I believe the passage cited offers a fine instance of
Sidney's craft in a narrative that teases and thereby
entertains the reader, at the same time showing
Musidorus to be somewhat self-deceived, setting himself
up for a fall when he himself slackens his pace in his
noble course. As I take it, he's making a big deal out
of setting aside anything 'personal' that might make his
advice to Pyrocles sound like special pleading; he's
committed to the objectivity and universality that is
supposed to characterize a philosopher's argument, and
maybe he's also hinting that P. had better look to his
reputation, others may be noting his decline and
wondering about his true character, etc.
As for scholarship, others may suggest the best recent
scholarship; I recommend that you not omit Neal
Rudenstine's book.
Cheers, Jon Quitslund
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