Declamation of the Philosopher, Physician, and Orator

Ad Clarissimum Paulū Sidlouitium scholasticū Polonū
Philippi Beroaldi Bononiensis Epistola.

Large ornamental drop cap 'P'
They say that Cato the Tusculan, who was considered the best orator, the best senator, and the best general, used to say that the table is the parent of friendships and a kind of conciliator. But how much more honest, more true, and more beautiful were those who called the school of friends a "seminary," and letters the "glue of benevolence." Indeed, those are the true and lasting friendships which are formed in literary academies and which arise from a similarity of studies. From this source, six hundred friends have flowed to me. From this source, School: the fountain of friends. Minus Roscius. Minus Roscius a term of endearment for a friend—the column and gem of friends—was derived; there is nothing more elegant than he, who, as they say, is skilled in both seriousness and jests. He is the most noble of the learned, the most learned of the nobles, and most deservedly can be called the equal of Pollio Asinius at all hours. I take particular pride and great delight in his most pleasant friendship, which I hope—just as it is now known to all—will be equally well known to posterity. This is the bond of studies, than which nothing is more tenacious. You, most illustrious Paul, have bound me to yourself with these closer ties of intimacy. You have now spent a year in Bologna among the transalpine students; you are as noble as you are lovable, and you are no less welcome to our own people for the adornments of your character than you are to your own order for your courtesy. In you, all things are in abundance, consistent with the splendor of your family, which among the Polonians—or as we are corrected by recent writers, among the Poles—has long flourished and continues to flourish, being no less honorable than it is famous. And not to recount your ancestors and great-grandfathers at present: your father, whose name is Staniflaus, was held in the highest esteem—as was fitting—by the King of the Poles, having achieved the most ample honors, approved by the sincerity of his faith, tempered by his experience of life, and adorned by the praise of goodness. And since the advisors of princes must be endowed above all with prudence, your father, while he lived, was a primary counselor to the Polish Cardinal, showing that there is nothing more important in all of life than good counsel, and that there is more prudence without learning than learning without prudence. What should I say about the numerous cohort of your brothers, who are all courtiers? And since it is the highest honor to have pleased a prince—or even one—they are in favor and esteem among princes. Among them, Jacob is very pleasing to the most sacred King Albert; to him, because of his fidelity, the custody of the royal treasuries is entrusted—a task which, unless to the most upright and proven, is not rashly committed. Peter, truly, is the steward of the royal table and an artist skilled in the carving of food. This service in a principal court is undoubtedly honorable, and it is enjoined only upon the high-born and clearly noble. The same The fame of the Sidlouitii family. Praise of the father. Courtier brothers. man excels in military matters, nor is he to be scorned in civic life, for which reason he is intimate with the king, and is venerable and lovable to almost all the courtiers and purple-clad officials. Following these, the winds for Nicholas are also very favorable, nor is the breeze of the prince failing for this youth. Furthermore, just as they are favorable at court, so Christopher is with you in the bosom of the illustrious brother of the King, Sigismund; both are fostered, both are loved. Indeed, the singular prudence and keen intellect of Christopher have caused him to be peculiarly distinguished with the dignity of the discophorus dish-bearer/server of Krakow, which among you is a very honorable province. You, however, my Paul, because of your dexterity, erudition, and goodness, have deserved to be a secretary to the same prince; you are called an arch-scribe, the confidential attendant of the most illustrious prince; commonly they name you Chancellor. Because of these things, it comes about that the Sidlouitia family has grown in such authority and esteem among the Poles that those who desire to emerge and shine there flee to the Sidlouitian brothers, and use you as their primary intercessors. You came not so long ago to our academy to hear us, who sound the Latin tongue in the Roman fashion, so that if there were any harshness of speech, it might be smoothed out by the file of Latinity. This delights, detains, and feeds you so much that you not only attend public schools, but you also continuously hear something worthy of knowing from me in private. And now your home has become a workshop and meeting-place of more polished literature. From this daily commerce of teaching and learning, benevolence has grown richer between us, and, prompted by this, I have dedicated this little book to you by name, most illustrious Paul, so that it may be an eternal monument of my love for you, and that when you are absent in your fatherland, you may occasionally remember your Philippus. The subject matter is, I think, not unworthy of knowledge, nor tritely worn out, the variety of which can delight—and no less instruct—the reader, and especially you, to whom everything of mine is approved. But now, I pray you, read through the controversy of the three brothers, which is neither lacking in wit nor in learning; you will soon read the book on the best state. Farewell, pride of scholars, and love your teacher.