our M_ajesties_
judgement, quhom God hath indeued with light in a sorte supernatural, if
the way might be found to draue your eie, set on high materes of state,
to take a glim of a thing of so mean contemplation, and yet necessarie.
Quhiles I stack in this claye, it pleased God to bring your M_ajestie_
hame to visit your aun Ida. Quher I hard that your G_race_, in the
disputes of al purposes quherwith, after the exemple of _th_e wyse in
former ages, you use to season your moat, ne quid tibi temporis sine
fructu fluat, fel sundrie tymes on this subject reproving your
courteoures, quha on a new conceat of finnes sum tymes spilt (as they
cal it) the king's language. Quhilk thing it is reported that your
M_ajestie_ not onlie refuted with impregnable reasones, but alsoe fel
on Barret's opinion that you wald cause the universities mak an Inglish
gra_m_mar to repres the insolencies of sik green heades. This, quhen I
hard it, soe secunded my hope, that in continent I maed moien hou to
convoy this litle treates to your M_ajesties_ sight, to further (if
perhapes it may please your G_race_) that gud motion. In school materes,
the least are not the least, because to erre in them is maest absurd.
If the fundation be not sure, the maer gorgiouse the edifice the grosser
the falt. Neither is it the least parte of a prince's praise, curasse
rem literariam, and be his auctoritie to mend the misses that ignorant
custom hath bred. Julius Caesar was noe less diligent to eternize his
name be the pen then be the suord. Neither thought he it unworthie of
his paines to wryte a grammar in the heat of the civil weer, quhilk was
to them as the English gram_m_ar is to us; _and_, as it seemes noe less
then necessarie, nor our's is now. Manie kinges since that tyme have
advanced letteres be erecting schooles, and doting revennues to their
ma_in_tenance; but few have had the knaulege them selfes to mend, or
be tuiched with, the defectes or faltes crept into the boueles of
learning, among quhom JAMES the first, ane of your M_ajesties_ worthie
progenitoures, houbeit repressed be the iniquitie of the tyme, deserved
noe smal praise; and your M_ajesties_ self noe less, co_m_manding, at
your first entrie to your Roial scepter, to reform the grammar, and to
teach Aristotle in his aun tongue, quhilk hes maed the greek almaest as
common in Scotland as the latine. In this alsoe, if it please your
M_ajestie_ to put to your hand, you have al the windes of favour in