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voice which saith: I knowe what foloweth. If through THE FIRST heedlessnese you resalute not a friend, hee will speake no more to you. If you defend one that is oppressed, take heede you bee not taken out of your house at undue tyme. Thinke not to be spared for that you make not profession of a souldiour: for nowe they wil not stick to beate even doctors and advocates, to hinder them from defending their clyents. But to what end goe I to loose my selfe in the intricate labirinth of the abuses and disorders of our time. I wil get out presently, and perswade my selfe, that vices should be banished out of the world, if conversation were taken out of it: seeing that adulteries, robberies, violences, blasphemies, murthers, and infinite other evils, are learned by the conversation of men, and by meanes of the same are committed.

ANNIB. You made a shewe at the beginning to yeld unto me, and yet neverthelesse are risen against me with a second assault. But notwithstanding I will not cease to assay with other answeres, to set an ende (if it bee possible) to our controversie. And for that you grounde learning uppon solitarinesse, I must first aske you, of whom the principles of sciences and learning are for the most part learned? GUAZ. Of Maisters.

ANNIB. You shall bee then taken in your owne net, seeing by these words you graunt unto me, that the beginning and end of learning dependeth of conversation. And verily as the armourer can not assure him selfe of the goodnesse of a corselet, untill such time as he hath seene it prooved with the launce or harquebouse: so neither can a learned man assure him selfe of his learning, untill he meete with other learned men, and by discoursing and reasoning with them, bee acertained of his sufficiencie. Whereby it seemeth to me verie cleere, that conversation is the beginning and end of knowledge. But for that you adde, that men conversant in the Court and common wealth are voide of learning, I must put you in minde touching that point, that as there are divers sciences, artes, and professions, so likewise is the life of men divers, who as it pleaseth

THE FIRST God, are called some to merchandise, some to warfare, some BOOKE to phisicke, some to the lawes. And for that all these tend to one ende, to get by these meanes honour and profite, you see that every one of these divideth his life into two partes: the one, to learne those thinges which may serve to lead him to the end I have spoken of: the other, to put them in practise. And for example, you have alredie purposed with your selfe to bee Secretarie to a Prince, I am not ignorant, that by reason of the good partes which are in you, you are to looke for reputation and commoditie therby, and to bethinke you of the good hap of those, who from that degree have been raysed to Cardinals and Vicars of Christ. And therefore to make your selfe fit for that office, you have learned the Latin and Tuscane tongue, and so many arts as are necessarie for that purpose: and by your perfect style in wryting, and great discretion in handling matters, you have wonne the reporte and name of an excellent Secretarie. All other men doe the like, amongest whom there are some, who giving their mindes either to husbandry, or to merchandise, care for no more learning, but to reade, wryte, and cast a count. And albeit amongst learned men, these same are not able to discourse of Rhetorike or of Poetry, yet are they not therefore to bee blamed, neither may wee say they are bereaved the knowledge of good letters by reason of conversation, for that from the beginning of their life they have determined not to meddle with studie, and it sufficeth them to bee esteemed wise, and well seene in their owne profession. But a scholler is well worthy to be laughed at, and reprooved, who applying him selfe altogether to studie, doeth not frame his learning to the common life, but sheweth him selfe altogether ignorant of the affaires of the world. And I will say unto you moreover, that it were a great errour to beleeve, that learning is more gotten in solitarinesse amongest Bookes, then in the companie of learned men. For this is a maxime in Philosophy, and experience sheweth it, That learning is easilier gotten by the eares then by the eyes neither should a man neede to dimme his sight, and weare his fingers in

