The Garden of Wisdom Book 2, Title page – Author to the reader
The secōd booke of the Garden of wysedome, wherin are conteyned wytty, pleasaunt, and nette sayenges of renowmed personages collected by Rycharde Tauerner
Anno. M. D. XXXIX. Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum.
¶ Rycharde Tauerner to the gentle readers.
I Confesse my selfe a debtor unto you, gentle readers, in yt I promysed in my for mer boke to adde the secōd Assuredly, although I hauehave marked that thys argument of wrytynge is not ingrate vntounto you, as well for the varietie of the matter, as for the sharpenes of the sentencies (for whyche consideration they were called of the Grekes Apophthegmata, that is to saye, shorte and quycke speakynges) yet for my sondry occupations wher wyth I am dyuersly interrupted, I shall not be able to make my promyse good, namely, in such sorte as I may satisfye, eyther youre expectation, or myne owne. Wherfore I muste desyre you, not only to pardon myn incondite and grosse phrase, on whych ye shal happen to stomble, but also to wynke at the cōfuse order herin. For ordre in thys boke, I protest, I kepe none, but accordynge to the prouerbe that fyrst commeth to the hande that I write. And thus fare you well, and se ye fauour myne honest endeuours.
¶ Here foloweth the seconde boke of the gardē of wysdom conteynyng wytty and pleasaūt saienges of renoumed persons, selecte by Richard Tauerner.
¶ Of Achilles.
A Chilles was asked of Aiax which were ye greatest & hardest labours yt euer he toke vpō him. He aunswered, those yt he susteyned for hys frendes. Againe Aiax asked him, whych wer the most pleasaunt labours, yt euer he suffered, He answered euen those same. Meanyng herby, that a noble and worthy personage adourned in dede with heroical vertues, brenneth with a certaine wonderfull desyre and luste, to further ye comon weale, with whiche desyre beyng pricked and inwardly, tickeled he valiaūtly ventureth vponupon most hyghe and ieoperdous maters, nought regardyng his owne priuate weale, but his countreys vtilitie and benefite. Whē with this noble corage wyth this ardēt zele and stomake he is thus rapte, doubtles no thynge is sweater, then vponupon thynges most diffycile and weyghtye to enter pryse and to go throughe in, euen as vntounto a musicien nothyng can be more pleasaunte, then the moste connynge exercises of his arte