The First Book 23 



meaning at this time to make any exact animadversion 

 of the errors and impediments in matters of learning, which 

 are more secret and remote from vulgar opinion, but only 

 to speak unto such as do fall under or near unto a popular 

 observation. 

 2. There be therefore chiefly three vanities in studies, 

 whereby learning hath been most traduced. For those 

 things we do esteem vain, which are either false or frivolous, 

 those which either have no truth or no use: and those 

 persons we esteem vain, which are either credulous or 

 curious ; and curiosity is either in matter or words : so that 

 in reason, as well as in experience, there fall out to be these 

 three distempers, as I may term them, of learning: the first, 

 fantastical learning; the second, contentious learning; and 

 the last, dehcate learning; vain imaginations, vain alterca- 

 tions, and vain affectations; and with the last I will begin, 

 (a) Martin Luther, conducted no doubt by a higher provi- 

 dence, but in discourse of reason ^ finding what a province 

 he had undertaken against the bishop of Rome and the 

 degenerate traditions of the church, and finding his own 

 solitude, being no ways aided by the opinions of his own 

 time, was enforced to awake all antiquity, and to call 

 former times to his succours to make a party against the 

 present time. So that the ancient authors, both in divinity 

 and in humanity, which had long time slept in Ubraries, 

 began generally to be read and revolved. Thus by conse- 

 quence did draw on a necessity of a more exquisite travail 

 in the languages original, wherein those authors did write, 

 for the better understanding of those authors, and the 

 better advantage of pressing and applying their words. 

 And thereof grew again a delight in their manner of style 

 and phrase, and an admiration of that kind of writing; 

 which was much furthered and precipitated by the enmity 

 and opposition that the propoimders of those primitive but 

 seeming new opinions had against the schoohnen ; who were 

 generally of the contrary part, and whose writings were 

 altogether in a different style and form; taking liberty to 

 coin and frame new terms of art to express their own sense, 

 and to avoid circuit of speech, without regard to the pure- 

 ness, pleasantness, and, as I may call it, lawfulness of the 



^Discourse of reason: process of reasoning. Cf. Sanderson, Ars 

 Log. III. i. 



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