A panoplie of epistles, or, a looking glasse for the vnlearned Conteyning a perfecte plattforme of inditing letters of all sorts, to persons of al estates and degrees, as well our superiours, as also our equalls and inferiours: vsed of the best and the eloquentest rhetoricians that haue liued in all ages, and haue beene famous in that facultie. Gathered and translated out of Latine into English, by Abraham Flemming.

C. Plinius to Fusco.

TH•…•… ARGVMENT.

Hee teacheth Fuscus how to bestowe his time, commending that kinde of studie which is applied to translating out of one tongu•…•… in•…•…o another, wheruppon (by the way) he toucheth many circum∣stances. Hee sheweth also, by specialtie, wherein it is good to bee exercised. And though Plinie wrote this Epistle to one particular man, laying before him (as it were) a platforme of studie: yet I see no cause to the cōtrarie, but these precepts of Plinie may serue as well to teach all young studentes an order and method•…•… in studie to be obserued.

YOu demaunde of mée a question: and what is it, but to be instructed how I thinke it were best for you to bestowe time, now that you are in solitarinesse, and sequestred from companie. Mine aunswere to your question is this: That in my iudgement, you shall finde this ex•…•…rcise very profitable, if you frame your self to interprete out of the Gréeke tongue into the Latine, or i•…•… you tran•…•…late out of the Latine speach, into the Gréeke. In which point of practise, the propertie of the language is to be pondered, gaynesse of woords to be follo∣wed, abundaunce of tropicall and figuratiue floures to be ob∣serued, and finally, a patheticall and vehe•…•…ent order in wri∣ting to be continued. Moreouer, through imitation of the best & most approued Authors, abilitie to cōprehend the like thinges is obteined: and that wherin the reader wanteth vn∣derstanding, is much deceiued: the translatour hauing the di∣rection of knowledge and the ende of art, is not rauished: yea, by the exercise of translating, wée purchase perseueraunce, & by the vse of the same, our iudgement incli•…•…eth to ripenesse. There is also some aduauntag•…•… to bée gotten, to write that downe which you read, in wordes of a contrarie tongue, to the intent that the whole substaunce and argument of that which the booke conteineth, may be ingraffed i•…•… your memo∣rie: to conferre and examine that which you haue written, with that which you haue read, and so diligen•…•…ly to consider,

wherein your Author hath aptly framed his inuention, and you not vnorderly dealt in your translation. Great glad∣nesse wilbe offered, if in some thinges you amend your Au∣thour: Great shame and discredite also will insue, if in all pointes he shewe more skilfulnesse, and bring his matters to more perfection. It shalbe lawfull also for the translatour, t•…•… choose and pick out such thinges as be most manifest, and ap∣parant: then afterwardes to canuasse and sift them with dis∣creti•…•…n. A bould and presumptuous kinde of contention, I must acknowledge this to bée, yet neuerthel•…•…sse, not euill or malicious: and why? because it is secretly practised: These and such like contentio•…•…s, I wot wel, many haue attempted, and thereby wonne commendation, whiles they wanted not sufficient abilitie to followe after as it were in a ch•…•…e, and despai•…•…ed not likewise to outrunne the ringleader, and there∣by to gett ground. By translating, this commoditie ariseth: to renew that in memorie, which sometime you read & haue forgotten: to ret•…•…ine many thinges •…•…n minde, when time ser∣ueth to be vttered: to passe ouer many circumstances vppon consideration: to interline here for necessitie, there for exor∣nation: to reiect that which is written, by writing it againe. This exercise, I must confesse, is laborious and paineful, yea, it is replenished with toile and tediousnesse: On the other s•…•…de againe, in that by the difficultie & hardnesse of the work, perfection is reco•…•…ered where much was out of square, & re∣s•…•…itution of strength gotten, which was diminished: the com∣moditie is answearable in proportion & measure, to the wea∣risomnesse of the labour. For end, to put too newe •…•…immes, ioyntes, and members, to the perfourmed body, not displacing them that it had before, is another pleasure which redoūdeth to the Translatour. I know, that at this instant, your studie standeth principally in playing the Oratour, howbeit, I la∣bour not by persuasion, to win you to the prac•…•…ise of this skir∣mishing, warlike, and f•…•…ghting style: For as ploughed lands, are s•…•…atered sometime with this seede, & sometime with that, because varietie is profitable: so our witts in like maner, are to bee exercised, one while with this meditation, another

while with that, because diuersitie draweth with it much pleasure. My counsell moreouer, in this case, is, that you buckle your selfe to translate some what out of histories, and that in writing epistles you vse great diligence. For it com∣meth to passe, many times and oft, that vppon vrgent necessi∣tie, wée must (as it were) leuen our Orations with historical narrations, and béesprinckle the same also with Poetical de∣scriptions: as for epistles by them this commoditie is gotten, not onely a methode in writing and speaking compact in breuitie, but the selfe same also full of smoothnesse and puri∣tie. Furthermore, it is permitted to the translatour, to take the benef•…•…te of relaxation and refreshing his musing minde, with versifying, I do not meane, in that wherein ampli•…•…cati∣ons, and large discourse•…•… are vsed (For I am not ignoraunt, that to the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of such an e•…•…terprise, much leasure and labour is required) but that rather, which, as it is quicke and wittie, so is it short also, and not tedious, which dispenseth with all maner o•…•… cares and businesse whatsoeuer. They are called playes of disp•…•…t, and trifling pastimes: neuerthelesse, as much renowne otherwhiles is by them at•…•…hieued, as by matters more earnest and w•…•…ightie, is procured: and to dis∣couer a manifest trueth, which silence oughte no longer to smou•…•…ther (for why should I not vtter verses, whiles I exhort you to the st•…•…die a•…•…d meditation of the same?)

Notes

• Not that so∣litarines•…•…e whi•…•…che nature doth abhorre: but by solita∣•…•…inesle •…•…e mea neth in this place, want of friendly com∣p•…•…nie, and f•…•…∣miliar ac∣quaintanc•…•….
• A readie and exquisite way to attaine knowledge in a forreigne lā∣guage.
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 it is honest and blamelesse▪
• Whiles th•…•…y 〈◊〉〈◊〉 skil enou∣g•…•…e▪ and art sufficient to followe their authour: and were in hope also to atteine more excellē∣cie.
• A similitud•…•… not to be pre∣•…•… with ou•…•… du•…•… consi∣deration▪
• Precepts for younge scho∣lers to obs•…•…rue and followe.
• The com∣moditie that redoundeth to him that di•…•… ligently rea∣deth epistles.