(when poets indeed, namely Epici and Lyrici, as these be, are fine dancers and trim singers :) but orators and historians be those comely goers and fair and wise speakers, of whom I wish my scholar to wait upon first; and after in good order, and due time, to be brought forth to the singing and dancing school. And for this consideration I do mean these four to the only writers of that time. VARRO. Varro in his books de Lingua Latina, & Analogia, as these be left mangled and patched unto us, doth not enter there into any great depth of eloquence, but as one carried in a small low vessel himself very nigh the common shore, not much unlike the fishermen of Rye, and herring men of Yarmouth, who deserve by common men's opinion, small commendation for any cunning sailing at all. Yet nevertheless, in those books of Varro, good and necessary stuff for that mean kind of argument, is very well and learnedly gathered together. His books of husbandry are much to be regarded, and diligently to be read, not only for the propriety, but also for the plenty of good words in all country and husbandmen's affairs, which cannot be had by so good authority out of any other author, either of so good a time, or of so great learning, as out of Varro. And yet, because he was fourscore years old when he wrote those books, the form of his style there compared with Tully's writing, is but even the talk of a spent old man ; whose words commonly fall out of his mouth, though very wisely, yet hardly and coldly, and more heavily also, than some ears can well bear, except only for age and authority's sake; and perchance of a rude and country argument, of purpose and judgement he rather used the speech of the country than the talk of the city. And so for matter sake his words sometime be somewhat rude; and by the Imitation of the elder Cato, old and out of use. And being deep stept in age, by negligence some words * For this we have Varro's own words, in the beginning of his first book of Country Affairs: "Otium si essem consecutus, Fundania, commodius tibi hæc scriberem, quæ nunc, ut potero, exponam, cogitans esse properandum: quòd, ut dicitur, si est homo bulla, eo magis senex. Annus enim octogesimus admonet me, ut sarcinas colligam antequam proficiscar è vita." Y do so escape and fall from him in those books, as be not worth the taking up by him that is careful to speak or write true Latin; as that sentence in him, Et in pace à rusticis Romanis alebantur, et in bello ab his tuebantur. A good student must be therefore careful and diligent to read with judgement over even those authors which did write in the most perfect time. And let him not be afraid to try them, both in propriety of words and form of style, by the touchstone of Cæsar and Cicero, whose purity was never foiled, no not by the sentence of those that loved them worst. All lovers of learning may sore lament the loss of those books of Varro, which he wrote in his young and lusty years with good leisure, and †great learning, of all parts of philosophy; of the goodliest arguments pertaining both to the commonwealth and private life of man; as de Ratione Studii, et de Liberis Educandis; which book is oft recited and much praised in the fragments of Nonius, even for authority sake. He wrote most diligently and largely also the whole history of the state of Rome; the mysteries of their whole religion; their laws, customs, and government in peace; their manners and whole discipline in war. And this is not my guessing, as one indeed that never saw those books; but even the very judgement and plain testimony of Tully himself, who knew and read these books, § in these words: "Tu ætatem patriæ; tu descriptiones temporum; tu This citation I have corrected from Victorius's edition. The whole sentence is this: " Itaque non sine causa majores nostri ex urbe in agris redigebant suos cives, quod et in pace à rusticis Roma nis alebantur, et in bello ab his tuebantur." + Quintilian's character and judgement of this learned writer, we have in his tenth book de Inst. Orat. "Alterum illud est, et prius Satyræ genus, quod non sola carminum varietate mistum condidit Terentius Varro, vir Romanorum eruditissimus: Plurimos hic libros, et doctissimos composuit, peritissimus linguæ Latinæ, et omnis antiquitatis, et rerum Græcarum nostrarumque; plus tamen scientiæ collaturus, quàm eloquentiæ.' One instance I shall produce out of his chapter, de Genere vestimentorum. "Encombomata, et Parnacidas, genera vestium puellarum. Varro de Liberis Educandis: "Ut puellæ habeant potius in vestitu chlamydas, encombomata, ac parnacidas, quam togas.' § This passage, taken out of Tully's first book of his Academical Questions, St. Augustine has also cited somewhat more fully in his sixth book de Civitate Dei. sacrorum jura; tu sacerdotum; tu domesticam, tu bellicam disciplinam; tu sedem regionum, locorum; tu omnium divinarum humanarumque rerum nomina, genera, officia, causas aperuisti," &c. But this great loss of Varro is a little recompensed by the happy coming of Dionysius Halicarnassæus to Rome in Augustus's days; who, getting the possession of Varro's library, out of that treasure-house of learning did leave unto us some fruit of Varro's wit and diligence; I mean his goodly books de Antiquitatibus Romanis. Varro was so esteemed for his excellent learning, as Tully himself had a reverence to his judgement in all doubts of learning. And Antonius Triumvir, his enemy, and of a contrary faction, who had power to kill and banish whom he listed; when Varro's name among others was brought in a schedule unto him, to be noted to death, he took his pen and wrote his warrant of safeguard with these most goodly words: Vivat Varro, vir doctissimus. In latter time no man knew better, nor liked nor loved more Varro's learning, than did St. Augustine; as they do well understand that have diligently read over his