shalbe heard, or his writing be red, of soch one, as is, either of
my two dearest frendes, _M. Haddon_ at home, or _Iohn Sturmius_
in Germanie, that _Nimium_ in him, which fooles and vnlearned
will most commend, shall eyther of thies two, bite his lippe, or
shake his heade at it.
This fulnes as it is not to be misliked in a yong man, so in
farder aige, in greater skill, and weightier affaires, it is to be
temperated, or else discretion and iudgement shall seeme to be
wanting in him. But if his stile be still ouer rancke and lustie,
as some men being neuer so old and spent by yeares, will still
be full of youthfull conditions as was Syr _F. Bryan_, and euer-
more wold haue bene: soch a rancke and full writer, must vse,
if he will do wiselie the exercise of a verie good kinde of
_Epitome_, and do, as certaine wise men do, that be ouer fat and
fleshie: who leauing their owne full and plentifull table, go to
soiorne abrode from home for a while, at the temperate diet of
some sober man: and so by litle and litle, cut away the
grosnesse that is in them. As for an example: If _Osorius_
would leaue of his lustines in striuing against _S. Austen_, and his
ouer rancke rayling against poore _Luther_, and the troth of Gods
doctrine, and giue his whole studie, not to write any thing of
his owne for a while, but to translate _Demosthenes_, with so straite,
fast, & temperate a style in latine, as he is in Greeke, he would
becume so perfit & pure a writer, I beleue, as hath bene fewe
or none sence _Ciceroes_ dayes: And so, by doing himself and all
learned moch good, do others lesse harme, & Christes doctrine
lesse iniury, than he doth: & with all, wyn vnto himselfe many
worthy frends, who agreing with him gladly, in y^e loue &
liking of excellent learning, are sorie to see so worthie a witte,
so rare eloquence, wholie spent and consumed, in striuing with
God and good men.
Emonges the rest, no man doth lament him more than
I, not onelie for the excellent learning that I see in him, but
also bicause there hath passed priuatelie betwixt him and me,
sure tokens of moch good will, and frendlie opinion, the one
toward the other. And surelie the distance betwixt London and
Lysbon, should not stoppe, any kinde of frendlie dewtie, that I
could, eyther shew to him, or do to his, if the greatest matter
of all did not in certeyne pointes, separate our myndes.
And yet for my parte, both toward him, and diuerse others
262 _The second booke teachyng_
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