I Knowe not Right woorshipfull, and Gentlemen of singuler ex­pectation, whether this present exercise which now we haue in hand doth breed in me a greter cause of ioy, or feare. When I consider with my selfe the ma­licious mind of ill disposed men, who thinke no boate well row­ed wherin they want an oare, I cannot be but toucht with feare. Againe, when as I call to minde the great commoditie that wil henceforth arise vnto our Realm in that this day there is a platforme laied for the bet­ter increace of the Mathematicall science, a science neuer worthely to be commended, then doo I begin to be somewhat glad, yea openly to confesse what secret­ly I doo: I triumph in deed and leape for ioy. But whē I see the burthen of the thing to lye in my necke, and my selfe to sit in so enuied a place, then dooth my for­mer feare returne, and euery ioynt well nigh begin to shake. Againe when sitting in this seate although en­uied, I cast mine eye about to euerye corner of this Roome, and sée as yet none other here, but either such as doo desire to learne, and therfore cannot but wishe me well, whome they haue chosen their instructor, or such as are already learned, and therefore néedes must loue the thing whose woorthines they knowe, and also the professors of y ^e same, I féele my ioy renued a freshe. The which my ioye, Right woorshipfull that it maye [Page] continue still, till you your selues héere present, shall minister occasion otherwise (which your yéeres, discre­tion, constancie, and wisdome perswade me you will neuer doo) I humbly request such fauourable attenti­on and good will to the ende of my spéeche, as you haue giuen the beginning. The which because I will not haue it ouer long, I will set my selfe certain limmets and bounds which I will not passe, deuiding it into 2. seuerall parts. The one shall concearne the occasion of this exercise begun, the other the commoditie of the same: of these in as short a manner as I maye. It is no secret Right woorshipfull to any of you all, for we haue séene them on our coaste, and heard the thunder of their shot, in how cruell manner the proud disdayn­full insolent Spaniard of late daies hath threatned our Cuntrie, Quéene and Citie, with fire and swoord, and whatsoeuer outragious torment else their villa­nous mind could woorse inuent. The Citizens of Lon­don duetifull to their Prince, to their Cuntrie louing, and careful of the Citie: made ready presently for their defence a band of men, in number not great, yet for the time sufficient, til farther danger called for a fresh supplie. The men thus leuied required Captaines, for what is the bodie without an heade, or the Schollers without a Maister, or souldiers wāting such as might instruct them in feates of warre? The Citizens, cheefly those, who both for their wisdom, and experience were best able to iudge, and for their fatherly care they haue most prouident to foresée what kinde of gouernement is best for this Citie, those Citizens I say did think it good to choose out Captaines among themselues, to whom they might commit this military care. Yet least they should presume too much vpon their owne deuise, or rashly seem to contemne the warlike pollicie of other [Page] men, they acquaint her Maiestie with the thing. Her Maiestie as she is alwaies glad to gratifie her subiects in their honest petitions, so in this she shewed her selfe willing to satisfie their mindes, being induced thereto by the graue aduise of her honourable Councell. Heer­vpon, these and diuers other woorshipfull Gentlemen, were chosen Captains, their Souldiers were trained, and trained in such sorte as fewe indéede or none were better, so the euent ensuing did declare. For this we sée, Right woorshipfull, that enuie neuer followeth the worser sorte. Summa petit liuor saith the Poet, Per­flantquae altissima venti, and what néedeth disgrace where the thing is bad? Our Captaines were soughte to be disgraced, I néede saye no more, iudge you your selues now what men they were, seeinge enuies blast dooth alwaies beate the highest hilles. But be it so to auoide contention, & because comparisons are alwaies odious, our Captains themselues are willing to deny their deserte. They acknowledge that, which their ill willers obiect, they haue not encamped in open feelde, nor besieged townes, nor raised sconses, nor battered walles, nor burnte and spoyled Cities as they haue doone, for why? neither their yéeres, nor calling, nor trade of life hath so required: Yet haue they vertuous and valiant mindes, they loue their Cuntrie, they ho­nor their Prince, they care for this Citie, and they haue knowledge not to be