d--who
also made answer thereunto in the king's presence by his assignation: "If
learning decay, which of wild men maketh civil; of blockish and rash
persons, wise and goodly counsellors; of obstinate rebels, obedient
subjects; and of evil men, good and godly Christians; what shall we look
for else but barbarism and tumult? For when the lands of colleges be gone,
it shall be hard to say whose staff shall stand next the door; for then I
doubt not but the state of bishops, rich farmers, merchants, and the
nobility, shall be assailed, by such as live to spend all, and think that
whatsoever another man hath is more meet for them and to be at their
commandment than for the proper owner that has sweat and laboured for it."
In Queen Mary's days the weather was too warm for any such course to be
taken in hand; but in the time of our gracious Queen Elizabeth I hear that
it was after a sort in talk the third time, but without success, as moved
also out of season; and so I hope it shall continue for ever. For what
comfort should it be for any good man to see his country brought into the
estate of the old Goths and Vandals, who made laws against learning, and
would not suffer any skilful man to come into their council-house: by
means whereof those people became savage tyrants and merciless
hell-hounds, till they restored learning again and thereby fell to
civility.

APPENDIX.

A.--HOLINSHED'S DEDICATION.

Holinshed himself does not come on the scene in the work that goes by his
name until in the second volume, devoted to the History of Scotland, which
he dedicates to Dudley, whose star was about to set. The third volume was
much the larger of the three, being the History of England, which is
inscribed to Burghley in this fashion:--

TO THE
Right Honorable and his singular good Lord,
Sir William Cecill, Baron of Burghleygh, Knight of
_the most noble order of the Garter, Lord high Treasu-_
rer of England, Maister of the Courts of Wards and
_Liueries, and one of the Queenes Maiesties_
priuee Councell.

Considering with my selfe, right Honorable and my singular good Lord, how
redie (no doubt) manie will be to accuse me of vaine presumption, for
enterprising to deale in this so weightie a worke, and far aboue my reach
to accomplish: I haue thought good to aduertise your Honour, by what
occasion I was first induced to vndertake the same, although the caus