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turning over the bookes of wryters, if hee might alwayes THE FIRST see them present, and receive by hearing that natural voyce, which by wonderfull force imprinteth it selfe in the minde. Besides that, if you chaunce to reade some harde and obscure place, you can not intreate the booke to expounde it unto you, but you shalbe fayne sometime to goe your way from it uncontented, saying, If thou wilt not be understood, I wil not understande thee. Whereby you may knowe that it is much better to talke with the living, than with the dead. Againe I note this, that the spirite of a solitarie man waxeth dul and lither, having none to stirre it up and awake it in demanding some question touching his learning, and in reasoning upon it: or else he waxeth hautie and proude by vaine beliefe, for not comparing any with himselfe, hee attributeth too much to himself. On the contrary side, he which heareth other to commend his studies, hath them in more admiration: hee which is reprehended, amendeth his faults hee which is any thing negligent, is pricked forwarde by his corrivals which seeke to outgoe him in glory. And as hee thinketh it a great shame to come behind his equals, so doeth hee count it a great honour to bee able to goe before his betters. But above al other things the commendable controversies which arise amongst learned men have most force to quicken the spirits. For by disputing they learne, and that which they learne in that manner, they understande best, they expounde best, and remember best. And while they dispute by lively reasons, indevouring to get the upper hand ech of other, the perfect knowledge of things is come by, and therupon it is commonly saide that Disputation is the sifter out of the trueth. And for so much as the trueth is taken from the common consent and opinions of men, those opinions can not be knowen but by conversation and companie, which the Poets meant to shew and infer, reporting that though Jupiter was God omnipotent, yet he called the other gods to counsaile, and heard their opinions. But let us set fables aside, doe we not knowe that the waighty and wonderful institutions of the holy church proceede not

THE FIRST from the Pope onely, but from the holy general counsailes BOOKE where they have bin discreetly wayed, and allowed? Besides, is it not the fashion of al princes, where there is question of the affaires of their estates, because they wil doe nothing of their owne heads, to assemble their counsailours, and to determine matters according to their advise? Commonweales, Cities, yea smal townes, do they not assemble together to choose officers, and to establish orders by common consent? Is it not the use of Magistrates to take the common advise and opinion of their assistentes? and we phisitions do we not the like in our assemblies and Colledges, wherein wee take resolution touching the healing of the sicke, by the advise and judgement of the greater part? Did not Apelles take delight to set his pictures abroade, and to shroud himself secretly neere unto them, to heare the opinion of the beholders, and when many were of one mind in reprehending some part, did not hee mend it according to the common voices and opinions? * And did not another painter say, that the people was the maister of whom he had learned his art? * And lastly, was it not the use of a wise Emperour (whose name I now remember not) to send spies abroade every day, to harken what was said of him, altering somtimes upon that occasion his maner of dealings, and reforming his life from good to better, according to the reports were made unto him? Verily, he hazardeth too much, who reposeth himselfe in his own judgement. And it is a common saying, that he doth wel, which counsayleth himselfe wel: For which cause counsel is esteemed for a holy thing. I am not able sufficiently to expresse the great good, which commeth of conversation, and of the knowledge which entreth in by the eares and sinketh into the mind, comming from the mouth of learned men. But I wil tel and remember you of the honorable Academies, or Universities, which for that purpose have been instituted in many cities of Italy, amongst which we must not forget to speake of that in Mantua, founded in the house of the most famous Lord Cæsar Genzaga, a mightie prince, and a special patrone

of learned men: neither that in Pavia, which flourisheth THE FIRST prosperously, by reason of the great number of students. BOOKE But perchance it is a thing to be mervailed at, that in that litle citie of Casal the Academie of the Illustrati maketh so gallant a shew. But for that the time serveth not to speake of the excellencie therof, to returne to the matter in question, I say, that the fruite which is gathered by these Academies is inestimable, and that they know wel what they do, which have any doings in them. For knowing that one alone cannot of himselfe attaine to many sciences, for that an art is long, and life is short, there they may obtaine whatsoever they desire. For some discoursing of divinitie, some of humanitie, some of Philosophy, some of Poetry, and other divers matters, they partake mutually and in common, of that which every one privately with great paine and long study hath learned: by the example of those, who beeing not able to live of themselves, and make good cheere at their table, meet together with other of their neighbors in one place, and bring every one their cates with them, and thereof make a sumptuous feast. And therfore it hath bin very profondly said, that man is a god unto man, for that one receiveth so great pleasure and comfort of another. Which selfe thing is represented unto us by the picture of the blinde man, carying uppon his backe the lame creeple, who teacheth him the way: and therupon wel saith Almanni:

So of twoo halfes the whole is fitly made,

the one with eyes, the other with feete doth aide.

I say then againe, that conversation is the full perfection of learning, and that it more avayleth a student to discourse one houre with his like, then to studie a whole day by himselfe in his studie. Yea and in conferring with his companions, if he have understood any thing amisse, he therby most commonly commeth to the right meaning of the matter, and cleereth his minde of many errours, * and beginneth to perceive that the judgement of one alone may bee easily darkened with the veile of ignorance, or of some passion,