Roger Ascham Toxophilus 1545

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propre to ye thing, then throughly proued with
reafons belongynge to our matter. Far contrariwife I
herd my felfe a good hufbande at his boke ones faye,
that to omit ftudie fomtime of the daye, and fome-
time of the yere, made afmoche for the encreafe of
learning, as to let the land lye fometime falloe, maketh
for the better encreafe of corne. This we fe, yf the
lande be plowed euerye yere, the corne commeth
thinne vp, the eare is fhort, the grayne is fmall, and
when it is brought into the barne and threlhed, gyueth
very euill faul. So thofe which neuer leaue poring on
their bokes, haue oftentimes as thinne inuention, as
other poore men haue, and as fmal wit and weight in
it as in other mens. And thus youre hufbandrie me
thinke, is more like the life of a couetoufe fnudge that
oft very euill preues, then the labour of a good hufband
that knoweth wel what he doth. And furelie the beft
wittes to lerning muft nedes haue moche recreation
and ceafmg from their boke, or els they marre them
felues, when bafe and dompyflhe wittes can neuer be
hurte with continuall ftudie, as ye fe in luting, that a
treble minikin firing muft alwayes be let down, but at
fuche time as when a man muft nedes playe: when
ye bafe and dull ftryng nedeth neuer to be moued
out of his place. The fame reafon I finde true in two
bowes that I haue, wherof the one is quicke of call,
tricke, and trimme both for pleafure and profyte: the
other is a lugge flowe of call, folowing the firing,
more fure for to laft, then pleafaunt for to vfe. Now
fir it chaunced this other night, one in my chambre
wolde nedes bende them to proue their ftrength, but
I can not tel how, they were both left bente tyll the
nexte daye at after dyner: and when I came to them,
purpofmg to haue gone on fhoting, I found my good
bowe clene caft on the one fide, and as weake as
water, that furelie (if I were a riche man) I had rather
haue fpent a crowne; and as for my lugge, it was not
one whyt the worfe : but fhotte by and by as wel and
as farre as euer it dyd. And euen fo I am fure that