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Show 34 ·&letter, tO Sir Thomas Bodley, &c. \ Mafier, in Commanding Words, to ferve Matter. Neverthelefs, I am not ignorant of the wort~ of .your Labours ; Whdher fuch as your Place, and Profeffion .unpofeth;. Or fuch ~ as your own Venue, ma.y, upon your Voluntary Elechon, tak~ m hand. B~t I can lay before you, n~ other perfwafions, th~n e1tl~er the work lt iclf~ may affeet you With; Or. the Honou~,of~1s Ma;efly, to_whom it is dedicated; Or your Parncular Indmatton to my Self; who, as I 'never took fo tnuch comfort, in any Labours of mine own, fo I {hall never acknowledge 1ny Self, more obliged, in any thing, to I the Labour of another, than in that, which fhall affift ir. Which · your labour, if 1 can, by my Place~ Profeffion, Means, Friends, Travel, Work, Deed, reqtiite unto you, I fhall ~eem my S(ilf, fo fi:reightly bound thereunto, as I fhall be ever mofi: ready, bdth to take, and feek,occafion ofThankfulnefs. So l~aving ir, n~~rthelef' 1, saJ.r,;a amicitia, ( as reafon is, ) to your own good Ltkmg, I remain, _____________ .___ _____ ~ A Letter, to Sir Thomas Bodley, upon fending ofhimJ hil Book, of Advancement of Learning. I Thil)k, no Man, may more truly fay, with the Pfalm, Mult'itm I neola fuit. Anima mea, than my Self, For I doe confeffe.) fince l was of any Underfianding, my Minde,hath,in Effeet,been abfent frotn that I ha.ve done : And in Abfence, are many Er-· rours-, which I doe willingly acknowledge; And .amongtl: the 1refi, this. great <:me, that le~d the reft-; That knowmg my Self, by inward Calhng, to be fitter, to hold a Book, than to play a 1parc, I have led my life in Civil Caufes; For which I was not very fit by Nature, and !llore unfit,. by the preoccupation o~ my "Minde. Therefore cal11ng my Self home,! have now, for a ume, enjoyed my Self; whereot; likewife, I defire,· to make the world partaker. My Labours, (ifl may fo term tha~ _,_ which was ~he Comfort, of my other Labours,) I have Ded1ca~d to thc ·Ktng; · Defirous, if there be any Good in them, it rna y be, as the Fat of a. Sacrifice, incenfed to his Honour; And the fecond Copy, I have fent unto you; Not onely, in good Affc<.Stion, but in a kinde <;>f Congruity, in regard, of your great, a-nd rare defert, of L~armng. For Books, are the Shrines, where the Saint is, or is belecved to he. And you,having built an Ark, to fave Learning, from Delu~e, deferve Propricty,in any new Infirumenr,or Engine, whereby Learning, fhould b<: improved or advanced. / j Letter, to Sir 17ho : Bo,d!ey, &C. ..1 Letter» to the_Biffiop 6f_Ely., upiJn fending his Writing, ent1tuled, Cogttaca,& Vifa. . My very good Ldrd ·: Now :rout .f:ordjbip, hath_been fo long in · t~1e Church, and the Pafau, d1fputtng,berween King~,and Popes; -Methtnks, you.iliould .t4ke plcafure, To look into the Field, and re~refh your 1n1nde, wHh [orne Matter; of Philo[opby; Though that Sctence, be now, through Age, waxed a Childe again, and left to Boyes, and young men: . And becaufe you were wont to make m~ bclreve? you to?k likmg to my writin!."s , I fend :you fome of th1s Vacattons Fruus; And rhus much more, of my minde, and purpofe. I haficn not to·Publifh; periiliing I wpuld prevent. · And I.am for:e~~ to ref peer, as well. tny Times, as the Matter. For ~J:th me 1t 1s tht:1s; and I thi~k with all Men in my Cafe: If~ bmd mr Self, to an Argument~ 1t I:oade~h.my Minde : But if I nd my. M.W1d, of the p~efent Coguauon, lt 1s tarher a Recreation. Th1s ~a~h pu~ ~ne 1nro thefe Mt{e~llanits; which I purpofe to fupprefs; tf. Go~ gtve me ~eave, to wtlt~' a jufr, and ptd-cet .Volume; ofPlulof<;>phy, w~tch I go: on wuh, though flowly. I fend . not your Lordfh'tp, too mu~h, I,eft 1t may glutt ~ou. , Now let me reB you, what my Defire 1~: If your Lordfhip be fo good now, as ~h~n you were, th.e good .Dean of wefl:minfter, my tequdl: to you ts; , fhat not by Pncks, but by No~es, you would mark unto me, whatfoeve.r fuall feem unto you, etther not ct1rre nr in the Stile. · Or harfh to credit, and Opinion; Or inconvenient, for the Per~ fon, of the vyrit~r. For no Man,.can be Jud~, and Party: And wh~n our ~mds Judge:, by Reflex10n of our Selves, they are more fubJeet to ~rror~ A~d th~ugh, for the Marter it felf, tny Judgement; be; 1n fome thmg~; fixed, and not Acceffible by any Mans Jtldgement~ ~hat g?eth. not n1y way; yet e~en in thoie Things, the ~dmomuon or a Fnend, may make me; exprefs my Self; di . v~rfly. I would?aye come to your Lordfhip, but that I ani hafi:entngco my Houie, 1n the Country~ And fo I commend your Lordfhip to Gods Goodnefs~ ~--·----------·~~~~--~----- A Letter, to.~ir Tho: Bodley,.,fter he bad imparted to bim ?a VVriting, tntituledj Cogitata, & Vifa: ' ·s I R, in refpett of my Going down; to my iioufe, in the corm-try, I f11all have miffeof my Papers; which I pray you therefore to return unco me. You ate, I bear you wirnefs, S.Iothfull, and you help me nothing : So as I atn half in conceit; that you affeet not the Argument : For my Self, I know well, you love, and |
