Latin Grammar, Title page – Dedication
SENTENTIAE PVERILES, TRANSLATED Grammatically: Leading the Learner, as by the hand, to construe right, parse, and make the same Latine; also to get both matter and phrase, most speedily and surely, without inconuenience.
AT LONDON, Printed by H. L. for Thomas Man, 1612.
TO THE NOble and hopefull yong Lord, Ferdinando, Lord Hastings, son and heire apparant of the right Honourable, the Earle of Huntingdon.
TO promise, is the easiest matter of all other, right Noble Lord: but in things of moment all the difficulty is in performance. How I hauehave ingaged my selfe to your most honourable Parents, by publike acknowledgement of the bond of my duety, for their many fauours, and by protestation of my desire euer to witnesse my thankfulnesse, in seeking the aduancement of them and their Noble house, it is well knowen to all. Can I then be blamed, if I studie to performe that vntounto their worthy progeny, which I cannot to their Honours otherwise? That as your Lordshippe, with all the Noble offspring of their most renowned family do excell in birth, so you may in all singular learning, wherein true Nobility doth chiefly consist, and whereby you may be admired and honored of all. When Nobility hath all parts of rare wisedome to gouerne it, then is it as the goodliest ship, hauing winde at will, vnderunder the rule of a skilfull maister, so as it shall euer saile safely, in the middest of most perilous rocks and boysterous stormes. To this ende this hath been my first desire towards your Lordship, that the entry to all good learning may be most easie vntounto you, and full of all sweet delight. Though all my schoole labours be yours in this respect, that they hauehave beene of later yeers, more specially intended for your Lordship aboue others, and proceeded in principally by the fauour of my Honourable Lord; yet heerin I hauehave thought it most fit to signifie this duty. Because, howsoeuer it be the least of all my indeauours for your Lordship, yet it is for your entrance into your Latine studies, and the first of those Grammaticall translations, whereof I hauehave conceiued an vndoubted hope of a perpetuall benefit to come to all Schooles and good learning by them: by setting all the younger sort in the high way, and guiding them by the hand, to goe through all their first vsuall Authors with certainty and double fruit, and that almost in one halfe of the time, which is ordinarily spent in them; as I trust experience shall prooue to all, and this little book shall giuegive sufficient tryall. So that your Lordship may hauehave passed all the difficulty of learning, before you hauehave felt what any paynes of learning doe meane: and that, that part which hath been wont to be the discouragement of the little ones, may be made vntounto them the pleasantest of all; to their exceeding ioy, with the comfort of all both parents and instructours. Also for the little booke it selfe, which I hauehave thus made choyse of, to shew the first triall in, according as it was gathered of purpose, for the first enterers into Latin, although it bee small in quantity, yet the worth of it truely knowen, and it rightly vsed, shalbe found aboue the weight in the finest gold; for that there are contained in it, so many wise sentences of most learned men, as shall at the very first giuegive your Lordship a true taste of all kinde of that wisedome, which shall so much adorne you, and also furnish you with words to expresse the same. Which, after that you are once perfect in the first grounds of Grammar (as you may soon be, by the plaine direction which I hauehave laboured to prepare for you, in my questions called the Posing of the Accidence and Grammar) by the help of this translation, and your oft reading the sentences out of it, you shall hauehave both duplicate page duplicate page matter and phrase to flowe into your remembrance, without either toyling of your minde, or ouercharging of your memory at all. For the manner of the vse hereof, and the rest of this kinde, that your Lordship may reape the benefit of them, and of all my trauells for you, I referre your director vntounto that which I hauehave written in my Grammar-Schoole. These first fruits of my most dutifull affections, being accepted according to my entirest desire towardes your lasting honour, I hauehave iust cause to hope that by that time that your Lordship shall bee meete to proceede to higher studies, the Lord who hath thus begun, will make all the way to the toppe of all excellent knowledge, as sure, ready, and full of all pleasant allurement vntounto you, as euer Noble personage did knowe before. Vntill which time, I shall not faile thorough his gratious assistance, to prosecute the worke by a continued inquiry of all the learnedst and best experienced, of this present, and all ages past; nor yet to hauehave vndoubted assurance, of whatsoeuer I shall commend vntounto your Lordship. If this dedication shall seeme strange vntounto any, by reason of your Lordships tender yeeres, this will bee my iust defence: that as God gaue this speciall experiment of translating Grammatically, and of the benefits thereof together with you, so far forth as I know▪ so my hope is that it shall growe vp with you, and come to maturity by that time that your Lordship shall be able to iudge of it, by your own experience. In the meane while I shall not be wanting to striue with God by prayer, that he may so blesse you with your hopeful Brother, and all other allied to your Noble house, and to fit you for the best studies, that you may adde to the renowne of all your famous progenitors, & propagate an euerlasting augmentation of all vertue and honour to all that euer succeed you, and be lights to all other of true nobility.
Your Lordships, in all study, and dutifull affection, IOHN BRINSLEY.
FOr the manner, vse and benefits of this and my other Grāmaticall translations, for speedy attaining the Latin song, see LVDVS LITERARIVS or the Grammar-Schoole, Chap. 8.
By the helpe of these translations, any who hauehave lost the knowledge of the Latin, maie some recour it; and they who hauehave but a taste (if they bee of vnderstanding) may very much increase, and goe forward of themselues.