g treasure, but yet much more was he estemed for his
wisdom. And him selfe doth bear witnes, that wisedom is better
then pretious stones . yea all thinges that can be desired ar
not to be compared to it. But what needeth to alledge one
sentence of him, whose bookes altogither do none other thing,
then set forth the praise of wisedom & knowledg? And his father
king Dauid ioyneth uertuous conuersacion and knowledg togither,
as the summe of perfection and chief felicity. Wherfore I maye
iustelye conclude, that true felicity doth consist in wisdome
and vertu. Then if wisdome be as Cicero defineth it, _Diuinarum
atq; humanarum rerum scientia_, then ought all men to trauail
for knowledg in matters both of religion and humaine docrine, if
he shall be counted wyse, and able to attaine true felicitie:
But as the study of religious matters is most principall, so I
leue it for this time to them that better can write of it then I
can. And for humaine knowledge thys wil I boldly say, that who
soeuer wyll attain true iudgment therein, must not only trauail
in y^e knowledg of the tungs, but must also before al other
arts, taste of the mathematical sciences, specially Arithmetike
and Geometry, without which it is not possible to attayn full
knowledg in any art. Which may sufficiently by gathered by
Aristotle not only in his bookes of demonstration (whiche can not
be vnderstand without Geometry) but also in all his other
workes. And before him Plato his maister wrote this sentence on
his schole house dore. #Ageometre:tos oudeis eisito:#. Let no man
entre here (saith he) without knowledg in Geometry. Wherfore
moste mighty prince, as your most excellent Maiesty appeareth to
be borne vnto most perfect felicity, not only by reason that God
moued with the long prayers of this realme, did send your
highnes as moste comfortable inheritour to the same, but also in
that your Maiesty was borne in the time of such skilful
schoolmaisters & learned techers, as your highnes doth not a
little reioyse in, and profite by them in all kind of vertu &
knowledg. Amongst which is that heauenly knowledg most worthely to
be praised, wherbi the blindnes of errour & superstition is
exiled, & good hope conceiued that al the sedes & fruts therof,
with all kindes of vice & iniquite, wherby vertu is hindered, &
iustice defaced, shal be clean extrirped and rooted out of this
realm, which hope shal increase more and more, if it may appear
that learning be estemed &