(and yet almost neighbours) all that shall this daie be written or reported
of theim, shalbe compted and refused as lyes. And yeat this maner of
knowledge and experience, is of it self so pleasant, so profitable and so
praise worthy, that sundrie (as it is well knowen) for the onely loue and
desire thereof, leauing their natiue countrie, their father, their mother,
their wiues and their children, yea, throwyng at their heles their sauftie
and welfare, haue with greate troubles, vexations, and turmoilynges taken
vpon theim for experience sake, to cutte through the wallowying seas, and
many thousande miles, to estraunge theimselues fro their home, yea, and
those men not in this age alone, but euen from the firste hatchyng of the
worlde haue been reputed and founde of moste wisedome, authoritie, and good
facion, sonest chosen with all mennes consent, bothe in peace and warre, to
administre the commune wealth as maisters and counsaillours, Iudges and
Capitaines. Suche ware thancient sages of Grece and of Italy, Socrates,
Plato, Aristotle, Antisthenes, Aristippus, Zeno, and Pythagoras, who
through their wisedomes and estimacion for trauailes wan them greate
nombres of folowers, and brought furthe in ordre the sectes named
Socratici, Academici, Peripateci, Cynici, Cyrenaici, Stoici, and
Pythagorici, echone chosyng name to glorie in his maister. Suche ware the
prudente lawemakers of famous memorie, Minois and Rhadamanthus emong the
Cretenses, Orpheus emong the Thraciens, Draco and Solon emong the
Athenienses, Licurgus emong the Lacedemonians, Moses emong the Iewes, and
Zamolxis emong the Scythians, and many other in other stedes whiche dreamed
not their knowledge in the benchehole at home, but learned of the men in
the worlde moste wise, the Chaldeies, the Brachmanni, the Gymnosophites and
the priestes of Egipte, with whom thei had for a space bene conuersant.
Like glorie, by like trauaill happened to the worthies of the worlde, as to
Iupiter of Crete (reported fiue times to haue surueied the whole worlde)
and to his twoo sonnes Dionisius (otherwise called Bacchus) and Hercules
the mightie. Likewise to Theseus and Iason, and the rest of that voiage. To