- Ex libris ! C. K. OGDEN THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES /h^ A Compendious Way OF TEACHING Antient and Modern LANGUAGES. By J. T. PHILIPPS. L O N D N: Printed for W. ME AD ows, at the Angel in Cornbil. A COMPENDIOUS WAY OF TEACHING A K T i E N T and MODERN Formerly Pra&ifed by the L E A R N E D Tanaquil Faber, AND NOW .With little ALTERATION, faithfully exe- cuted in London -> With OBSERVATIONS on the fame SUBJECT by feveral eminent Men, viz. ROGER ASCHAM, ?$Mr. MILTON, RICHARD CAREW,>>cMr. LOCK, WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE Education of the DAUPHINE, and of his Sons, The Dukes of 'Burgundy \ Anjou, and Berry 5 With the Marchionefs of Lambert's LETTER. to her Son. To which is added, An E S S A Y on RA T i o N A L G R A M M A R. By J. T. PHIL IP PS. LONDON: Printed for W. ME A D o w s, at the Angel in Cornkil. 1727. THE INTRODUCTION. Reverend Divine, who is as de- firous to do Service to the nexc Generation, with regard to the Education of Youth, as he is zealous and indefatigable in this, for the Benefit of his Church and Country, did earneftly prefs me fome time age, to draw up a Method for teaching the Learned Languages ,- telling me, he was of Opinion, that the Greek and Latin might be learned as other Languages are, in a fhorter time, and to better purpofe, if a right Me- thod was obferv'd ; and that he had heard of a Boy, now a Student in a famous Univerfjty, (brought up by me) who in the Space pf three Years, attained to a competent Skill in B /fc- z The INTRODUCTION. Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, befides the fpeakiog of French and Italian very intelligibly, and un- derftanding Spanijh Authors. I aflfured him that all this was Fact; and that the fame Method, affifted with good Natural Parts, Diligence, and Defire to learn, would always produce the fame Effect; and that, without Whipping, Beating, or the leaft Degree of fuch School-Difcipline and Severity, which make many hopeful Youths hate Learn- ing, and turn Truants before they are capable of knowing what Learning is. In Compliance with the Requeft of my worthy Friend, and with a View of doing fome Service to others, I have prefum'd to meddle with this important Subject, in which both Prince and People, all Degrees and Orders of Men, are fo nearly concern'd. The Pro- fperity of Church and State depend very much upon the Expeditious, as well as Chriftian Education, we give our Children: For much Time and Expences might be faved thereby, and employed in making them Matters of the Englifl) Tongue, and other Studies ufeful in common Life ; fuch as Hiftory, pined with Chronology and Geography, feveral Parts of the Mathematicks, and fome ingenious manly Exercifes, ufeful for the Health both of Body and Mind,- and more efpecially, in giving our Youth a fuller View into all the Parts of the Chriftian Religion, by imprinting, as much 1 as The INTRODUCTION^ 3 as poflible, upon their tender Minds, a Senfe of Divine Things. For as the Grammar-Schools leave them, fo the University finds them : And 'tis a Miracle if Metaphyjtcks, Moods and Figures, will ever influence their Morals, and make them better Men. Hence it comes, that our Reformed Church is too much obfcur'd and blemifh'd by the diforder'd Lives of both Priefts and People. Our Reformers were aware, that the Pul- pits owe all their Succefs or Difappointments to thofe Nurferies of Youth , and that it was impoflible to clear the Church of Prophanenefs, Superftition and Bigotry, until the Schools were firft purg'd of Pedantry j by which 1 mean, a prepoftrous Method of teaching ufelefs Learning, in fpem future Oblivionis, to be for- gotten again as foon as poflible. For a Boy that has been accuftom'd to learn without Book, hard Grammatical Terms, and Latin Rules, before he underftands what they mean, is al- ready difpos'd to have a venerable Refped for all hard Words; fuch as Mater ia prima Barocco, Bocardo, Purgatory, Tranfubftantiation, &c. and will ever after be minding Sounds, more than Senfe or Signification. WILLIAM LILLT, who had ftudied in Rhodes, and travelled into the Eaftern Countries, was upon his Return home, made Mafter of St. P,iul\ School, and drew up a (hort Introduction B 2 of 4 The INTRODUCTION. of Grammar in the Englifh Tongue, and a larger one in Latin ; which, by publick Au- thority, was introduc'd into Schools over all England. And tho* this fliort Introduction, with the' Help .of, a good Mafter, is fufficient to at- tain the End proposed by the Author; yet Boys, by the Tyranny of Cuftom, are forced, even to this Day, .to learn Rules in his Latin Grammar, which, without doubt, were intended rather for Matters than Scholars; who from thence might in their feveral Countries, frame Rules in their Vulgar Tongues for the Service of their Difciples ; it being unreafonable that the Principles of an unknown Language fhould be taught in arr unknown Tongue; and that the Learner (hould be fuppos'd to underftand j what he is going to learn, becaufe he does not I underftand it. It is therefore to be wilh'd, that for the Ufe of Englifl) Scholars, a fhort Grammar might be perfected in the Englifl) Tongue, burthen'd as little as poffible with obfcure Terms of Art. I have often wonder'd, that our Legiflature has not taken this into ferious Confideration : And I have had the Curiofity to run over the chief Heads of our Common Law, and Ads of Parliament ; wherein I find many remarkable Expreflions of the ILunry of che English Nation towards the better Support xind Government of the Church, and the En- couragement of the Minifters thereof; but little or nothing for the Regulation of Schools, and Chri-, The INTRODUCTION. 5 Chriftian Education ,qf .Youth, and as little Encouragement for School- Matters, who, I think, in fome Senfe, may be faid to have the Care of Souls : Yet there is generally no Proportion in the Reward ; tho* Learning, Piety, Difcrerion, and Diligence, are required in the one, as well as the other, yet the hard Condition of School- Matters is much the fame as formerly in Rome, and defcrib'd in the feventh Satyr of Juvenal, thus Englilh'd by Mr. Dry dent For, to breed up the Son to common Senfa Is evermore the Father's leaft Expence. And -when they're dunnd, their Parents feldom, they, Without a Suit before the Tribune, pay. I remember to have heard, that about thirty .or Forty Years ago, it was a Cuftom in the Dutchy of IfSirtmlerg , that Probationers or Students, who had gone through the feveral Branches of Divinity, and prefented themfelves for Preferment, were commonly firft made School-Matters in Towns and Villages, which they durft not refufe : But if they fhew'd Ca- pacity in that Employment, they were fure of being advanced in the Church. There were two Advantages the Gove ; rn- ment reaped from that Method. People were not entrufted with Places of great Confequence, 'till after they had made 6 The INTRODUCTION. it appear, that they were able to manage Pofts of letter Truft. Secondly^ They rofe, as it were, from the loweft Degree,^ to be better able afterwards to command their Inferiors, and acquir'd thereby a great deal of Experience ; and the Employ- ment of a School-Matter, far from being defpi- cable, became honourable ; and young Scholars difcharg'd their Duty the better in thofe lower Pofts, being encouraged by the Profpect of Advancement: Whereas in other Countries, School -Matters commonly grow old in that Drudgery, and fo neglect the Education of the Youth committed to their Charge. Several of Queen Elizabeth's Minifters of State were very fenfible of a Defect in the Education of Youth ; and Roger Afcham Efq; Preceptor to Her Majefty in Greek and Latin, was defired by the Treafurer Sir Richard Sackvilk, to draw up a Scheme for that pur- pofe ; which was publifh'd after his Death, and . dedicated to Sir William Cecil, Principal Secre- tary of State to the Queen. This Book has fome very good Hints on that Subject, if made ufe of in Schools, for writing a good Latin Sale : And the Reverend Mr. Upton did good Service to Literature, in jgsting it reprinted. The Author in his Preface has rhefe remarkable Expreffions. c Some Men, 1 friendly of Nature, but of "Cnall Judgment in , Learn- The INTRODUCTION. 