THE FIRST BOOK. 13 



France, Spain, England, Scotland, and the rest, and he 

 find this judgment is truly made. * For it seemeth much in a 

 king if, by the compendious extractions of other men s wits and 

 labours, he can take hold of any superficial ornaments and 

 shows of learning, or if he countenance and prefer learning 

 and learned men ; but to drink, indeed, of the true fountains 

 of learning nay, to have such a fountain of learning in him 

 self, in a king, and in a king born is almost a miracle. And 

 the more, because there is met in your Majesty a rare conjunc 

 tion, as well of divine and sacred literature as of profane and 

 human ; so as your Majesty standeth invested of that triplicity, 

 which in great veneration was ascribed to the ancient Hermes : 

 the power and fortune of a king, the knowledge and illumina 

 tion of a priest, and the learning and universality of a philo 

 sopher. This propriety inherent and individual attribute in 

 your Majesty deserveth to be expressed not only in the fame 

 and admiration of the present time, nor in the history or tradi 

 tion of the ages succeeding, but also in some solid work, fixed 

 memorial, and immortal monument, bearing a character or 

 signature both of the power of a king and the difference and 

 perfection of such a king. 



Therefore I did conclude with myself that I could not make 

 unto your Majesty a better oblation than of some treatise 

 tending to that end, whereof the sum will consist of these two 

 parts : the former concerning the excellency of learning and 

 knowledge, and the excellency of the merit and true glory in 

 the augmentation and propagation thereof ; the latter, what 

 the particular acts and works are which have been embraced 

 and undertaken for the advancement of learning ; and again, 

 what defects and undervalues I find in such particular acts : to 

 the end that though I cannot positively or affirmatively advise 

 your Majesty, or propound unto you framed particulars, yet I 

 may excite your princely cogitations to visit the excellent 

 treasure of your own mind, and thence to extract particulars 

 for this purpose agreeable to your magnanimity and wisdom. 



I. (1) In the entrance to the former of these to clear the 

 way and, as it were, to make silence, to have the true testi 

 monies concerning the dignity of. learning to be better heard, 

 without the interruption of tacit objections I think good to 

 deliver it from the discredits and disgraces which it hath re 

 ceived, all from ignorance, but ignorance severally disguised ; 

 appearing sometimes in the zeal and jealousy of divines, some 

 times in the severity and arrogancy of politics, and sometimes 

 in the errors and imperfections of learned men themselves. 



(2) I hear the former^ sort say that knowledge is of thoge 



