Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

Oration I. Vernacular

IF Some of y^e. greatest Orato^rs. in time past, have become
Speechless, at y^e. Appearance of Some one Eminent person
what Confusion must I needs be in, who am neither to be
Compared with y^e. Least of Orators & am to Speak before
an Assembly on w^ch. when I cast my eyes, I see not only One
but a greate many eminent men.

As God help me tis noe small matter, for a Stripling to Appear
in a throng of Soe many Learned & Judicious Senio^rs but
that Singular Attention & Cheerefulness Ye have Shewed
in hearing the former Speaker Emboldens mee & gives me
noe Small Assurance.

The Subject Assigned mee to discourse on as best becoming both
y^e place where, and y^e. persons to whome I am to Speak is
y^e. Excell.^cy & Utillity of Learning

Let me begg then of yo^r Excell.^cy & y^e Hon^ble. Council of State
of y^e Comission^rs of our Capitall City & Countys of y^e Trustees &
Governo^rs of our Royall College of our Learned and Vigilant—
Pastors & y^e. Rest of my Courteous hearers to hear mee—
patiently a few words for I shall not weary You with a—
tedious discourse.

But me thinks I hear Some Say tis an easy matter to praise
y^e Muses, an easy thing to Celebrate those Arts & Sciences
wh^ch. by all are owned to bee y^e. Scources of all y^t we call
Excellen^t. However I must needs praise them & I hope.
Ye will not bee against it, for when wee Love a thing wee
are both willing to praise it & to hear it praised, And why
Shall wee not Speak in praise of Learning, wh^ch. wee Confide—
will hearafter procure us a greate deal of praise when by
it, Wee shall be rendred Capable to serve our Country, in the
highest dignities of Church & State.

To begin then, if I should say say nothing else in praise of.
Learning but only this that noe Country can ever Flourish & And bee in repute & Esteeme, without it. This one Topick
would be instead of all, Learning is of mighty force & Efficacy
both to Secure States & Cittyes from infinite evils &
to heap all good things upon them, For how can Lawes.
be made, Justice be distributed, difference be Compared—
publick Speeches be begun or Concluded Embassys be manage^d
& what is fittest and best to be done on all Occasion, bee
discovered without ye Assistance of Learning—

I would not be Misonderstood as if I meant y^t none but,
Learned Men could be Usefull Subjects, but I think I may
Advance this that unless those that bear Offices in Church.
& State be furnished with y^e. necessary Instructions of Learning
they must needs bee wanting in a greate many & those the.
principall points, of their Respective Offices. O divinie Plato
thy Notions & Sayings are all divine, Thou wast wont to Say
y^t the Nations of y^e. world should then
bee happy when either Philosophers should Govern them
or they y^t Governed them should become Phillosophers. 0 most
Excellent Saying of an Excellent. man and worthy to bee
perpetuated to all Posterity.

In all other things wee may observe a Perpetuall Ebbing &
Flowing y^e most stately Structures are Subject to bee
buried under their owne Ruins, & y^e Strongest of our floating
Castles, to be Swallowed up. by the waves, but Learning is
without y^e reach of fire & Water, and is subject to the
Chances of change and inconstancy nor can it be Lost but
with Life it selfe, This will keep us company when naked.
& shipwraked in our own and in forreigne Countrys &—
Cannot be taken from us by Injurys of Time, All things are
perrishable except y^e Goods of y^e Mind.

Of all Sublunary things Learning is y^e most excellent it—
perfects y^e understanding, it formes y^e. Judgm^t. and it sharp^ens
y^e will Alexande^r. y^e Greate put such a value on Learning y^t.
he was wont to say, y^t he owed more to Aristotle his Master
who had taught him philosophy, than to Philip his Father who had
Left him a kingdome—

By the help of Learning wee may Converse with y^e most
Excelent men of all ages, with y^e sublime Philosopher Plato
with y^e Prince of Philosophers Aristotle, with y^e most—
Christian Philosopher Seneca, with Tully the Master of—
Rethorick, & inexhausted Fountaine of Eloquence, with
Livy that Notable Historian, & with Tacitus: y^e Polititian in
aword with y^e. Muses, w^ch. can furnish us with all kinds
of Learning & Polite Literature.

I shall not say any thing here of y^e. Solocisms & incongruityes
of Speech w^ch. are every hour altered by the unlearned; the
Comliness of our Mother tongue is most Intolerably Corupted
by Such, while they can neither write good Sense nor—
true English

What shall I say of that near Relation between Learning &
Virtue, Learning makes us not only more knowing but more
Vertuous: & if any Learned man be vitious, y^e Fault is not
to be Charged upon Learning but on his owne pravity for hee
knows better things & Medea Like approoves of 'em too.
Learning excites in our Mindes those Generous Instincts
of our Natures after Glory, & by showing us virtue in—
its Comeliness, & Vice in its deformity, makes us ever after
Admire y^e. first, & Abominate y^e Last, In aword as a field
w^ch. of it selfe is Barren & brings forth nothing but Bryars
& woods. by Manuring & Tillage may bee made fertill
soe a vitious dispossition by discipline & good Literature
may be made vertuous, Tis true said Socrates, to a Certain
Physiognomist that upbraided him as being naturally
Addicted to a Certaine vice but I have mended y^t vitious—
Inclination said he by my Education— Education helps Nature.
In Short the Study of the Liberall Arts is both pleasant
& profitable & serves to perpetuate y^e. names of its votarys
to all Posterity.

O thou divine Pleasure of Learning thou art y^e. greatest
& purest of pleasures other pleasures are followed with.
Saciety & Loathing wee may een be weary & have a Belly
full of 'em but y^e more wee taste of y^e. Pure pleasures—
Of Learning, the more wee thirst after them, our hunger
& thirst after knowledge can never be Glutted Knowledge
is y^e proper food & Nourishm^t. of y^e mind, & as aman in
a dropsy y^e more hee drinks y^e more hee thirsts, soe y^e more
wee know y^e more wee desire to know, If any one doubt
of this Archimedes, that excellent & close Searcher—
& Counterfeiter of y^e Celestiall Orbs, will convince him
for hee, when y^e. Roman Souldjers were Ransacking &
pillaging his Citty Syracuse, was soe intent upon his
Study that y^e Enemies Sword was entred his Body—
before hee knew the Enemy had Entred his Citty The
Streets were thronged with Souldjers y^e Air was fil'd
with y^e Lamentation of women and y^e Cryes of Children
& y^e whole Citty was in a Strange Convulsion and all.
while Archimedes, in y^e Midst of y^e Citty, knowes—
^{through the—}
nothing of all this Confusion,
^{pleasure he takes in his Contemplation} O unparalle.^ld pleasure
O Unheard of desire of Knowledge—

Nor does Learning only bring pleasure with it, but it advances
to Hono^r; there is not a more Compendious way to Honour—
then by Learning it promotes us to Honou^rs and dignities
while a Live & makes our names to Live when we ourselves
are dead, What favour what affection, what Familiarity
does Learning procure its Votarys, not only from the—
Common Sort, but from y^e. Greatest Potentates from Princes
Kings & Empero^rs—

Scipio Africanus was never without Learned men at home
nor a Broad Stagira, the Birth place of Aristotle was—
Rebuilt in honour of him by his Quondam pupil Alexan^der.
y^e Greate

Dyonisius of Syracuse when he heard yt Plato was
coming to Cicily, Sent out a Flagg Ship to receive him
Augustus Cesar highly honoured y^e Learned of his—
Age he had an Intire Love for y^e Learned Varro.
a particular