sciences, to the sweet content and capacity of the reader? In arithmetick, geometry, perspective, optick, astronomy, architecture, sculpturâ, picturâ, of which so many and such elaborate treatises are of late written: in mechanicks and their mysteries, military matters, navigation, riding of horses, b fencing, swimming, gardening, planting, great tomes of husbandry, cookery, faulconry, hunting, fishing, fowling, &c. with exquisite pictures of all sports, games, and what not? In musick, metaphysicks, natural and moral philosophy, philologie, in policy, heraldry, genealogy, chronology, &c. they afford great tomes, or those studies of antiquity, &c, et quid subtilius arithmeticis inventionibus? quid jucundius musicis rationibus? quid divinius astronomicis? quid rectius geometricis demonstrationibus? What so sure, what so pleasant? He that shall but see that geometrical tower of Garezenda at Bologne in Italy, the steeple and clock at Strasborough, will admire the effects of art, or that engine of Archimedes to remove the earth itself, if he had but a place to fasten his instrument; Archimedis Cochlea, and rare devises to corrivate waters, musick instruments, and trisyllable echoes again, again, and again repealed, with miriades of such. What vast tomes are extant in law, physick, and divinity, for profit, pleasure, practice, speculation, in verse or prose, &c.? their names alone are the subject of whole volumes: we have thousands of authors of all sorts, many great libraries full well furnished, like so many dishes of meat, served out for several palates; and he is a very block that is affected with none of them. Some take an infinite delight to study the very languages wherein these books are written, Hebrew, Greek, Syriack, Chalde, Arabick, &c. Me thinks it would please any man to look upon a geographical map, ( suavi animum delectatione allicere, ob incredibilem rerum varietatem et jucunditatem, et ad pleniorem sui cognitionem excitare) chorographical, topographical delineations; to behold, as it were, all the remote provinces, towns, cities of the world, and never to go forth of the limits of his study; to measure, by the scale and compasse, their extent, distance, examine their site. Charles the great (as Platina writes) had three faire silver tables, in one of which superficies was a large map of Constantinople, in the second Rome neatly engraved, in the third an exquisite description of the whole world; and much delight he took in them. What greater pleasure can there now be, a Pluvines. Thibault. с e As, in travelling, the rest go forward and look before them, an antiquary alone looks round about him, seeing things past, &c. hath a compleat horizon, Janus Bifrons, præfat. Mercatoris. d Cardan. Hondius, then to view those elaborate maps of Ortelius, Mercator, Hondius, &c. to peruse those books of cities, put out by Braunus, and Hogenbergius? to read those exquisite descriptions of Maginus, Munster, Herrera, Laet, Merula, Boterus, Leander Albertus, Camden, Leo Afer, Adricomius, Nic. Gerbelius, &c.? those famous expeditions of Christoph. Columbus, Americus Vesputius, Marcus Polus the Venetian, Lod. Vertomannus, Aloysius Cadamustus, &c.? those accurate diaries of Portugals, Hollanders, of Bartison, Oliver a Nort, &c. Hacluit's voyages, Pet. Martyrs Decades. Benzo, Lerius, Linschotens relations, those Hodceporicons of Jod. a Meggen, Brocarde the monke, Bredenbachius, Jo. Dublinius, Sands, &c. to Jerusalem, Egypt, and other remote places of the world? those pleasant itineraries of Paulus Hentzerus, Jodocus Sincerus, Dux Polonus, &c. to read Bellonius observations, P. Gillius his survayes; those parts of America, set out, and curiously cut in pictures, by Fratres a Bry. To see a well cut herbal, hearbs, trees, flowers, plants, all vegetals, expressed in their proper colours to the life, as that of Matthiolus upon Dioscorides, Delacampius, Lobel, Bauhinus, and that last voluminous and mighty herbal of Besler of Noremberge, wherein almost every plant is to his own bignesse. To see. birds, beasts, and fishes of the sea, spiders, gnats, serpents, flies, &c. all creatures set out by the same art, and truly expressed in lively colours, with an exact description of their natures, vertues, qualities, &c. as hath been accurately performed by Ælian, Gesner, Ulysses Aldrovandus, Bellonius, Rondoletius, Hippolytus Salvianus, &c. Arcana cœli, naturæ secreta, ordinem universi scire, majoris felicitatis et dulcedinis est, quam cogitatione