And beyng depe stept in age, by negligence some wordes do so scape & fall from him in those bookes, as be not worth the Lib. 3. // taking vp, by him, that is carefull to speake or Cap. 1. // write trew Latin, as that sentence in him, _Romani, in pace à rusticis alebantur, et in bello ab his tuebantur_. A good student must be therfore carefull and diligent, to read with iudgement ouer euen those Authors, which did write in the most perfite tyme: and let him not be affrayd to trie them, both in proprietie of wordes, and forme of style, by the touch stone of _Cæsar_ and _Cicero_, whose puritie was neuer soiled, no not by the sentence of those, that loued them worst. All louers of learnyng may sore lament the losse of those The loue // bookes of _Varro_, which he wrote in his yong and of Var- // lustie yeares, with good leysure, and great learnyng roes // of all partes of Philosophie: of the goodliest argu- bookes. // mentes, perteyning both to the common wealth, and priuate life of man, as, _de Ratione studij, et educandis liberis_, which booke, is oft recited, and moch praysed, in the fragmentes of _Nonius_, euen for authoritie sake. He wrote most diligentlie and largelie, also the whole historie of the state of _Rome_: the mysteries of their whole Religion: their lawes, customes, and gouernement in peace: their maners, and whole discipline in warre: And this is not my gessing, as one in deed that neuer saw those bookes, but euen, the verie iudgement, & playne testimonie of _Tullie_ him selfe, who knew & read those bookes, in these wordes: _Tu ætatem Patriæ: Tu descriptiones temporum:_ In Acad. // _Tu sacrorum, tu sacerdotum Iura: Tu domesticam, Quest. // _tu bellicam disciplinam: Tu sedem Regionum, locorum,_ _tu omnium diuinarum humanarumque rerum nomina, genera, officia, causas aperuisti. &c._ But this great losse of _Varro_, is a litle recompensed by the happy comming of _Dionysius Halicarnassæus_ to _Rome_ in _Augustus_ dayes: who getting the possession of _Varros_ librarie, out of that treasure house of learning, did leaue vnto vs some frute of _Varros_ witte and diligence, I meane, his goodlie bookes _de Antiquitatibus Romanorum. Varro_ was so estemed for his excellent learnyng, as _Tullie_ him selfe had a reuerence to his Cic. ad // iudgement in all doutes of learnyng. And Att. // _Antonius Triumuir_, his enemie, and of a contrarie faction, who had power to kill and bannish whom _the ready way to the Latin tong._ 297