7 c Learning, do think I take too much Pains, * and too much Time, in fetting forth thofe * Children's Affairs : But thofe good Men were ' never brought up in Socrates' s School ; who ' faith plainly, That no Man goeth about a * more godly Purpofe, than he that is mindful e of the good bringing up borh of his own, and e other Mens Children. Therefore I truft^ good and wife Men will think well of this my doing; and of others that think otherwife, * I will think my fetf, they are fit Men to be c pardoned for their Folly, and pitied for their e Ignorance '. In the Reign of King Charles the Firft, a Reformation of the Schools was in good earneft going about ; and Amos Comenms a Man born for fuch Purpofes, (as his many Labours of that Kind fufficiently prove) was fent for over iai the Year Forty One, to direct the Work : But the Troubles of thofe Times overthrew the Defign ; and we flill lament the yet unremedied Evil. See his Life in Bayle's Dictionary. The Famous Milton^ and the excellent Mr. Locke, have written Treatises on this Sub- ject : And John Clark, Matter of the Publick Grammar-School at Hull, has likewife lately written very accurately on the fame Theme, which he calls, An Effay on the 'Education, of Youth. Mr. Solomon Lcwe, who now teaches a Board- ing-School at Hammerfmith, is likewife of the B 4 Number 8 ^INTRODUCTION. Number of thofe, who are quite tired with the received Methods, and has lately publifri'd a Ihort Scheme of Grammar to very good Purpofe; and allures us in the Preface to this Work, That he has a Lad not yet eleven Years of Age, who, tho' nine Months before, he was a mere Stranger to the Sound of Mufa and Amo t now conftrues JJvy and Virgil very prettily, and is expert in the Fundamentals of French and Italian. This may feem very incredible to Gentlemen, who have fpent feven or eight Years in Schools to learn the Latin Syntax by heart, and make miferable Latin Themes, and worfe Verfes, before they fcarce have heard the naming of thofe noble Authors. But I allure you, if we follow the Indications .of Reafon, and go from Point to Point, in right, and not curv'd Lines, what this Gentlemati advances, feems very practicable, and as confident with his, as 'tjs confiftent with the vulgarly received, and everlafting Method of learning Languages : Yet I dare fay, that he makes no Ufe of the Conftruing-Book to explain Profria qua Marilus f after.the ufual Manner : Dicas tbou may 'ft call, fropria proper. Names, qua which, tribuuntw are attributed, ^Mariius to the Male- Kind, Mafcula Mafculine, C7V. 'And ^et this Conftruing-Book the Author publilhes to the World in the following pompous Manner : 1 I long fince, Gentle Reader, following the f Examples of divers Learned Men, Gonftrued, ' an^l being thereunto importuned by many, , publiihd The INTRODUCTION. 5* publifti'd Lilly's Rules of the Gender of Nouns, the Preterperfeft Tenfes, and Supines of Verbs, his School-Precepts, commonly call'd Qui rnjhij &c. 'Thomas Robinfons Treatife of Heteroclites, and the Latin Syntax which I did, being upon long and fufficient Experience well affur'd, that a good Part of the Matter's daily Pains, and the Scholar's fruitlefs Dili- gence being hereby removed, the one may, to the great Content of his Parents and Mafter, even by himfelf, with better Courage and greater Profit, learn his Leflfon in far (horter Time, and keep it more faithfully in Memory than he did before ; and the other may chear- fully, and with more Comfort and greater Credit teach more neceflfary things. N.B.Pro- fodia and Ftgura are both conftrued, and fold apart.. e T'hine in the Lord, ' WILLIAM HAINE- Any one may fee, that if thefe or any other Rules had been in Englift,- the Learner, as 'tis acknowledg'd in the above written Preface, would make a greater Progrefs in his Studies. Why then muft he be plagued with Latin Rules, which can be of no Ufe to him, 'till they are tranflated into Englifh? And but of little Ufe then, becaufe diiguifed and blended with io The INTRODUCTION. with Latin Words ; as you may fee above in the explicatory Specimen ofProfria quaMaribus. But I dare fay, the Latin Language carries with it the Face of Terror and Difficulty, for | no Reafon more, than becaufe it is the Price of | Blood, and of a long and vexatious Slavery > and yet this common and trifling Method of teaching it, which (one would almoft fwear) was defignedly calculated to torment Boys, and pick the Parents Pockets, is ftill look'd upon by moft Fathers as a Part of their Eftate to be entail'd upon their Firft-born Son; and more efpecially, if they themfelves have pafs'd the Gantlet of Qua genus and As in prafenti, and have learnt more Latin Rules without than within Book, and more by Heart than by Undemanding. Do but mention a (horter Method to fome of thefe Gentlemen, and they'll take it as a great Affront, reflecting Difparagement on their Matters, and on their oxvn Parts ; and will tell you very roughly, that there is no Way to the Eaft- Indies, but by the Cape of Good Hope; nor .to the Knowledge of Latin, but by a Latin ^Grammar ; for if you open a Canal from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, you'll drown the World ; and if you teach Boys in another Method, you'll prophane the Latin Tongue. But I will lay before thefe Gentlemen the .Account that M^ntajgn in his Edays gives of the Method iiis Father took to teach him the Latin Tongue. The INTRODUCTION, n ' I would (fays he) firft be matter of my own 1 Language, then of that of my Neighbours c with whom I had the moft to do. I muft ( needs confefs, that the Greek and Latin c Tongues are fine Ornaments in a Gentleman; ( but they are purchafed at two high a Rate ; ' therefore I will (hew how they may be had c much cheaper, and much fooner than ufually, f by a Method try'd on my felf : My Father having by all the Means and Induftry poflible, fought among the wifeft Men of the Age, for a fliqrter Method of Teaching, than that ? uhiverfally received in Schools,' being told * that the tedious while which ( Youth fpend in/ * learning of Languages, is one Reafon why we can never attain to that abfolute Per- * fedion of Skill and Knowledge as the Greeks ' and Romans : The Expedient my Father found * out was this; I being at Nurfe, and before ' I had the Ufe of my Tongue, was delivered to a German, who could not fpeak a Word of French, but was very ready and skilful in, ' the Latin. This Man whom my Father pro--. ' curd for that purpofe, and to whom he c allow'd a very confiderable