to defende the gospell of christe from the
blasphemie of the vnbeleuers / neither can they deliuer them
selues from suche false snares as the vnbeleauers shall laye for
them: Wherfor they must not haue familiar conuersacion with them /
through which they shall thus throwe themselues into perill /
and ieoperdie: Except that they can assure themselues of such
strenghth / that they shall not yealde vnto the wickednes of the
vnbeleuers. Otherwise / if they shall happen to dwell togither
in one place with the vnfaithfull: Lett them take goode heede
that they do lyue an holy lyfe amonge them: And for the rest /
let them so far as the necessitie of lyfe / and ciuile
businesses and affaires shall suffer them / vtterly abstayn from
the companie of the vnbeleauers.

[[A question.]]

But heere risith a question: Whether that such a weake and
vnlearned man / maye learn ony of the liberall artes / or
philosophie / of such a master as is an vnbeleauer.

Vnto which I answer: that forbicause to lern such artes of an
vnfaithfull master is not of such necessitie as can not be
auoided / therfor the man that ys weake in faithe must not lern
them of hym. Yt is a very daungerus thinge / to vse them which
ar vnbeleauers as Masters and teachers: for often tymes in the
myndes of the hearers ther arisith a gret admiracion and
estimacion of the teacher / and it maye easilye com to pas at the
lenghthe / that they shall thincke and Iudge that theise teachers
ar not deceyued in Religion / bicause they be of an exacte and
perfect knowledge in these liberall sciences / and philosophie.
This (I saye) may happen of it that men ar wont to attribute
mutch vnto their teachers. Yea that it may be so / I will proue
by the contrarie. Origen by teaching the Mathematicalls / and
such sciences / did bring many men to the knowledge of christe.
For furst he dyd begyn to reade among them such sciences with
which they wer delighted / In which he being expert / dyd shew
vnto his hearers suche connynge / that he dyd forthewith gett
amonge them great estimacion / and so the more easili drawe them
vnto the doctrine of christe. Augustine likewise cam to
Millaine / to heere Ambrose / bicause he was counted an
excellent Rhetorician. And so whilst he desirusly herd hym / at
the lenghth by hearinge he was tourned form the sect of the
Manichees / vnto the true catholiques. As therfor by lerning of
these sciences of godly teachers / the vnbeleauers haue beene
conu