Sir assoone as the Tearme was ended supposing your leasure, to be more then before, I was coming to thanke you 2: or 3: tymes ra= ther choosing to doe it by words then by letter: but I was still disapoin: ted or my purpose as I am at this present vppon an vrgent occasion, which doth lye mee fast to Fulham, and hath made mee now determine to imparte my mynde in writting, I thinke you know that I haue read your cogitata et uisa , which I protest I haue done with great desire repu= ting it A Token of your Singuler Love that you ioyned mee with thos your cheifest Freindes to whom you would Comend your first persuall of your draught: For which I praye you give mee leave to saye but this vnto you: First that if the depth of my affection to your person and spirritt, to your Workes and wordes, & to all your abillities were as highly to be valued as your Affections is to mee, it might walke with yours Arme in Arme, and claime your Love by lust deserte, but there can be noe comparison, where our States are soe vneven, and our meanes to demonsrate our Affections soe different, in soe much as for my owne, I must leave it to be prised in the Nature that it is, and you shall evermore finde it most adicted to your worthe:/ As touching the Subject of your Booke, you haue sett A Foote soe manye rare and noble Speculations, as I cannot choose But wonder (and I shall wonder at it ever) that your expence of tyme con= sidered in the publique profession, which hath in a manner noe acquaintance with anye Schollershippe or learning, you should haue culled out the quitessence, and sucked vpp the Sap of the cheifest kinde of learning For howsoever in some pointes, you doe varie alltogither from that, which_ is, and hath bene ever the received doctrine of our Schooles, and was allways by the wisest as still hath beene deemed of all Nations and Ages adiudged the truest, yet it is apparant that in thus verye pointes, and in all your proposells and plotts in that booke, you shewe yourselfe A Master Worke-man, For my selfe I must confesse, and I speake it ingenue, that for the matter of learning I am not worthyie to be reckoned in the number of Smatterers: and yet because it maye seeme, that being willing to Comunicate your Treates with your Freinds you are likewise willing to listen to whatsoever I or others can except against it, I must deliver vnto you for my private opynion, that I am one of that Crew that saye there is and will possesse a farr greater hold fast of Certainetie in your Sciences, then you by your discouse will seeme to acknowledgye/ For, where as First you doe abiect the ill successe and errours in Practitioners in Phisicke, you know aswell the doe proceed of the Patience vnrulynes, For not one of A hundred doth obey his Phisicion in observing his Cauncells, or by misinformation of their owne indisposicion (for few are able in that kinde to explicate them Selves) or by reason their diseases are by nature vncureable, which is incident you knowe to manye Sorts of Maladyes, or for some other hidd Cause which cannot be discovered by Course of Coniecture, how be it I am full of this beleefe, that as Phisicke is ministred now a dayes by Phyisitians, it is much to be ascribed to their negligence or ignorance or or other touche of imperfection, that they speed noe better in theire practise, For few are found of that profession soe well instructed in theire Art, as they might be the precepts which your Art doth affoard, which thoughe it be defective in regard of such perfeccion, yet for certaine it doth florish with admirable remedies, such as tract of Tyme hath - taught by experientall events, and are the open highe waye to that principall knowledge that you recommend: As for Alchimy & Magicke some conclutions they haue, that are worthye the preserving, but all their Skill is soe accompanied with Subtilties and guiles as both the Crafts and Crafte Masters are not onlye dispised, but named with derison, wherevpon to make good your principall assercion, me thinks you should haue drawne your example, from that which is taught the Liberall Sciences, not by picking out Cases that happen very seldome and maye by all Confession, be subject to reproofe, but by Controlling the Generalls and Grounds and eminent positions &aphorismes which the greatest Artists and Philosophers haue from tyme to Tyme de= fended; for it goeth for currant amongst all men of learning, that those kindes of Arts, which Clarkes in tymes past did terme quadravials , Confirme theire prepositions, by infallible demonstrations; And like= wise in the tryvialls, such lessons, and direccions are delivered vnto vs, as will effect verye neere, as asmuch all togither, as every falculty doth promise, Nowe in case we should concure as you advise, which is to renounce our Commo Notions, and Cancell all our Theomes axioms, rules and Tenents, and soe to come babes Ad regnum naturae , as we are wild by Scriptures to come Ad regnum caelorum , there is nothing more certaine in my vnderstanding, then that it would instantlye bringe vs to barbarisme, and after manye thousand yearees, leave vs more vnprovided of Theoricall furniture then wee are at this pre= sent; For that were indeed to become verye Babes, or Tabula rasa when wee shall leave noe impression of anye former principles, but be driven to begin the world againe, and to travell by tryalls of Action and service sence (which are your proffes by particulers) what to place in intellectum , for our generall Conceptions it being a maxime of all mens approving in intellectui nihil else quod non prius fuit in seunsu , And soe in appearance it would befall vs, that till Platoes yeere become about our insight in learning, would be of lesse reckoning, then nowe it is accounted, as for that which you inculcate of A knowledg more excellent, then nowe is among vs, which experience might pro= duce, if wee would - but assaye to extract it out of Nature by par= ticuler approbacions, it is noe more vpon the matter, but to incite vs vnto that, which without instigacion, by A Naturall instinct men will practise of themselves, for it cannot in reason be otherwise thought, but that there are infinite numbers in all parts of the world, for wee maye not in this Case confine our Cogitacions within the bounds of Europe, which imbrace the Course which you purpose, with all the deli gence and Care that anye Abillitye can performe: for every man is borne with an Appetite of knowledge, wherewith they cannot be so: glutted, but still, as in dropsyes, they thirst after more: but yet when they should harken to anye such perswasion, as wholly to abollish those setled opynions and generall Theories, to which they attained by their owne and their Auncestors former experience, I sed nothinge yett alleaged to induce mee to thinke it: Moreover I maye speake it, as I should Suppose with good probabillitie, that If I should make A mentall Survey what is like to be effected all the world ouer thise five or six inventions which you haue selected and ymagine to be but of moderne Standing would make but A slender shewe amongst soe manye manye hundreds of all kindes of Natures which are dailye brought