Salary, had me continually in his Arms, and was my only Overfeer. There were alfo two of his Coun- c trymen appointed for his Afliftants, but much 1 inferior to him in Learning, whofe Bufinefs it wns to attend me, and now and then to play with me; but all they fpoke was the * Latin Tongue. As for others of the Family, ! it 12, The INTRODUCTION. * it was an inviolable Rule with my Father, that neither himfelf, nor my Mother, nor ' Man, nor Maid Servant, were fuflfered to * fpeak one Word in my Company, except fuch ' Latin Phrafes as every one had learned to * chat and prattle with me. It were ftrange to c tell how every one in the Family profited * therein : My Father and Mother learn'd it, e and the Houflhold-Servants who were near c my Perfon, underftodcl it when fpoken. In * brief, we were - all Latiniz'd, fo that the e Neighbouring Villages had their Share of ( it ; infomuch that at this Day, many Latin 1 Names, both of Workmen and their Tools, ' are yet in Ufe among them! '.And as for my * felf, I was above 'fix Years old, and could * underftand no more French than Arabick ; * and that without Art, Rule, or Grammar, * I had gotten as pure a Latin Stile as any 1 Mafter could fpeak; and the rather, becaufe * I could neither blend nor confound the fame c with other Languages. If for an Eflay they * would give me a Theme, whereas the Fafhion * in Colleges is to give it in French, I had it in * bad Latin, to reduce the fame into a clean * Roman Stile. And Nicholas Grucchi, who hath ' written de Comi tit's Romanorum, William Gue- rentt, who hath commented upon Ariftotle, 1 George Buchanan, that famous Scotch Poet, and * Mark Anthony Mitret, whom both France and * Italy acknowledge to be the beft Orator, ' fall which have been my familiar Tutors) ' have The INTRODUCTION. 15 f have often told me, that in mine Infancy I ' had the Latin Tongue fo ready and fo perfect, c that themfelves fear'd to take me in hand: ( And Buchanan, whom afterwards I faw at- c tending the Marfhal Briffac, told me he was * about to write a Treatife of the Inftitution ' of Youth, and that he took the Model and c Pattern from mine. Abbot Calcaviy a Learned Man in France, and Library-Keeper to Lewis the Fourteenth, was taught by the fame Method, and was well skilled in Nine Lauguages when but Thirteen Years of Age. I find that our Countryman Mr. Cowley, who learned nothing while a Boy that he needed to forget when he came to be a Man, could never be brought to retain the ordinary Rules of Grammar j but convers'd with the Books them- felves whence thofe Rules were drawn; and that (no doubt) was the better Way. He afterwards found this Benefit by it, that having got the Greek and Latin Languages as he had done his own, not by Precept, but Ufe, he pra&ifed them not as a Scholar, but as a Native. Here follow the Words of Gnoley himfelf : And becaufe it is deplorable to confider the Lofs which Children make of their Time at 14 Tfe INTRODUCTION. at moft Schools, employing (or rather calling away) fix or feven Years in the learning of , Words only, and that too very imperfectly : A Method (hould be here eftablifiYd for the inflating Knowledge and Language at the fame time into them ; and that this may be their Apprenticefhip in natural Philofophy. This we conceive may be done, by breeding them up in Authors, or Pieces of Authors, who treat of fome Parts of Nature, and who may be underftood with as much Eafe and Pleafure as thofe which are commonly taught ; fuch are in . Latin, Varro, Cato t Cdumella, Pliny, Part of Celfus and of Seneca, Cicero de Divinatione, de Natura Deorum, and feveral fcatter'd Pieces, Virgil's Georgicks, Grotius, Manilius ; And be- caufe the Truth is, we want good Poets, (I mean we have but few) who have purpofely treated of folid and learned, that is, Natural Matters (the moft part indulging to the Weak- nefs of the World, and feeding it either with the Follies of Love, or with the Fable of Gods and Heroes) we conceive that one Book ought to be compiled of all the fcatter'd little Parcels among the ancient Poets, that may ferve for the Advancement of Natural Science, and which would make no fmall, or unufeful, or unplea- fant Volume. To this we would have added the Morals and Rhetoricks of Cicero, and the Inftitutions of Quintilian: And for the Co- medians, from whom almoft all the neceflary Part of common Difcourfe, and all the moft intimate Tfo INTRODUCTION. 15 intimate Proprieties of the Language are drawn, we conceive the Boys may be made Matters of them, as a part of their Recreation, and not of their Task, if once a Month, or at leaft, once in two, they aft one of Terences Comedies, and afterwards (the moft advanced) fome of Plau- tus's : And this is, for many Reafons, one of the beft Exercifes that can be enjoined, and moft innocent Pleafures they can be allowed. As for the Greek Authors, they may ftudy Ni- cander, Oppianus, (whom Scaliger does not doubt so prefer above Homer himfelf, and place next to his adored Virgil^) Ariftotles's Hiftory of Ani-' mals, and other Parts, I'heophraflus and Diof- corides of Plants, and a Collection made out of feveral both Poets and other Grecian Writers, For the Morals and Rhetorick, Ariftotle may fuffice, or Hermogenes and Longinus be added for the latter : With the Hiftory of Animals, they (hould be fhewed Anatomy as a Divertifement, and made to know the Figures and Natures of thole Creatures which are not common among us, difabufing them at the fame time of thofe Er- rors which are univerfally admitted concerning many. The fame Method (hould be ufed to make ;hem acquainted with all Plants : And to this muft be added a little of the ancient and mo- dern Geography, the underftanding of the Globes, and the Principles of Geometry and Aftronomy. They fhould likewife ufe to declaim in Latin and English, as the Romans did in Greek and Latin ; and 16 The INTRODUCTION. and in all this Travel be rather led on by Fami- liarity, Encouragement and Emulation, than driven by Severity, Punifhment and Terror. Upon Feftivals and Play-times, they Ihould exercife themfelves in the Fields, by Riding, Leaping, Fencing, Muttering, and training after the Manner of Soldiers, &c. and to pre- vent all Danger, and all Diforder, there (hould be always two of the Head-Scholars with them, to be as Witneflfes and Directors of their Ad- ions. In foul Weather, it would not be amifs for them to learn to dance, that is, to learn juft fo much (for all beyond is fuperfluous, if not worfe) as may give them a graceful Com- portment of their Bodies. Thus far Mr. Cowley, in bis Profofetion for the Advancement of Natural Philofopky, p. 45, 4 5, &c. It will be objected, that thefe Methods are impracticable, in Schools where there are Threefcore or an Hundred Boys, and ought to be ufed only by private Tutors, who have the Care of only one or few Pupils. But if they had been ferioufly and in good earneft introduc'd into Schools, and the Expe- rience of many had (hewn it to be vain and frivolous (as it daily doth the ^ftablifln'd one,) I would allow it to be a good Objection : But till fuch a Trial is made, the Objection it fel is null, and deferves no Anfwer. I (hall The INTRODUCTION. 