artificiallie, after to learned a sorte, as _Thucydides_ doth in his orations. And how cummeth it to passe, sayd I, that _Cæsar_ and _Ciceroes_ talke, is so naturall & plaine, and _Salust_ writing so artificiall and darke, whan all they three liued in one tyme? I will freelie tell you my fansie herein, said he: surely, _Cæsar_ and _Cicero_, beside a singular prerogatiue of naturall eloquence geuen vnto them by God, both two, by vse of life, were daylie orators emonges the common people, and greatest councellers in the Senate house: and therefore gaue themselues to vse soch speach as the meanest should well vnderstand, and the wisest best allow: folowing carefullie that good councell of _Aristotle_, _loquendum vt multi, sapiendum vt pauci_. _Salust_ was no soch man, neyther for will to goodnes, nor skill by learning: but ill geuen by nature, and made worse by bringing vp, spent the most part of his yougth very misorderly in ryot and lechery. In the company of soch, who, neuer geuing theyr mynde to honest doyng, could neuer inure their tong to wise speaking. But at last cummyng to better yeares, and bying witte at the dearest hand, that is, by long experience of the hurt and shame that commeth of mischeif, moued, by the councell of them that were wise, and caried by the example of soch as were good, first fell to honestie of life, and after to the loue of studie and learning: and so became so new a man, that _Cæsar_ being dictator, made him Pretor in _Numidia_ where he absent from his contrie, and not inured with the common talke of Rome, but shut vp in his studie, and bent wholy to reading, did write the storie of the Romanes. And for the better accomplishing of the same, he red _Cato_ and _Piso_ in Latin for gathering of matter and troth: and _Thucydides_ in Greeke for the order of his storie, and furnishing of his style. _Cato_ (as his tyme required) had more troth for the matter, than eloquence for the style. And so _Salust_, by gathering troth out of _Cato_, smelleth moch of the roughnes of his style: euen as a man that eateth garlike for helth, shall cary away with him the sauor of it also, whether he will or not. And yet the vse of old wordes is not the greatest cause of _Salustes_ roughnes and darknesse: There be in _Salust_ Lib. 8. // some old wordes in deed as _patrare bellum, ductare_ Cap. 3. // _exercitum_, well noted by _Quintilian_, and verie De Orna- // much misliked of him: and _supplicium_ for _suppli-_ tu. // _catio_, a word smellyng of an older store than the _the ready way to the Latin tong._ 299