Here begynneth the booke whiche is called the body of polycye And it speketh of vertues and of good maners, and the sayd boke is deuyded in thre partyes. The fyrst party is adressed to prynces. The seconde to knyghtes and nobles: and the thyrde to the vnyuersal people. The fyrst chapytre speketh of the dyscrypcyon of the body of polycye.

¶ Here we begyn to speke of the thre estates of the people / an•• fyrst of the clerkes & studyentes in scyences. Capitulo. li.

ANd to the cōmonte of the people be comprysed thre esta∣tes / y^• is to knowe in y^• ••yte of Parysel•• also in other cytees▪ Fyrst the clargy / y^• ••ourgeyses / & the marchauntes / & then y^• comynyon of y^• people / lyke as we may say men of crafte & labourers▪ Nowe we must aduyse what thynges we maye say y^• ben profytable i gyuynge ensample to euerychone of the∣se estates to lyue well & truely after his ordre / ••for bycause y^• y^• state of y^• clargy is amonge all other / hyghenoble & worthy in honoure. I cast to adresse my matter / & speke fyrst of them y^• is to say of y^• studyentes as in the vnyuersyte of Paryse / or in other partyes. ¶ People well counsayled / or people y^• ••e ••ron•• I saye to you y^• dyscyples of studye & of wysdome / whiche by y^• grace of god & of good fortune / or of good nature / ben applyed to serche out the hyghnes of the clere re••oysynge sterre / y^• is to knowe y^• sterre of scyence takynge dylygently y^• good treaso•••• of y^• clere & helthfull fountayne / fulfyll yourselfe of y^• plesaunt

••••f••••••yon y^• may so m••••he auayle you & brynge you to worst y•• for what thynge is more worthy to mā tha scyence & the hygh∣nesse of cōnynge. Certaynly thou y^• desyrest it & employest thy selfe therto hath chosen a gloryous lyfe▪ For by y^• thou mayst cō prehende y^• ele••cyon of vertue / & y^• e••chewynge of vyce / lyke as it styreth the to y^• ene / & defendeth y^• fro the other / for th••re is no thynge more parfyte than y^• trouthe & cl••renes▪for to vnderstā de & knowe y^• par••ytenes o•• thynges whiche can not be vnder∣stande without connynge & scyence▪ For a wyse man wolde ta ke payne to gete y^• leest sauoure of y^• re••ykes of wysdome / & cer∣taynly I dare well say what so euer ony man sayth / y^• there is ••oy ne treasoure semblable / to y^• treasoure of vnderstondynge wherfore ye champyons of sapyence yf ye wyl do ony labour or payne I counsayle you y^• ye laboure to gete scyence / for & ye ha ue it & vse it wel / ye be noble▪ye ••e ryche / ye be al parfyte / & this is playnely shewed in y^• doctryne o•• phylosophres whiche shew eth & techeth y^• way to come by wysdome to y^• treasoure of pure & parfyte suffycyan̄ce▪ ••••pruoent phylosophre y^• was called ••leātes had suche a desyre to taste of y^• grete goodnes of sapy∣••nce & loued it so wel / notwithstondynge y^• he was so poore y^• he coude not fynde y^• meanes to come therto but by grete laboure y^• he had in y^• nyght / & y^• was this / he drewe water al y^• nyght whiche was necessary to y^• vle of y^• skolers / & so by y^• mean•• he gate his lyuynge / and in y^• day he entended to ••is ••••udy & to y ••essons of ••rysypus / whiche was a sol••mpne phylosophre to y^• enten••e y^• he myght be fulfylled of y^• connynge of this wyse mā & by y^• techynge & longe contynuaunce became ••yght a soue∣rayne man / wherfore me semeth truely y^• this man was wor∣thy to haue grete laude as well for y^• constaunce of his labour as for y^• grete scyence y^• he gate / wherfore ••ence sayth in a py stle y^• ••••••ātes by his grete labour helpe hymselfe to come to y perfe••cyon of scyence▪ ¶ ••et to y^• purpose to loue scyence & to he

