onely submit my doings to the fauour of others, and desire men to beare with my weakenesse. For this must I needes confesse, that I am altogither vnable to doe so in Englishe, as the excellencie of this Orator deserueth in Greeke. And yet the cunning is no lesse, and the prayse as great in my iudgement, to translate anything excellently into Englishe, as into any other language. And I thinke (although there be many doers) yet scant one is to be found worthie amongst vs, for translating into our Countrie speach. Such a hard thing it is to bring matter out of any one language into another. And perhaps it may be that euen those who take themselues to bee much better learned than I am (as what is he that is not, hauing any name for learning at all?) will finde it an harder peece of woorke than they thinke, euen to make Greeke speake Englishe, if they will make proofe thereof as I haue done. Whose labor and trauayle I woulde as gladly see, as they are lyke now to see mine, that such an Orator as this is, might bee so framed to speake our tongue, as none were able to amende him, and that he might be founde to be most like himselfe. The which enterprise moste bolde to haue

if any might haue bene

taken vpon him, Sir Iohn Cheeke was the man, of all that euer I knew, or doe yet know in Eng

lande. Such acquaintance had he with this notable Orator, so gladly did he reade him, and so often that I thinke there was neuer olde Priest more perfite in his Portreise, nor supersticious Monke in our Ladies Psalter as they call it, nor yet good Preacher in the Bible or testament, than this man was in Demosthenes. And great cause moued him so to be, for that he sawe him to be the perfitest Orator that euer wrate for these two thousand yeares almost by past (for so long it is since he was) and also for that he perceyued him to haue before his eyes in all his Orations the aduauncement of vertue as a thing chiefly to be sought for, togither with the honor and welfare of his countrie. Besides this, maister Cheekes iudgement was great in translating out of one tongue into an other, and better skill he had in our English speach to iudge of the Phrases and properties of wordes, and to diuide sentences: than any else had that I haue knowne. And often he woulde englyshe his matters out of the Latine or Greeke vpon the sodeyne, by looking of the booke onely without reading or construing any thing at all: An vsage right worthie and verie profitable for all men, aswell for the vnderstanding of the booke, as also for the aptnesse of framing the Authors meaning and bettering thereby their iudgement, and therewithall

perfitting their tongue and vtterance of speach. Moreouer he was moued greatly to like Demosthenes aboue all others, for that he sawe him so familiarly applying himselfe to the sense and vnderstanding of the common people, that he sticked not to say, that none euer was more fitte to make an English man tell his tale praise worthily in an open hearing, either in Parlament or in Pulpit, or otherwise, than this onely Orator

was.

And although your honour hath no neede of these my doinges, for that the Greeke is so familiar vnto you, and that you also, as well as I, haue hearde Sir Iohn Cheeke read the same Orations at other times: yet I thinke for diuers causes I shoulde in right present vnto your honour this my traueyle the rather to haue it through your good liking and allowance, to be made common to many. First the sayd Sir Iohn Cheeke (whome I doe often name, for the honour and reuerence due of so worthie a man) was your brother in lawe [Sir W. Cecil's first wife was Cheeke's sister], your deare friende, your good admonisher, and teacher in your yonger yeares, to take that way of vertue, the fruit whereof do feele and taste to your great ioy

you

at this day, and shall for euer be remembered therefore"... Ed. 1570.

We may not wonder then; if Ascham so affectionately refers to Cheke in this work; as 'that Ientleman of worthie memorie, my dearest frend and teacher of all the poore learning I haue," p. 276.

[We would here add, out of the same Epistle, by way of parenthesis, Wilson's defence of Translations, which was possibly provoked by Ascham's remarks, at p. 254. "But such as are grieued with translated bokes, are lyke to them that eating fine Manchet, are angry with others that feede on Cheate breade. And yet God knoweth men would as gladly eate Manchet as they, if they had it. But all can not weare Veluet, or feede with the best, and therefore such are contented for necessities sake to weare our Countrie cloth, and to take themselues to hard fare, that can haue no better."]

7. We have noticed a few of the influences on Ascham in his earlier life: in order to understand his outlook on the Literature of his day; while as he was growing from 48 to 53 years of age he wrote this book. The Italian influence had come in like a flood after the publication of Tottel's Miscellany in June 1557. his rejection of this influence, while he kept up with the classical learning of the time, we judge him to be a Scholar of Henry's time, surviving

In

into the reign of Elizabeth. We do not allude to his Invective against Italianated Englishmen, for which he had doubtless adequate grounds: but to his shunning the airy lightsomeness of Italian poesy, which so much characterizes English Verse for the next forty years. Every one is entitled to a preference in such matters, and Ascham with others. Though he contended for English Iambics, he confessed he never had a. "poeticall head." He owned to loving the Italian language next after Greek and Latin: but Fiction and Rhyme he could not abide. So we realize him as the strong plain Englishman of Henry's day, with his love for all field sports and for cock-fighting, his warm generous heart, his tolerant spirit, his thorough scholarship, his beautiful penmanship: a man to be loved and honoured.

8. Ascham's special craft was teaching the young, Latin and Greek. He had taught the Queen, as he tells us at p. 195: and now read Greek with her, as she desired. Being thus about the Court, and the Court resting at Windsor on the 10th Dec. 1563; the officers in attendance dined together under the presidency of the Secretary of State. Of the Table Talk on that occasion and its results: Ascham's own account is the best and need not be repeated here.

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