The courtyer of Count Baldessar Castilio diuided into foure bookes. Very necessary and profitable for yonge gentilmen and gentilwomen abiding in court, palaice or place, done into English by Thomas Hoby.

TO THE RIGHT HONO∣rable the Lord Henry Hastinges, sonne and heire apparant to the noble Erle of Hun∣tyngton.

THEMISTOCLES THE NOBLE A∣THENIEN IN HIS BANISHEMENT EN∣tertayned moste honourablie with the king of Per∣sia, willed vpon a time to tell his cause by a spokes∣man, compared it to a piece of tapistrie, that beyng spred abrode, discloseth the beautie of the woorke∣manship, but foulded together, hideth it, and therfore demaunded res∣pite to learne the Persian tunge to tell his owne cause: Right so [ho∣norable Lorde] this Courtier hath long straid about this realme, & the fruite of him either little, or vnperfectly receiued to the commune be∣nefite: for either men skilful in his tunge haue delited in him for their owne priuate commoditie, or elles he hath eftsones spoken in peece∣meale by an interpreter to suche as desired to knowe his mynde, and to practise his principles: the which how vnperfect a thing it is, The▪ mystocles and experience teache. But nowe, though late in deede, yet for al that at length, beside his three principal languages, in the which he hath a long time haunted all the Courtes of Christendome, hee is beecome an Englishman [whiche many a longe tyme haue wyshed, but fewe attempted and none atchieued] and welwilling to dwell in the Court of Englande, and in plight to tel his own cause. In whose commendation I shall not neede to vse any long processe of woordes, for he can so well speak for himself, and answere to the opinion men haue a long time conceiued of him, that whatsoeuer I shoulde write therein, were but labour in waste, and rather a diminishing, then a setting foorth of his woorthinesse, and a great deale better it were to passe it ouer with silence, then to vse briefenesse. Onely for the litle acquaintaunce I haue with him, and for the general profit is in him, my desier is he should nowe at his firste arriuall, a newe man in this kinde of trade, be well entertained and muche honoured. And forso∣muche

as none, but a noble yonge Gentleman, and trayned vp all his life time in Court, and of worthie qualities, is meete to receiue and enterteine so worthy a Courtier, that like maye felowship and gete estimation with his like, I do dedicate him vnto your good lorde∣ship, that through your meanes, and vnder your patronage he maye be commune to a greate meany. And this do I not, for that I suppose you stande in neede of any of his instructions, but partly because you may see him confirme with reason the Courtly facions, comely exer∣cises, and noble vertues, that vnawares haue from time to time crept in to you, and already with practise and learning taken custome in you: And partly to gete him the more aucthoritie and credite throughe so honorable a Patrone. For no doubt, if you beseene willingly to em∣brace him, other yonge and Courtly Gentlemen will not shonn hys company: And so both he shall gete him the reputation now here in Englande which he hath had a good while since beyonde the sea, in Italy, Spaine and Fraunce, and I shal thinke my smal trauayle wel imployed and sufficiently recompensed. The honour and entertain∣ment that your noble Auncestours shewed Castilio the maker, whan he was in this realme to be installed knight of the Order for the Duke his Maister, was not so muche as presently both he, and this his han∣dywoorke shall receiue of you. Generally ought this to be in estima∣tion with all degrees of men: For to Princes and Greate men, it is a rule to rule themselues that rule others, and one of the bookes that a noble Philosopher exhorted a certaine kyng to prouide him, and dili∣gently to searche, for in them he shoulde finde written suche matters, that friendes durst not vtter vnto kinges: To men growen in yeres, a pathway to the behoulding and musing of the minde, and to what∣soeuer elles is meete for that age: To yonge Gentlemen, an encoura∣ging to garnishe their minde with morall vertues, and their bodye with comely exercises, and both the one and the other with honest qualities to attaine vnto their noble ende: To Ladyes and Gentlewo∣men, a mirrour to decke and trimme themselues with vertuous con∣dicions, comely behauiours and honest enterteinment toward al men: And to them all in general, a storehouse of most necessary implements for the conuersacion, vse, and training vp of mans life with Courtly demeaners. VVere it not that the auncientnesse of tyme, the degree

