A sight of the Portugall pearle, that is, the aunsvvere of D. Haddon maister of the requests vnto our soueraigne lady Elizabeth by the grace of God quene of England Fraunce and Irelande, defendour of the faith. &c. against the epistle of Hieronimus Osorius a Portugall, entitled Pearle for a Prince. Translated out of lattyn into englishe by Abraham Hartwell, student in the kynges colledge in Cambridge

To Mayster Shacklock.

BEfore I opē my mouth vnto you (M. Shack∣locke) I may do ryghte well to aduertyse the godlye reader in anye wyse not to be ignoraunt of the occa∣siō by you ministred,* 1.1 in your vnaduy∣sed preface and Epistle vnto mayster D. Haddon, that he may duely consy∣der your deseruinges, and also the ne∣cessity of this mine aunswere. Which I wolde willynglye so frame that I might kepe as much within the limi∣tes of modestye as you are wythout. And that so much the more, because I easely conceiue, that which I willing lye and dutyfully conceyue, how that these serious mattiers, nay rather di∣uine and heauenlie misteryes, oughte not by our lewdnesse thus to bee pro∣phaned, turned into Comicall braw∣les, made quarrelles of contention, & singularity. And yet, lo, these matters of weight, this worde of power, thys

gospell of newenes of lyfe is made so gamesome a thynge, that in steppeth Danus and Syrus to determine bee∣twene doctours. I speake not now a∣gainst the libertye of good profession, in any estate or degree, least it myght be saide, I spake againste the knowen trueth. Trueth and sooth it is, that God may be & is glorified by the riche pore, high low, yong olde. But where are facings beyonde reason, tauntes beside occasiō, triumph without con∣quest, rashe claymes of prerogatiue, assurance of your owne doinges, con∣tēpt of other not onely meant but al∣so blased in writing, in worde vngod∣lye, in dede vncharitable, vnfruitefull vnto your selues, vnpleasaunte vnto your owne deare frendes, & common∣lye laughed at, the Actor thoughe he sweare for him selfe, shall vneth saue his honesty. Wherefore let vs thinke it (as it is) a piece of duetye to speake within a compasse, consideringe that if our owne name and fame be by any man rashlye impugned, we accoumpt it vyolence, we complayn that we are

iniuried. Namely if I should beginne with your beginning (M. Shacklock) and call you as you call your selfe, a morter maker, a durte dawber, a car∣man or basketbearer, I suppose you wolde thincke I doe you small wor∣ship, yet (of a bluntnes) I can skarce∣lye take you otherwyse then you are. Onely I meruayle who is mayster of the workes in Louayne, that suffreth euery pratyng pioner and inferior la∣bourer to vse his tongue for a pytche∣forke, and to bestowe such durty dea∣lynges vpon men of renowmed lear∣ning and worthy authority. But that you shall not thinke you haue cast a∣nye man into an agonye, I sende you word from Cambridge, that nothing is so heauely taken, as the whole is vnseemely in a man of your occupati∣on. A labourer quoth you? not in al E∣rasmus de copia so fitte a title. Euen so (as you haue shewed your selfe) for al the worlde, is operarius taken in Tullie 1. de oratore. There were in Tullyes time, in tharte of Rhetorique certaine vpstartes, which of that excellent sci∣ence

made nothinge but a vaine clat∣teringe, & became operarii, that is, not men of learning, but plaine mechani∣call or handcraft Orators, lyplabou∣rers. When such artificers steppe in, they geue men occasion to scowre olde rusty prouerbes such as these: A sowe gaue a leape, a popyniay pyped, an asse braied, a match made betwene an Egle and a Iackedawe, a Sowrer a∣boue his latchet. &c. And this I speak not for your translation, whiche had it not bene (as it is) hemde in with your vngentil and loueles additions, might haue lesse displayed y^e imbecil∣litie of your inuentiō. Me thynks, be∣inge both an Orator and a Poet, you shoulde not haue bene ignorante that playne dunstable raysing is the sclen∣derest shyfte in all Rhetorique. Thys your blynde boldenes with so worthy a man (wythout all good proportion as I maye saye) maketh manye men muse who appoynted you for a Cap∣taine, and withall putteth theym in mynde of the olde prouerbe: Multitudo imperatorum Cariam perdidit. While euery

