lie
Scriptures, or histories of our owne or forren nations about us, and
diverse in writing volumes of their owne, or translating of other mens
into our English and Latine toongs. I might here (he adds) make a
large discourse of such honorable and grave councellors, and noble
personages, as give their dailie attendance upon the queene's
majestie. I could in like sort set foorth a singular commendation of
the vertuous beautie, or beautiful vertues of such ladies and
gentlewomen as wait upon his person, betweene whose amiable
countenances and costlinesse of attire there seemeth to be such a
dailie conflict and contention, as that it is verie difficult for me
to gesse whether of the twaine shall beare awaie the preheminence.
This further is not to be omitted, to the singular commendation of
both sorts and sexes of our courtiers here in England, that there are
verie few of them which have not the use and skill of sundrie
speaches, beside an excellent veine of writing before-time not
regarded. Would to God the rest of their lives and conversations were
correspondent to these gifts! for as our common courtiers (for the
most part) are the best lerned and endued with excellent gifts, so are
manie of them the worst men when they come abroad, that anie man shall
either heare or read of. Trulie it is a rare thing with us now to
heare of a courtier which hath but his owne language. And to saie how
many gentlewomen and ladies there are, that beside sound knowledge of
the Greeke and Latine toongs, are thereto no lesse skilful in the
Spanish, Italian, and French, or in some one of them, it resteth not
in me. Sith I am persuaded, that as the noblemen and gentlemen doo
surmount in this behalfe, so these come verie little or nothing at all
behind them for their parts, which industrie God continue, and
accomplish that which otherwise is wanting!"[120]

At this time the practice (derived from the chivalrous ages, when
every baronial castle was the resort of young persons of gentle birth,
of both sexes) was by no means discontinued of placing young women, of
gentle birth, in the establishment of ladies of rank, where, without
performing any menial offices, they might be supposed to have their
own understood duties in the household, and had in return the
advantage of a liberal education, and constant association with the
best company. Persons of rank and fortune often retained in their
service many young people of both sexes of good birth,