The Holy Life and Happy Death of John Bruen, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
He was much like Galeacius, cap. 7. His proficiency at Oxford but ſmall.WHat and how great his proficiency was in learning, during his abode in Oxford, I cannot well tell: only I conjecture it could not be much, becauſe the time was but ſhort, the meanes but ſmall for his helpe, and impediments many to his hurt, and hinderance in his ſtudies: eſpecially thoſe two, which are blocks in the way, and great ones too, and do dull the edge of many young Gentlemens deſire, and delight in Univerſitie ſtudies; namely, idleneſſe,The cauſes of it. and remiſneſſe at home in their fathers houſes, and ignorance of the true grounds of Grammar, which they ſhould have beene throughly acquainted withall, in the countrey, before they had beene ſent up to the Univerſity.
Of this minde was Maſter Aſcham, Aſchams Schoolemaſter, li. 2, in fine.ſometimes Schoolemaſter to Queene Elizabeth, who in his booke of training up of youth in the Countrey to make them fit for the Univerſity, hath this ſaying to the ſame purpoſe. As I began plainly and ſimply with my young Schollar, So will I not leave him (God willing) untill I have brought him a perfect Schollar out of the Schoole, and placed him in the Univerſity, to become a fit Student for Logicke and Rhetoricke, and ſo after to Phyſick, Law, or Divinity, as aptneſſe of nature, advice of friends, and Gods diſpoſition ſhall leade him.
Ex quovis ligno non fit Mercurius, Some unfitneſſe for learning. Plato lib. 3. de Repub. p. 425. Edit. Steph. 1578. His ſufficiency not great for great imployment.cannot be made of every peece of timber, neither is every mans metall of gold, but ſome of ſilver, ſome of braſſe, &c. as Plato hath obſerved in ſetting forth the variety of mens natures and diſpoſitions, as they are fitted for diverſe ſtudies and imployments. I will not ſay that this young Gentleman, of whom we ſpeake, was in his naturall diſpoſition of the beſt timber and temper to make a Schollar, nor of the beſt metall to make a man of the beſt rank for great imployments: but I am well aſſured, that the Lord was pleaſed upon ſuch grounds of nature, and learning as he had given him, to lay a good foundation of a better building (begun in his youth, and reared up in his riper age) than all the gold and ſilver, either of nature or of art, could otherwiſe have purchaſed or provided for him. It is the wiſedome and goodneſſe of our God, when he will furniſh men with his graces, and imploy them in his ſervice, ſometimes to neglect, and paſſe by ſuch as are noble by birth,Yet ſuch as God choſe to ſhew his power in. comely for their perſon, excellent for parts both of nature and of learning, and otherwiſe (in mans judgement) very accompliſhed perſons for ſuch and ſuch places, and to make choice of ſome other of a middle, or a meane eſtate, of inferiour parts and gifts, and very unlikely in the eye of reaſon, to compaſſe any great matters, or performe any good ſervices, either to God or man. And this he hath done formerly,Calv. in Act. 1, 26. and daily doth, both in publike and in private perſons, and callings, that all might know their ſufficiency to be of God, and the efficacy and fruit of all their deſires and endeavours, not of themſelves, but from him alſo, that ſo (as good reaſon is) he that worketh all might have the glory of all both now and ever.
I have read of that admirable man Galeacius Caracciolus, As in Galeacius.Marqueſſe of Vice in Italy, that being but a youth and a meane Schollar, and little ſtudied, and but lately entered into the Schoole of Chriſtian Religion, he was much aſſayled by the Arians and Anabaptiſts in thoſe parts, that they might ſeduce him from the truth,A young Chriſtian, and a great champion. and intangle him in their groſſe errours and blaſphemous fancies. Who could have thought, ſaith my Authour, that ever he could have reſiſted, and eſcaped the ſnares of thoſe Heretikes, many of them being great and grounded Schollars, and throughly ſtudied in the Scriptures? Notwithſtanding by the ſincere ſimplicity and plainneſſe of the truth of God, and the inſpiration of the Holy Ghoſt, he not onelyonly deſcried the fondneſſe of their hereſies, but even untied the knots, and brake their nets, and delivered himſelfe, and mightily confuted them.
A rare example, I confeſſe, of Gods power in mans weakneſſe, of his wiſdome in our fooliſhneſſe, of his bringing to paſſe great matters by weake meanes, for the good of his children,Cic. Acad. g.l. 4. p. 16, 17. and confuſion of his enemies. In which properties and paſſages, for the moſt part,Very like unto him in ſuch things. Non ovum ovo ſimilius, quàno Servilius Servilio: One egge is not more like another, than this Gentleman of our Countrey to that Nobleman of Italy. As face anſwereth to face in the glaſſe (the image expreſſing the likeneſſe and lineaments of the viſage) ſo doth this example of noble Galeacius reflect and repreſent unto us a faire image of this young Gentlemans both wants and weakneſſes, diſpoſition and affection, vertues and graces, power of God in him, and works of God done by him, as the ſequell of this ſtory will make good unto us.