contemned, till tract of time affoordeth experience. Now that these their vertues may increace, and also their learning be enlarged, and they more fit for experiēce to come, it pleased them (di­uers graue, wise and pollitick men, giuing encourage­ment therunto) for their priuate instruction to erecte a lecture for y ^e mathematicall science, a knowledge most conuenient for militarie men. But héer some men per­happes [Page] will say, what néedeth this cost? what? those famous Captaines of ours now in the low Cuntries, or those of ancient time before, whose notable prow­ese is left in writing, were they trained up in this kind of learning which you haue named, and highlye com­mende? In trueth Right woorshipfull it is hard to a­uouch this of all them that are and haue beene intitled with this warlike name, yet am I not ignorant what to answere. I acknowledge, and confesse, that there haue beene many of noble vertue and excellēt mindes, who without learning by their deuine & heauenlye na­ture alone haue shewed themselues worthy & valiant men yea also I cōdescend to this, y ^e oftentimes nature without learning, is more auailable to vertue and renowne, then learning without nature, yet notwith­standing this I must needs affirm, that when to a no­table and excellent inclination of nature there is ioy­ned the deuise and helpe which learning breedeth, then springeth vp that singuler and peerelesse man, whome you and I may better in minde concieue, then vtter in woords. Suche was Scipio Affrycanus the Romaine Captaine, a mortall God, suche was Cato that valiant and learned olde man, and many more, who question­lesse if they coulde haue receiued no helpe by learning, either in attaining to vertue, or enlarging their name: they woulde neuer haue followed the studie thereof. Thus haue you bréeflye heard y ^e cause why this lecture was ordained and for whome, with the answere made to an obiection concerning the same. It followeth now Right woorshipfull and curteous auditors, to displaye the commodities of our profession namely of Astrono­my, Arithmeticke, and Geometrie: conteined vnder the title of the mathematicall artes, which thing I pre­sently would enter into, were it not that I had a few [Page] woordes to vtter concerning my self, for it may be per­aduenture that some of you doo wonder w ^t your selues considering your vniuersities abound and swarm with learned doctors, why I especially by degree but a Mai­ster of arte, should occupie this place, who neither for yéeres, nor learning, nor experience, séeme any waye comparable vnto them. What then? am I bolder then they all? no forsooth. What am I more offici­ous then the rest? no neither, I am not so desirous of that praise, that I woulde withdrawe it from other men. But thus it is: other men though indéede better learned then I and of higher degrée, yet séeing the en­uie of the place, and not being called therūto: withold thēselues. I not like to be so much enuied, as being in­feriour in degrée: haue ventured on the thing, moreo­uer those parties haue requested it at my handes who both for acquaintance and great good will, and woor­shipfull countenance might haue commaunded a grea­ter thing, whose pleasure for so much as I would not withstand it, nor neglect their request, nor refuse their good turne, I haue submitted my neck to the burthen. Which though it séeme too heauy for me to beare, yet shall you not see me shrinke thereat, whilste you your selues are willing to learne, which so long you ought to be willing to doo, vntill it repente you of the profit.

This proffit the better to vnderstand what it will be, I will now hasten to the last parte of my speache, requesting héerin also your attentiue eare, although I thinke it a néedlesse request, in that you haue so fauou­rably heard me hetherto. Wherin Right woorshipfull I will labour to be bréefe, I saye I will labour to be bréefe, for that I knowe the woorthinesse of these artes to be such, that it is an harder matter to finde an ende in commending the same, then a beginning to their [Page] praise. For what soeuer seuerall cōmendations there are in other things in this profession: they all concurre and méete togeather. If either antiquitie of any arte may magnifie the same, or the professors therof bring credit therto, or the wonderfull effects and strange de­uises extoll the thing, or the subiect matter set foorthe the praise, then shall the mathematicks surpasse them all: they were inuented before all other, imbrased by Kinges and wisest men, strange in deuises and effects, and for the subiect matter they haue the world. Their antiquitie is fet from our creation.

