by your leue, doth admitte holsome, honest and manerlie pastimes to be as necessarie

M. Cic. in off.

to be mingled with fad matters of the minde, as eating and fleping is for the health of the body, and yet we be borne for neither of bothe. And Ariftotle him felfe fayth, yat although it were

Arist. de mo

ribus, 10. 6.

a fonde and a chyldish thing to be to ernest in pastime and play, yet doth he affirme by the authoritie of the oulde Poet Epicharmus, that a man may vse play for ernest matter fake. And in an other place,

Arist. Pol. 8.3.

yat as reft is for labour, and medicines for helth, fo is pastime at tymes for fad and weightie ftudie.

Bhi. How moche in this matter is to be giuen to ye auctoritie either of Aristotle or Tullie, I can not tel, feing fad men may wel ynough speke merily for a merie matter, this I am fure, whiche thing this faire wheat (god faue it) maketh me remembre, yat those husbandmen which rife erlieft, and come latest home, and are content to haue their diner and other drinckinges, broughte into the fielde to them, for feare of lofing of time, haue fatter barnes in harueft, than they whiche will either flepe at none time of the daye, or els make merie with their neighbours at the ale. And so a scholer yat purposeth to be a good husband, and defireth to repe and enioy much fruite, of learninge, muste tylle and fowe thereafter. Our befte feede tyme, which be fcholers, as it is verie tymelye, and whan we be yonge: so it endureth not ouerlonge, and therefore it maye not be let flippe one houre, oure grounde is verye harde, and full of wedes, our horfe wherwith we be drawen very wylde as Plato fayth. And infinite other mo lettes whiche wil make a thriftie scholer take hede how he spendeth his tyme in sporte and pleye.

In Phedro.

Tox. That Ariftotle and Tullie fpake erneftlie, and as they thought, the ernest matter which they entreate vpon, doth plainlye proue. And as for your hufbandrie, it was more probablie tolde with apt wordes

propre to ye thing, then throughly proued with reasons belongynge to our matter. Far contrariwife I herd my felfe a good husbande at his boke ones faye, that to omit ftudie fomtime of the daye, and fometime of the yere, made afmoche for the encrease of learning, as to let the land lye fometime falloe, maketh for the better encrease of corne. This we fe, yf the lande be plowed euerye yere, the corne commeth thinne vp, the eare is fhort, the grayne is fmall, and when it is brought into the barne and threshed, gyueth very euill faul. So those which neuer leaue poring on their bokes, haue oftentimes as thinne inuention, as other poore men haue, and as smal wit and weight in it as in other mens. And thus youre husbandrie me thinke, is more like the life of a couetoufe fnudge that oft very euill preues, then the labour of a good hufband that knoweth wel what he doth. And furelie the best wittes to lerning must nedes haue moche recreation and ceafing from their boke, or els they marre them felues, when bafe and dompyffhe wittes can neuer be hurte with continuall ftudie, as ye fe in luting, that a treble minikin ftring must alwayes be let down, but at fuche time as when a man muft nedes playe: when ye bafe and dull ftryng nedeth neuer to be moued out of his place. The fame reason I finde true in two bowes that I haue, wherof the one is quicke of cast, tricke, and trimme both for pleasure and profyte: the other is a lugge flowe of caft, folowing the string, more fure for to last, then pleasaunt for to vse. Now fir it chaunced this other night, one in my chambre wolde nedes bende them to proue their ftrength, but I can not tel how, they were both left bente tyll the nexte daye at after dyner: and when I came to them, purpofing to haue gone on fhoting, I found my good bowe clene caft on the one fide, and as weake as water, that furelie (if I were a riche man) I had rather haue spent a crowne; and as for my lugge, it was not one whyt the worse: but shotte by and by as wel and as farre as euer it dyd. And euen so I am sure that

good wittes, except they be let downe like a treble ftring, and vnbent like a good cafting bowe, they wil neuer laft and be able to continue in studie. And I know where I fpeake this Philologe, for I wolde not faye thus moche afore yong men, for they wil take foone occafion to ftudie litle ynough. But I faye it therfore bicause I knowe, as litle ftudie getteth litle learninge or none at all, fo the mooft ftudie getteth not ye moost learning of all. For a mans witte fore occupied in ernest studie, must be as wel recreated with some honest pastime, as the body fore laboured, must be refreshed with flepe and quietneffe, or els it - can not endure very longe, as the noble poete sayeth. What thing wants quiet and meri reft endures but a fmal while.

Ouid.

B

And I promise you shoting by my iudgement, is ye mooft honeft paftime of al, and fuche one I am fure, of all other, that hindreth learning litle or nothing at all, whatsoeuer you and fome other faye, whiche are a gret dele forer against it alwaies than you nede to be.

