of which as there be divers sorts, and peculiar to severall callings, ages, sexes, conditions, so there be proper for severall seasons, and those of distinct natures, to fit that variety of humors which is amongst them, that if one will not, another may: some in Summer, some in Winter, some gentle, some more violent, some for the mind alone, some for the body and mind:

(as to some it is both business, and a pleasant recreation to oversee workmen of all sorts, Husbandry, Catle, Horse, &c. To build, plot, project, to make models, cast up accompts, &c.) some without, some within doors: new, old, &c. as the season serveth, and as men are inclined.

It is reported of Philippus Bonus, that good Duke of Burgundy (by Lodovicus Vives, in Epist. and Pont. Heuter in his history) that the said Duke, at the marriage of Elionara, sister to the king of Portugal at Burges in Flanders, which was solemnized in the deep of winter, when as by reason of unseasonable weather he could neither hawk nor hunt, and was now tyred with cards, dice, &c. and such other domesticall sports, or to see Ladies dance, with some of his courtiers, he would in the evening walk disguised all about the Town.

It so fortuned, as he was walking late one night, he found a country-fellow dead drunk, snoring on a Bulk; he caused his followers to bring him to his Palace, and there stripping him of his old cloaths, and attiring him after the Court fashion, when he waked, he and they were all ready to attend upon his excellency, perswading him he was some great Duke.

The poor fellow admiring how he came there, was served in state all the day long, after supper he saw them dance, heard musick, and the rest of those Court-like pleasures: but late at night, when he was well tipled, and again fast asleep, they put on his old robes, and so conveighed him to the place where they first found him.

Now the fellow had not made them so good sport the day before, as he did when he returned to himself; all the jest was, to see how he looked upon it. In conclusion, after some little admiration, the poor man told his friends he had seen a vision, constantly believed it, would not otherwise be perswaded, and so the jest ended.

Antiochus Epiphanes would often disguise himself, steal from his Court, and go into Merchants, Goldsmiths, and other tradesmens shops, sit and talk with them, and sometimes ride, or walk alone, and fall aboord with any Tinker, Clowne, Serving man, Carrier, or whomsoever he met first. Sometimes he did ex insperato give a poor fellow money, to see how he would look, or on set purpose, lose his purse as he went, to watch who found it, and withall how he would be affected, and with such objects he was much delighted.

Many such tricks are ordinarily put in practice by great men, to exhilarate themselves and others, all which are harmless jests, and have their good uses.

But amongst those exercises, or recreations of the minde within doors, there is none so generall, so aptly to be applyed to all sorts of men, so fit and proper to expell Idleness and Melancholy, as that of Study: Studia senectutem oblectant, adolescentiam alunt, secundas res ornant, adversis perfugium & solatium præbent, domi delectant, &c. finde the rest in Tully pro Archia Poëta.

What so full of content, as to read, walk, and see Mappes, Pictures, Statues, Jewels, Marbles, which some so much magnifie, as those that Phidias made of old so exquisite and pleasing to be beheld, that as Chrysostome thinketh, if any man be sickly, troubled in minde, or that cannot sleep for griefe, and shall but stand over against one of Phidias Images, he will forget all care or whatsoever else may molest him in an instant?

There be those as much taken with Michael Angelo’s, Raphael de Vrbino’s, Francesco Francia’s pieces, and many of those Italian and Dutch painters, which were excellent in their ages; and esteem of it as a most pleasing sight, to view those neat Architectures, Devices, Scutchions, coats of armes, read such bookes, to peruse old Coynes of severall sorts in a fair Gallery, artificiall works, perspective glasses, old reliques, Roman Antiquities, variety of colours.

A good picture is falsa veritas, & muta poesis: and though (as Vives saith) artificialia delectant, sed mox fastidimus, artificiall toyes please but for a time; yet who is he that will not be moved with them for the present?

When Achilles was tormented and sad for the loss of his dear friend Patroclus, his mother Thetis brought him a most elaborate and curious Buckler made by Vulcan, in which were engraven Sun, Moon, Stars, Planets, Sea, Land, men fighting, running, riding, women scolding; hils, dales, towns, castles, brooks, rivers, trees, &c. with many pretty landskips, and perspective pieces: with sight of which he was infinitely delighted, and much eased of his grief.