learned books de Civitate Dei; where he hath this most notable + sentence: "When I see how much Varro wrote, * Ἐγὼ καταπλεύσας εἰς Ἰταλίαν, ἅμα τῷ καταλυθῆναι τὸν Ἐμφύλιο πόλεμον ὑπὸ τοῦ Σεβαστοῦ Καίσαρος. This account he gives of hims self in the Introduction to his History; and in his second book, he makes this honourable mention of Varro: Λέγω δὲ & Τερέντιος Ουάρω ῥων ἐν ̓Αρχαιολογίαις ἔγραψεν, ἀνὴρ τῶν κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡλικίαν ἀκμασ GάνTWY TOXUTSIρÓTαTOS. The loss also of so many of Dionysius's books we may justly lament; for had they been preserved entire, we should much less have perceived the want of Varro's learning and diligence: or, to use Balthasar Bonifacius's words, "Si historia Dionysii integra exstaret, nihil esset cur Varronis thesauros quære remus. †The second chapter of St. Augustine's sixth book is wholly spent in admiration of Varro's learning and industry; where this following passage is, to which Mr. Ascham alludes: "Iste igitur vir, tam insignis excellentisque peritiæ, et quod de illo etiam Terentianus elegantissimo versiculo breviter ait; • Vir doctissimus undecunque Varro :' qui tam multa legit, ut aliquid ei scribere vacasse miremur: tam multa scripsit, quàm multa vix quenquam legere potuisse arbitror." The number of his works is almost incredible. Aulus Gellius relates from Varro's own words, that in his 84th year he had writ four I marvel much that ever he had any leisure to read; and when I perceive how many things he read, I marvel more that ever he had any leisure to write." And surely, if Varro's books had remained to posterity, as by God's providence the most part of Tully did, then truly the Latin tongue might have made good comparison with the Greek. SALLUST. Sallust is a wise and worthy writer; but he requireth a learned reader, and a right considerer of him. My dearest friend and best master that ever I had or heard in learning, Sir John Cheke, (such a man, as if I should live to see England breed the like again, I fear I should live over long,) did once give me a lesson for Sallust, which, as I shall never forget myself, so is it worthy to be remembered of all those that would come to perfect judgement of the Latin tongue. He said that Sallust was not very fit for young men to learn out of him the purity of the Latin tongue; because he was not the purest in propriety of words, nor choicest in aptness of phrases, nor the best in framing of sentences; and therefore is his writing (said he) neither plain for the matter, nor sensible for men's understanding. “And what is the cause thereof, Sir?" quoth I. “Verily," said he," because in Sallust's writing is more art than nature, and more labour than art; and in his labour also too much toil; as it were, with an uncontented care to write better than he could; a fault common to very many men. And therefore he doth not express the matter lively and naturally with common speech, as you see Xenophon doth in Greek; but it is carried and driven forth artificially after too learned a sort, as Thucydides doth in his Orations.' "And how cometh it to pass," said I, "that Cæsar and Cicero's talk is so natural and plain, and Sallust's writing so artificial and dark, when they all three lived in one time?" "I will freely tell you my fancy herein," said he. hundred and ninety books; but that his library having been plundered during his proscription, several of them were afterwards missing. "Tum ibi addit, se quoque jam duodecimam annorum hebdomadam ingressum esse, et ad eum diem septuaginta hebdomadas librorum conscripsisse: ex quibus aliquam multos, quum proscriptus esset, direptis bibliothecis suis, non comparuisse." Surely Cæsar and Cicero, beside a singular prerogative of natural eloquence, given unto them by God, both two by use of life were daily orators among the common people, and greatest counsellors in the senate-house; and therefore gave themselves to use such speech as the meanest should well understand, and the wisest best allow; following carefully that good counsel of Aristotle, Loquendum, ut multi: sapiendum, ut pauci. "Sallust was no such man, neither for will to goodness nor skill by learning; but ill given by nature, and made worse by bringing up; spent the most part of his youth very misorderly in riot and lechery, in the company of such, who never giving their mind to honest doing, could never inure their tongue to wise speaking. But at the last, coming to better years, and buying wit at the dearest hand, (that is, by long experience of the hurt and shame that cometh of mischief,) moved by the counsel of them that were wise, and carried by the example of such as were good, he first fell to honesty of life, and after to the love of study and learning; and so became so new a man, that Cæsar being dictator, made him prætor in Numidia; where he, absent from his country, and not inured with the common talk of Rome, but shut up in his study, and bent wholly upon reading, did write the History of the Romans. And for the better accomplishing of the same, he read Cato and Piso in Latin, for gathering of matter and truth; and Thucydides in Greek, for the order of his history and furnishing of his style. "Cato (as his time required) had more truth for the matter, than eloquence for the style. And so Sallust, * by gathering truth out of Cato, smelleth much of the roughness of his style; even as a man that eateth garlick for health, shall carry away with him the savour of it also, whether he will or not. And yet the use of old words is not the greatest cause of Sallust's roughness and darkness. There be in Sallust His extreme affectation, and fondness for Cato's language, is severely censured in an old epigram, made by no friend, as it appears, of Sallust's, and mentioned by Quintilian. "Nec minus noto Sallustius epigrammate incessitur, Et verba antiqui multùm furate Catonis, |