phistes vas

phours of

inde, qu

hilkis vas

ay nakyt

vitht out ny sort of cletyng. ther doctri

oune aperis

catione, ande the maneir of ther lyuing. be this politic ordinance, the egiptiens var inducit tyl adhere to vertu, ande to leyrne scies, craftis, ande mecanyke occupatios, maist comodius ande couenient for the public veil of egipt. Thã efftir this ordinance of amasis, the Gymniosophistes institut ane mair strict Gymniosoordinance amang the pepil of inde: that is to philososay, that ane person suld nocht be admittit to resaue his corporal refectione quhil on to the tyme that he hed manifest realye, or ellis be certan testificatione the frutis of his laubours of the daye precedent. the seuerite of thir strict ordinance var augmentit be ane edict of sesostris the grit kyng of egipt: for he statut ane ordinance til excerse his propir childir ande phie. the zong princis ande gêtil men of his court. to vse them til indure excesse of laubirs he statut that none of them suld tak ther refectione quhil thai hed gone ande run the tyme of fife or sex houris: to that effect, that throucht sic excerse, ther membris mycht be purgit fra corruppit humours, the quhilkis humours nocht beand degeistit, mycht be occasione to dul ther spreit, ande to mak ther body on abil to resist ydilnes. thir ordinances of the egi

to

be rather

ciuil lau nor philoso

atiens are verray necessair to be vfit in al real mys, be rason that the maist part of the pepil, throucht ther natural fraigilite, consumis the maist part of ther dais in ydilnes. This detestatione that i haue rehersit of ydilnes, par chanre maye be iugit be inuyful ignorantis, that i condampe my self in sa far as thai persaue me nocht ocupeit vitht mecanyc byssynes. nou to confound ignorant detrakkers, i vil arme me vitht the vordis of publius scipio, as cicero rehersis in the prologe of the thrid beuk of his officis, sayand, that scipio vas neuyr les ydil as quhe he aperit to be idil, nor he vas neiuyr les solitair as quhe he aperit to be solitair, for quhe he aperit to be ydil, tha he vas solist i his mynde anent the gouuernyng of the public veil, ande quhen he aperit to be solitar, than he vas speikand vitht hym self anent his auen byssynes, & sa he vas neuir ydil nor solitair, quhou beit that he aperit sum tyme in the sycht of the vulgaris to be ydil & solitair. nunquam se minus ociosum quam cum ociosus, nec minus solum quam cum solus esset. i vil apply thir vordis to my self. for quhou beit that the laubir vitht the pen & the studie on speculatiōe of vertu apeir to be ydilnes, zit thai ar

no ydilnes bot rather ane solist byssynes of the body & of the spreit. ande nou sen gode hes nocht dotit me vitht speculatione of liberal scies nor philosophe, nor vitht stryntht of my body til indure seruile subiectiõe, nor zit vitht no art nor mecanyc craft, ther for i vil help to the auansing of the public veil vitht my studye & vitht my pen. In the antiant dais, the romans var mair renforsit in curageus entreprisis be the vertu of the pen, ande be the persuasions of oratours, nor thai var renforsit be the sourdis of men of veyr. Euerye craft is necessair for the public veil, ande he that hes the gyft of traductione, compiling or teching, his faculte is as honest, as crafty, ande as necessair, as is to be ane marynel, ane marchant, ane cordinar, charpenteir, captan, ciuilist, or ony vthir crafft or scies. ther is na degreis of vertu amāg the, for gyf ane craft or sciens be gude, thā it is as gude as ony craft can be, for al sortis of verteo' facultes ar of ane lyik vertu, as cicero sais i the thrid of his paradoxis, that ane gude mã can be na bettir nor ane vthir man that is gude, for gyf ane man be gude, than he is as gude as ony gude man can be: siclyik gyf ane craft be gude, than it is as gude as ony craft

Nihil eni

natura facit

tale quale

statuarii

delphicũ

indiciam

sed vnum ad vnum.

A. Polit. I.

can be, ther for ane mã of ane craft suld nocht detest ane vthir sort of craft, considerand that oure hurt nature hes nocht dotit ane man til vse al craftis. Aristotil sais in the fyrst beuk of his politiques, that nature hes nocht maid ane man lyik gladius delphicus. The significatione of gladius delphicus is of this sort. delphos is ane solemnit place, on the hyl of pernasus, glad ob quhar ther standis ane tempil dedicat til appollo. ther cam daly to that tempil diuerse pure men in pilgremage. ther duelt on that hil smythis, & forgearis of yrn ande steil, the quhilkis culd mak ane instrament of yrn conuenient for mony officis, for tha vald gar ane instrament serue for ane hammyr, ane turkes, ane file, ane sourd, ane knyf, ande ane borrel. this sort of instramentis var sellit to pure pilgryms that hed nocht mekil moneye to by ilk instrament be the self: ande be cause that instramēt seruit til mony officis, ther for it vas callit gladius delphicus. of this sort aristotil makkis ane cōparisone, sayand that nature hes nocht maidane man abil for euerye craft or office, bot nature hes maid ane man abil to be ane prince, ane abil to be ane seruand, ane abil to be ane clerk, ane abil to be ane craftis man, be rason

that oure hurt nature hes diuidit oure coplexions to be of diuerse qualiteis, ande for that cause ve sal fynd amang ane thousand men, ane thousand consaitis ande ane thousand coditions. for that cause aristotil hes said in his politiques, that in ilk comunite ther is ane multitude, ande ilk ane hes sum part of vertu of diuerse degreis, ande ilk ane of thir degreis ar ordand til help vthirs in necessite. Cicero gyuis ane exempil in his retoric, quhou that the citinaris of cartomat in ytalye, sende for ane excellēt payntur, callit eracleon. thai promest to gyf hym ane grit some of moneye, for to paynt ane fayr ymage of the deeffe iuno. than eracleon gart al the fayr ande best lyik zong vemen of that cite cum in his presens, ande tha he chesit fife of the best lyik amang them al, to be his patrone. quhen he hed contemplit & spyit the proportions & propreteis of nature of thir fife ladeis he chesit the face of ane, the een of ane vthir, the handis of the thrid, the hayr of the feyrd, the armis, the myddil, ande the feit of the fyift; of this sort he formit the patrone of the ymage of iuno, efftir the proportione of diuerse of the mebris of thir foirsaid fife zong ladeis, be cause he culd nocht

C

Mille ho

minu species & re

rum disco

que est nec

lor vs' velle suu cuivoto viuiperseus. mines tot sententie.

tur vno.

Quot ho

Ci. de fini.