Phi. Hindereth learninge litle or nothinge at all? that were a meruayle to me truelie, and I am sure seing you say so, you haue some reason wherewith you can defende shooting withall, and as for wyl (for the loue that you beare towarde shotinge) I thinke there shall lacke none in you. Therfore feinge we haue so good leyfure bothe, and no bodie by to trouble vs: and you fo willinge and able to defende it, and I fo redy and glad to heare what may be fayde of it I suppose we canne not paffe the tyme better ouer, neyther you for ye honestie of your fhoting, nor I for myne owne mindfake, than to fe what can be fayed with it, or agaynfte it, and speciallie in these dayes, whan fo many doeth vse it, and euerie man in a maner doeth common of it.

Tox. To fpeake of fhootinge Philologe, trulye I woulde I were so able, either as I my felfe am willing or yet as the matter deferueth, but seing with wiffhing we can not haue one nowe worthie, whiche fo worthie

a thinge can worthilie praife, and although I had rather haue anie other to do it than my felfe, yet my felfe rather then no other. I wil not fail to faye in it what I can wherin if I faye litle, laye that of my litle habilitie, not of the matter it felfe which deferueth no lyttle thinge to be fayde of it.

Phi. If it deferue no little thinge to be fayde of it Toxophile, I maruell howe it chaunceth than, that no man hitherto, hath written any thinge of it: wherin you must graunte me, that eyther the matter is noughte, vnworthye, and barren to be written vppon, or els fome men are to blame, whiche both loue it and vfe it, and yet could neuer finde in theyr heart, to faye one good woorde of it, seinge that very triflinge matters hath not lacked great learned men to fette them out, as gnattes and nuttes, and many other mo like thinges, wherfore eyther you may honeftlie laye verie great faut vpon men bycaufe they neuer yet prayfed it, or els I may iufllie take awaye no litle thinge from fhooting, bycause it neuer yet deferued it.

Tox. Trulye herein Philologe, you take not fo muche from it, as you giue to it. For great and commodious thynges are neuer greatlie prayfed, not bycause they be not worthie, but bicause their excellencie nedeth no man hys prayfe, hauinge all theyr commendation of them felfe not borowed of other men his lippes, which rather prayse them felfe, in fpekynge much of a litle thynge than that matter whiche they entreat vpon. Great and good thinges be not prayfed. For who euer prayfed Hercules (fayeth the Greke prouerbe). And that no man hitherto hath written any booke of fhoting the fault is not to be layed in the thyng whiche was worthie to be written vpon, but of men which were negligent in doyng it, and this was the cause therof as I fuppofe. Menne that vsed shootyng mofte and knewe it beft, were not learned: men that were lerned, vfed litle fhooting, and were ignorant in the nature of the thynge, and fo fewe menne hath bene that hitherto were able to wryte vpon it. Yet howe

longe fhotying hath continued, what common wealthes hath moste vsed it, howe honeste a thynge it is for all men, what kynde of liuing fo euer they folow, what pleasure and profit commeth of it, both in peace and warre, all maner of tongues and writers, Hebrue, Greke and Latine, hath fo plentifullie spoken of it, as of fewe other thinges like. So what shooting is howe many kindes there is of it, what goodneffe is ioyned with it, is tolde: onelye howe it is to be learned and brought to a perfectneffe amonges men, is not toulde.

Phi. Than Toxophile, if it be so as you do faye, let vs go forwarde and examin howe plentifullie this is done that you speke, and firste of the inuention of it, than what honeftie and profit is in the vse of it, bothe for warre and peace, more than in other pastimes, laste of all howe it ought to be learned amonges men for the encrease of it, which thinge if you do, not onelye I nowe for youre communication but many other mo, when they fhall knowe of it, for your labour,and fhotying it felfe alfo (if it coulde fpeke) for your kyndneffe, wyll can you very moche thanke.

Toxoph. What good thynges men fpeake of fhoting and what good thinges fhooting bringes to men as my wit and knowlege will ferue me, gladly fhall I fay my mind. But how the thing is to be learned I will furely leue to fome other which bothe for greater experience in it, and also for their lerninge, can set it out better than I.

Phi. Well as for that I knowe both what you can do in fhooting by experience, and yat you can also speke well ynough of fhooting, for youre learning, but go on with the first part. And I do not doubt, but what my defyre, what your loue toward it, the honestie of fhoting, the profite that may come thereby to many other, shall get the seconde parte out of you at the last. Toxoph. Of the firft finders out of shoting, diuers men diuerflye doo wryte. Claudiane the poete fayth that nature gaue example of in histri. shotyng first, by the Porpentine, which doth shote his prickes, and will hitte any thinge that fightes with it:

C

Claudianus