To this intent were our eyes, and bodies fra­med as you see, that not looking groueling on the ground as sencelesse beastes, but lifting vp our face to heauen we might beholde, and in beholding learne the wonderfull misteries contained therein. For Right Woorshipfull: there is more required of vs men cōcer­ning heauen, thē the only view of the outward frame: the beastes themselues can view the thing, they can beholde it as well as wee, but wee must treade the footsteppes of Adam and Seth his Sonne, whose study was continuall in these thinges, yea they had suche a care therof, that knowing the proffit exceeding greate and foreséeing both the flood to come, and also the con­suming of the worlde by fier, they left the secrets of their artes engrauen curiously in two Pillers, one of Bricke, the other of brasse, that if y ^e world were burnt the brick might last, if it were drowned, y ^e brasse might continue the perpetuall memorye of that which they knew. It is too long to runne through all those men, whose affection was singuler to these kinde of studies

[Page] Abraham is renowned for his knowledge therein, and Iacob also, whose staffe we vse. The Egiptians learning these artes of Abraham, founde afterwarde suche singularitie therein, that it was a decree for euer with them, that none should gouerne among thē as King, that had no insight in this learning, whose Lawe the Persians also followed. From Egipt: it flowed ouer Affricke like Nilus floud, and after went ouer sea into Greece, from Greece it was translated to Rome, from Rome to Germany, Fraunce, and Spaine, and now at length after many yéeres England dooth lend it a liste­ning eare, and as I hope will yéelde it also a louing hart. At Rome Iulius Caesar made the Calender which we vse, in Greece Plato by that arte did stay the plague in doubling the aulter of Apollo. In Affricke King At­las did so toyle therin. that the Poets laid the heauē in his necke, and made him as a piller to holde it vp. Ar­chimedes plaied the Deuill therby in the Romain host, and kepte them all at such a baye, that they durst not come neere Syracusa, neither by Land nor yet by Sea, Dionysius the King he sent for Plato to be his Maister in this science, and made bonfiers for ioy of his com­ming, Alfonsus King of Aragon spēt a mighty summe of money héerin, and maketh vs beholding to him still and shall be for euer. Ptolomiè tooke such paines heere­in, that the whole worlde enioyes his trauell. If then Right woorshipfull, the studentes in this science were such famous men, imagine the excellency of the studie, which also they cōmended vnto vs by singuler works. I meane not your Cathedrall Churches, or place of Exchange, or other statelye buildinges whatsoeuer, whose stillest stone is the sounding Trumpet of this profession, but they left behinde them manifolde other rare deuises, to sight wonderfull, incredible to y ^e eare, yet to eare and sight excéeding pleasant. Suppose, for [Page] what cannot the minde deuise? suppose I say, that ouer your heade there flewe a Doue, not suche a feathered fowle as commonly we kéep, but a Doue of wood, such a one as Archytas made. Put case you saw héer Vul­canes treuets, which made of Iron could fight alone: and set them selues in battell raye, retiring and mar­ching orderly. What if you saw Daedalus in the ayre? or Archimedes Sphere turning alone? would you not wonder at these things? Yes no doubt, and wondring, thirst after the knowledge of that arte, which daylye affoordes such strange conceites.