17 I (hall* infert here another Example of a Boy in Paris, who learn'd to fpeak Latin by Ufe alone, and could exprefs himfelf properly on any Subjeft, fuitable to his tender Age, when but four Years old: And my Author affures us, that the Child did not only fpeak properly' but correded thofe who made Ufe of barba- rous and uncouth Exprefllons. E. gr. One ask'd him, Uhi ibis a pradio? The young Scholar told him, he fhould have faid, quo ibis? And another having faid, Confcendere in equo, the little Man told him, he (hould have faid $* Confcendere. A third Perfon having made Ufe of the Word Agafo for an Hoftler, he told him immediately that Eyiifi was the proper Word. The Author (hews very evidently the An- tiquity, the Eafmefs and Advantage of this Method ; and how, if proper Matters were im- ploy'd for that Purpofe, it might take place in publick Schools ; and ingenioufly anfwers all Objedions fuggefted to the contrary. This Book has been tranflated into Englifa and printed in London, 1669, for the fake of thofe, whofe large Fortunes will permit them, if they pleafe, to make ufe of this Method ; ' which certainly is the beft, both for forming the Manners,, and regulating the Studies of Children of Quality, if able and fober Men can be found to put it in Execution. See Exa* men de la maniere d'Enfeigner h> Latin aux En- ; G fanf" i8 The INTRODUCTION. fans far le feul ufage, a Paris cbez, yean Baptifte Corgnior y idd8. But be it as it will, for I will not infift upon it at this time j but in Compli- ance with the Humour of the Times, (for it is in vain to fwim againft the Tide) I fhall pre- fent you -with a Tranflation of the Method of Education of Youth, which the learned T'A- NAQUJL FABER made ufe of in teaching one of his Sons, and the famous Madam DAClER t his Daughter, lately deceased j that being warranted by fuch Precedents, I may the more freely venture to account for the Me- thod I followed in teaching the Youth, which gave Occafion for this Undertaking : For I have no Authority to purchafe Belief in the World; and had I placed my Method in the Front of this Treatife, I ftiould have been more obnox- ious to the Cenfure of Grammarians ; which I am very defirous, and hope by this Courfe, in a great Meafure to avoid. THE THE FAMOUS Tan a quit Faber s ", METHOD OF TEACHING THE / Learned Languages. Done out of FRENCH, Written by bimfdf. E I N G refolv'd to deliver here an eafy Method for teaching Youth the Latin and Greek Tongues, I do affure my Read- er, I (hail not entertain him with meer fpeculative Schemes, and fine Ideas of Education, as many others have done before me ; but (hall concent my C 2 f 2.o Tanaquil Faber'/ Method of felf with writing a plain and faithful Hiftory of the Method I obferv'd in the inftrufting one of my Sons. What follows, was drawn up at the Requeft of a Perfon of Quality, who de- fir J d to know what Courfe I took to teach my Child, fo much talk'd of among the Learned of this City : To whom I return'd the follow- ing Anfwer, My Son, whom you mentioned, was fourteen Years of Age when he died. I defign'd to make him a Scholar, that in time he might be capable of fome honourable Employment in a Foreign Nation ; yet I afTure you, Sir, I ftu- dioufly avoided making any Mention to him of Greek and Latin, till he was near ten Years old. I thought it fufficient to teach him to read well, and to write a legible Hand. The Boy being now in his tenth Year, I thought it high time to enter him in the Latin , Tongue, tho' my felf was near twelve Years of Age before I began to decline Mufa ; but I hop'd, that under my Care, he might begin two Years fooner, and be a better Scholar at Fifteen, than I was in my (ixteenth Year. In a Word, I proceeded in fuch a Manner, that before his Death (which happened towards the End of his fourteenth Year) he had twice read : over the Iliads of Homer from the Beginning } to the End ; and would give an exad Account of every Word, as well as any Greek Profeflbr. He had likewife read Virgil's .^Eneids, Terence, Phadrtts,. Teaching the Learned Languages, z i Phadrus, Ovtd's Metamorphofes, Sa(uft, the firft Comedy of Plautus, the firft and fecond of A- riftophams, and the three firft Books of Lii)j y befides other fmaller Authors, which are ne- ceffary to be learned for the better underftand- ing thefe already mentioned, and which, with- out doubt, are the moft beautiful Pieces of the Greek and Latin Tongue j fuch as Eutropius, Aurelius Vittor^ Juftm, JEfop's Fables, and the five Hiftorical Books of the New Teftament- I had almoft forgot to tell you, that when he was going into his thirteenth Year, I made him learn the Hebrew Verbs by heart, of one of my Friends, in hopes to make that Language fer- viceable in the finding out the Original of very! many Greek Words noiv loft. Now, I may ask any wife Man, What might not the World expeft from this Youth, had he liv'd to be twenty Years of Age? But let us return from Digreflions : The fame Day I be- gan to teach him Latin^ I inftructed him like- wife in the Greek Alphabet, which imploy'd us about five Days ; becaufe the joining of the Letters makes the Greek Reading pretty diffi- cult to Children at the beginning ; and there- fore I made ufe of Robert Stephens'* Alphabet, which is large and very fair ; out of which he writ a Page every Day. When he was once able to read that Lan- guage very well, I thought it was enough for that time, taking care only to make him re- peat once a Week all that he had learn'd, C 3 As 2, i Tanaquil FaberV Method of As touching the atf Tongue, this has been my Method: I writ him out a great Number of Nouns, Pronouns, Verbs, Prepofitions, and a great many Adverbs, with their refpedive Significations ; and I'll let you know prefently with what View I did it, I made ufe of very large Paper, neatly bound in a Quarto Book, for this Purpofe : For I am of Opinion, that the Imagination and Memory of Children are very much relieved, when the Schemes of De- clenfions, and Conjugations are written or printed on large Paper, and with great and fair Charac^rs: For I can fay fo much by my own Experience, that I could never abide to read any Greek or Latin Authors, but the Editions of Plantin or Robert Stephens and when I read Virgil or Horace, I can learn an hundred Verfes ( opt of a Book in ah Edition of the Louvre, fooner than (ixty in the fame Space out of any other Edition. And this I know to be true by daily Experience. Before I undertook to teach him the De- clenfions of Nouns, I explain'd to him, in a f Iain familiar Way y what is meant by the Terms, Gender?, Cafe, Number, and Declenfions : And that I might be fure that he underftood what Tfaid, I made him repeat Word for Word, my aforefaid Explications. I took the fame Courfe with the Pronouns and Verbs: And I remember, I told hinr\, that whoever would he at the Pains to be a perfect Mafter of the firft Conjugation, would in five Days time over- come Teaching the "Learned Languages, z 3 come all the reft. And this was very fervicea- ble to us, the Event verifying the Conjecture. And forafmuch as Nouns are in their Declen- fions, fpecifically different .from the Verbs, therefore Children are apt to forget the one whilft they are learning the other. But to pre- vent this Inconvenience, the Learner fhould re- peat the Nouns, both at his going to bed, and at his rifing up. But the Verb, of all the declinable Parts of Speech, being much the more difficult and intricate, the Scholar muft not be fuffered to go any further, till he can anfwer very readily to all thefe, or the like