Tidinges being reported that Vatinius was deceassed, where the firste bringer vp of that bruite was not certainly knowen, well (quoth Cicero) yet will I take the auauntage of it whyle I may.

Mening that he woulde take ioye of the death of Vatinius while he might, though it were but for a time, sembleably as one that hath borowed money applieth it to his owne vse and commoditee, and hath his owne full pleasure of it for the time, euen as though it were his propre owne.

So that Cicero mened to take as moche goodnesse of the newes in the meane time till the contrarie wer certainly knowen, as if thei wer true in very deede. fol. 227.

Yet ones again for a cast more at Vatinius (who although he were sore diseased in his feete, and vtterly lamed with the goute, would nedes yet neuerthelesse appere to be very well emended, and saied that he was able now to take a walke of a couple of miles at ones) yea, I thinke wel (quoth Cicero) for the daies are a good deale longer than thei wer.

This apophthegme doth Quintillian attribute vnto Cicero, and Macrobius vnto Augustus Cesar. There goeth another tale about at this day also euen as mery as this, sauyng that it hath not semblable antiquitee, ne auncientnesse to commend and set it out withal:

A certaine launceknight made his vaunte at a ban. quette where he was, that he had a crossebowe so good of casting, that it would send a bolt or a quarrel of soche a fersnes, as no man aliue could beleue or think, and named a certain space. All the compaignie whiche sate at the table criyng foh, at soche a shameful lye, he abode by it that his own seruaunt had seen the thing doen. The seruaunt being called in, how saiest thou, sirrah (quoth his maister) diddest not thou see soche a

thing doen? Then saied the seruaunt, Yes, sir, ye tell a true tale, but at that tyme when ye shot, the winde was

with you.

§ It had been moche merier, if he hadde saied, yes sir your quarell flewe so ferre as ye speake of in deede, but it was at twoo shottes. fol. 229.

Demosthenes had writte upo his shilde, in letters of golde dyan rúxn, that is, Good fortune. Yet neuerthelesse, when it was come to hardie strokes, * Demosthenes euen at the first meting, cast his shilde and al awaie from him, and to go as fast as his legges might beare him. This poincte being cast in his nose, in the waie of mockage and reproche, that he had in battaill cast awaie his bucler, and taken him to his heeles, like a prettie man, he auoided it with a little verse, co men in euery bodies mouth.

† Ανης ὁ φεύγωμ και παλίμ μαχησείαι,

This was at the battaill in Cherionea (wherof is afore spoken in the 7 apophtheme of Philippus) in whiche battaill he subdued and conquered al Grece. And of this battail Demosthenes was the chief procurer and setter on, in so moche that he onelie persuaded the Thebanes and others thereunto, and was one of the chief ringleders and capitaines himself, in so moch that the king of the Persians, wrote letters about to his nobles, in al places, that thei should aide Demosthenes with money enough on al sides, for the suppressing of Philippus. The battaill was kepte in Chreronca (the countree of Plutarchus) at Thermoden. Whiche Thermoden (as the report goeth saieth Plutarchus) should bee a little pretie floud renning into the riuer of Cephisus. But the same, Plutarchus saith, that he knoweth no soch floud there aboute of that name nor yet in any place of all Cherronea. Neuerthelesse he beleueth that the floud Haemon (which renneth along by Heraclium, where the Grekes at that time pitched their camp against Philippus) was at the firste in olde time called Thermodon, and from that battaill foorthward, thesame to haue taken the appelacion of Haemon, because it was then filled vp with dedde corpses, and with bloud. For alua, is Greke for bloud. But this was soche a sore battaile, that Philippus feared Demosthenes all daies of his life after, for that the same had persuaded the Grekes to battaill.

† Ανηρ ο φευγωμ και πάλιμ μαχησείαι, (that is: A manne that

VOL. II.

That same man, that renneth awaie,

Maie again fight, an other daie.

¶ Judgeyng that it is more for the benefite of ones countree to renne awaie in battaill, then to lese his life. For a ded man can fight no more, but who hath saued hymself aliue by rennyng awaie, maie in many battaillei mo, dooe good seruice to his

countree.