of a Consul, and the eloquence of Latin stile in these our daies bear•• a greate stroke, I knowe not whether in the inuention and disposi∣tion of the matter, as Castilio hath folowed Cice••o, and applyed to his purpose sundrye examples and pithie sentences out of him, so hee maye in feate conueyaunce and lyke trade of writing, be compared to him: But well I wotte for renowme among the Italians, he is not in∣feriour to him. Cicero an excellent Oratour, in three bookes of an O∣ratour vnto his brother, facioneth such a one as neuer was, nor yet i•• like to be: Castilio an excellent Courtier, in thre bookes of a Court∣yer vnto his deere friende, facioneth such a one as is harde to finde & perhappes vnpossible. Cicero bringeth in to dispute of an Oratour, CRAS••VS, SCEVOLA, ANTONIVS, COTTA, SVLPI∣TIVS, CATVLVS, and CESAR his brother, the noblest & chie∣fest Oratours in those dayes: CASTILIO to reason of a Courtier, the Lorde OCTAVIAN FREGOSO, SYR FRIDERIKC•• his brother, the Lorde IVLIAN DE MEDICIS, the L. CE∣SAR GONZAGA, the L. FRANCESCOMA••IA DELLA ROVER••, COVNT LEVVIS OF CANOSSA, the L. GAS∣PAR PALLAVICIN, BEMBO, BIBIENA, and other most excellent Courtiers, and of the noblest families in these dayes in Italy, whiche all afterwarde became Princes, Cardinalles, Bishoppes and greate Lordes, and some yet in lyfe. Both Cicero and Castilio professe, they folowe not any certayne appointed order of preceptes or rules, as is vsed in the instruction of youth, but call to rehearsall, matters de∣bated in their times too and fro in the disputacion of most elo∣quent men and excellent wittes in euery woorthy qualitie, the one company in the olde tyme assembled in Tusculane, and the other of late yeeres in the newe Palaice of Vrbin. VVhere many most ex∣cellent wittes in this realme haue made no lesse of this boke then the Great Alexander did of Homer, I cannot sufficiently wonder that they haue not all this while from tyme to tyme done a commune benefite to profite others as well as themselues. In this pointe [I knowe not by what destinye] Englishemen are muche inferiour to well most all other Nations: For where they set their delite and bende themselues with an honest strife of matching others, to tourne into their mo∣ther tunge, not onely the wittie writinges of other languages, but also

of all the Philosophers, and all Sciences bothe Greeke and Latin, our men weene it sufficient to haue a perfecte knowledge, to no other ende, but to profite themselues, and [as it were] after muche paynes in breaking vp a gap, bestow no lesse to close it vp againe, that others maye with like trauaile folowe after. And where our learned menne for the moste part holde opinion, to haue the sciences in the mother tunge, hurteth memorie and hindreth lerning, in my opinion, they do full yll consider from whence the Grecians first, and afterwarde the Latins ••et their knowledge. And without wading to any farther rea∣sons that might be alleaged, yf they will marke well the trueth, they shall see at this daye, where the Sciences are most tourned into the vulgar tunge, there are best learned men, and comparing it wyth the contrarie, they shall also finde the effectes contrarie. In Italye [where the most translation of authors is] not onely for Philosophy, Logike Humanitie and all liberall Sciences bothe in Greeke and Latine [lea∣uing a parte BARBARVS, NAVG••RIVS, SANNAZARVS, BEMBVS, LAZARVS and the rest that of very late dayes flory∣shed] GENVA, TOMITANVS, ROBERTELLVS, MANV∣TIVS, PICCOLHOMINEVS, are presently verye singular, and renowmed throughout all Christendome: but also for the same in the vulgar tunge with litle or no sight at al in the latin, ARETINO, CELLI [a tayler in Florence] THE L. VICTORIA COLVM∣NA, the. L. DIONORA SANSEVERINA, the. L. BEATRICE ••OFFREDA, VERONICA▪ GAMBERA, VIRGINEA SALVI and infinite other men and women are moste famous tho∣roughout Italy, whose diuine woorkes and excellent stile bothe in rime and prose geue a sufficient testimonye, not onely of their pro∣founde knowledge and noble wit, but also that knowledge may be obtained in studying onely a mannes owne natiue tunge. So that to be skilfull and exercised in authours translated, is no lesse to be called learning, then in the very same in the Latin or Greeke tunge. There∣fore the translation of Latin or Greeke authours, doeth not onely not hinder learning, but it furthereth it, yea it is learning it self, and a great staye to youth, and the noble ende to the whiche they oughte to ap∣plie their wittes, that with diligence and studye haue attained a per∣fect vnderstanding, to open a gap for others to folow their steppes,

