letters of Moyses and that thei afterwarde imperted of their knowledge to the Phenicians whence after againe Cadmus past with them into Grece Artabanus noteth that this Mercurie whiche all agrée on to haue made the first profession of letters in Egipte was Moyses himself called of the Egiptians Mercurie Philon an Hebrue a man of greate aucthoritie saieth that the inuention of letters was yet againe more auncient who saieth that Adā was the first authour of theim in deede thei either were inuented by Adam or by his children or by them at the leaste of the first age before the generall fludde or inundation preserued by Noe and his successours euen vntill the tyme of Abraham and from hym againe vntil Moyses And thus is the iudgement or opinion of Sainct Augustine Whiche is verified by the aucthoritie of Iosephus saiyng that the nephewes of Adam sones of Seth aduaunced or erected two sumptuous pillers the one of stone the other of claie in whiche they wrote or ingraned all the sciences affirmyng that himselfe sawe one of theim in Syria We finde also that S. Iude the Appostle alleageth in a certaine Epistle of his the booke of Enoch whiche also liued before the fludde So that wee must not doubt but that Adam and his children whiche were so wise whiche also had experience of so many thinges were also they that firste founde out the vse of letters and that Noe which afterward was both lettered and learned carefully preserued theim in his Arke with hym howe be it after that in the confusion of tongues whiche happened at the erection of the Tower of Babilon it may be that the greatest parte of the worlde loste then and there the knowledge of the saied letters again which onely remained in the family of Heber of or from whom afterwarde descended the Hebrues who as wee fore saide neuer loste their firste and aunciente tongue Which as it is true so Sainct Augustine reporteth it in his booke aboue alleaged Eusebius also in his first booke of his preparation Euangelicall as also the greater part of the learned of our tyme Wherefore as well Philon as also these others whiche supposed Moyses to haue been the first father of letters were there in all to geather deceaued for that it is euident that these bookes and histories that were written by Moyses were not as they déeme the firste of all others ne yet before the auncient studie of Philosophie the sadde and sage saiynges also of the Grekes as proueth Sainct Augustine sufficiently in the same place Iosephus against the grammariā Apion Eusebius also and Iustinus martirs I conclude then that letters were first and before Moyses for that we finde it recorded that Moyses hymselfe learned the artes and sciences of the Egiptians which I well knowe not how he colde haue accomplished if they before had hadde no feelyng in letters although in déede it be manifest that they hadde certaine signes called literae hierogliphicae by meanes of whiche as is aboue saide euery of theym sufficientlye and well vnderstoode the other From Adam then drawe wee the originall of letters as also that Abraham was after skilled of theim in Siria whence it cometh that Plinie hath varied in his opinion whiche wée haue in fewe now to fore remembred It nedeth nothing in this place to searche the beginnyng or cause of the vsuall frame or proportion of our characters for that eche man maie facion theim as is to hym best seemyng as we daily see euery man alter at his pleasure adding signes some tymes in steede or place of letters as affirmeth S. Hierome in the prologue of his boke of lawes that when Esdras the greate scribe and doctour of the lawe newe wrote or drewe it out in to some better fourme hee founde there straunge and newe characters of letters whiche the Iewes after vsed euen in the tyme of sainct Hierome as they also doe euen at this presente daie whiche Hebrue letters haue a priuate proprietie incident to no other letters of any countrie or nation for the voice or name of euerie of theim geueth signification of some one thing or other The firste called Aleph signifieth discipline the seconde Beth signifieth a house Gymel an other letter fillyng vp or abundance Daleth tables or bookes the others also signifie and denote other thinges whiche all I leaue as also to be tedious Who so here in is curious and desireth to knowe more may reade Eusebius in his firste booke de preparatione Euangelica Where on our elders wrote before the inuention of Paper and with what kinde of instrument how Paper and Parchement were firste founde out Who first inuented the maner