to light, by the enforcement of witt, or Casuall event: & maye be compared or partlye preferred, aboue thos which you haue named: but were it soe here, that all were admitted, that you can require for the augmentacion of our knowledge, & that all our theorem & genrall positions were vtterlie extinquished, with a new substitucion of others in their places, what hope maye we haue of any benefit of lear= ning by this alteracion, assuredlye assoone as the new are brought ad ax--- by the Inventors, & their followers, by an interchangable course of natuall thinges, they will fall by degrees to be buried in oblivion, & soe in continuance to perish outright & that perchaunce vpon the like to your present pretences, by proposall of some means to advance all our knowledge found to an higher pitch of perfectnes Forr still the same defects that antiquitye found will reside in Mankinde: And therefore other issues of their Actions, devices, and Studies, are not to be expected, then is apparant by records were in former tymes observed, I remember heere a note with which Paterculus made of the incomparable witts of the Gretians and Romans in their florishing Estate, that there might be this reason of their notable downefall in their Issue that came after, because by Nature quod summo studio petitum est ascendit in Summum difficisque in perfecto mora est , in so much that men perceaving that they could not goe further, being come to the toppe, they turned backe againe of their owne accord, forsakinge those Studdyes, that are most in request, & betaking themselves to newe endeavours as if the thing that they sought had bene by prevention foresprised by others: so it faced in particuler with the eloquence of that age, that when theire Successours founde, that hardlye the could equall, by noe meanes excell their predecessors, they began to neglect the Study thereof, & both to write & speake, for many too: yeares in a rusticall maner, till this latter revolucion brought the wheele about againe by inflaming gallant spirits, to giue the onsett afresh with streying and striving to clime vnto that top & hight of perfection not in that guifte alone, but in everye other skill, in anye parte of learning, For I do not hold it an erroinous conceipt, to thinke of every Science, that as now they are professed, For they haue beene, in all precedent, Ages before, thoughe not alike in all places, nor at all tymes alike, in one and the same: but according to the Changeings & turnings of tymes, with A more exact and plaine, with a more rude and obscure kinde of teaching: and of the question should be asked, what parte I haue of it, I haue the doctringe of Aristotle, and of the deepest learned Clarkes, of whom will haue anye meanes to take anye notice, that as there is of other thinges, Soe there is of Sciences, ortus et interitus , which is allsoe the meaning, if I should expound it, of nihil novuum subsole , and is as well to be applyed, ad facta as ad dicta, ut nihil neque dictum neque factum, quod non et dictum et factum prius , I haue further for my warrent that famous com= plaint of Salomon to his sonne against the Infinite making of Bookes in his tyme, of which, in all congruitie it must neede be vnderstood, that a greate parte were observacions and Instructions in all kind of literature, and of thos, there is not nowe soe much as one pettye pamphlett (onlye some parcells of the Bible excepted remayning to posteritie) As then there was not in like manner anye footing to be found, of Millions of Authors that were long before Solomon: And yet wee must give creditt to that which he affirmed, that what soever was then or had bene before, it could never be trulye pronounced of it, Behold this is new: where vpon I must for finall Conclution inferre, Seeing all the endeaver as, Studdye and knowledge of Mandkinde in which soever Art, or Science, haue ever bine the same, as they are at this present, though full of mucabillities accordinge to the changes and accidentall occasions of ages, and Countryes, & Clarkes disposition both in their devices, and in their practised of their knowledge, if now we should accord in opinion with you, First to condemne our present knowledge of doubts and incertitude (which you, conferme but by averment, without other force of Argument And then to disclaime all our Axiomes, and Maximes, and generall acsertions, that are left by tradicion, forom our Elders to vs, which (for soe it is to be intended) haue passed all probations, of the sharpest witts that ever were, and lastlye to devise (being become nowe againe as it, were Abecedary by the frequent spel ling of particulers, to come to the notice of the true generalls, & soe afresh to create new priciples of Sciences, the End of all would be, that when wee shall bee dispossessed of the learning which wee haue all our Consequent travell, will but helpe as in A circle to Conduct vs to the place from whence wee wee sett forward and bringe vs to the happines to be restored in Integrum which will require as many ages haue marched before vs to be perfectly atcheived. And this I writt with noe dislike of increasing our knowledge with new found devices, (which is vndoubtedly A practise of highe Comendacion, in regard of the benefitt they will yeeld for the present, that the world hath euer bene and will assuredly continue very full of such devises whose industery that way hath bine verye obstinate, and-eminent, & hath produced strang effects, aboue the reach & the hope of mens comon Capacities: And yet our Notions and Theormes hath allways kepte in grace both with them, & with the rarest that ever were named among the learned, by this you see to what boldnes I am brought, by yourkindnes, that (if I seeme to be too sawcye in this Contradiction, it is the opynion that I hold of your Noble disposicion, & of the freedome in these cases, that you will afford your speciall Freind, that hath enduced me to doe it, And all= thoughe I my selfe, like A Cariours horse, cannot bauke the beaten way in which I haue bene trayned, yet such is my Censure of your Cogitata, that I must tell you, to be plaine, you haue verye much wronged your selfe, and the world to smother such A Treatise soe long in your Coffer, for though, I stand well assured ( for the tenour and subiect of your maine discourse ) you are not able to empanell A Substantiall Iurye, in anye vniuersitie, that will giue you A Verdict to acquite you of errour, yet it cannot be gainesaid, that all your treatise ever doth abound with chase Conceipts of the present State of learning, and with soe worthy Contemplations of the meanes to procure it, as may per= swade with anye Student, to looke more narrowlye to his busines, not only by aspiringe to the greatest perfection of that which is now A dayes devulged in the Sciences, both by diving yet deeper, as it were into the Bowels and Secretts of Nature, and by enforcing of the powers of this Iudgment & witt, to leave of St Paule, Consectari meliora dona , which Course would to God (to whisper soe much in your Eare) you had followed at the first, when you fell into the Studye of Such A Studye, as was not worthy such a student

