The educational essays dispersed throughout the book display a good sense which even Lyly’s style cannot conceal.  Ascham and Lyly were alone in deprecating the excessive use of the rod, and in so doing were far in advance of the age.  Cruelty seems to have been a common characteristic of the school-teacher.  “I knew one,” said Peacham, “who in winter would ordinarily in a cold morning whip his boyes over for no other purpose than to get himself a heat; another beat them for swearing, and all the time he swears himself with horrible oathes that he would forgive any fault save that. * * * Yet these are they that oftentimes have our hopefull gentry under their charge and tuition, to bring them (up) in science and civility."[61]

The style which proved so attractive to Elizabeth’s courtiers had three principal characteristics, which the reader will perceive in the extracts hereafter to be given—­a pedantic exhibition of learning, an excess of similes drawn from natural history, usually untrue to nature, and a habit of antithesis, which, by constant repetition becomes exceedingly wearisome.  Euphues, wishing to convince his listeners of the inferiority of outward to inward perfection, pursues the following argument: 

The foule Toade hath a fayre stone in his head, the fine golde is found in the filthy earth; the sweet kernell lyeth in the hard shell; vertue is harboured in the heart of him that most men esteeme misshappen.  Contrarywise, if we respect more the outward shape, then the inward habit, good God, into how many mischiefs do wee fall? into what blindnesse are we ledde?  Due we not commonly see that in painted pottes is hidden the deadlyest poyson? that in the greenest grasse is ye greatest serpent? in the cleerest water the vgliest Toade?  Doth not experience teach vs, that in the most curious sepulcher are enclosed rotten bones?  That the Cypresse tree beareth a faire leafe, but no fruite?  That the Estridge carrieth faire feathers, but ranke flesh?  How frantick are those louers which are carried away with the gaye glistering of the fine face?

“In the coldest flint,” says Lucilla, “there is hot fire, the Bee that hath hunny in hir mouth, hath a sting in hir tayle; the tree that beareth the sweetest fruite, hath a sower sap; yea, the wordes of men though they seeme smooth as oyle:  yet their heartes are as crooked as the stalke of luie.”

Lyly’s antithetical style is well illustrated by the following passage, in which he means to be particularly serious and impressive: 

If I should talke in words of those things which I haue to conferre with thee in writings, certes thou would blush for shame, and I weepe for sorrowe:  neither could my tongue vtter yat with patience, which my hand can scarse write with modesty, neither could thy ears heare that without glowing, which thine eyes can hardly vewe without griefe.  Ah, Alcius, I cannot tell whether I should most lament in thee thy want