These be no fables that I tell, our present age af­firmeth them true. Who hath not heard of the brazen Cocke in Strasborowe towne, as I remember, which croweth alowd 3. times a day: wherin the heauenlye Orbes doo moue alone? Who hath not séene our Clock in Paules, or such small péeces of woorke as this? which being but small in regarde of the rest, bring great com­mendations to these artes. Héere againe me thinke, I heare one say, indéed these toyes delight mens eyes, but I desire to sée some vse, or some commoditie fit for a common weale: this question Right woorshipfull, I could answere with an other, altogether as foolishe as it. What profit hath the Diamond on your finger, for which you gaue an hūdred pound? you can not answer me at a blush, except you aleadge your pleasure alone. But I will not crosse this obiection thus, I will an­swere directly therunto, although the pleasure might suffise, as being a studye plesant in youth, delightfull to age, beautifull in prosperitie, reléeuing our aduersi­tie, and yéelding vs comfort, it pleasureth at home, it hindreth not abroad, it watcheth with vs, and tra­uelleth with vs vp and downe, and dooth vs seruice e­uery where. The minde is able Right woorshipfull, to conceiue that which the bodily eye cannot sée, the eye [Page] can beholde more then the tung can expresse, yet de­uise with your minde, and cast your sight about, and trye if you can either spye with your eye, or thinke in your minde what thing is frée from the vse of these artes. Look vp if you please to the heauen aboue, or turne your eye downe to earth beneath, or round a­bout to the wandering Sea, thinke on your warres, and traffique abroad, or other your priuate affaires at home, your busines at home, your wares abroad, your traffique beyond sea, the earth beneath you, the Sea about you, the heauen aboue you is fully fraught with the praise héerof. In heauen Astronomye dooth raigne as Queene, commaunding all the secrets thereof, and laying them open to our eyes. Yet Astronomye is but a parte of this science, whose proffit notwithstanding is wonderfull greate. What can be compared to the knowledge of God, which is the butte and end of our creation? next to the ordenary meanes of our instructi­on, I meane his woord, the arte of astronomye dooth cheefely bréede the knowledge of him. First in conside­ring the number of the heauens, which being 10. are so cunningly wrought and knit togeather, that the hand of man is not able to counterfeite the woorste of them all, without some blemish, either swelling outward, or dented in, their rowndnesse is such, so precize, so per­fect, so correspondent to it selfe. If then the fashion be so strange, and broedeth this proffit, what maye we conceiue of the wonderfull course, which rolling about without any reste, is an higher steppe to the foresaide knowledge. Of these 10. Spheres or Orbes, there are not two whose naturall course precizelye bendeth one manner of way. Some runne from East to West, and others againe from West to East, an other in trem­bling manner from North to South, reuersed backe from South to North. The Nethermost 7. from west [Page] to East in such a sundrie and manifolde course, that neither the one is like the other, nor in many yéeres scarse like themselues, yet all so certaine in their race, that neither the time dooth bréed an error, nor yet their number a confusion. Which constancie of course being wel known to Dionysius Areopagita an heathen man, it made him crye out when our Sauiour Christe was nailed to the Crosse, (though he him selfe were then in Egipt) that then, either the God of nature did suffer, or the frame of this worlde did breake a sunder: because against the order and time of naturall course, he sawe the Moone eclipse the Sunne. Séeing then Astronomye leadeth vs to the knowledge of God, that were proffit enough if it had no more: but this commoditie is not alone, for as this is the welfare of the soule: so dooth it woork our bodies good: as phisick can witnes sufficiēt­ly, which taking care of this our bodye, can warrant vs nothing without this arte. For if it dooth not deli­gently obserue the face of heauen in ministring poti­ons or opening vaines, it maye serue vs as Paris did Achilles at Troy, whose pricke in the héele did pearse his hart. What shall I say of Nauigation the chéefest piller of your gaine? how much dooth Astronomy helpe therin? whose launching foorth and haling in, and rest­lesse course both too and fro is surelye guided by this heauenly arte, though Sea dooth roare, and windes doo rage, and heauen and earth should méete together. As for the tilling of the ground or whatsoeuer else the Cuntrie dooth, it is as much for it to want this Arte, as Vulcanes forge to lack his fier, or Apelles shop his cullours and oyle: I would not haue you measure eche thing by the price, for commonlye schollers are not co­uetous men. There is among you a little booke, the Almanacke I mean vsually bought for a peny or two, if it were wanting but a time, I gesse it would be [Page] woorth a pound. Right woorshipfull I wil vse your pa­tience a little longer, because I sée you giue such at­tentiue eare: You haue heard what great commodity Astronomy yeeldeth, being