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Tor. No man wyll denie that.

Phil. But yet to hit the marke alwayse were an excellent thyng.

Tor. Excellent furelie.

Phil. Than I am fure those be wifer men, which couete to shoote wyde than those whiche couete to hit the prycke.

Tor. Why fo I pray you.

Phil. Because to thote wyde is a thynge poffyble, and therfore as you faye youre felfe, of euery wyfe man to be folowed. And as for hittinge ye prick, bycause it is vnpoffible, it were a vaine thynge to go aboute it; but in good fadneffe Toxophile thus you fe that a man might go throghe all craftes and sciences, and proue that anye man in his science coueteth that which he shal neuer gette.

Tor. By my trouth (as you faye) I can not denye, but they do fo: but why and wherfore they fhulde do fo, I can not learne.

Philo. I wyll tell you, euerye crafte and science ftandeth in two thynges: in Knowing of his crafte, and Working of his crafte: For perfyte knowlege bringeth a man to perfyte workyng. This knowe Paynters, karuers, Taylours, fhomakers, and all other craftes men, to be true. Nowe, in euery crafte, there is a perfite excellencie, which may be better knowen in a mannes mynde, then folowed in a mannes dede: This perfyteneffe, bycause it is generally layed as a brode wyde example afore al men, no one particuler man is able to compaffe it; and as it is generall to al men, fo it is perpetuall for al time whiche proueth it a thynge for man vnpoffible: although not for the capacitie of our thinkyng whiche is heauenly, yet furelye for the habilitie of our workyng whyche is worldlye. God gyueth not full perfyteneffe to one man (fayth Tullie) left if one man had all in any one science, ther shoulde be nothyng lefte for an other. Yet God fuffereth vs to haue the perfyt knowledge of it, that fuch a knowledge dilligently

De. Inuen. 2.

folowed, might bring forth accordyng as a man doth labour, perfyte woorkyng. And who is he, that in learnynge to wryte, woulde forfake an excellent example, and folowe a worse?

Therfore seing perfyteneffe it felfe is an example for vs, let euerye man studye howe he maye come nye it, which is a poynt of wyfdome, not reafon with God why he may not attaine vnto it, which is vayne curofitie.

Tor. Surely this is gaily faid Philologe, but yet this one thinge I am afraide of, left this perfitneffe which you speke on will discourage men to take any thynge in hande, bycaufe afore they begin, they know, they shal neuer come to an ende. And thus difpayre shall dispatche, euen at the fyrste entrynge in, many a good man his purpose and intente. And I thinke both you your felfe, and al other men to, woulde counte it mere folie for a man to tell hym whome he teacheth, that he fhal neuer optaine that, whyche he would fainesl learne. And therfore this fame hyghe and perfite waye of teachyng let vs leue it to hygher matters, and as for fhootynge it fhalbe content with a meaner waye well ynoughe.

Phi. Where as you faye yat this hye perfitnesse will difcorage men, bycause they knowe, they fhall neuer attayne vnto it, I am fure cleane contrarie there is nothynge in the world fhall incourage men more than it. And whye? For where a man seith, that though a nother man be neuer so excellente, yet it is possible for hym felfe to be better, what payne or labour wyl that man refuse to take? yf the game be onse wonne, no man wyl set forth hys foote to ronne. And thus perfitnesse beynge fo hyghe a thynge that men maye looke at it, not come to it, and beynge fo plentifull and indifferent to euerye bodye that the plentifulnesse of it may prouoke all men to labor, bycause it hath ynoughe for all men, the indifferencye of it fhall encourage euerye one to take more paine than hys fellowe, bycause euerye man is rewarded accordyng to his

nye commyng, and yet whych is mofte meruel of al, ye more men take of it, the more they leue behynd for other, as Socrates dyd in wyfdome, and Cicero in eloquens, whereby other hath not lacked, but hathe fared a greate deele ye better. And thus perfitnesse it selfe bycause it is neuer obteyned, euen therfore only doth it cause so many men to be fo well fene and perfite in many matters, as they be. But where as you thynke yat it were fondneffe to teache a man to fhoote, in lokyng at the most perfitneffe in it, but rather woulde haue a manne go fome other way to worke, I trust no wyfe man wyl difcomend that way, except he thincke himselfe wyfer than Tullye, whiche doeth playnlye faye, that yf he teached any maner of crafte as he dyd Rhetorike he would labor to bringe a man to the knowlege of the mooft perfitneffe of it, whyche knowlege fhould euer more leade and gyde a manne to do that thynge well whiche he went aboute. Whych waye in al maner of learnyng to be beft, Plato dothe also declare in Euthydemus, of whome Tullie learned it as he dyd many other thynges mo. And thus you fe Toxophile by what reafons and by whofe authoritie I do require of you this waye in teachynge me to shoote, which waye I praye you withoute any more delaye fhew me as far forth as you haue noted and marked.

De Orat. 3.

Tor. You cal me to a thyng Philologe which I am lothe to do. And yet yf I do it not beinge but a fmale matter as you thynke, you wyll lacke frendeshypp in me, yf I take it in hande and not bring it to passe as you woulde haue it, you myghte thyncke great want of wyfdome in me.

But aduyfe you, feing ye wyll nedes haue it so, the blame shalbe yours, as well as myne: yours for puttynge vpon me so inftauntlye, myne in receyuynge fo fondly a greater burthen then I am able to beare.

Therfore I, more wyllynge to fulfyll your mynde, than hopyng to accomplyth that which you loke for, fhall speake of it, not as a master of shotynge, but as one not

altogyther ignoraunt in fhotynge. And one thynge I
am glad of, the funne drawinge downe fo fast
into the weft, fhall compell me to drawe a pace
to the ende of our matter, fo that his darknesse shall
fomethyng cloke myne ignoraunce. And bycause
you knowe the orderynge of a matter better
then I: Afke me generallye of it, and I
fhall particularly anfwere to it.

Very gladly Toxophile: for fo
by ordre, those thynges

whiche I woulde

knowe, you shal

tell the bet

ter: and
those

hi.

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TOXOPHI

LVS. B.

¶ THE SECONDE BOOKE OF the schole of shotyng.

P

hilol. What is the cheyfe poynte in shootynge, that euerye manne laboureth to come to? Tor. To hyt the marke.

Phi. Howe manye thynges are required to make a man euer more hyt the marke?

Tor. Twoo.

Phi. Whiche twoo ?

Tor. Shotinge streyght and kepynge of a lengthe. Phil, Howe shoulde a manne shoote strayght, and howe fhulde a man kepe a length?

Tor. In knowynge and hauynge thinges, belongynge to shootyng: and whan they be knowen and had, in well handlynge of them: whereof fome belong to shotyng strayght, fome to keping of a length, some commonly to them bothe, as fhall be tolde feuerally of them, in place conuenient.

Phi. Thynges belongyng to fhotyng, whyche be they?

Tor. All thinges be outwarde, and some be instru

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