ing and pleasure. And you, that do read Plato, as ye shold, do well perceiue, that these be no Questions asked by

The right readyng of Plato.

Socrates, as doutes, but they be Sentences, first affirmed by Socrates, as mere trothes, and after, giuen forth by Socrates, as right Rules, most necessarie to be marked, and fitte to be folowed of all them, that would haue children taughte, as they should. And in this counsell, indgement, and authoritie >of Socrates I will repose my selfe, vntill I meete with a man of the contrarie mynde, whom I may iustlie take to be wiser, than I thinke Socrates was. Fonde scholemasters, neither can understand, nor will folow this good counYong Ienglemen, be wise- sell of Socrates, but wise ryders,

lier taught

to ryde, by

common

ryders, than

in their office, can and will do both which is the onelie cause,

to learne, by that commonly, the yong ientle

common

Schole

masters.

men of England, go so vnwillinglie to schole, and run so fast to the stable: For in verie deede fond scholemasters, by feare, do beate into them, the hatred of learning, and wise riders, by

ientle allurementes, do breed vp in them, the loue of riding. They finde feare, and bondage in scholes, They feele libertie and freedome in stables: which causeth them, vtterlie to abhor[r]e the one, and most gladlie to haunt the other. And I do not write this, that in exhorting to the one, I would dissuade yong ientlemen from the other: yea I am sorie, with all my harte, that they be giuen no more to riding, than they be: For, of all outward Ryding. qualities, to ride faire, is most cumelie for him selfe, most necessarie for his contrey, and the greater he is in blood, the greater is his praise, the more he doth exce[e]de all other therein. It was one of the three excellent praises, amongest the noble ientlemen the old Persians, Alwaise to say troth, to ride faire, and shote well: and so it was engrauen vpon Darius tumbe, as Strabo beareth witnesse.

Strabo. 15.

Darius the king, lieth buried here,
Who in riding and shoting had neuer peare.

But, to our purpose, yong men, by any meanes, leesing the loue of learning, whan

}

by tyme they cum to their owne rule, they carie commonlie, from the schole with them, a perpetuall hatred of their master, and a continuall contempt of learning. If ten Ientlemen be asked, why they forget so sone in Court, that which they were learning so long in schole, eight of them, or let me be blamed, will laie the fault on their > ill handling, by their scholemasters.

Cuspinian doth report, that, that noble Emperor Maximilian, would lament verie oft, his misfortune herein.

Pastime.

Yet, some will say, that chilLearnyng. dren of nature, loue pastime, and mislike learning: bicause, in their kinde, the one is easie and pleasant, the other hard and werison: which is an opinion not so trewe, as some men weene: For, the matter lieth not so much in the disposition of them that be yong, as in the order and maner of bringing vp, by them that be old, nor yet in the difference of learnyng and pastime. For, beate a child, if he daunce not well, and cherish him, though he learne not well, ye shall haue him, vnwilling to go to daunce, and glad to go

to his booke. Knocke him alwaies, when he draweth his shaft ill, and fauo[u]r him againe, though he fau[1]t at his booke, ye shall haue hym verie loth to be in the field, and verie willing to be in the schole. Yea, I saie more, and not of my selfe, but by the iudgement of those, from whom few wisemen will gladlie dissent, that if euer the nature of man be giuen at any tyme, more than other, to receiue goodnes, it is, in innocencie of yong yeares, before, that < experience of euill, haue taken roote in hym. For, the pure cleane witte of a sweete yong babe, is like the newest wax, most hable to receiue the best and fayrest printing and like a new bright siluer dishe neuer occupied, to receiue and kepe cleane, anie good thyng that is put into it. And thus, will in chil- Will dren, wiselie wrought with

all, maie easelie be won to

be verie well willing to

learne. And witte in chil- Witte

in children.

dren, by nature, namelie memorie, the onelie keie and keper of all learning, is readiest to receiue, and surest to kepe anie maner of

Yong yeares aptest for learnyng.

thing, that is learned in yougth: This, lewde and learned, by common experience, know to be most trewe. For we remember nothyng so well when we be olde, as those things which we learned when we were yong: And this is not straunge, but common in all natures workes. Euery man sees, (as I sayd before) new wax is best for printyng: new claie, fittest for working: new shorne wo[o]ll, aptest for sone and surest dying: new fresh flesh, for good and durable salting. And this similitude is not rude, nor borowed of the larder house, but out of his scholehouse, of whom, the wisest of England, neede not be ashamed to learne. Yong Graftes grow not onelie sonest, but also fairest, and bring alwayes forth the best and sweetest frute: yong whelpes learne easelie to carie: yong Popingeis learne quicklie to speake: And so, to be short, if in all other thinges, though they lacke reason, sens, and life, the similitude of youth is fittest to all goodnesse, surelie nature, in mankinde, is most beneficiall and effectuall in this behalfe.