but a parte of the Mathe­maticall science, there are other two as good as it, harken also what profit they bring, Arithmeticke namely teaching the art of number, and Geometrie the knowledge of measuring wel. Beleeue me, for why I speake the thing I knowe, being daylye conuersant in those parts, and hauing conference with many mē, there is no calling whatsoeuer that can want the aide of one of these. Perhaps you will except Astronomie, because the heauen séemeth very high beyond the reach of rule and compasse. Our Globes and Spheres and celestiall draughts, which héere we haue, will witnes the falsehood of that exception, wherein eche seuerall starre is so truelye prickt that they misse not an haire of their naturall place. Then if Geometrie reache so high that it can iustly measure the Cope of heauen: no doubt on earth it performeth most excellent thinges. Let Geographie witnesse in vniuersall Mappes, let Topographie witnesse in seuerall Cardes, let Hydro­graphie witnesse in the Mariners plat, you your selues may witnesse in Martiall affaires, let the Gun­ner witnesse in planting his shot, witnesse the Sur­veior in measuring land, witnesse all those, that labor in mines, and those that practise conueying of water, whose skill being tolde vs, we would scarsely beleeue it, were it not lying at our doores. The Lawyer thin­keth him selfe cunning enough to handle his case, and therfore would laugh, if he should héere, that he stan­deth in néed of our profession, yet haue I knowne his sentence reclaimed by one of my coate. Diuinitie con­taineth matter of saluation, and nothing is superflu­ous in the woord of God, yet can it not be expounded [Page] without these artes, else let them describe the feaste of Easter, or iustefie the historye of the three wise men. If you your selues were not Merchant men, I would tel you what proffit you reape héerby, but your dayly ex­perince saueth me that labour. The Scholler in rea­ding of his Poet must haue this helpe, or els perhaps he may quickly be posed. The Historiographer must not want these artes, nor he that readeth the historie penned, or else their labour and light maye be lost. [...] It was the sentēce Right woorshipfull auditors of Plato the wise set ouer his Schoole, wherby he forbad them the entrance in, that were nōt capable of this learning, for as it is pretely, so it is truely saide by one Vt ignis aurum, ita Mathe­mataeca ingenium, The Mathematickes are vnto the wit, as fire is to the golde, and he that in some mea­sure is not capable therof, is fitter for a stie, then for a studie. Perswade your selues Captains of excellent hope, for now I turne my spéeche to you, for whose commoditie this thing is intended, perswade your selues I saye, that there is some notable thing in this kinde of studie, that is not common to other artes, els could it not breed such exceeding ioy in the louers ther­of, as we see it dooth. Thales the Philosopher offred vp an Oxe for ioy, and Plato an hundred hauing found out certaine Geometricall conclusions. Archimedes sifting out the Goldesmithes deceipte in making of King Hiero his Crown, could not contain him self for ioy, but ran as he was stark naked through the stréet Aristippus suffering shipwracke on the coast of Rhodes found described in the sande Geometricall figures, wherin he took such singuler comforte, that forgetting his losse, and cause of sorrow: he cryed out thus vnto his fellowes, be of good cheere my mates quoth he, for loe I sée the footesteppes of men. If then noble Cap­taines [Page] and louing Schollers, (for now I am bolde to vse that name) If the commodities of our profession be so great as nothing more, if the pleasure be with­out comparison, if these be the footsteppes of men wherin you must treade, whose very sight may coun­teruaile your sorrow, if you haue a care of your hono­rable name, if you thinke it a fowle disgrace for want of knowledge to be circumuented, as Haniball was by Fabivs Maximus, or as Cyrus the King by Tomiris the Quéene: If it be the hazarde of your life and name in skaling a forte to bring a Ladder too shorte by the halfe, as King Phillip did, wherby he cast away all his men: if you loathe to haue your inferiour Souldiers triumph ouer you for want of arte, as Palamedes did ouer Agamemnon the King, begin better séen in mar­shalling his men: to be shorte, If you thinke it a bles­sed thing, to compasse the worlde, and returne again enriched with golde, or if you tender your credit in a­ny respect which ought to be more deer then gold, now haue an especiall care vnto the same. Let not y ^e thing begun to your honor be intermitted to your disgrace, so many woorshipfull men bearing witnesse therof, but buckle your selues to purchase knowledge, that by your endeuour out of this place, as out of the Gréekish Horse at Troy, many woorthy, wise, and learned Cap­taines may procéede. Your cost is small, your paines as little, for all the labour shall be mine, your profit greate: your comfort more, there wantes but will, which if you bring, vpon my credit, God going before whom I beséeche to blesse our studies, you shall not thinke your time [...] but be beholding as to this Gentlem [...] [...] place, so vnto me for taking paines.