Queftions ; / what Mood y and T*enfe, and Perfon y is Audire ? and, What is that in French ? Tell me the French of Audire, and in what Mood and T'enfe it is? And, *'/ it not found in two different Places ? And when the Boy can anfwer readily to all fuch Queftions, he is in a fair Way, if under the Condud of a difcreet Matter, to make a confiderable Pro- grefs in a very fhort time. By this time, it being a Month fince we be- gan with Mufa, I thought it neceflfary to lay before him this Latin Sentence, or any ef the like Nature, Nnque enim datum eft cuilibet homi- j ni imperare cufiditatibus fuis, & virtutum CJmfti- anarum exempla covftanter fequt. I dare fay, the Boy will anfwer to all the Queftions proposed in that Sentence, if well verfed in the fore- going Leflbns: For he will tell you, that, datum eft is the third Perfon of the Preterperfecl; Tenfe, C 4 and 1 4 Tanaquil Faber'j Method of and that cuilibet is the Dative Cafe of the Pro- jioun compofit quilibet j that homini is the Da- tive of the third Declenfion ; that imperare is the Infinitive of the firft Conjugation ; and as for the V/ord exempla y he will tell you (as he has yet no Knowledge of the Syntaxis) that 'tis either the Nominative, Vocative, or Ablative of the firft Declenfion : But you'll fay, he is miftaken ; then he will tell you it muft be either the Nominative, Accufative, or Vocative of the Plural of the Neuter Gender ; and thus of the reft of the Words in this Sentence : The only difficult Word is feqtfi ; and yet if he remembers the Verb loqw, which was given as a Model of a Verb Deponent, he can tell you, that 'tis the infinitive Mood: And there- fore if we would proceed regularly, there fhould be a tripple Scheme for every Conjuga- tion; one for the Active Verb, o.sAmo- one for the Paflive, as Amor and one for jfuch Verbs as have the Paflive Termination, but the Signification Active, as Comemplor ; which, if neglected; the Child will be eternally diftraded be: ween the Paflive Termi nation on the one hand, and the Signification Active on the other. Some will fay, that this muft be a ftrange Me- Ithod. To this I anfwer, that it matters not, | whether 'tis a ftrange or common one, if fo be i'jt is in reality very ftiort and ufeful : And Ex- perience teaches, that, by one Week's Exercife of this kind, you will gain four whole Months. Another will tell me, that the Child being ig- norant Teaching the Learned Languages. 2, 5 norant of the Signification of the Words, he will be groping in the Dark, not knowing which Way to take : I anfwer once more, that Ex- perience has positively declar'd in favour of this Method , befides, no more is required at pre- fent, than to know the different Endings of Nouns and Verbs; and all thefe Things are diftin&ly taught in the Declenfions and Conju- gations, if the Mafter has done his Duty in this Point. But it will not be improper to illu- ftrate this Matter by another Experiment which I made fome time ago, when I taught fome Children the Rudiments of the Greek Tongue, who could tell me what Part of Speech, and; what Cafe, Number, Mood, Tenfe or Perfon, any Word was, tho* they could not tell what- the Word meant in French. The fame holds true, in the learning of Hebrew, Italian, Spa- ni/h, or any other Language. In a Word, I am of Opinion, that there are but very few Matters, who take the true Way to teach the Rudiments of Languages, and therefore 'tis no ' Wonder that they differ from me in this Point. Fearing in the mean time, left the Child might not relilh this fort of Exercife, by too long Continuance in it, (which happens but too often) I diverted him a whole Week with read- ing the Hiftory of the Heathen Gods. I ex- plained to him the Life of Calus, Saturn, Ju-* piter, Neptune, Pluto, not forgeting old Stlenus the Fairies, Harpies, and the Gorgons. I af- (ure you, the Boy was fo well pleafed with the fa- bulous 2.6 Tanaquil FaberV Method of bulous Theology of the Heathens, that tho' the Leflfon continued for four Hours running, yet he feem'd defirous to have it drawn out to a greater Length. I made him repeat every Morning what he had read the Day before, and found he retained it very well : But the Defcription I gave him of thefe Gods and God- defles, was mix'd with fomething ferious, and fomething very ridiculoufly extravagant ; which mightily pleafed the Boy for the time, and made fo deep an Impreflion on his Memory, that when we came to read over Ovid's Metamorphofes, Homer's Iliads, and the ^Eneids of Virgil, I found he had not forgot the Family of Saturn for many Generations ; but we are not yet fo far advanced in our Studies. When I found my Scholar anfwered readily to any Queftions pro- pofcd upon any of the Conjugations, I took Vvffiufs Grammar, printed on the large Paper, to teach him to find out the Supines, and Preterperfeft Tenfes of Verbs. This Exercife imploy'd us a whole Month : For I taught him at the fame time, what Cafe thofe Verbs re- quired after them, when ufed in the Latin Tongue ; and by this Way of proceeding, he learn'd the moft difficult Part of the Syntax be- fore he was aware, which otherwife is wont to give a great deal of Trouble to beginners. I always examined him before he went to Bed, in what he had learnt that Day; for I take this to be the beft Means to retain the fugitive Ideas, and to ftrengthen the Memory, without Teaching the Learned Languages. 2.7 without which, all the ftudying and reading is but to draw Water with a Sieve. I muft befides, make this remark by the By, that Commendation and Praifes have a mighty influence on the Minds of Children, and make them run on chearfully in the rougheft Paths of Grammatical Difficulties : And no wonder; for. JDogs, Horfes, and Elephants, will ferve us more willingly when clap'd and encouraged with fair Words. Thus we fmifiYd the Latin Grammar ; and as to the practical Part thereof, upon which, in^- deed, all depends, I carefully avoided the com-'' mon Method of puting my Boy to make Ex- ercifes of any Sort : For after all the ftir we make about the Latin Tongue, 'tis no more than any other Language : And I am well per- \ fuaded, that no Man in his Senles did ever be- gin to teach his Scholars the Hebrew, Arabic or Spanifo, with making of Exercifes : And who- ever doubts what I here advance, is an utter Stranger to the ufe of Reafon : But if any one -will yet perfift obftinately, and ask a Reafon for what I fay, I (hall only defire fuch Perfons to take a little time to confider the Nature of their own Queftion. But that I may fet this in a clear Light, pray, Sir, do but confider, that there are but three Degrees in any Language ; the firft, is to underftand ; the fecond, to ex- prefs the Sentiments of our Minds intelligibly to others; and the third, to write it elegantly,? this is certainly the Order of Nature ; and Nature 2.8 Tanaquil Faber'/ Method of Nature and Reafon are with me in this Cafe fynonymous Terms, fignifying the fame thing; and whofoever, by juft Confequence, leaves this Method, bids adieu to Reafon ; becaufe he neglects the true Dictates of Nature. Chil- dren have not yet any ftock of Experience, and Ideas of Things, which Materials are certainly necetfary to erect a Building : For Archimedes with all his Engines, and Skill in the Mathe- maticks, could not (hew it without Stone and Timber. But let an eafy Book, Hiftorical or Fabulous, be put into a