matter, be like pennes ouer full of incke, which will soner blotte, than make any faire letter at all. Tyme was, whan I had experience of two Ambassadors in one place, the one of a hote head to inuent, and of a hastie hand to write, the other, colde and stayd in both: but what difference of their doinges was made by wise men, is not vnknowne to some persons. The Bishop of Winchester _Steph_: _Gardiner_ had a quicke head, and a readie tong, and yet was not the best writer in England. _Cicero_ in _Brutus_ doth wiselie note the same in _Serg: Galbo_, and _Q. Hortentius_, who were both, hote, lustie, and plaine speakers, but colde, lowse, and rough writers: And _Tullie_ telleth the cause why, saying, whan they spake, their tong was naturally caried with full tyde & wynde of their witte: whan they wrote their head was solitarie, dull, and caulme, and so their style was blonte, and their writing colde: _Quod vitium_, sayth _Cicero_, _peringeniosis hominibus neque satis doctis plerumque accidit_. And therfore all quick inuentors, & readie faire speakers, must be carefull, that, to their goodnes of nature, they adde also in any wise, studie, labor, leasure, learning, and iudgement, and than they shall in deede, passe all other, as I know some do, in whome all those qualities are fullie planted, or else if they giue ouer moch to their witte, and ouer litle to their labor and learning, they will sonest ouer reach in taulke, and fardest cum behinde in writing whatsoeuer they take in hand. The methode of _Epitome_ is most necessarie for soch kinde of men. And thus much concerning the vse or misuse of all kinde of _Epitomes_ in matters of learning. [dingbat omitted] _Imitatio._ _Imitation_, is a facultie to expresse liuelie and perfitelie that example: which ye go about to folow. And of it selfe, it is large and wide: for all the workes of nature, in a maner be examples for arte to folow. But to our purpose, all languages, both learned and mother tonges, be gotten, and gotten onelie by _Imitation_. For as ye vse to heare, so ye learne to speake: if ye heare no other, ye speake not your selfe: and whome ye onelie heare, of them ye onelie learne. And therefore, if ye would speake as the best and wisest do, _the ready way to the Latin tong._ 265