A Very Pleasaunt Fruitful Diologe Called the Epicure

Very Pleasaunt & Fruitful
Diologe Called the Epicure, A

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Called
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Title: A Very Pleasaunt & Fruitful Diologe Called the Epicure
Author: Desiderius Erasmus
Release Date: July 8, 2005 [EBook #16246]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A VE- ry pleasaunt & fruitful Dio- loge called the *Epicure*, made by
that fa- mous clerke Eras mus of Rotero- dame, newly translated. 1545.
* * * * *
_S. Paule to the Ephesians_
You that haue professed Christ, suffre not your selues to be deceyued
vvith false doctrine, nor vaine and noughtie talkyng, but herken vnto all
Godly thynges, and especially too the doctryne of the Gospell.
||A.ii.||
THE HABOVN- daunt mercie and grace of our heauenly father Iesu
Christ, maye alwaies strengthen and defende oure noble & vertuous
Prynce Ed- ward too the mainte- naunce of the liue- ly woord of God.
Whereas manye histories of olde & auncient antiquitie, and also al
godly & Christiã writers most playnely consêt together, and agree in
this, that dignitie, riches, kinred, worldly pompe, and renoume, doo
neither make men better, ne yet happiar, contrarie too the blynde &
fonde iudgement of the most part of menne: but by the power and
strength of the mynde, that is, learnyng, wysedome, || and vertue, all
menne are hyghly enriched, ornated, & most purely beutified, for these
bee thinges bothe notable, eternall, and verye familiar betwene the
heauenly father & vs. It is therefore euidente (most excellent Prince)
that the fittest ornamêtes for your graces tender age, bee, eruditiõ and
vertue. Wherunto you are bothe so ernestly addicte and therin so
wõderfully doo preuaile, that I nede not too exhorte & exstimulate your
grace vnto the study thereof. For that God him self hath wrought, and

fourmed your mynde so apt and desirous too attayne and diligêtly too
seeke for al godly doctrine, that euê now you doo shewe in all youre
saiynges and dooinges suche a wonderfull pleasaûtes much lyke vnto a
certayne swete musike or harmonie, that any honest hart exceadinglye
woulde reioyce in the sight therof. Verely, your grace thinketh plainly
all time lost, that is not bestowed vpon learnyng, which is a verie rare
thyng in anye childe, and rarest of all in a Prince. Thus youre noblenes,
rather desireth vertue and ||A.iii.|| learning the most surest and excellent
treasures, which farre surmounte all worldly ryches, then anye vanities
or trifles. Nowe youre grace prepareth for the holsome and pleasaunt
foode of the mynde. Now you seke for that whiche you shal fynd most
surest helper and faythfulst councellour in all your affaires. Now your
magnificêt mynde studieth that, whiche all Englyshe menne with meke
and humile heartes shuld desire GOD to endue your grace with all.
Now with diligent labour you searche for a thyng, as one most
myndeful of this saiyng: Happy is that realme that hath a lerned Prince.
Nowe you trauaile for that, whiche conquereth, and kepeth doune all
greuous tourmentes & outragious affections of the mynde, too the
furderaunce of good liuyng, and maintenaûce of vertue, I meane
holsome erudition and learnyng. Many Heathen Princes forsoth, are
highly magnified with most ample prayses, which gaue them selues too
the study of Philosophie, or knowledge of tongues, for their owne
commoditie, and || especially for the weale of their subiectes. Who is
nowe more celebrated and worthelier extolled then Mithridates? that
noble kyng of Pont and Bithinia, which, (as Aulus Gellius writeth)
vnderstoode so perfitly the languages of .xxii. sondrye countries that
were vnder his dominiõ, that he neuer vsed any interpretour too answer
his subiectes, but spake their lãguages so finelye, as thoughe he had
been of the same coûtrie. Ageyn, that honorable manne Quintus Ennius
saied: that he had .iii. heartes, because he coulde speake Greke, Italian,
and Latin. Yea, and