Roger Ascham Toxophilus 1545

CJe gfyalt of gTjcrnttits. 99

which foal leade a man to ye befl and cheiffefl poiLl
whiche is in foootynge, whiche you do marke youre
felfe well ynough, and vttered it alfo in your com-
munication, when you fayde there laye hyd in ye
nature of foootyng a certayne waye whych wel per-
ceyued and thorowlye knowen, woulde bring a man
wythout any wanderyng to ye belle ende in motyng
whych you called hitting of the pricke. Therfore I
would refer all my Ihootinge to that ende which is
beft, and fo fhuld I come the foner to fome meane.
That whiche is beft hath no faulte, nor can not be
amended. So mew to me beft mootynge, not the befte
footer, which yf he be neuer fo good, yet hath he
many a faulte eafelye of any man to be efpyed. And
therfore meruell not yf I requyre to folowe that ex-
ample whych is without faulte, rather than that which
hath fo manye faultes. And thys waye euery wyfe
man doth folow in teachynge any maner of thynge.
As Anftotle when he teacheth a man to be good he
fettes not before hym Socrates lyfe whyche was ye befl
man, but chiefe goodneffe it felfe accordynge to whych
he would haue a man dire 61 e his lyfe.

2T0x. This waye which you requyre of me PJiilologe,
is to hard forme, and to hye for alhooter to taulke on,
and taken as I fuppofe out of the middes of Philofo-
phie, to ferche out the perfite ende of any thyng, ye
which perfite ende to fynde out, fayth Tullie, is the
hardefl thynge in the worlde, the onely
occafyon and caufe, why fo many fedles of ra'a ' m'
Philofophers hathe bene alwayfe in learnynge. And
althoughe as Cicero faith a man maye ymagine and
dreame in his mynde of a perfite ende in any thynge,
yet there is no experience norvfe of it, nor was neuer
ferie yet amonges men, as alwayes to heale the fycke,
euer more to leade a foyppe without daunger, at al
times to hit the prick : foall no Phyficion, no foyp
matter, no footer euer do. And Ariftotle faith that in
all deades there are two pointes to be Arfst ol 8 ,
marked, poflibilitie and excellencie, but 'p°*