truth, nor on reason. Their whole works are a strange medley of the greatest falsehoods, scarce covered over with the colour of truth: their precepts are neither borrowed from nature, nor guided by reason: mere fictions, only to evince the dreadful height of human pride; in one word FOOLISHNESS. It may be, perhaps, expected of me, that I should give some instances from their works to prove this charge; but as to transcribe every passage to my purpose would be to transcribe their whole works, and as in such a plentiful crop it is difficult to choose: instead of trespassing on your patience, I shall conclude this first head with asserting what I have so fully proved, and what may, indeed, be inferred from the text, that the philosophy of the Greeks was FOOLISHNESS.

Proceed we now, in the second place, to consider the manner in which this inane and simple doctrine was propagated. And here

But here the punch, by entering, waked Mr Wild, who was fast asleep, and put an end to the sermon; nor could we obtain any further account of the conversation which passed at this interview.

MORAL, PHILOSOPHICAL, OCCA

ONE

SIONAL, AND
WRITINGS

SATIRICAL

ROGER ASCHAM

OF LADY JANE GREY

to

NE example, whether love or fear doth work more in a child for virtue and learning, I will gladly report: which may be heard with some pleasure and followed with more profit. Before I went into Germany, I came Broadgate, in Leicestershire, to take my leave of that noble Lady Jane Grey, to whom I was exceeding much beholding. Her parents, the Duke and the Duchess, with all the household, gentlemen and gentlewomen, were hunting in the park. I found her in her chamber, reading Phædon Platonis in Greek, and that with as much delight as some gentlemen would read

a merry tale in Boccace. After salutation, and duty done, with some other talk, I asked her, why she would lose such pastime in the park? Smiling she answered me; "I wis all their sport in the park is but a shadow to that pleasure that I find in Plato. Alas, good folk, they never felt what true pleasure meant." "And how came you, Madam, quoth I, to this deep knowledge of pleasure? And what did chiefly allure you unto it, seeing not many women, but very few men, have attained thereunto." "I will tell you," quoth she, "and tell you a truth which perchance you will marvel at. One of the greatest benefits that ever God gave me, is, that he sent me so sharp, and so severe parents, and so gentle a schoolmaster. For when I am in presence either of father or

mother; whether I speak, keep silence, sit, stand, or go, eat, drink, be merry, or sad, be sewing, playing, dancing, or doing any thing else, I must do it, as it were, in such weight, measure and number, even so perfectly as God made the world, or else I am so sharply taunted, so cruelly threatened, yea presently, sometimes, with pinches, nips and bobs and other ways, which I will not name for the honour I bear them, so without measure misordered, that I think myself in hell, till time come that I must go to Mr Elmer; who teacheth me so gently, so pleasantly, with such fair allurements to learning, that I think all the time nothing while I am with him. And when I am called from him, I fall on weeping, because whatever I do else, but learning, is full of grief, trouble, fear, and whole misliking into me. And thus my book hath been so much my pleasure, and bringeth daily to me more pleasure and more, that, in respect of it, all other pleasures, in very deed, be but trifles and troubles unto me."

I remember this talk gladly, both because it is so worthy of memory, and because also it was the last talk that ever I had, and the last time that ever I saw that noble and worthy lady.

T. HARMAN

A COUNTERFEIT CRANK

[PON All-hallow Day in the morning last Anno Domini 1566, or my book was half printed, I mean the first impression, there came early in the morning a counterfeit crank, under my lodging at the White-Friars within the cloister, in a little yard or court whereabouts lay two or three great ladies, being without the liberties of London, whereby he hoped for the greater gain: this crank there lamentably lamenting, and pitifully crying to be relieved, declared to divers there his painful and miserable disease. I being risen, and not half

ready (dressed) heard his doleful words and rueful mournings, hearing him name the falling sickness, thought assuredly to myself, that he was a deep dissembler: so coming out at a sudden, and beholding his ugly and irksome attire, his loathsome and horrible countenance, it made me in a marvellous perplexity what to think of him, whether it were fained or truth, for after this manner went he he was naked from the waist upward, saving he had an old jerkin of leather, patched, and that was loose about him, that all his body lay out bare, a filthy foul cloth he wore on his head, being cut for the purpose, having a narrow place to put out his face, with a baver made to turn up his beard, and a string that tied the same down close by his neck, with an old felt hat which he still carried in his hand, to receive the charity and devotion of the people, for that would he hold out from him, having his face from the eyes downward, all smeared with fresh blood, as though he had new fallen, and been tormented with his painful pangs, his jerkin being all berayed with dirt and mire, and his hat and hosen also, as though he had wallowed in the mire surely the sight was monstrous and terrible. I called him unto me, and demanded of him what he ailed. Ah, good master, quoth he, I have the grievous and painful disease called the falling sickness: why, quoth I, how cometh thy jerkin, hose and hat so berayed with dirt and mire, and thy skin also? Ah, good master I fell down on the backside here in a foul lane hard by the water side, and there I lay almost all night, and have bled almost all the blood out in my body. It rained that morning very fast and while I was thus talking with him, an honest poor woman that dwelt thereby, brought him a fair linen cloth, and bid him wipe his face therewith, and there being a tub standing full of rain water, offered to give him some in a dish, that he might make himself clean, he refuseth the same: why dost thou so, quoth I? Ah, sir, saith he, if I should wash myself, I should fall to bleeding afresh again, and then I should not stop myself: these words made me the more to suspect him. Then I asked of him where he was born, what his name was, how

:

long he had this disease, and what time he had been here about London, and in what place? Sir, saith he, I was born at Leicester, my name is Nicholas Genings, and I have had this falling sickness viii years, and I can get no remedy for the same, for I have it by kind, my father had it, and my friends before me, and I have been these two years here about London, and a year and a half in Bedlam: why, wast thou out of thy wits, quoth I? Yea, sir, that I was. What is the keeper's name of the house? His name is, quoth he, John Smith then, quoth I, he must understand of thy disease, if thou hadst the same for the time thou wast there : He knoweth it well, yea, not only he, but all the house beside, quoth this crank, for I came thence but within this fortnight. I had stood so long reasoning the matter with him, that I was a-cold and went into my chamber and made me ready, and commanded my servant to repair to Bedlam and bring me true word from the keeper there, whether any such man hath been with him as a prisoner, having the disease aforesaid, and gave him a note of his name and the keepers also: my servant returning to my lodging, did assure me that neither was there ever any such man there, neither yet any keeper of any such name, but he that was the keeper sent me his name in writing, affirming that he letteth no man depart from him, unless he be fet (fetched) away by his friends, and that none that came from him begged about the city: then I sent for the printer of this book, and shewed him of this dissembling crank, and how I had sent to Bedlam to understand the truth, and what answer I received again, requiring him that I might have some servant of his to watch him faithfully that day, that I might understand trustily to what place he would repair at night unto, and thither I promised to go myself, to see their order, and that I would have him to associate me thither he gladly granted to my request, and sent two boys that both diligently and vigilantly, accomplished the charge given them, and found the same crank about the Temple, where about the most part of the day he begged, unless it were about xij of the clock he went on the backside of