Boy's Hand, and give him a literal Interpretation of four or five Lines at firft; which exercifed continually for the Space of three Weeks, with a daily Repetition, you may then venture to give fifteen Lines : And if this is continued in Proportion for three Months longer, the Learner will make a greater Progrefs than is ufually made in two Years, according to the received Method of Schools. The Fables of Phadrus being too difficult for a Beginner, I picch'd upon two or three hi- ftorical Chapters of St. John's Gofpel in the vul- gar Verfion, the Stile whereof is very fimple, and therefore very fit and convenient for my Purpofe. Befides, my Child was no Stranger to what was there treated of: For he had read the four Evangelifts in French. We read but a little at firft, but with a great deal of Care ; and repeated it exactly every Night and Morn- ing following; and very often, when he re- peated Teaching the Learned Languages, ip peated a new Leflbn, I made him begin with the laft foregoing , and for a Fortnights time we read two Pages a Day in a fmall Duodecimo, and fo foon finifh'd our three Chapters. In the next Place, I gave him an Infight in- to the old Maps, which was highly neceflary for the Underftanding hiftorical Books, which I defigned immediately to put into his Hands: for nothing contributes more to the retaining hiftorical Events in the Memory, than the Knowledge of the Places, and Scenes of the great Actions done in them : I therefore fhew'd him the three principal Parts of the World, and their refpedive Situations : I taught him the four Cardinal Points, viz,, the North, South, Eaft and Weft; and the Latin Names of eight Winds, which was of fignal Service to us in the Progrefs of our Studies. I (hew'd him, moreover, the Situation of Europe, making no mention of Cities, Rivers or Mountains ; judging it enough at firft to tell him what a Cape, a Gulph, a Promontory, the Streights, and other Words of this Nature did mean. In the next Place, I (hew'd him the Divi- (ions of Europe, as they ftand in the old Maps: For Example, I fhew'd him were Spain, Gaul, Germany, Italy, and lilyricum were upon the Map j I made him mark out the refpective Si- tuations of thofe Countries with his Pencil, as well as he could j and being mightily pleafed with 3 o Tanaquil FaberV Method of with this fort of Exercife, he acquitted himfelf pretty well. Having made him fo far acquainted with Eu- rope, as I thought it neceflfary for that time, we took the Map of Afia, obferving the fame Method as before ; acquainting him with the Names of great Nations and Cities, as the Ara- bians, Syrians, Armenians^ Medes, Hyrcamans^ and Perfians ; Africa, Utica, Carthage, and fome other principal Places. Having made him thoroughly acquainted with thefe general Sketches of antient Geography, we began to read Eutropius's Hiftory, paffmg by fome Paf- fages in this Book for the prefenr, as being too difficult for him at that time : But care was taken at our fecond reading of that Author, to explain thoroughly what we had before ftu- dioufly omitted. 'Twas now that my young Difciple pleas'd himfelf more than ever with his Studies; and his conftantly repeating, Night and Morning, his former Leflbns, made them eafy to him, and very diverting to my felf. While we were bufy with Eutropim, I fhew'd him the antienc Maps of Italy, Greece, and Sicily, and the Map of Tufcany by Ortelius, and rhe whole Courfe of the Mediterranean Seas, from Egypt to the Uxine, and thence to the* Streights of Gibraltar. And 'tis certainly an un- pardonable Breach .of good Order, not to ac- quaint Children very early with thefe Things : For nothing can be more agreeable to an inge- nious Teaching the Learned Languages. $ t nious Lad, nor more ufeful for the Under- ftanding of Profe and Verfe, as we found it afterwards, when we came to other Authors; becaufe the Boy had quite another Opinion of himtelf than he had before ; and his following Letfons Geographically feafon'd, where more acceptable to his Tafte ; and no Wonder, fee- ing his Imagination was mightily afllfted by the help of good Maps. As foon as we had ni(h'd Eutropius, I put him to read Aurelius Fitter's Hiftory of famous Men (de Vtris ittufbibus). This fmall Treatife has the fame Hiftory as Eutropius ; but being writ in a more elegant Stile, it is fomething more difficult for a Child's Capacity ; but the Matter being the fame, he went through it very chearfully in a very little time, and made life of our Maps all along, as we did in Eutro- pius : But judging the Chapter of the Origi- nal of the Romans, (de Origins Gentis Romana,) to be too difficult for a Beginner, I pafs'd it by, and began with Procas King of Albania, l/i&or is a proper Author to begin with ; but 'tis neceflary that the Teacher be well vers'd in the Chronological Part of the Roman Hiftory, from the building of Rome, to the Death of Auguftus Cafar, that he may propofe proper Queftions to his Pupil. As for Example, When did fuch a Perfon live ? or, When was fuch a Battle fought ? and other Queftions of the fame Nature. Which are eafily anfwer'd, if the Learner has but diligently perufed the little Hiftory 5 ^ Tanaquil FaberV Method of Hiftory of Eutropius. 'Tis an Obfervation of* Scaliger, and a very juft one too, that the little Roman Hiftorians are more exact in the Hiftory of the Republick of Rome, than the larger Volumes : But we muft not extend this to the Hiftory of the Roman Empire. In the next Place we undertook Juftin, which, with its great Variety of furprizing Events, did divert the Boy exceedingly. We read every Day three Leaves of Elzevir's Edition, palling by fome difficult Paflages, as that wherein the Antiquity of the Scythians and Egyptians is dif- cufs'd, the Defcription of Sicily, and the tedi- ous Harangue of Mithridates ; but we went thro* all thefe Paflages at our fecond reading of this Author, affifted with our Maps, as ufual, which, by this Time, were become very familiar to him. I judg'd it now time to begin the Greek ; for the third Reading of Juftin was no longer Study and Labour, but rather Delight and Plea- fure to him. I therefore drew up for the Greek, fuch another Grammar as I had done before for the Latin, 'viz,, the bare Schemes of Nouns and Verbs, adding thereto the inclinable Words which are moft in common Uf'e ; efpecially thofe denoting Numbers, as one, two, three, &c. for thofe Things fliould be always taught a Child at his fir ft Entrance upon Greek, Latin, or any other Language , becaufe there is hardly any intire Teaching the Learned Languages 3 $ intire Sentence in any Tongue, but fome of thefe Panicles are made ufe of; and therefore a per- fect Knowledge of them contributes very much to the fpeedy and perfed Underftanding of any Language whatfoever, efpecially the Greek, whofe Beauty chiefly confifts in the true under- ftanding and right placing of thefe Particles. Befides, if the Adverbs and Numbers are not committed to Memory at firft, you'll be always obliged to have recourfe to your Dictionary j becaufe thefe little Words occur every Moment, and confequently will be a great Lofs of Time. I took care likewife to draw a little Scheme of the Prepofitions, with their moft ufeful Signifi- cations, and the Cafes governed by them re- fpe&ively. The reft is to be learned by Ob- fervation and daily Practice ; which, if dili- gently minded, and the