uell writers of our time, merry verses so well as morall
matters be mingled, wanton bankets so wel as wise disputations
celebrated, tauntinge and iocund Orations so well as effectuall
declamations and persuasions pronounced. These letters contayne
many graue and wholesom documents, sundry vertuous and chosen
Institutions for Prynces and Noble men, yea and for sutch as
beare offyce and preferment in commonwealth from highest title
to meanest degree. Theese letters do vouch the reioyce of a
Schoolemayster for bringinge vp a Scholler of capacity and
aptnesse, to imbrace and Fix in Memory sutch lessons as he
taught him. These Letters do gratulate and remembre the ioy of
the disciple for hauinge sutch a maister. These letters do
pronounce the minde of a vertuous Prince towardes hys subiects
for choyse of him to the empire, and for that they had respect
rather to the vertue and condition, than to the nobility or
other extreme accident. To be short, these letters speake and
pronounce the very humblenesse and fealty that ought to rest in
subiectes' hearts: with a thousand other excellent sentences of
duties. So that if the Emperour Nerua had bin aliue agayne to
peruse these letters and Epistles of congratulation betweene the
Schoolemayster and Scholler, he would no lesse haue reioysed in
Plutarch than king Philip of Macedon did of Aristotle, when hee
affirmed himself to be happy, not so much for hauinge sutch a
sonne as Alexander was, as for that he was borne in sutch a
time, as had brought Aristotle to be his maister. That good
Emperor Nerua, shewed a patern to his successor by his good
vertuous lyfe and godly gouernment, which made a successor and a
people of no lesse consequence than they were trayned,
accordingly as Herodian voucheth, that for the most part the
people be wont to imitate the Life of their Prince and
soueraygne Lord. If Philip deemed hymselfe happy and blessed for
hauing sutch a sonne and mayster, then might Nerua terme
himselfe threefolde more happy for sutch a Nephew and sutch a
notable Schoolemayster as Plutarch was, who not only by doctrine
but by practise proued a passing good Scholler. Alexander was a
good Scholer and for the time wel practised his maister's
Lessons, but afterwards as glory and good hap accompanied his
noble disposition, so did he degenerate from former life, and
had quite forgotten what he had learned, as the second Nouell of
this Booke more at large declareth. But Traiane of a towar