dylygent to lerne it for y^• grete goodnes y^• may fal to hym y^• lyst to laboure therfore / we wyl speke a lytell of other phylosophres for to sharpen y^• appetyte of them y^• study for to lerne. The phy∣losophre Platon loued so moche scyence y^• thrughe y^• dylygence y^• he made for to gete it▪he fylled hymselfe with wysdome & doc tryne. This Platon was mayster to Arystotle & was in y^• ty∣me of Socrates y^• phylosophre / & he profyted so gretely in doc∣tryne y^• for the noblesse of his wytte was counted y^• wysest mā lyuynge / & that he loued scyence he shewed it well / for he wente al aboute to serche out all y^• doctryne of bokes namely in ytaly wherfore valere speketh of his grete dylygēce & desyre y^• he had to knowe & vnderstonde▪y^• the grete thought y^• he toke for to ge •••• bokes togyder was for nothynge elles but y^• scyence & cōnyn ge myght be cast a brode by hym thrughe all y^• worlde. This so ••empne phylosophre dyed in y^• age of. lxxx. &. v••ii. yeres / & it hap∣pened well at his dethe y^• grete loue y^• he had to all maner of •••• kes / for they fon̄de lyenge by hym y^• bokes of a woman y^• was a poete whiche was named ••••pho / & wrote of loue in pleasaū re & goodly verses▪as ••rose saythe / & paraduenture he loked vpon them for takynge of his pleasure in his plesaunt sayen∣ges. •• And yet there is conteyned in y^• boke of ••alere of y^• phy losophre Democratus whiche was a famous mā in naturall phylosophy / & as Arystotle telleth in y^• fyrst boke of generacyō •• of corrupcyon & chargeth of al thynges / y^• is to saye he wolde gyue cōmendacyō to y^• saynge of Democratus / & therfore Ary stotle cōmendeth hym gretly in dyuers places for his natural phylosophy & alowed gretly his opynyons. Also valere cōmen deth moche the sayd phylosophre for bycause he dyspraysed ry ches gretely whiche often tymes hath done many men moche hurte & lettynge in getyng of phylosophy / & sayth y^• this demo cratus myght haue gretly haboūded in ryches if he had wolde for his fader was so passyngly ryche y^• he f••d al y^• hoste of kyn

ge zerces / yet notw^tstōdynge al y^• ryches he drwe hym to study & whē y^• goodes fell to hym he dystrybued thē to his frendes & to y^• poore people & vnethes lefte hȳselfe ony thynge to lyue vpō Secondly valere cōmendeth hym in as moche as he neuer de∣syred worldely honours whiche empessheth gretely to cōquere sapyence / & as he dwelled longe in Athenes he employed all his tyme in excersyse of doctryne & lyued there longe tyme vnkno wen in y^• sayd cyte lyke as hymselfe wytnesseth in one of his vo lumes ▪for he chase to lyue soletarily for to be out of noyse & stry ••e whiche letteth gretly speculacyō / then it appered y^• he had gre te desyre of cōnynge for he eschewed to his power al maner th•• ges y^• myght let hym fro y^• getynge of scyence. ¶ yet to y^• same purpose y^• men sholde loue scyence & study▪ valere speketh of y^• phylosophre ••arneades saynge y^• he was y^• very knyght y^• la boured scyēce / for. lxxx. yeres he lyued in phylosophy / & he was meruaylously cōioyned to y^• werkes of doctryne y^• it semed of▪ ten tymes as he sat at mete y^• he toke his refeccyō in studyen ge of doctryne / so y^• Meleysa his seruaūt was fayne often ty∣mes to take hȳ by y^• hōde & put it to his mete s••ynge y^• grete stu dy y^• he was i / this sayd phylosophre set by no thyng in y^• worl de but onely by vertue. Of many other phylosopres & shewe••s of wysdome a mā myght speke of / but for shortyng of this mat ter I wyl passe ouer / & these maters here tofore I haue brought to mynde to y^• entente y^• I may reduce & brynge to knowlege o•• y^• good studyētes suche as desyre to lerne scyēce & vertue / for it is no doubte but y^• scyences make a mā to be gracyous & well gouerned but yf it be suche one as is vndyscrete & weneth hȳ selfe y^• he knoweth al scyences / but in thēselfe they shewe it not but teche it to other / & suche maner of mē as techeth sapyence & ••o nothynge thēselfe of y^• same / ••en lykened to suche as dye for hōger & theyr good lyenge by thē / & oth••r men helpe thēselfe w^t y^• good / & suche mē be more blame worthy whē they do amysse than other.