or skille of Printyng as also what inestimable profite thence riseth and in fine by what meane a blinde man maie write Chap. 2. SOme what haue we after a sorte spoken in the former chapiter of the inuention of letters it resteth nowe that we also searche on what matter our elders or first fathers wrote and although directly we shall not be able here of to discourse ne yet where on thei wrote before the general inundation in the first age for the matter is both doubtfull difficill to wéete whether thei had letters then in very déede ye or not though we haue past it as proued by the aucthoritie of Iosephus as also aided to that purpose with some other profe or reasons Notwithstanding according to the opinion of al men the first writers had no kinde or maner of Paper but wrote continually on the leaues of the Date tree whence came that worde of leaues of bookes vsed at this daie After this thei wrote againe on the rindes of trées but especially on those that most easely were drawen or taken from the trée as the Elme the Ashe the palme or Burche trée from which thei tooke the innermost rinde that I meane betwixte the cruste and the trée of whiche subtilly and finely polished thei framed and facioned all their bokes artificially conioigning and fastnyng theim together And for as muche as in that time these rindes were called by the latin men libri hence haue bokes held from the time to name this word libri though thei this day far differ in the matter as is euidēt Now after this againe an other waie was foūd to write in plates of leade very thinne and perfectly fined of whiche some curious and priuate persones made aswell pillers as also bookes in which thei regestred all publike and common actes Besides this they yet founde an other waie to write to wéete on Liuen cloth fined and polished with certaine coloures Here also is and in this place to bée noted that they then wrote not as wee nowe do with pennes but with Reades whiche in latine may bee called Calami which also some vse euen yet in this daie An other kind of Paper was yet founde againe whiche was made as it were of certaine little trées called as wee finde by the name of Papers which in
a pointe in this notwithstandyng disagreyng with the other that the Obeliscus euer was of one onely stone nether péeste or patchte in any parte or place and yet therefore little yeldyng in height to any Pyramis of whiche we reade that some were greate as any Towers of a faire and good stone curiously grauen Of whiche sorte is one yet this daie in Rome knowen by the name only of a neelde whiche by inspeakable paine and pollicie was brought out of Egypte of height no lesse merueilous then it was to bring so houge a weaght thether This Obeliscus now of Semiramis whiche Celius as is saide reckneth for the last maruaile had in height an hundred fiftie foote and in circuite nintie sixe eche side in length by equall proportion conteainyng twentie fower foote whiche as it was one whole and perfecte stone so was he also by expresse tōmaundement of Semiramis cut out of a certeine hill or mountaine in Armenia and afterwarde thence brought to the aboue remembred Babilon But who so will consider how harde it was to drawe it thence howe harde also afterwarde to erecte it might thincke in truth it was a thing almoste impossible were ti not that the antiquitie had thinges like straunge and difficill whiche euery where are leafte vs of authours worthy credite whiche assure vs also of others in like sorte perfected by other Princes of Egypte Plinie sheweth the maner how with out any hurte bruse or annoie thei first were remoued from the place where thei were made Of these Pyramides Obelisci Colossi and suche others at full discourseth the learned Polysias in the beginnyng of his booke of loue and fire ¶ What maner of women the Sibylles were how many in number and of their prophecies but especially of those that concerned Christ and his commyng Chapt. 