_Cattullus, Virgill_ and _Horace_, did write: But, bicause, in this litle booke, I purpose to teach a yong scholer, to go, not to daunce: to speake, not to sing, whan Poetes in deed, namelie _Epici_ and _Lyrici_, as these be, are fine dauncers, and trime singers, but _Oratores_ and _Historici_ be those cumlie goers, and faire and wise speakers, of whom I wishe my scholer to wayte vpon first, and after in good order, & dew tyme, to be brought forth, to the singing and dauncing schole: And for this consi- deration, do I name these foure, to be the onelie writers of that tyme. ¶ _Varro._ _Varro_, in his bookes _de lingua Latina, et Analogia_ as these be left mangled and patched vnto vs, doth not enter // _Varro._ there in to any great depth of eloquence, but as one caried in a small low vessell him selfe verie nie the common shore, not much vnlike the fisher men of Rye, and Hering men of Yarmouth. Who deserue by common mens opinion, small commendacion, for any cunning saling at all, yet neuertheles in those bookes of _Varro_ good and necessarie stuffe, for that meane kinde of Argument, be verie well and learnedlie gathered togither. His bookes of Husbandrie, are moch to be regarded, and diligentlie to be read, not onelie for the proprietie, // De Rep. but also for the plentie of good wordes, in all // Rustica. contrey and husbandmens affaires: which can not be had, by so good authoritie, out of any other Author, either of so good a tyme, or of so great learnyng, as out of _Varro_. And yet bicause, he was fourescore yeare old, whan he wrote those bookes, the forme of his style there compared with _Tullies_ writyng, is but euen the talke of a spent old man: whose wordes commonlie fall out of his mouth, though verie wiselie, yet hardly and coldie, and more heauelie also, than some eares can well beare, except onelie for age, and authorities sake. And perchance, in a rude contrey argument, of purpose and iudge- ment, he rather vsed, the speach of the contrey, than talke of the Citie. And so, for matter sake, his wordes sometyme, be somewhat rude: and by the imitation of the elder _Cato_, old and out of vse: 296 _The second booke teachyng_