••nd a vertuous exercise for the vnlatined to come by learning, and to fill their minde with the morall vertues, and their body with ••iuyll condicions, that they maye bothe talke freely in all company, liue vp∣rightly though there were no lawes, and be in a readinesse against all kinde of worldlye chaunces that happen, whiche is the profite that cōmeth of Philosophy. And he said wel that was asked the question▪ How much the learned differed frō the vnlearned, So much (quoth he) as the wel broken & ready horses▪ from the vnbroken. Wherfore I wote not how our learned men in this case can auoide the sa••ing of Isocrates▪ to one that amonge soundrye learned discourses at Table ••pake neuer a woorde: Yf thou bee vnlearned, thou dooest wiselye▪ but yf thou bee learned, vnwyselye, As who should saye▪ learnyng is yll bestowed where others bee not profited by it. As I therefore haue to my smal skil bestowed some la∣bour about this piece of woorke, euen so coulde I wishe with al my hart, profounde learned men in the Greeke and Latin shoulde make the lyke proofe, and euerye manne store the tunge accordinge to hys knowledge and delite aboue other men, in some piece of learnynge, that we alone of the worlde maye not bee styll counted barbarous in oure tunge, as in time out of minde we haue bene in our maners. And so shall we perchaunce in time become as famous in Englande▪ as the learned men of other nations haue ben and presently are. And though the hardnesse of this present matter be suche, and myne vnskylfulnesse to vndertake this enterprise so greate, that I myghte with good cause haue despaired to bringe to an ende it, that manye excellente wittes haue attempted, yet coulde I not chouse but yelde to the continual ••e∣questes and often perswasions of many yong gentlemen, which h••ue may chaunce an opinion that to be in me, that is not in deed, & vnto whom in any reasonable matter I were skilfull in neyther I coulde nor ought of duetie to wante in fulfillyng their desire. Notwithstan∣ding a great while I forbare and lingered the time to see if anye of a more perfect vnderstanding in the tunge, and better practised in the matter of the booke [of whom we want not a number in this realm] woulde take the matter in hande, to do his countrey so great a bene∣fite: and this imagination preuailed in me a long space after my due∣tie done in translating the thirde booke [that entreateth of a Gentl••∣woman of the Courte] perswaded therto, in that I was enfourmed▪

it was as then in some forwardness by an other, whose wit and stile was greatly to be allowed, but sins preuented by death he could not finish it. But of late beeyng instantly craued vpon a fresh, I whet∣ted my stile and settled my self to take in hand the other three boo∣kes (that entreat of the perfection of a Gentilman of the Court) to fulfill their peticion in what I am able, hauing time and leyser therto, the which I haue done, though not in effect▪ yet in apparance and that in a great deale shorter time, then the hardness of the mat∣ter required. And where it shall not perhappes throughly please by reason my smalle vnderstandyng in the tung, and less practise in the matters herin conteined, is not of force to giue it the brightness and full perfection in this our tung that it hath in the Italian, it shal suf∣fice yet that I haue showed my self obedient in the respect a manne ought to haue toward his betters: And no more can they auoid the blame to charge me withall, then I to vndertake it. Beside that, I haue declared my good will and well meaning no less then if my counning were greater, and could extend much farther. But parauen∣ture the rudeness of this shall be an encouragyng of some other to giue the onsett vpon other matters with a better ripeness of style & much more aptness, and so shall this yet somewhat profite both wayes. But the estimation it must gete by your honour, is the prin∣cipall cause that setteth it out, and maketh it worne with the han∣des of heedfull readers: For in case you cheerfullye receiue it, men will recken it good: Yf you alow it, worthy to be practised: Yf you commend it, woorthie to pass from hand to hand. Therfore emong the other good opinions men generally houlde of you, let it not be the least, that they may houlde also no less of this that you alowe and commende. And so shall you show vndeserued kindness, I, bounden dutie, and all others good will to imbrace & to welcome it out of Italy into Englande And thus shall Cast••lio be esteamed such a one as he is indeede, and wexe familiar with all men, that of late was knowen of verie fewe, and so mangled wyth varietye of iudgementes, that he was (in a maner) maymed, & lost a good peece of his estimation. But in case iudgementes now feint, or mine in∣terpretation seeme not pithie but rude, not proper, but colde, there is no more imperfection in this Courtier, then in Cirus himself in

the translation of Xenophon into the Italian or anie other tung, the one as necessarie and proper for a Gentilman of the Court, as the other for a king. And I shall desire my labour may so be taken well in worth, as I haue endeuoured my self to folow the very meaning & woordes of the Author, without being mislead by fansie, or lea∣uing out any percell one or other, wherof I knowe not how some interpreters of this booke into other languages can excuse themsel∣ues, and the more they be conferred, the more it will perchaunce appeere. Wherfore receiue you this, as a token of my good will, and so receiue it, that the frute, what euer it be, maye be acknowleaged at your handes: and you, pass the expectation of men in this, as in all other thinges, which, no doubt, is very great of you: and I, to ac∣knowleage this benifit, where my habilitie stretcheth to nothyng elles, shall at the least euermore wishe vnto your Lordshipp longe lief, that you may go for∣warde, as you do, in these beginninges, whi∣che promise a luckie ende, to the ho∣nour of your self, comefort of your friendes, and forward∣ness of the commune ••eale of your coun∣trey.

1.5.5.6.

Your L. most bounden Thomas Hoby.