2. THe history of the Sibylles is generally aucthorised of all menne ther learnyng and prophecies verie well knowen but perticulerly to intreate whē and what thei were whereof thei Prophecied and at what tyme that onely knoweth he that hath spente some time in old and auncient histories Wherefore my desire was some thyng of them to gather especially consideryng the meruailous gifte of Prophecie whiche God in sunderie wise bestowed at tymes on theim and principally to fore saie of the cummyng of his sonne of his life and passion with other many misteries of our belefe and faithe of whiche wee shall some thyng in this place remēber to the intente the Ethnicke Panime that will aucthorise nothyng but their owne proper writinges might no better haue to excuse hymself then the perfecte Iewe whiche affiyng in his owne neither liketh or accepteth the true faithe or religiō And this saie I for that by common admission and consente such bookes were of all the Gentiles receiued these Sibylles also credited but especially of the Romaines whiche in euery their affaires or necessities whatsoeuer had their due recourse to the Prophecies of these Sibylles conferring and consultyng of all thynges by them written But for that so many as well Grekes as Latines haue in suche sorte so fully discourste and written of theim wee shall here followe and imitate the beste not greuyng or weriyng the reader with any others Diodorus Siculus Plinius Solinus Seruius Marcianus Capellus Lactantius Firmianus Elianus Suidas Strabo Marcus Vario and Virgill also with the better parte of Poetes Sainct Augustine Eusebius Orosius with the moste parte of all good historians haue some thyng written and discourste of these Sibylles Diodorus saith that this worde Sibylla signifieth nothing els but a woman Prophetesse and one ful of god Seruius as also Lactantius in his fowerth booke of diuine institutiōs nameth them none otherwise then the counsaile of God Suidas women Prophetes The others disagree as well about the number of them as also when thei were Some nombryng more some lesse but as thereof vncertaine Marcianus Capella mindeth vs of twoo onely others some of fower as chiefly Elianus in his variable histories Marcus Varro remembreth no lesse then tenne with whom Lactantius Firmianus occordeth in his firste booke whom I haue determined in this place to followe The firste was of Persia called Samberta of whom Nicanor maketh mention the same that wrote the renoumed gestes of Alexander others write that she was of Chaldea others a Jewe borne in the toune of Noe nigh the redde sea whose father hight Berosus her mother Erimanta this woman wrote twenty fower bookes in vearses in which she disclosed straūge and wounderfull matters concernyng the commyng of Christe his miracles and his life though secretly and as shadowed not to be vnderstode of all men With whom all the other Sibylles vniformely accorde in suche sorte that Lactantius Firmianus as well in his fowerth boke as in sunderie other places leaueth vs their perticuler Prophesies of Christe And Saincte Augustine also hath lefte vs a brief or shorte summarie of some certain and principall matters whiche as well this as the others also haue Prophesied especially of the death and passion of our Sauiour and emong others these woordes by order After this he shall bée apprehended by the handes of Infidels thei also shall beate and buffette hym aboute the face with their impure and sacrilegious handes with their mouthes accursed and blasphemous shal thei spitte on hym he shall geue theim his bodie as contented to be whipte theron he shall loue silence and vtter fewe wordes so that whence hée speaketh fewe menne at all shall knowe semblably he shall be crouned with shearpe and pearsing thornes Gaule shall thei geue hym to eate and sower Vineager to drincke See here the banket that these men shall make hym so that thou O Nation bothe ignorant and blinde shalte not knowe thy GOD here present and with thée but tyrannously shalt croune hym as is fore saide with thornes medling Gaule and vineger together a potion for hym After this the Veale of the Temple shall sundre and the midle of that daie shall be darckned as the night by the whole space of three full howres so then shall the iuste die who shall lie deade or sleape onely thrée daies and hauyng paste through Hell shall rise or reuiue neuer to die againe These woordes are suche so plaine and so euidente that thei in nothyng differ from these of the Euangelistes cōcernyng Christ our maister and Messias or otherwise from these of the holy prophetes but emōg the others principally of Esaie whiche the Churche also this daie doeth holde and shall doe euer And these Prophesies are recorded some by Lactantius Firmianus some by sainct Augustine and others some by others as by Cicero Marcus Varro and others Gentiles all deade before the birthe and natiuitee of our Sauiour as is bothe plaine and manifeste by the saied Lactantius who farther of these Sibylles addeth also this muche he shall raise the dedde the impotente and the weake by hym again shall goe the deafe shall heare the blinde sée the
