Roger Ascham Toxophilus 1545

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vfe fhoting my felfe : and that is our kyng his mo oft
royall purpofe and wyll, whiche in all his ftatutes
generallye doth commaunde men, and with his owne
mouthe mooft gentlie doeth exhorte men, and by his
greate gyftes and rewardes, greatly doth encourage
men, and with his mooil princelie example very oft
doth prouoke all other men to the fame. But here
you wyll come in with temporal man and fcholer: I
tell you plainlye, fcholer or vnfcholer, yea if I were.
xx. fcholers, I wolde thinke it were my dutie. bothe
with exhortinge men to fhote, and alfo with flioting my
felfe to helpe to fet forwarde that thing which the
kinge his wifdome, and his counfell, fo greatlye
laboureth to go forwarde: whiche thing furelye they
do, bycaufe they knowe it to be in warre, the defence
and wal of our countrie, in peace, an exercife moofl
holfome for the body, a paftime moofl honeft for the
mynde, and as I am able to proue my felfe, of al other
mofte fit and agreable with learninge and learned
men.

^jji If you can proue this thing fo playnly, as you
fpeake it erneflly, then wil I, not only thinke as you
do, but become a fhooter and do as you do. But yet
beware I faye, left you for the great loue you bear
towarde fhotinge, blindlie iudge of Ihootinge. For
loue and al other to erneft affections be not for nought
paynted blinde. Take hede (I faye) leaft you prefer '
fhootinge afore other paftimes, as one Balbinus through
blinde affection, preferred his louer before all other
wemen, although fhe were deformed with a polypus in
her nofe. And although fhooting maye be mete
fometyme for fome fcholers, and fo forthe: yet the
fitteft alwayes is to be preferred. Therefore if you will
nedes graunt fcholers paftime and recreation of their
mindes, let them vfe (as many of them doth) Mufyke,
and playing on inflrumentes, thinges mofte femely for
all fcholers, and mofte regarded alwayes of Apollo
and the Mufes.
• 2T0X, Euen as I can not deny, but fome mufike is