Seeing therefore the disposition of wittes according to the proportion of ech state is resigned ouer to the countrie: and she sayth all may not be set to schole, bycause ech trade must be furnished, to performe all duties belonging to all parts: it falleth out in this case of _restraint_ which bridles desire, that two speciall groundes are to be considered, which strip away excessiue number, _necessitie_ and _choice_, the one perforce, the other by your leaue.
As for _necessitie_, when the parent is ouer charged with defect in circumstance, though desire carie him on, it then restraineth most, and lesseneth this number when desire would encrease it, and straines to the contrary. You would haue your childe learned, but your purse will not streatch, your remedy is pacience, deuise some other way, wherein your abilitie will serue. You are not able to spare him from your elbow, for your neede, and learning must haue leysure, a scholers booke must be his onely busines, without forreine lettes, you may be bold of your owne, let booking alone, for such as can entend it, from being called away by domesticall affaires, and necessarie busines, for the scholers name will not be a cypherlike subiect, as he is termed of leasure, so must he haue it. And that they cannot spare their children so, must forebeare their scholing, by the olde _Persian_[54] ordinance, bycause leasure is the foregoer to liberall profession: _necessitie_ compelleth and bastardeth the conceit, a venom to learning, whom freedom should direct. You haue no schole neare you, and you cannot pay for teaching further of, let your owne trade content you: keepe your childe at home. Your childe is weake tymbred, let scholing alone, make play his physician and health his midle end. Which way soeuer _neede_ driues you perforce, that way must ye trot, if he will not amble, and bid Will thinke that well. He that gouerneth all seeth what is your best, your selfe may be misseled either by _ignorance_ in _choice_, or _affection_ in blood. In these and the like cases _lacke_ is the leader, which way soeuer she straineth. Whereby if the restrained childe cannot get the skil to write and read: I lament that lacke, bycause I haue allowed him somuch before, vpon some reasonable perswasion euen for necessary dealings. For these two pointes concerne euery man neare, bycause they submit themselues to euerie mans seruice: yea in his basest busines and secretest affaires. I dare not venture to allow so many the lattine tongue nor any other language, vnlesse it be in cases, where their trades be knowne, and those toungues be founde to be necessarie for them. For all the feare is, though it be more then feare, where it still falleth out so, least hauing such benefits of schole, they will not be content with the state which is for them, but bycause they haue some petie smake of their booke, they will thinke any state be it neuer so high to be low ynough for them. Which petie bookemen do not consider, that both clounes in the countrie, and artificers in townes be allowed lattine in well gouerned states, which yet rest in their calling, without _pride_ or _ambition_, for that small knowledge, whereby they be better able to furnish out their trades, without further aspiring. Neither measure they the meaner qualities, as the thinges be in nature, but as themselues be in conceit: neither can they consider that at this daye it is not the toungue, but the treasure of learning and knowledge, which is laid vp in the toungue whereunto they neuer came, which giueth the toungue credit, and the speaker authoritie. For want of this right iudgement there ensueth in them a miscontentment of minde, not liking their owne state, and a cumbersome conceit, still aspiring higher, that disquieteth the whole state. Wherefore _necessitie_ is a good meane to preuent this in many, which would if they could, now may not, bycause they cannot.