as well serued as it was fittinge to that pourpose An other example reade wée of those that robbed and slewe the Poete Liuicus for as they oppreste him in wide and open fieldes farre from companye and out of all sighte he espied a companye of Cranes flyinge ouer his heade to whiche with lowde voice he spake these his last woordes O Cranes yée shal be witnesses of the wronge that is here donne mée After whose deathe this matter laye yet many dayes vnknowen till on a certaine time after it chaunced a solemne Conuente of people was made in the saide place emonge whom were also presente the twoo Murtherers of Liuicus whiche hearinge as before Cranes cryinge ouer them the one aduised his felowe thereof in laughter merily supposinge in the meane time not to haue bene perceiued of any Hearken companion beholde here the true witnesses of the blonde and deathe of Liuicus It chaunced that one nighe them hearing these woordes and not wel perceiuinge what they mighte signifie suspected foorthewith that whiche in déede was aduectisinge the Maiestrates of that whiche he had hearde To conclude theise twoo Roysters were incontinentely apprehended and accordinge to equitie Iustice was donne on them whiche happened by woordes paste them without aduise or regarde For this cause a man oughte principally to be ware of that whiche he will saye before it escape him with consideration also before whome and in what place Hecates a Greeke Oratoure was on a time reproued for that sittinge at a Bankette he woulde saâ—e nothinge Whiche vnderstoode by Archimidas answeared in this sorte for him Arte thou ignorante that one that can so well speake as he knoweth not also the time to kéepe silence Infinite examples out of diuers Histories might be borrowed of Times Daungers Infamations and Deathe in whiche by too mutch talke menne eftsoones haue bene entrapped Wherefore wée shoulde be circumspecte and wise that before wée doo our mouth open to speake wée well consider of it whether it maye be to vs preiudiciall or not The greate Cato surnamed Censorius was euen from his Cradle verye sober in woordes wherof at times reproued of many as one that obserued to austere silence saide I grieue not at all to be argued of Silence for that no man shall haue occasion to reproue me of my lyuinge for then and not before wil I breake into woordes when I haue learned to speake these thinges that maye not be concealed Isocrates in his Booke written to Demonichus saith That there are twoo times conueniente to speake in the one when to speake is in déede very necessary the other when one speaketh of these thinges he well knoweth Plutarche compareth those men that talke not knowinge wherof vnto voide and emptie Vessells whiche geue foorthe a greater noyse then these that are filled Plainely instructeth vs the Philosopher Zeno that for other cause none hath Nature lente vs twoo eares one tongue but only to speake fewe in bearinge and receiuinge mutch Horace aduiseth vs farre to flye their companies which pleasure mutche in many demaundes and questions for that they commonly be captious Ianglers Suetonius recoumpteth in confirmation of that that was also reported by others that the principall cause that moued Octauian so mutche to phantasie and fauour his Minion Mecaenas was that he was very secret and not prodigal of woordes Cicero affirmeth that Cato the Oratoure neuer woulde commit to Paper any his Orations saieinge That if it euer happened him to repent him of that he had saide yet that that he had written should not aggrauate his sorrowes for that he neuer might denie the thinge that his Pen should witnesse againste him But to the ende that arguinge here the lesse aduised and runninge tongues of others I séeme not to incurre the said errour my selfe I ende with the Ppilosopher without any more concludinge that it oftentimes repenteth mée to haue spoken but to haue helde my peace that I remember neuer ¶ Of the straunge opinion of the Aegyptians touchinge the tearme or ende of Mannes Life limitinge the same by the proportion of his harte Chap. 5. THat whiche I shall saie here will séeme vnto many very straunge and newe but vnto moste men fonde and ridiculous for that it is a thinge very difficill to be proued Wherefore neither will I binde my selfe to the probation thereof althoughe the authoritie of those that séeme to approue it shoulde either yéelde it a trothe or vnto a truthe sommethinge semblable and likinge Pline and Marcus Varro writinge of the time of Mannes Life affirme that the learned Aegyptians had founde out by experience