Positions

Reprinted for Henry Barnard and R. H. Quick by Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St. Martin’s Lane, London, 1887.

TO THE MOST VERTVOVS LADIE, HIS MOST DEARE, AND soueraine princesse, Elizabeth by the grace of God Queene of England, Fraunce, and Ireland, defendresse of the faith &c.

My booke by the very argument, most excellent princesse, pretendeth a common good, bycause it concerneth the generall traine and bringing vp of youth, both to enrich their minds with learning, and to enable their bodies with health: and it craues the fauour of some speciall countenaunce farre aboue the common, or else it can not possiblie procure free passage. For what a simple credit is myne, to perswade so great a matter? or what force is there in common patronage, to commaunde conceites? I am therefore driuen vpon these so violent considerations, to presume so farre, as to present it, being my first trauell, that euer durst venture vpon the print, vnto your maiesties most sacred handes. For in neede of countenaunce, where best abilitie is most assurance, and knowne vertue the fairest warrant, who is more sufficient then your excellencie is, either for cunning to commend, or for credit to commaunde? And what reason is there more likely to procure the fauour of your maiesties most gracious countenaunce, either to commende the worke, or to commaunde it waie, then the honest pretence of a generall good, wherein you cannot be deceiued? For of your accustomed care you will circumspectlie consider, and by your singular iudgement, you can skillfully discerne, whether there be any appearance, that my booke shall performe so great a good, as it pretendeth to do, before you either praise it, or procure it passage. In deede it is an argument which craueth consideration, bycause it is the leader to a further consequence: and all your maiesties time is so busily employed, about many and maine affaires of your estate, as I may seeme verie iniurious to the common weale, besides some wrong offered to your owne person, to desire your Maiestie at this time to reade any part therof, much lesse the whole, the booke it selfe being very long, and your Maiesties leasure being very litle.

And yet if it maye please your most excellent Maiestie of some extraordinarie grace towardes a most obsequious subiect in way of encoraging his both toilsome and troublesome labour, to take but some taste of any one title, of smallest encumbraunce, by the very inscription, the paw of a Lion may bewraie the hole body in me by the prouerbe, in your highnesse by the propertie, as who can best iudge, what the Lion is. For the rest, which neither your Maiesties time can tarie on, neither my boldnesse dare desire that you should: other mens report, which shall haue time to read, and will lend an officious countrieman some parte of their leysure, will proue a referendarie, and certifie your highnesse how they finde me appointed. I haue entitled the booke POSITIONS, bycause entending to go on further, for the auauncement of learning I thought it good at the first to put downe certaine groundes very needefull for my purpose, for that they be the common circunstances, that belong to teaching and are to be resolued on, eare we begin to teach. Wherin I craue consent of my countrey, to ioyne with me in conceit, if my reasons proue likely, that therby I may direct my whole currant in the rest, a great deale the better. Now if it maye stand with your Maiesties most gracious good will to bestow vpon me the fauourable smile of your good liking, to countenance me in this course, which as it pretendeth the publike commoditie, so it threateneth me with extreme paines, all my paine will proue pleasant vnto me, and that good which shall come thereby to the common weale shall be most iustly ascribed to your Maiesties especial goodnesse, which encoraged my labour, and commended it to my countrey. Which both encoragement to my selfe, and commendacion to my countrey, I do nothing doubt but to obtaine at your Maiesties most gracious handes, whether of your good nature, which hath alwaye furthered honest attemptes: or of your Princely conceit, which is thoroughly bent to the bettering of your state, considering my trauell doth tend that way. For the very ende of my whole labour (if my small power can attaine to that, which a great good will towards this my cuntrey hath deepely conceiued) is to helpe to bring the generall teaching in your Maiesties dominions, to some one good and profitable vniformitie which now in the middest of great varietie doth either hinder much, or profit litle, or at the least nothing so much, as it were like to do, if it were reduced to one certaine fourme. The effecting wherof pretendeth great honour to your Maiesties person, besides the profit, which your whole realme is to reape therby. That noble Prince king HENRY the eight, your Maiesties most renowned father vouchesafed to bring all Grammers into one fourme, the multitude therof being some impediment to schoole learning in his happie time, and thereby both purchased himselfe great honour, and procured his subiectes a marueilous ease. Now if it shall please your Maiestie by that Royall example which otherwise you so rarely exceede, to further not onely the helping of that booke to a refining: but also the reducing of all other schoole bookes to some better choice: and all manner of teaching, to some redier fourme: can so great a good but sound to your Maiesties most endlesse renowne, whose least part gaue such cause of honour, to that famous King, your Maiesties father? By these few wordes your highnesse conceiueth my full meaning I am well assured, neither do I doubt, but that as you are well able to discerne it, so you will very depelie consider it, and see this so great a common good thoroughly set on foote. I know your Maiesties pacience to be exceeding great in verie petie arguments, if not I should haue bene afraid, to haue troubled you with so many wordes, and yet least tediousnesse do soure euen a sweete and sound matter, I will be no bolder. God blesse your Maiestie, and send you a long, and an healthfull life, to his greatest glorie, and your Maiesties most lasting honour.

Your Maiesties most humble and obedient subiect

Richard Mulcaster.

AVTHOR IPSE AD librum suum.

Insita naturæ nostræ sitis illa iuuandi Ignauum vitæ desidis odit iter. Parca cibi, saturata fame, deuota labori, Prodiga nocturni luminis vrget opus. Quod, simul ac lucis patiens fore viderit, edit Inde licet multo plena timore gemat. Pœnitet emissam per mille pericula prolem, Quæ poterat patriæ tuta latere domi. Iudicium[que] timens alieni pallida iuris Omine spem lædit deteriore suam. Sed sine sole nequit viui, prodire necesse est, Cura[que] quod peperit publica, iura vocant. Fortunæ credenda salus, quam prouida virtus Quam patris æterni dextera magna regit. Sic sua Neptuno committit vela furenti Spem solam in medijs docta phaselus aquis. Sic mihi spes maior, cui res cum gente Deorum, Quæ certo dubijs numine rebus adest. Perge igitur, sorti[que] tuæ te crede, parentis Tessera parue liber prima future tui. Et quia, quà perges, hominum liberrima de te Iudicia in medijs experiere vijs, Quidnam quis[que] notet, quidnam desideret in te, Quo possim in reliquis cautior esse, refer. Interea veniam supplex vtrique precare, Nam meus error erat, qui tuus error erit. Qui neutrius erit, cum, quis sit, sensero, quippe Nullum in correcto crimine crimen erit. Ergo tuæ partes, quæ sint errata, referre: Emendare, mei cura laboris erit. Nam[que] rei nouitas nulli tentata priorum Hac ipsa, qua tu progrediere, via, Vtri[que] errores multos, lapsus[que]; minatur, Quos cum resciero, num superesse sinam? Cui tam chara mei lectoris amica voluntas, Vt deleta illi displicitura velim.

R. M.