Roger Ascham Toxophilus 1545

91

Qtax. The trouthe is, that fafhion muche vfed,
woulde do muche good, but this is to be feared, leafl
that waye coulde not prouoke men to vfe muche
fhotyng, bycaufe ther fliulde be lytle pleafure in it.
And that in fhoting is belle, yat prouoketh a man. to
vfe fhotmge mofle : For muche vfe maketh men
fhoote, bothe flrong and well, whiche two thinges in
fhootinge, euery man doeth defyre. And the chyefe
mayntayner of vfe, in any thyng, is comparyfon, and
honefle contention. For whan a manne ftryueth to be
better than an other, he wyll gladly vfe that thing,
though it be neuer fo paynful wherein he woulde
excell, whiche thynge Ariilotle verye pretelye doth
note, fayenge.

Where is comparifon, there is vi6lorie: Aristo rheto.
where is vidlorie, there is pleafure : And ad Theod.
where is pleafure, no man careth what labour or
payne he taketh, bycaufe of the prayfe, and pleafure,
that he fhall haue, in doynge better than other men.

Agaync, you knowe, Hefiodus wryteth Hesio mope
to hys brother Perfes, yat al craftes men, et die-
by contending one honeflly with an other, do en-
creafe theyr cunnyng with theyr fubftance. And
therfore in London, and other great Cities, men of
one crafte, mofte commonly, dwelle togyther, bycaufe
in honeft ftryuyng togyther, who fhall do beft, euery
one maye waxe bothe cunninger and rycher, fo lyke-
wyfe in fhootynge, to make matches to affemble
archers togyther, to contende who fhall fhoote beft,
and winne the game, encreafeth ye vfe of motynge
wonderfully amonges men.

•pfji. Of Vfe you fpeake very much Toxophile but
I am fure in al other matters, Vfe can do nothing,
wythoute two other thinges be ioyned wyth it, one is a
natural Aptneffe to a thinge, the other is a true waye
or knowledge, howe to do the thing, to which, ii. yf
Vfe be ioyned, as third e felowe, of them thre, pro-
cedeth perfe6lncffe and excellencie: If a manne
lacke the fjrft two, Aptneffe and Cunnyng, Vfe can