peasaunt matched him selfe with pee∣ces, the whole land of Caria went to wrecke. And yet this is the vayne and preposterous practise of our maisters, Louainers. Vaine in that they thinke a mattier singulerly handled when it is well craked, preposterous in defa∣minge those persons whose puissance they inespecially dread & feare. Turne your selfe vnto better mattier maister Shacklocke, and as for Osorius hys nerte ishew, doe not so preiudiciallye forspeake it, least you lay to much vp∣pō the mannes shoulders. And if you loue to stick in comparisons, looke ix. degrees lower, and there seeke you a playfellow. As for your lauishing E∣pistles, if you sente theym for a tast of your witte, I will saye no more, but they haue beene considered. Onely (of modesty) sytte not an vncalled iudge betweene D. Haddon and Osorius, not that you are vnworthye, but for inclination. To be shorte, vnderstand (I praye you) that you are wyshed to goe too some mattier, or if you haue none other faculty but that is already

shewed, to stay your selfe vntyll your muse be better schooled. Surely syr, to say none otherwise then your own catorcozins saye, you haue taken ney∣ther the best way nor the wysest. And the moste mylde excuse that can bee made for you is, that in this doynge, you doe but sauor of the soyle, & fede y^e naturall vaine of your aūcientes, Lo∣uainers. Whose people blīding plaies & stratagēmes in sowyng of rumors, defaming of the persons, hastninge of prynted papers, myghte not (of rea∣son) so wel lyke them, in that they are but crepitacula, childrens toies. But (by goddes good grace) they shall be seene one by one, and such a vew is already taken of some of them, that none nede bee deceyued, no not the lyttle ones. As for those your dartes in your Pre∣face, or rather presumptiōs of the Re∣ligion not yet reuealed vnto you (such as these, the smoke of ignoraūce in England, great flames of heresyes burning mennes sou∣les, furyous fyeres, mistye vales of heresyes, false doctrine, cockryng bote of sismaticall noy∣somnes, waueryng fantasyes, sydewinde of de∣uelyshe suggestion, colde northwinde of dyssen∣tion

or discorde. &c.) wyth such other lar∣gises of your pleasure, and tauntes some of a foote and an halfe long, ioy∣ned with so small shewe of learnyng and aduysemente, haue (I assure you) encroched very lyttle or nothing vnto you, but rather make men now doubt of your knoweledge, and enquire of your maners. As for your learned cō∣parison, I wyll leaue it (in the nexte leafe) to the discrete iudgement of the reader learned and vnlearned, pray∣sing god for this swete lyttle treatise, and (notwithstandyng your vngentle dealinges) requiring nothing but the fruyte of reasonable and godly iudge∣mente. Whiche that it may not (after your example) be buylded vpon vayne wordes or anye priuate inclynation, more then an orderlye and due confe∣rence of both authours. D. Haddon & Osorius, I haue vsed in myne epistle vnto the reader a playne and euident way, such as seemed meete and perti∣nent in my symple iudgemente, & that (I truste) no man can (without suspy∣tion) defame. Which my doyng so in∣differente

and by you forced, I truste D. Haddon will pardon, and consyder the necessitye. Who because he hath ben absent about our Englysh affay∣res in Bruges aboue the date of your doynges, I doubte fyrste whether he haue hard of you, then whe∣ther he wolde haue you ones looked after, or your me∣lancholy any more pro∣uoked. But I truste (euen for gods sake & the symple pro∣fessours) he will be contente to se how your greate woordes nowe (as from time to tyme) in the tri∣all wil be consumed. Fare you well, from Cam∣bridge

A. H.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Loke mai∣ster Shak¦lockes pre∣face vnto his transla¦tion.