¶ yet of the same.

••Or bycause y^• this fayre mater is ryght couenable to be knowen / & also y^• euery mā hath not y^• boke of valere for togader out to theyr pleasaunce al y^• matters y^• he speketh of••••e lyketh me yet to speke of y^• good purpose y^• longeth to study / for bycause y^• I haue sayd here tofore y^• y^• studyentes ought to do grete d••l py••ce in y^• getynge of scyēce / as valere recyteth & she •••• eth how y^• dylygēce wel modred w^tout to grete exce••le shal bryn ge a mā in grete excersyse of cōnynge & alsygneth y^• cause why he sayth so. Scenola whiche was an excellent legystre at Ro∣me ••ōposed certayne lawes whiche other legystres vseth yet / & after his grete occupacyō & study wolde take recreacyō of dy∣uers playes / & y^• a mā sholde so do / valere theweth y^• it is reasō a sayth y^• y^• nature of thynges wyl not suffre a ma cōtynuelly to be in labour / y^• is to say he must nedes at somtyme haue re••t in ydlenes / but this ydlenes sholde not be y^• a man sholde scase fro al bodely labours / but it is to vnderstode y^• a mā sholde be occupyed in some Ioyful dysporte by y^• whiche his vnderston∣dynge may be y^• fressher / for by longe studyenge al y^• sensytyfe vertues of mā ••e made wery & dull / & also they be not brought agayne to theyr rest & trāquylyte by seasynge all maner wer∣kes / for they y^• be trauayled in study yf they be not occupyed w^t some gladnes they sholde be ful of malancoly for y^• spyryte whi che hath ben in so grete labours of study before / & yf they go to bed so they shall suffre payne in theyr slepe as in dremynge & otherwyse / & therfore y^• remedy of y^• trauayle is / for to reioyce his spyryte w^t some goodly play & dysporte / & in lyke wyse as y^• pleasaunt metes please more at some tyme when they be entr•• medled w^t groce metes•• lyke wyse y^• werke of study is y^• better nourysshed whā a man at some tyme applyed hym selfe to play & ••ysporto / & therfore ••atō sayth / entremedle thy werkes amō ge w^t dysportrd / also Arystotle sayth in y^•. iii. boke of Ethyques A man in his labour sholde vse vertuously as welplay as la bour / to whiche thynge s••ne•• accordeth •• his b••ke of trāqu••••••••

of courage•••• saythe y^• the lusty & well berynge feldes be soone hurte by cōtynuel fertylyte / w^tout they be otherwhyle refressh ed / lykewyse cōtynuel laboure •• ony seyence hurteth y^e courage of ony persone & engendreth frenesy / & therfore nature gyueth men inclynaeyon of dysporte & play otherwhyles / & for y^• cause also they y^t stablysshed y^e lawes in olde tyme ordeyned certayne feestes to y^• entente y^• all maner of people sholde assemble for to dysporte & playe & leue theyr laboure / & this purpose is sayd of Socrates / whiche no parte of scyēce was hyd fro / y^t he was not ashamed whan he was mocked of ••chypyades for bycause y^• he founde hym playenge w^t lytell chyldren / but he dyde so for bycause y^t the recreacyō whiche he had amōge thē sholde shar pe & refresshe his wyt & make it more quycke to y^e study / & for that cause as olde as he was he lerned to play on the harpe.