nature of Ettipfa, or Abbreviation (frequently made ufe of in all Languages, and efpecially in the Latin) being well underftood, you'll foon mafter the Syntax, whether Greek or Latin, the moft difficult Part thereof depending upon the Particles, com- monly called Prepofitions which often gives contrary Significations to Verbs, and very often to be underftood, and are not exprefs'd, for Brevity's fake. Having taken the fame Care, and the fame Method to make him thoroughly acquainted with the Declenfions of Greek Nouns and Verbs, as I had done before in the Latin t except only where the different Genius of this Language D required 5 4 Tanaquil FaberV Method of required a different Method of proceedings I gave him a Greek Book, in which he did not underftand one Word, except his Adverbs and Prepofitions, which he had learn'd by heart before. When he learn'd his Conjugations, I began to ask him thefe, or the like Queftions ; 'Is this Word a Verb or a Noun ? and if a Vevl^ of what Conjugation) Mood, and Tenfe, is it ? If that other Word is a Noun, of what Number and Cafe is it? He anfwer'd pretty well to thefe Que- ftions, aflifted only by the Knowledge he had of the different Terminations or Cafes of Nouns, and of the Conjugations of Verbs. But find- ing that he did not like this kind of Exercife, I explained to him by way of Diverfion, the Arguments of Ovid's Metamorfhofes ; and pro- mis'd him to refume this Book, as foon as he had likewife explained St. Matthew's Gofpel iii 'Greek. He told me, with regard to Ovid y rhat he thought he was a Man of great Wit ; and he hop'd to, be agreeably diverted in his fabu- lous Metamorphofes. We advanced very flowly in our Greek Le- ftures,, becaufe we had a mind to be very ex- act : And I made him write the moft difficult Words into his Paper-Bciok, and mark the lefs difficult with his Pencil. We read at feparate Hours the Metamorphofes: But, Iconfefs, the two firft Pages of this Book were too difficult for my young Gentleman, the Matter thereof being no Way fuitable to a Child's Capacity, as the Beginning of the fecond Book alfo is;' ' tho' Teaching the Learned Languages' 3 5 tho* with the help of the Celeftial Globes, he underftood it pretty well ; but complain'd now and then of this Book's Difficulty. I told him, that fo was your Eutropius at the Beginning, and your Juftm too,' but you overcame them both : Have Courage therefore, for you (hall be agreeably entertained in the next Leflbn, wherein the four Ages of the World are finely defcribed. Which Defcription fo charm'd the Boy, that he was in Love with Ovid ever after. I told him what Montaign faid of this Author, who was younger than he, when he read Ovid. But I muft tell you, that I explained the Lef- fons firft, and made him take notice of feveral Things which had otherwife efcap'd his Obferv- arion. And when he came himfelf to read the fame Leflbn, he improv'd upon what I had faid, and feem'd to underftand more than my felf ; which kind of little Pride is to be encourag'd in Beginners. We carried on at the fame time, the Gofpel of St. Mattbeiu, and proceeded to St. Mark; and repeating now and then what he had learn'd in his Latin Grammar. *Tis incredible how much he profited by reading St Mark's GofpeJ : For he found it very eafy ; and believ'd he was already Matter of the Greek Tongue- And it was now that I made him repeat over and over the Greek Verbs, till at laft he defir'd me to give him fome other Greek Leflbns, faying, What need of all this re- peating the fame Verbs ? I reply'd, that I would D 2 teach 3 6 Tanaquil Faber'j 1 Method of teach him the Diale&s. Dialeft, faid he, / don't under/land "what it means. No matter for that, faid I ; Believe me only for this time ; and fo we went on, and finifiVd the Gcfpels of St. Luke and St. John, with a* great deal of Eafe, putting an end likewife to Ovid's Metamorpho- fes. But being in love with that Book, he ask'd me very agreeably, Whether there was not ano- ther Volume of thefe Metamorphofes ? I faid, 2V0. / wi/h there vans, faid he. But we can wake two Volumes of one, reply'd I, by reading it over the fecond time. With all my Heart, faid he ; for I like it mightily. Hereupon I explained to him the Greek Dia- lects, which I reduc'd to two kinds, the lonick and the Dorick. Herein lies the greateft Diffi- culty of this Language. But fuppofing the Scho- lar already perfect in the foregoing Part of the Grammar ; you'll render the Dialects very eafy, by informing your Difciple, that what he has learned hitherto, is the common vulgar Greek, and that Dialects are but Exceptions. As for Example,* When you decline a Noun, or con- jugate a Verb otherwife than we have hitherto, that Word fo declined or conjugated, is a Di- lect, or an Exception from the general and received Way of declining Nouns or conjugating Verbs. And having read to him fome Chap- ters of Cerinthus the Grammarian upon the Di- aletts, I made him decline Nouns, and conju- gate Verbs, according to thofe two mentioned Dialects, for five Days together. Then Teaching the Learned Languages. 3 7 Then I put hjm to read the Fables of JEfop in Greek ; and made him take notice as he went on, very carefully of all the Dialects that oc- curred ; and continued the fame Method in reading two little Greek Poems, the one enti- tuled, 'The Battle between the Frogs and the Mice ; and the other, The Adventure of Leander. In the firft, I (hew'd in a burlefejue Stile, the Hero of the Poem, and the ridiculous Names and Prowefs of the Combatants ; which will be always had in Admiration by every ingenious Reader. And as for the Adventure of good Leander, he was very well acquainted with it before : And therefore i had nothing elfe to do, but to lay before him the Map of the Hel~ iefpom, and (hew the antient Towns of Seflus and Abydoi. And whereas we advanc'd very (lowly in thefe Diale&ick Lectures, we repeated at our Leifure the Metamorphofes of Ovid, from the Begin- ning to the End : Which Task being fully dif- patch'd, we undertook the Iliads of Homer ; which I fet off xvith all imaginable Commenda- tion, according to my ufual Cuftom : Not that I intended thereby to difplay my Rhetorick,- but to induce my Pupil to conceive a favoura- ble Opinion of Homer. It will not be amifs to acquaint you, that I made this Remark pn Homer's Iliads, ivhich no' one, I think, obferv'd before me, viz,. That the reading of Homer is more accommodated to the Genius of young. Beginners, and much" D j eafifer 3 8 Tanaquil FaberV Method of eafier than any of the Greek Authors written in Profe. This is true in Fad, and has been experienced in the Perfon of my Son, and by Jofeph Scaliger before my Time ; who began his Greek Studies with the reading of Homer, and the three Tragedians ; and my felf in my four- teenth Year ? began with the fame Author, when I could not fo much as read Greek before I was twelve Years of Age. And the Method of the Greeks themfelves put this out of doubt r For their Children begrn with the reading of the Iliads. But, it may be, feme one will objeft, Why then did you begin, with your Son in read- ing the Greek Teftament ? I anfwer, becaufe I thought it reafonable that my young Difciple fhould know as much of the common Greek Profe, as the Grecian Children do, when they begin Homer: But befides, that Experience favours this Method of proceeding, I have fo- lid Reafons to