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may be done by public designation, though not by private 

 endeavour. But notwithstanding, if any man will take to 

 himself rather that of Salomon, Dicit piger, Leo est in via, 

 than that of Virgil, Possunt quia posse videntur, I shall be 

 content that my labours be esteemed but as the better 

 sort of wishes : for as it asketh some knowledge to de 

 mand a question not impertinent, so it requireth some 

 sense to make a wish not absurd. 



I. i HTHE parts of human learning have reference 

 to the three parts of man s understanding, 

 which is the seat of learning : history to his memory, 

 poesy to his imagination, and philosophy to his reason. 

 Divine learning receiveth the same distribution ; for the 

 spirit of man is the same, though the revelation of oracle 

 and sense be diverse. So as theology consisteth also of 

 history of the church ; of parables, which is divine poesy ; 

 and of holy doctrine or precept. For as for that part 

 which seemeth supernumerary, which is prophecy, it is 

 but divine history ; which hath that prerogative over 

 human, as the narration may be before the fact as well 

 as after. 



2. History is natural, civil, ecclesiastical, and literary; 

 whereof the three first I allow as extant, the . . . 



fit^toria 



fourth I note as deficient. For no man hath Literarum. 

 propounded to himself the general state of 

 learning to be described and represented from age to 

 age, as many have done the works of nature, and the 

 state civil and ecclesiastical ; without which the history 

 of the world seemeth to me to be as the statua of 

 Polyphemus with his eye out ; that part being wanting 

 which doth most show the spirit and life of the person. 

 And yet I am not ignorant that in divers particular 