quis assequi possit, aut mortalis sperare. What more pleasing studies can there be then the mathematicks, theorick, or practick parts? as to survay land, make maps, models, dials, &c. with which I was ever much delighted my self. Talis est mathematum pulchritudo, (saith Plutarch) ut his indignum sit divitiarum phaleras istas et bullas et puellaria spectacula comparari; such is the excellency of these studies, that all those ornaments and childish bubbles of wealth are not worthy to be compared to them: crede mihi. (saith one) extingui dulce erit mathematicarum artium studio; I could even live and die with such meditations, and take more delight, true content of mind in them, than thou hast in all thy wealth and sport, how rich soever thou art. And, as Cardan well seconds me, honorificum magis est et gloriosum hæc intelligere, quam provinciis præesse, formosum aut ditem juvenem esse. The like pleasure there is in all other studies, to such as are truly addicted to them: a ea suavitas, (one holds) ut, cum quia ea degustaveril, quasi poculis Circeis captus, non possit unquam ab illis divelli; the like sweetnesse, which, as Circes cup, bewitcheth a student, he cannot leave off, as well may witnesse those many laborious houres, dayes, and nights, spent in the voluminous treatises written by them; the same content. Julius Scaliger was so much affected with poetry, that he brake out into a pathetical protestation, he had rather be the author of 12 verses in Lucian, or such an ode in Horace, then emperour of Germany. Nicholas Gerbelius, that good old man, was so much ravished with a few Greek authors restored to light, with hope and desire of enjoying the rest, that he exclaims forthwith, Arabibus atque Indis omnibus erimus dittores, we shall be richer then all the Arabick or Indian princes; of such esteem they were with him, incomparable worth and value. Seneca prefers Zeno and Chrysippus, two doting Stoicks, (he was so much enamoured on their works) before any prince or general of an army; and Orontius the mathematician so far admires Archimedes, that he cals him, divinum et homine majorem, a petty god, more then a man ; and well he might, for ought I see, if you respect fame or worth. Pindarus of Thebes is as much renowned for his poems, as Epaminondas, Pelopidas, Hercules, or Bacchus, his fellow citizens, for their warlike actions; et si famam respi cias, non pauciores Aristotelis quam Alexandri meminerunt: (as Cardan notes) Aristotle is more known than Alexander; for we have a bare relation of Alexanders deeds; but Aristotle totus vivit in monumentis, is whole in his works: yet I stand not upon this; the delight is it, which I aim at; so great pleasure, such sweet content there is in study. King James, 1605, when he came to see our university of Oxford, and, amongst other ædifices, now went to view that famous library, renewed by S. Thomas Bodley, in imitation of Alexander, at his departure brake out into that noble speech, If I were not a king, I would be a university man; and if it were so that I must be a prisoner, if I might have my wish, I would desire to have no other prison then that library, and to be Cardan. præfat. rerum variet. Donec gratus eram tibi, &c. si integros haberemus, Dii boni! Wake, muse regnautes. • Quos f Isaack De Peloponnes. lib. 6. descrip. Græc. 8 Si unquam mihi in fatis sit, ut captivus ducar, si mihi daretur optio, hoc cuperem carcere concludi, his catenis illigari, cum hisce a chained together with so many good authors, et mortuis magistris. So sweet is the delight of study, the more learning they have, (as he that hath a dropsie, the more he drinks, the thirstier he is) the more they covet to learn; and the last day is prioris discipulus; harsh at first learning is; radices amaræ, but fructus dulces, according to that of Isocrates, pleasant at last; the longer they live, the more they are enamoured with the Muses. Heinsius, the keeper of the library at Leiden in Holland, was mewed up in it all the year long; and that which to thy thinking should have bred a loathing, caused in him a greater liking. I no sooner (saith he) come into the library, but I bolt the door to me, excluding lust, ambition, avarice, and all such vices, whose nurse is Idlenesse the mother of ignorance, and Melancholy her self; and in the very lap of eternity, amongst so many divine souls, I take my seat, with so lofty a spirit and sweet content, that I pitty all our great ones, and rich men, that know not this