that Man according to the order of nature could not lyue aboue an hundred yéeres and that if any reachte to a further or elder age it was by somme particulare influence force of the Starres a thinge in the woorkes of Nature verye straunge and marueilous Hence grounded they their foundation vpon the harte of man in whiche by often and common Anotomyes they founde and perceiued certaine marueilous Secretes For saide they when Man was of the age of one yéere then poised his harte onely twoo of their Drammes when be was twoo yéeres olde then poised it foure and so foorthe howe many yéeres so euer he liued by proportion still grewe his harte to be of like number of Drammes In sutche sorte that beinge ones fiftie yéeres olde Mannes harte shoulde wieghe then an hundred Drammes and from thence by like proportion still he looseth of his weight eche yéere twoo Drammes euen as before he increased So that at the ende of an hundred yéeres the Harte by continuall decrease is becomme nothinge so that consequently of necessitie Man then must die if before he be not preuented by somme accidentall occasion whiche bothe can and dooth commonly in suche manner abridge our dayes that very fewe of vs liue the one halfe to experiment this matter Though to somme this matter séeme straunge yet be wée assured that the Aegyptians helde it for certaine as plainely haue leafte vs the aboue remembred Authoures Of our time also Ludouicus Celius Rodianus alleaginge in like manner to that pourpose Dioscorides who remembreth thereof sommethinge emonge other many matters to whome also commeth Petrus Crinitus in his Booke of Honest Discipline Galiotus de Nargni in his Booke of Man as also in like sorte Cornelius Agrippa I was desirous to remember here all these Authours for that the matter mighte otherwise hardly be digested Nowe remaineth it to be déemed of as to the Reader it shal be liking And nowe that wée haue taken on vs to speake of Mans Harte and of the excellencies of that one little parte to the intente wée treate not of one pointe alone it shal be expediente that wée learne as recoumpteth to vs Aristotle that Mannes Harte lyeth lodged in the leafte side of his bodye but in other Creatures is founde euermore in the middle of theire breste whiche he
déede were none other then a sorte or kinde of bull rushes ordinarely growing in marshes adionyng to the riuer of Nile Of which sorte some others are founde in Siria nigh to the floodde Euphrates as recordeth Plinie hauyng the name as the others of papers little thinne leaues or skinnes haue they betwixt the rinde and the inner parts whiche finely taken or drawen out with the poincte of an Néelde trimde afterwarde with a certaine glue or paste made with meale tempered with boyled water and vineagar was in the ende made a good and perfect paper to write drawe or doo anything theron and by how muche the nigher you drewe the skinnes from the inwarde parte of this Rushe or Reede by so muche was it both better and more fine and so accordyng to the goodnesse or difference of theim thei also had diuers and different names Who so desireth here in more let hym reade Plinie And for as muche as this Réede Rushe or little trée was called paper the name is thence deriued of that paper vsed by vs this daie whiche is made of small péeces or shreedes of linnen clothe throwly wasted and worne to nothing Varro affirmeth that the first inuentiō to make paper of these little trées or rushes was in the tyme of Alexander the greate euen then when Alexandria was by hym firste founded How be it Plinie proueth it to bée more auncient by certaine bookes which Terence did to be digde out of the grounde whiche before had been Numa Pompilius his bookes kinge of Rome founde in the same Tombe where he was buried whose leaues were of the saide rushe whiche we aboue remembred And although Liuie haue otherwise written of this Toumbe affirming that there were two founde by L. Patilius yet be we of the minde that Numa was long before Alexander With Liuie here in accorde both Lactātius and Plutarche in the life of Numa Plinies opinion notwithstandyng is of most menne approued Some write that this worde Charta tooke his originall or denomination of a certaine Toune nigh vnto Tyre called Carta whence Dido altering the name called it afterwarde Carthage Our elders also wrote in tables weaxt thinne and well fined framyng there letters with sharpe and small punchions which theim selues then termed by the name of stiles Whence it cometh that wee nowe vsually saie that who so well inditeth