When the right virtuous Edward Wotton {1} and I were at the Emperors court together, we gave ourselves to learn horsemanship of Gio.
Pietro Pugliano; ohat, with great endation, had the place of an esquire in his stable; and he, acc to the fertileness of the Italian wit, did not only afford us the demonstration of his practice, but sought to enriinds with the plation therein, which he thought most precious. But with none, I remember, mine ears were at any time more laden, than wheher angered with slow payment, or moved with our learner-like admiration) he exercised his spee the praise of his faculty.
He said, soldiers were the estate of mankind, and horsemen the of soldiers. He said, they were the masters of war and ors of peace, speedy goers, and strong abiders, triumphers both in camps and courts; nay, to so unbelieved a point he proceeded, as that hly thing bred such woo a prince, as to be a good horseman; skill of gover was but a "pedanteria" in parison. Then would he add certain praises by telling what a peerless beast the horse was, the only serviceable courtier, without flattery, the beast of most beauty, faithfulness, ce, and such more, that if I had not been a piece of a logi before I came to him, I think he would have persuaded me to have wished myself a horse. But thus much, at least, with his no few words, he drove into me, that self love is better than any gilding, to make that seem geous wherein ourselves be parties.
Wherein, if Puglianos strong affe and weak arguments will not satisfy you, I will give you a nearer example of myself, who, I know not by what misce, in these my not old years and idlest times, having slipped into the title of a poet, am provoked to say something unto you in the defence of that my ued vocation; which if I hah mood will than good reasons, bear with me, sihe scholar is to be pardohat followeth the steps of his master.
A I must say, that as I have more just cause to make a pitiful defence of poor poetry, which, from almost the highest estimation of learning, is fallen to be the laughing-stock of children; so have I some more available proofs, sihe former is by no man barred of his deserved credit, whereas the silly latter hath had even the names of philosophers used to the defag of it, with great danger of civil war among the Muses. {2}
At first, truly, to all them that, professing learning, inveigh against poetry, may justly be objected, that they go very o ungratefulo seek to deface that which, in the nations and languages that are known, hath been the first light-giver to ignorance, and first nurse, whose milk by little and little ehem to feed afterwards of tougher knowledges. And will you play the hedgehog, that being received into the den, drove out his host? {3} or rather the vipers, that with their birth kill their parents? {4}
Let learned Greece, in any of her manifold sces, be able to show me one book before Musaeus, Homer, and Hesiod, all three nothing else but poets. Nay, let any history he brought that say any writers were there before them, if they were not men of the same skill, as Orpheus, Linus, and some others are named, who havihe first of that try that made pens deliverers of their knowledge to posterity, may justly challeo be called their fathers in learning. For not only in time they had this priority (although in itself antiquity be venerable) but went before them as causes to draw with their charming sweethe wild untamed wi