§ At lest wise, if it be a poinct of good seruice, to renne awaie at all times, when the countree hath most nede of his helpe to sticke to it. fol. 239.

The last apophthegm supplies au authority for the often repeated lines, which have occasioned endless enquiries for their origin, beginning:-" He that fights," &c.

EU. HOOD.

flieth will renewe battaill again) is a prouerbiall verse (as Erasmus in his Chiliadis admonisheth) by whiche we are warned not by and by, to bee brought in despaire, if some thing haue not well come to our passe. For though a man bee now ouercomed, he maie at an other time haue better hap. Wherof Homere calleth it irigaλxéa vínne, that is, now strong on the one side, and now on the other. And Alexander (Paris the soonne of Priam king of Troie) thus speaketh in Homere, vinnd imaμéibelai ävdgaç. that is: Victorie chaungetk from parte to parte. And the same Alexander in another place again saieth : Menelaus now, through Pallas hath vvonnne,

And so shall I at an other season.

So Dauus in Terence;

Hac non successit, alia aggrediendum est via.

That is,

This waie it will ne frame ne faie,

Therefore must we proue an other waie.

So meaned Demosthenes, that though he had had mischappe at that season, yet an other more propice time should come, when his chaunce should be to doe his countree better seruice, &c. And this was a meetely honeste ex Cuse."

Hearniana.

Extract. Feb. 18, 1724.

MEMORIES OF JOHN FOX AND JOHN TZETZES.

"IF John Fox's Commentaries be a book that is scarce, 'tis grown so of late. For some few years ago it was very common and very cheap. Yet I never endeavoured to make myself master of it, thinking that the English book which I have would serve my turn. I never had the curiosity of comparing the Latin with any English edition; and therefore cannot of myself account for the differences, which, however, I have been told are very great, as indeed the first English edition (which is in Magdalen College library, of the author's own gift, with a Latin epistle before it, of his own penning, never" yet printed) varies very much from those that were set out afterwards. Mr. Fox was a diligent, learned man; but being calvinistically inclined, and too zealous against those of another perswasion, he employed a good part of his time in collecting stories that served any way to lessen the credit of such as he looked upon as enemies; and being of a very credulous temper, he very easily believed the reports that were sent into him; so that the credit of his work hath been deservedly called in question by many learned and judicious men, protestants as well as papists, who were all very sensible, that as he was withall of a very great memory, so he trusted too much to it, and, in putting down stories, would wholly depend upon that, even at such times as he might have transcribed immediately from books and papers; a fault which several other great men have been guilty

of, not excepting the famous John Tzetzes, who after he had read over a great variety of authors, was so far nevertheless from extracting from them verbatim (as Photius did, who is therefore the more valuable) that he rely'd intirely upon his memory (which was prodigious) in the many curious historical passages (from those authors) in his Chiliads, and he is very full of himself for having such a memory, as if he endeavoured thereby to recommend his work the better to posterity, which certainly would have been of greater esteem if he had been a faithful transcriber. For tho' after he had read the books, he tells us several times that he was aßiß, yet this was only to shew what a memory he had, there being no doubt but he might have had constant access to the very same books he had already perused. But tho' it would have been a more valuable work had he been an exact transcriber, yet most of his authors being lost, as it is, it is of great account, and I could wish, for that reason, that it were reprinted, it being become now exceeding Such works would be more for the credit of scholars to set out, than books that are very common, and whereof there are daily editions coming out. And methinks societies should engage in some great works, either never yet printed, or if printed, are become either almost, or quite as rare as MSS."

scarce.

that

Extract. Feb. 12, 1732.

HUMPHREY WANLEY.

"I MUST desire of you another favour, and that is,

you would, if you can let me know the exact time when 'twas that the late Mr. Humphrey Wanley died. He died, according to my account in one of my books, on Wednesday morning, July 6th, 1726. This I had from Mr. Murray at that time, but the prints said July 5, being Tuesday. 'Tis a minute difference, and yet as little as 'tis, I would have the matter settled right, that if I should make a publick mention thereof,