Neverthelesse, being soe as it is, that you are there in settled, & your country Soundlye Served, I cannot but wish with all my harte, as I doe verye often, that you maye gaine A fitt reward to the full of your deserts, which I hope will come with leapes of happines and honour, From Fulham 19: Feb:

yours to be vsed & comaunded T: B:

1607

postcripe Sir one kinde of Boldnes doth drawe on another, in soe much, as me thinkes I should offend, not to signifie that before the transcripte of your booke be fitted for the presse, it will be requisite for you to cast A Censours Eye vpon your Stile, & eloquution which in the Framinge of some periods, and in divers wordes and phrases will hardlye goe for currant, if the Coppye brought to mee be iust the same, that you would publish Sir Cloudes of Miseryes darkens soe much such as are not in the Shur= chinge of prosperitie, as they prevayle with many good Natures, furnished with Comendable Iudgment, to give wrong Censures of them: I am one of thos, that cannot iustifie myselfe soe farre, as not to be lyable to reproofe yet I am of that ranke that cannot stoope to the stroake of every malitious tongue. But in you I haue found such abundance of Favour, whoe never knewe mee but in my tyde of ebb, that I must needs leave this with you, as A Record, to wittnes my Shame and reproach, if I be in gratefull for it, Soe farr as either abillitie of Body or goods of Fortune maye extend to performe, And herevto hee setts his land, that resolves to live and dye/

your faithfull freinde to serue you

Thomas Bodley