man shoulde order his voyce for all kynde of matters. Therfore seinge men by speaking, differ and be better than beastes, by speakyng wel, better than other men, and that singing is an helpe towarde the same as dayly experiece doth teache, example of wysemě doth alowe, authoritie of learned men doth approue wherwith the foundacion of youth in all good common wealthes alwayes hath bene tempered; surelye if I were one of the parliament house, I woulde not fayle, to put vp a bill for the amendment of this thynge, but because I am lyke to be none this yeare, I wil speake no more of it, at this time. TOX. It were pitie truly Philologe, that the thinge shoulde be neglected, but I trust it is not as you say. PHI. The thing is to true, for of them that come daylye to ye vniuersitie, where one hath learned to singe, vi. hath not. But nowe to oure shotinge Toxophile agayne, wherin I suppose you can not say so muche for shotyng to be fitte for learninge, as you haue spoken agaynste Musicke for the same. Therfore as concerning Musike, I can be content to graunt you your mynde: But as for shooting, surely I suppose that you can not perswade me, by no meanes, that a man can be earnest in it, and earnest at his booke to: but rather I thynke that a man wt a bowe on his backe, and shaftes vnder hys girdell, is more fit to wayte vpon Robin Hoode, than vpon Apollo or the Muses. TOX. Ouer ernest shooting surely I will not ouer ernestlye defende, for I euer thought shooting shoulde be a wayter vpon lerning not a mastres ouer learning. Yet this I maruell not a litle at, that ye thinke a man with a bowe on hys backe is more like Robin Hoode seruaūt, than Apollose, seing that Apollo him selfe in Alcestis of Euripides, whiche tragidie you red openly not long ago, in a maner glorieth saying this verse. Euripid. in It is my wont alwaies my bowe with me to beare Therfore a learned man ought not to much to be ashamed to beare that some tyme, whiche Apollo god of lerning him selfe was not ashamed always to beare. And bycause ye woulde haue a man wayt vpon the Muses, and not at all medle with shotyng I maruell that you do not remembre howe that the ix. muses their selfe as sone as they were borne, wer put to norse to a lady called Euphemis whiche had a son named Erotus with whome the nine Muses for his excellent shootinge, kepte euer more companie wtall, & vsed dayly to shoote togither in ye mount Pernasus: and at last it chauced this Erotus to dye, whose death the Muses lamented greatly, and fell all vpon theyr knees afore Iupiter theyr father, and at theyr request, Erotus for shooting with the Muses in earth was made a signe, and called Sagittarius in heauen. Therfore you se, that if Apollo and the Muses either were examples in dede, or onelye fayned of wise men to be examples of learninge, honest shoting maye well ynough be companion with honest studie. PHI. Well Toxophile, if you haue no stronger defence of shotinge then Poetes, I feare yf your companions which loue shotinge, hearde you, they wolde thinke you made it but a triflyng and fabling matter, rather then any other man that loueth not shotinge coulde be persuaded by this reason to loue it. TOXO. Euen as I am not so fonde but I knowe that these be fables, so I am sure you be not so ignoraunt, but you knowe what suche noble wittes as the Poetes had, ment by such matters which oftentymes vnder the couering of a fable, do hyde & wrappe in goodlie preceptes of philosophie, with the true iudgement of thinges. Whiche to be true speciallye in Homer and Euripides, Plato, Aristotle and Galene playnelye do shewe: when through all their workes (in a maner) they determine all cōtrouersies, by these .ii. Poetes and suche lyke authorities. Therfore if in this matter I seme to fable, and nothynge proue, I am content you iudge so on me: seinge the same iudgement shal condemne with me Plato, Aristotle, and Galene, whom in that errour I am wel content to folowe. If these oulde examples proue nothing for shoting, what saye you to this? that the best learned and sagest men in this Realme, whiche be nowe alyue, both loue shoting and vse shoting, as the best learned bisshoppes that be: amonges whome Philologe, you your selfe knowe .iiii. or .v. which as in all good learning, vertue and sagenesse they gyue B grosse other men example what thing they shoulde do, euen so by their shoting, they playnely shewe what honest pastime, other mē giue to learning, may honestly vse. That ernest studie must be recreated with honest pastime sufficientlye I haue proued afore, both by reason and authoritie of the best learned men that euer wrote. Then seing pastymes be lefull, the moost fittest for learning, is to be sought for. A pastyme, saith Aristotle, must be lyke a medicine. MediArist. po. 7. cines stande by contraries, therfore the nature of studying considered, the fittest pastyme shal soone appeare. In studie euery parte of the body is ydle, which thing causeth and colde humours, to gather togyther & vexe scholers verye moche, the mynde is altogyther bent and set on worke. A pastyme then must be had where euery parte of the bodye must be laboured to separate and lessen suche humours withal: the mind must be vnbent, to gather & fetche againe his quicknesse withall. Thus pastymes for the mynde onelye, be nothing fit for studentes, bycause the body which is moost hurte by studie, shulde take away no profyte at all thereat. This knewe Erasmus verye well, when he was here in Cambrige: which when he had ben sore at his boke (as Garret our bookebynder hath verye ofte tolde me) for lacke of better exercise, wolde take his horse, and ryde about the markette hill, and come agayne. If a scholer shoulde vse bowles or tennies, the laboure is to vehement and vnequall, whiche is cōdempned of Galene: the example very ill for other men, when by so manye actes they be made vnlawfull. Running, leaping, and coyting be to vile for scholers, and so not fit by Aristotle his iudgement: walking alone into the felde, hath no token of courage in it, a pastyme Aristot. lyke a simple man which is neither flesh nor fisshe. pol. 7. 17. Therfore if a man woulde haue a pastyme holesome and equall for euerye parte of the bodye, pleasaunt and full of courage for the mynde, not vile and vnhoneste to gyue ill example to laye men, not kepte in gardynes and corners, not lurkynge on the nyght and in holes, but euermore in the face of men, either to rebuke it when it doeth ill, or els to testifye on it when it doth well: let him seke chefelye of all other for shotynge. PHILOL. Suche commune pastymes as men commenlye do vse, I wyll not greatlye allowe to be fit for scholers: |