writeth a good stile borrowyng the name of the instrumente that they then wrote with Also before the innention of paper where on we presently write the aunciente custome was all other fore vsed meanes seposed to write continuallie on Parchment onely made of shepe skinnes of whiche remembreth vs well Herodotus whose inuention Varro attributeth to the inhabitauntes of Pergama whose king then was Eumenes whence in latin it is called at this daie pergamenum in englishe parchement And wher as in latine it is also called Membrana it taketh as maie he thought the name of the inuentour Neuerthelesse in my iudgement men wrote on these skines longe before that tyme remembred by Varro specified in like sorte afterward by Plinie for that Iosephus writeth that the bookes of the Hebrues and sundrie others which were manie yeres before Eumenes were also writtē on these skinnes as aboue saied As also when he reciteth that Eleasar Prince of the Préestes sente the bookes of holie scripture vnto Ptolomie with the seuētie interpreters to the intent they for hym should translate theim from the hebrue into greke affirmyng that Ptolomie bothe straungely was amased and meruailed at the subtle ioyning of these skinnes or parchmentes together Whēce it is aperte that what so euer was written in any sort in parchmente was of longer and greater continuance then if it had béen doen in these rindes or leaues though in déede thei both were of more antiquitie then the first By meanes whereof this vse of Parchemente neither hath neither will bee at anye tyme againe leafte and since that paper againe whiche we daily now vse is so easie to make and in suche abundaunce that it both helpeth and profiteth all kinde of studentes But aboue all other thinges without cōparison we must confesse that the skill of printyng by the onely meanes of whiche suche heapes of bookes come of all sortes to our handes is amonge all other inuentions that ether be or earste haue been in what sorte so euer to be preferred whiche as is written was first of al inuented by an Almaine inhabitant of Magonce and hight Ihon Faust though Polidore otherwise surname hym Petra by whose accompt the first printyng of bookes was there in the yere of our redemption a thousand fower hundred fiftie and thrée And shortly afterwarde an other Almaine by name Cōradus practised this arte firste of all in Italie Howe be it Volateranus writeth that thei were twoo and both brothers which past thence into Italy beginnyng to printe in Rome in the yere of oure Lorde a thousande fower hundred sixtie and fiue The first bookes that were imprinted were sainct Augustines de ciuitate dei and the diuine institutions of Lactantius Firmianus After thys grewe there manie excellente personages as well in Germanie and Fraunce as also in Italie which besides their arte or skill in printyng were also perfectly and passyng well learned as Baldus Manucius Badus Colineus and Frobenius verie diligent and painefull in correction of the lettre with infinite others whose names to be shorte I leaue of to remember By meanes wherof many bookes in maner lost and hidded were at laste published to the inspekable profite commoditie of man whiche was in déede the chife cause of so many learned men as this daie are euerie where to be founde throughout all Christendome whiche before both seldome and with greate paine attained to this absolute knowledge and perfection in learnyng But admit here that it were not the first and principal cause yet am I of that minde that it assuredly is the greatest cause for that with lesse paine wee peruse nowe suche as are perfectly corrected findyng the others euerie where full of faultes blottes and errours committed for the most parte either by the lesse skil or little care of the writer but if any one were founde perhaps emong the others faultles neither was he to be had or to bée perused of all men so that good letters then florished not as thei now and this daie doe vniuersally euery where How be it since licence first was graunted by Princes to Printe all bookes fabulous wanton and fruitles farre better had it béen in this respect doubtles that the waie to printe had neuer béen to man yet or knowne or vnfolded For it destroieth and withdraweth from vertue the good minde principally of youth whiche noseled in these follies lesse affecteth or desireth the studie of better lessōs Leauing then to speak more of the commodities of printyng descende we to the next the practise of hand writing which also in my iudgement is this daie more perfecte more