To Robert Sidney
My most deere Brother.
You have thought unkindnes in me, I have not written oftner unto you, and have desired I should write something of myne owne opynion touching travaile you being perswaded my experience therein to be something, which I must needes confesse, but not as you take it, for you thinke my experience of the good thinges I have learned. But I knowe the onlie experience I have gotten, is to finde howe much indeede I have missed, for want of haveing directed my course to the right end, and by the right meanes.
I thinke you have read Aristotles Ethicks if you have, you knowe it is the begyning, and foundation of all his workes, the good ende which everie man doth & ought to bend his greatest actions, I am sure you have imprinted in your minde, the scope, and marke, you meane by your paines to shoote att, for if you should travayle but to travaile or to saie you have travailed, certainelie you shall prove a Pilgrim to noe Saint. But I presume soe well of you, that though a greate nomber of us never thought in our selves whie wee went, but onlie of a certaine tickling humour to doe as an other man hath done, your purpose is being a Gentleman borne, to furnish your selfe with the knowledge of such thinges, as maie be serviceable to your Countriee, and fitt for your calling which certainelie standes not in the chaunge of ayre, for the warmest sonne makes not a wise man, noe more in learning languages, (although they bee of good serviceable use,) for wordes are but wordes, in what language soever they bee, and much lesse in that all of us come home full of disguisementes, not onlie of our apparrell, but of our countenaunces, as though the creditt of a travayler stood all uppon his outside.
But in the right informing your mynde with those thinges which are most noteable in those places you come to, of which as the one kinde is soe vaine, as I thinke it ere it be long, like the Magnificoes in Italie wee travaylers shalbe made sporte of comodies, soe maie I justlie saie, whoe travailes with the eye of Vlisses doth take one of the most excellent waies of worldlie wisdome, fer hard sure it is to knowe England, without you knowe it by compareing it with others noe more then a man can knowe the swiftnes of his horse without seeing him well matched, for you that are a Logitian knowe, that as greatnes of it selfe is a quantitie, soe yett the judgment of it, of might, ritches, &c standes in the predicament of relacion, soe as you cannott tell what the Queene of England is able to doe, defensivelie, or offencivelie, but by through compareing what they are able to doe, with whome shee is to bee matched.
This therefore is one noteable use of travaile, which standes in the mixed and correlitiue knowledge of thinges, in which kinde come in the knowledge of all leauges, betwixt Prince, and Prince, the topograficall descripcion of eache Countrie, howe the one lyes by scituacion to hurte or helpe the other, howe they are to the sea well harbowred or not, howe stored with shippes, howe with Revenewe, howe with fortificacions and Garrisons, howe the People warlicklie trayned or kept under, with manie other such condicions which as they confusedlie come into my mynde, soe I for want of leasure sett downe; but these thinges as I said, are those of the first kind which stand in the ballancing of the one thing with the other.
The other kinde of knowledge is of them which stand in the thinges which are of themselves, either simplie good, or simplie evill, and soe either for a right instruction, or a shuning example, of these Homer ment in his verse, Qui multorum hominum mores cognovit & urbes, for hee doth not meane mores, howe to looke, or putt of ones capp with a new found grace (although trulie behaviour is not to be despised) marrie my heare saie is that the English behaviour is best in England, and the Italian in Italy, but mores hee takes for that whereon Morrall Philosophi is soe called, which conteynes the true discerning of mens myndes, both in vertuous passions & vices, and when hee saith cognovit urbes (if I be not deceaved) hee meanes not to have seene townes, and marked their buildinges, for howses are howses in everie place, they doe but differ Secundum magus fsf minus, but hee intendes the knowing of their religions, pollicies, lawes, bringing upp of their children, disipline both for Warr, and Peace, and such like I take to be of the second kinde, which are ever worthie to be knowne for their owne sakes, as surelie in Turkey (though wee have nothing to doe with them) yett theire disipline in Warr matters Propter se, are worthie to be learned. Nay in the kingdome of China which is almost as farr as our Antipodes from us, theire good lawes and customes are to be learned, but to knowe their riches, and power is of little purpose for us, since it cann neither advantage us, or hinder us. But in our neighbour countries both those thinges are to be observed, aswell the latter which consture thinges for themselves, as the former which seekes to knowe both these & their riches &c which maie be unto us avayleable or otherwise. The countries fittest for both these are those you are goeing into Fraunce above all other most needefull for us to marke, especiallie in the former kinde, next it Spaine & the Lowe Countries then Germany which in my opynion excells all the other as much in the latter consideracion as the other doth it in the former: for neither are verdict of neither for as Germany mee thinkes doth noteablie in good lawes, & well administring of Justice, soe yet are wee likewise to consider in it, the manie Princes with whome wee have leauge, the places of trade, and the meane to drawe both soldyers and furniture from thence in time of neede. Soe likewise in Fraunce & Spaine we are principallie to marke, how they stand towardes us both in power & inclynacion, soe are they not without good and fitt thinges, even in the generallitie of wisdome, to be knowne, as theire Courtes of Parliament their subalterne Jurisdiccions & their continewall keepeing of soe manie provinces under them, and by what manner, with the true pointes of Honour, wherein sure they have the openest conceite, wherin if they seeme over curious, it is an easie matter to cutt of, when a man sees the bottome. Flaunders likewise besides the neighbourhood with us, & — the annexed consideracions therunto, hath diverse thinges to be learned especially their governing their merchauntes, & the lower trades. As for Italy I knowe not what wee have, or can have to doe with them, but to buye their scilkes and wynes, and for other provinces (excepting Venice) whose good lawes, & customes wee can hardly proporcion to our selves, because they are quite of a contrarie goverment, there is little there but tyranous oppression, & servile yeilding to them, that have little or noe rule over them. And for the men you shall have there, although some in deede be excellentlie lerned, yett are they all given to soe counterfeit lerning, as a man shall learne of them more false groundes of thinges, then in anie place ells that I doe knowe for from a tapster upwardes they are all discoursers. In fine certaine quallities, as Horsmanshipp, Weapons, Vauting, and such like, are better there then in those other countries, for others more sounde they doe little excell neerer places.
Nowe resteth in my memorie but this point which indeede to you is the cheifest of all others, which is the choyce of what men you are to addict your selfe unto, to learne these thinges, for it is certaine, noe vessell can leave a worsse tast to the licquor it containes, then a wronge teacher infectes an unskillfull hearrer, with that which afterwardes will hardlie out, I will not tell you the absurdities I have heard some travylers tell, I dare sware, from the mouthes of some of their hoastes. Be sure therefore of his knowledge whome you desire to learne, tast him well before you drinke to much of his doctrine, and when you have heard it, trie well what you haue heard, before you hold it for a principle, for one errour is the mother of a thowsand. But you maie saie, howe shall I gett excellent men to take paines to speake with mee, trulie in fewe wordes, either much experience, or much humblenes.
Your assured loveing Brother Phillipp Sidney.