ill handling: And, some praise it is, if it so chaunce, to be The right // better in deede, than a man dare venture to choise, to // seeme. A hye title, doth charge a man, with chose a fitte // the heauie burden, of to great a promise: and Argument // therefore sayth _Horace_ verie wittelie, that, that to write // Poete was a verie foole, that began hys booke, vpon. // with a goodlie verse in deede, but ouer proude _Hor. in_ // a promise. _Arte Poet._ // _Fortunam Priami cantabo & nobile bellum,_ And after, as wiselie. _Quantò rectiùs hic, qui nil molitur ineptè. etc._ Meening _Homer_, who, within the compasse of a smal _Homers_ // Argument, of one harlot, and of one good wife, wisdom in // did vtter so moch learning in all kinde of sciences, choice of // as, by the iudgement of _Quintilian_, he deserueth his Argu- // so hie a praise, that no man yet deserued to sit ment. // in the second degree beneth him. And thus moch out of my way, concerning my purpose in spending penne, and paper, & tyme, vpon trifles, & namelie to aunswere some, that haue neither witte nor learning, to do any thyng them selues, neither will nor honestie, to say well of other. To ioyne learnyng with cumlie exercises, _Conto Baldesær_ The Cor- // _Castiglione_ in his booke, _Cortegiano_, doth trimlie tegian, an // teache: which booke, aduisedlie read, and dili- excellent // gentlie folowed, but one yeare at home in booke for a // England, would do a yong ientleman more good, ientleman. // I wisse, then three yeares trauell abrode spent in _Italie_. And I meruell this booke, is no more read in the Court, than it is, seying it is so well translated into English by a worthie Syr _Tho._ // Ientleman Syr _Th. Hobbie_, who was many wayes _Hobbye._ // well furnished with learnyng, and very expert in knowledge of diuers tonges. And beside good preceptes in bookes, in all kinde of tonges, this Court also neuer lacked many faire examples, for yong Examples // ientlemen to folow: And surelie, one example, better than // is more valiable, both to good and ill, than xx. preceptes. // preceptes written in bookes: and so _Plato_, not in one or two, but diuerse places, doth plainlie teach. _the brynging vp of youth._ 219