But heere risith a question: Whether that such a weake and vnlearned man / maye learn ony of the liberall artes / or philosophie / of such a master as is an vnbeleauer.
Vnto which I answer: that forbicause to lern such artes of an vnfaithfull master is not of such necessitie as can not be auoided / therfor the man that ys weake in faithe must not lern them of hym. Yt is a very daungerus thinge / to vse them which ar vnbeleauers as Masters and teachers: for often tymes in the myndes of the hearers ther arisith a gret admiracion and estimaciõ of the teacher / and it maye easilye com to pas at the lẽghthe / that they shall thincke and Iudge that theise teachers ar not deceyued in Religion / bicause they be of an exacte and perfect knowledge in these liberall sciences / ãd philosophie. This (I saye) may happẽ of it that men ar wont to attribute mutch vnto their teachers. Yea that it may be so / I will proue by the cõtrarie. Origen by teaching the Mathematicalls / and such sciences / did bring many mẽ to the knowledge of christe. For furst he dyd begyn to reade among them such sciences with which they wer delighted / In which he being expert / dyd shew vnto his hearers suche connynge / that he dyd forthewith gett amonge them great estimacion / and so the more easili drawe them vnto the doctrine of christe. Augustine likewise cam to Millaine / to heere Ambrose / bicause he was counted an excellent Rhetorician. And so whilst he desirusly herd hym / at the lenghth by hearinge he was tourned form the sect of the Manichees / vnto the true catholiques. As therfor by lerning of these sciences of godly teachers / the vnbeleauers haue beene conuerted vnto the faithe of christe / euen so / yea mutch more easilie it maye comme to pas / that they which ar weake and vnlearned / may vnder vnbeleauinge masters / be drawn from christe to vngodlynes.
Wherefor seing that this can not be doone without great perill and daunger / that such a weakling shuld vse an vnfaithfull Master / I thincke that he shuld abstayn alltogether from suche.
Sum do heere obiect and saye / that S. Paul to the Corinthians doth appoint no such Rule condicion not exception / as I haue spoken of / vnto the weake and vnlearned: but he playnly saith.