happinesse. I am not ignorant in the mean time (notwithstanding this which I have said) how barbarously and basely for the most part our ruder gentry esteem of libraries and books, how they neglect and contemn so great a treasure, so inestimable a benefit, as Æsops cock did the jewel he found in the dunghil; and all through error, ignorance, and want of education. And 'tis a wonder withal to observe how much they will vainly cast away in unnecessary expences, quot modis pereant (saith bErasmus) magnatibus pecuniæ, quantum absumant alea, scorta, compotationes, profectiones non necessariæ, pompæ, bella quæsita, ambitio, colax, morio, ludio, &c. what in hawkes, hounds, lawsuits, vain building, gurmundizing, drinking, sports, playes, pastimes, &c. If a well-minded man to the Muses would sue to some of them for an exhibition, to the farther maintenance or inlargement of such a work, be it college, lecture, library, or whatsoever else may tend to the advancement of learning, they are so unwilling, so averse, they had rather see these which are already with such cost and care erected, utterly ruined, demolished, or otherwise employed; for they repine, many, and grudge at such gifts and revenews so bestowed: and therefore it were in vain, as Erasmus well notes, vel ab his, vel a negotiatoribus qui se Mammonæ dediderunt, improbum fortasse tale officium exigere, to solicite or aske any thing of such men (that are,, likely, damn'd to riches) to this purpose. For my part, I pity these men; stultos jubeo esse libenter; let Epist. Primiero. Plerumque in quâ simulac pedem posui, foribus pessulum obdo; ambitionem autem, amorem, libidinem, etc. excludo, quorum parens est ig navia, imperitia nutrix; et in ipso æternitatis gremio. inter tot illustres animas sedem mihi sumo, cum ingrati quidem animo, ut subinde magnatum me misereat, qui feli citatem hanc ignorant. Chil. 2. Cent. 1. adag. 1. them go as they are, in the catalogue of Ignoramus. How much, on the other side, are we all bound, that are schollers, to those munificent Ptolemies, bountifull Mæcenates, heroicall patrons, divine spirits,- -qui nobis hæc otia fecerunt: namque erit ille mihi semper Deus- -that с have provided for us so many well furnished libraries, as well in our publike academies in most cities, as in our private colleges? How shall I remember S. Thomas Bodley, amongst the rest, Otho Nicholson, and the right reverend John Williams lord bishop of Lincolne, (with many other pious acts) who, besides that at St. Johns college in Cambridge, that in Westminster, is now likewise in fieri with a library at Lincolne (a noble president for all corporate towns and cities to imitate) O quem te memorem, vir illustrissime? quibus elogiis? but to my taske again. Whosoever he is, therefore, that is overrun with solitariness, or carried away with pleasing melancholy and vain conceits, and for want of imployment knows not how to spend his time, or crucified with worldly care, I can prescribe him no better remedy then this of study, to compose himself to the learning of some art or science; provided alwayes that his malady proceed not from overmuch study; for in such cases he addes fuell to the fire; and nothing can be more pernicious. Let him take heed he do not overstretch his wits, and make a skeleton of himself; or such inamoratoes as read nothing but play-books, idle poems, jests, Amadis de Gaul, the Knight of the Sun, the Seven Champions, Palmerin de Oliva, Huon of Burdeaux, &c. Such many times prove in the end as mad as Don Quixot. Study is only prescribed to those that are otherwise idle, troubled in minde, or carried headlong with vain thoughts and imaginations, to distract their cogitations, (although variety of study, or some serious subject, would do the former no harm) and divert their continuall meditations another way. Nothing in this case better then study; semper aliquid memoriter ediscant, saith Piso; let them learn something without book, transcribe, translate, &c. read the scriptures, which Hyperius (Lib. 1. de quotid. script, lec. fol. 77) holds available of it self: the mind is erected thereby from all worldly cares, and hath much quiet and tranquillity: for, as e Austin well hath it, 'tis scientia scientiarum, omni melle dulcior, omni pane suavior, omni vino hilarior: 'tis the best Virg.eclog. 1. in Christ-church, Oxon. quillitate fruens. d Founder of our publike library in Oxon. < Ours Animus levatur inde a curis, multâ quiete et tranSer. 38. ad Fratres Erem. |