Continuo eo spectaculo captus delenito mœrore Oblectabatur, in manibus tenens dei splendida dona.

Who will not be affected so in like case, or to see those wel furnished Cloisters and Galleries of the Roman Cardinals, so richly stored with all modern Pictures, old Statues and Antiquities? Cum se——spectando recreet simul & legendo, to see their pictures alone and read the description, as Boisardus well addes, whom will it not affect? which Bozius, Pomponius Lætus, Marlianus, Schottus, Cavelerius, Ligorius, &c. and he himself hath well performed of late.

Or in some Princes Cabinets, like that of the great Dukes in Florence, of Fælix Platerus in Basil, or Noblemens houses to see such variety of attires, faces, so many, so rare, and such exquisite peeces, of men, birds, beasts, &c. to see those excellent landskips, Dutch-works, and curious cuts of Sadlier of Prage, Albertus Durer, Goltzius, Vrintes, &c. such pleasant peeces of perspective, Indian Pictures made of feathers, China works, frames, Thaumaturgicall motions, exotick toyes, &c.

Who is he that is now wholly overcome with idleness, or otherwise involved in a Labyrinth of worldly cares, troubles, and discontents, that will not be much lightned in his mind by reading of some inticing story, true or fained, whereas in a glass he shall observe what our fore-fathers have done, the beginnings, ruins, fals, periods of Common-wealths, private mens actions displayed to the life &c.? Plutarch therefore calls them, secundas mensas & bellaria, the second course and junkets, because they were usually read at Noblemens Feasts.

Who is not earnestly affected with a passionate speech, well penned, an elegant Poem, or some pleasant bewitching discourse, like that of Heliodorus, ubi oblectatio quædam placidè fluit, cum hilaritate conjuncta: Julian the Apostate was so taken with an Oration of Libanius the Sophister, that as he confesseth, he could not be quiet till he had read it all out. Legi orationem tuam magnâ ex parte, hesternâ die ante prandium, pransus vero sine ullâ intermissione totam absolvi. O argumenta! O compositionem!

I may say the same of this or that pleasing Tract, which will draw his attention along with it. To most kind of men it is an extraordinary delight to study. For what a world of books offers it self, in all subjects, arts, and sciences, to the sweet content and capacity of the Reader?

In Arithmetick, Geometry, Perspective, Optick, Astronomy, Architecture, Sculpturâ, Picturâ, of which so many and such elaborate Treatises are of late written: In Mechanicks and their mysteries, Military matters, Navigation, riding of horses, fencing, swimming, gardening, planting, great tomes of husbandry, Cookery, Faulconry, Hunting, Fishing, Fowling, &c. with exquisite pictures of all sports, games, and what not?

In Musick, Metaphysicks, Naturall and Morall Philosophy, Philologie, in Policy, Heraldry, Genealogy, Chronology, &c. they afford great Tomes; or those studies of Antiquity, &c. & quid subtilius Arithmeticis inventionibus, quid jucundius Musicis rationibus, quid divinius Astronomicis, quid rectius Geometricis demonstrationibus? What so sure, what so pleasant?

He that shall but see that Geometricall tower of Garezenda at Bologne in Italy, the steeple and clock at Strasborough, will admire the effects of art, or that Engine of Archimedes to remove the earth it self if he had but a place to fasten his instrument: Archimedes Coclea, and rare devices to corrivate waters, musick instruments, and trisyllable Ecchoes again, again, and again repeated, with miriades of such.

What vast Tomes are extant in Law, Physick and Divinity, for profit, pleasure, practice, speculation, in verse or prose, &c. their names alone are the subject of whole volumes, we have thousands of Authors of all sorts, many great Libraries full well furnished, like so many dishes of meat, served out for severall palates; and he is a very block that is affected with none of them.

Some take an infinite delight to study the very languages wherein these books are written, Hebrew, Greek, Syriack, Chalde, Arabick, &c.