The doctor &c / By the late Robert Southey. Edited by his son-in-law, John Wood Warter, B.D. Complete in one volume.

  • Southey, Robert, 1774-1843
Date:
1848
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The doctor &c / By the late Robert Southey. Edited by his son-in-law, John Wood Warter, B.D. Complete in one volume. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ET ee ae ee I must be allowed my freedom in my studies, for I sub- stitute my writings for a game at the tennis-court ora club at the tavern. I never counted among my honours these opuscula of mine, but merely as harmless amuse- ments. It is my partridge, as with St. John; my cat, as with Pope St. Gregory; my little dog, as with St. Dominic ; my lamb, as with St. Francis; (my pig, he might have said as with St. Antony,) my great black mastiff, as with Cornelius Agrippa; and my tame hare, as with Justus Lipsius. CATHERINOT. As quoted and translated by D’IsRAELI. To ignorants obdurde, quhair wilfull errour lyis, Nor zit to curious folks, quhilks carping dois deject thee, Nor zit to learned men, quha thinks thame onelie wyis, But to the docile bairns of knowledge I direct thee. ; James I. Albeit I have studied much and learned little, yet I have learned to glean some handfulls of corn out of the rankest cockle; to make choice of the most fragrant flowers of humanity, the most virtuous herbs of philosophy, the most sovereign fruits of government, and the most hea- venly manna of divinity; to be acquainted with the fairest, provided for the foulest, delighted with the temperatest, pleased with the meanest, and contented with all weather — greater men may profess and can achieve greater mat- If it be any man’s pleasure to ex- empeach my ability in words or deeds, to debase my for- tune, to abridge my commendations, or to annihilate my fame, he shall find a cold adversary of him that hath laid hot passions watering, and might easily be induced to be the invective of his own non proficiency. GABRIEL HARVEY. | Prefixed to Vol. VI. in the original Edition. ] PRELUDE OF MOTTOES. Two thyngys owyth every clerk To advertysyn, begynnyng a werk, If he procedyn wyl ordeneely, The fyrste is what, the secunde is why. In wych two wurdys, as it semyth me, The Foure causys comprehendyd be Wych as our philosofyrs us do teche, In the begynnyng men owe to seche Of every book ; and aftyr there entent, The fyrst is clepyd cause efficyent: The secunde they clepe cause materyal, Formal the thrydde; the fourte fynal. The efficyent cause is the auctour, Wych aftyr hys cunnyng doth hys labour To a complyse the begunne matere, Wych cause is secunde; and the more clere That it may be, the formal cause Settyth in dew ordre clause be clause. And these thre thyngys, longyn to what, Auctour, matere and forme ordinat, The fynal cause declaryth pleynly Of the werk begunne the cause why 3 That is to seyne what was the entent Of the auctour fynally, and what he ment. OSBERN BOKENAM. Look for no splendid painted outside here, But for a work devotedly sincere; A thing low prized in these too high-flown days: Such solid sober works get little praise. Yet some there be Love true solidity. And unto such brave noble souls I write, In hopes to do them and the subject right. I write it not to please the itching vein Of idle-headed fashionists, or gain Their fond applause; I care for no such noise. I write it only for the sober sort, Who love right learning, and will labour for’t; And who will value worth in art, though old, And not be weary of the good, though told *Tis out of fashion By nine-tenths of the nation. I writ it also out of great good will Unto my countrymen; and leave my skill Behind me for the sakes of those that may Not yet be born; but in some after day May make good use Of it, without abuse. But chiefly I do write it, for to show A duty to the Doctor which I owe. Tuomas Mace. Physicians are many times forced to leave such methods of curing as themselves know to be the fittest, and being overruled by their patient’s impatiency are fain to try the best they can in taking that way of cure, which the cured will yield unto: in like sort, considering how the case doth stand with this present age, full of tongue and weak of brain, behold we yield to the stream thereof: into the causes of goodness we will not make any curious or deep inquiry; to touch them now and then it shall be sufficient, when they are so near at hand that easily they may be conceived without any far removed discourse. That way we are contented to prove, which being the worse in itself, is notwithstanding now, by reason of common imbecility, the fitter and likelier to be brooked. Hooker, Qui lit beaucoup et jamais ne medite, Semble a celuy qui mange avidement, Ei de tous mets surcharge tellement Son estomach que rien ne luy profit. QUATRAINE DF PIBRAC. Thus Englished by Sylvester, Who readeth much and never meditates, Is like a greedy eater of much food, Who so surcloys his stomach with his cates That commonly they do him little good. Je scay qu’en ce discours Von me pourra reprendre, que Jay mis beaucoup de particularites qui sont fort super- Jfiués. Je le crois: mais, je scay, que st elles desplaisent a aucuns, elles plairont aux autres: me semblant, que ce n'est pas assex, quand on loué des personnes, dire qu’elles sont belles, sages, vertueuses, valeureuses, vaillantes, mag- nanimes, libérales, splendides et trés-parfattes. Ce sont lotianges et descriptions genérales, et liewx-communs empruntez de tout le monde. Il en faut specifier bien le tout, et descrire particuliérement les perfections, afin que micux on les touche au doigt: et telle est mon opinion. BRANTOME.