alledge in favour of it ; the Greek Clafficks in Profe, are full of long-winded Sentences ; they have fo many Inverfions and Disturbances of natural Conftruction, and the Verb lo remote from its Nominative Cafe, that tho* a Child knows the Meaning of every Greek Word in thefe long Sentences, yet 'tis with a great deal of Difficulty he can find out the Senfe of the whole Period, which never hap- pens in reading of Homer. That his Stile is fublime, and his Idea? great and noble, is very true; yet fuch as are ac- quainted with this Author, will likewife coir- fefs Teaching the Learned Languages. $<> fefs, that his Thoughts are very diftind and clear, and his manner of conceiving and writ- ing are very eafy and natural, and not furpaf- fing a Child's Underftanding, if under the Con- duct of a prudent Tutor. Moreover, all Poets, Orators and Philofophers, (Epicurus only ex- cepted) borrow a great deal of Homer, who is look'd upon as a Commentary on them all. And I muft not forget to tell you, that the read- ing of Homer will teach the true Senfe and Ufe of Greek Particles, (wherein confifts the Beauty and Grace of this Language) better than any other Author, unlefs he can be rivall'd in this Point by Herodotus. Another little Advantage accruing from read- ing this Author, is this, That Homer writing in Hexameter, a Boy will get by heart fifty Verfes before he can learn fifteen Lines in Profe : For the Quantity of Syllables is very eafy in Greek. This is confirmed by daily Ex- perience: For I can learn an hundred fine Hexameter Verfes without Book, not miffing a Word, in one Hour's Time j whereas I can- not learn fix of the long Periods of Cicero, but that I muft always forget fome little Word or other. Having continued our Le&ures in Homer till the twelfth Book ; at other leifure Hours we entertained our {gives with the Latin Tongue: We read Saluft; and I remember very well, that my Pupil took more Delight in reading D 4 the' 40 Tanaquil Faber'j Method the Jugurthine War, than that of Catiline ; and the Boy was herein certainly in the right. Having finifh'd the firft twelve Books of the Iliads, I obferv'd my Son was tir'd with read- ing of Homer ; he us'd to tell me, "fhis is fine indeed ; but methinks 'tis fomething tedious. Well then, faid I, let us leave him there with all his Gods and Goddejfes for the Space of five Weeks, and then you will find him as charming and divert- ing as ever. We fpent two Days in finiftiing Salufl, and then began the Fables of Ph&drus, which di- verted him exceedingly. The Embajfy of the Dogs, and the Fidling Prince, and fome other Paflages in that Book are very agreeable. The Reafon why I was willing to bring him acquainted with this Author, was, becaufe I defign'd to prepare the Way for reading 'Terence: And I dare fay, of all the Claflicks, there is none refembles this Author's manner of Writ- ing fo much as Phadrus does. But you will fay, What did you do in Greek in the Interim ? For furely, it muft not be difcontinud. I faw that he was difgufted with Homer ; and therefore he wanted fome other Ragous, , before this Author was to be refum'd. So that I made choice of the firft Comedy of Arifophanes, pafling by fome immodeft Paflages ; as that wherein Carton leads on the Boars, and where an old Virgin is introduc'd, complaining that (he was not ferv'd as ufually, fince Plautus had recovered his Sight, &c. The Teaching the LeamtA Languages. 4 1 The Child was fo touch'd with the Beauty o this Author, that he thank'd me heartily for" bringing him acquainted with this Comedy. I have heard it often faid, that there is a fen- fible Pleafure in obferving the vifible Growth of young Trees ; but I am fure there is a greac deal more, in teeing the Growth of a young Wit. He us'd to tell me now and then, that he imagined himfelf to aflift at the ading of a Farce, every time he was reading this Part of Ariftophanes. I fent him, with fome of my Friends, to fee fuch Sports, becaufe I am of opinion, that feeing Mountebanks, and reading Comedies are very proper for Children : For if you debar them of the Pleafures and innocent Diverfions con- fiftent with Morality and good Breeding, and no ways in themfelves criminal, you wilf never perfuade them to love their Studies: And this a prudent Tutor would always have in view. 'Twas now that I judg'd it high time to begin. with Virgil's -neids; and that we might carry f on our Defign fuccefsfully, I explained to him the Argument prenVd to each Book ; thereby to give him a full Profpecl: of the Poet's Defign at once : Which, that he might the more diftinctly comprehend, I laid before him the Map of the Mediterranean, defcribing thereon the Voyage of &neas y and the Map of Italy > for the better underftanding the Provinces, and principal Places mentioned in the faid Poem : And 42, Tanaquil Faber'j Method of And for the better Underftanding the Sixth ./Eneid, and theDefcription oUPirgih enchanted Buckler, we reviewed Eutrofius and Vittor y till the Time of Tiberius. And in as much as all this, as alfo a Comedy of Ariftophanes, call'd Plutus, was rather a Di- verfion, than a laborious Study to my Boy, I proceeded to the Explanation of the Play de Nubibus, in a burlefque merry Stile, taking care at the fame time to give him a juft Idea of Plays in general, and of the State and Nature of the Stage. Thefe comical Leflures of Ariflofhanes ferved as Sauce to the grave Stile of the Latin Poet, which we began two Days after : For the Child told me now and then, that Virgil was really more difficult than Homer-, and furprized me one Day very agreeably, by telling me, that Homers Iliads feem'd to him more fmooth and flowing than the ALneids of Virgil. I allow'd his Obfervation to be juft, and his Tafte exquifite; but I aflured him at the fame time, that the Study of the JEneids, was as neceflary as that of the Iliads ; and that Virgil was the Prince of the Latin Poets. And as for the Harfhnefs he complain'd of in Virgil^ I af- fured him, 'twas wholly due to the Genius of the Latin, which is more rough than the Greek Tongue: But we will talk of thefe Matters when you are a Man ,- and I fhall tell you my Opinion of both thefe Poets, and fhew you Teaching the Learned Languages. 4 $ $7ou the Reafon why Virgil feems to you to be fo difficult. Having finifiVd the abovefaid charming Play of Ariftophanes, I put him upon repeating his Greek Verbs and Nouns, according to the txvo principal Dialects already mention'd ; which fre- quent Repetitions confirm'd him in what he had learned, and rendered his fubfequent LefTons very eafy. Upon our finilhing the laft mention M Play of Ariflopbanes, we refum'd the Iliads, and advanc'd to the Twentieth Book, without meeting with any considerable Difficulty. However, to render his Studies as agreeable as pofiible, we read the Comedies of Terence, paffing by, defignedly, their refpec~tive Pro- logues, 'which are very difficult, but not fo ufful as many more eafy Paflages are. We were come half way in this Book, by which time we had likewife ended the Iliads, and fo laid afide reading the Greek for a while, refolving to fpend all our Time in finifhing Terence, which did not detain us very long : But having from time to time read over before, the Ampkitrion of Plauttts, he faid, that this one Play had given him more Diversion, than all the Comedies of Terence put together. When we had gone thus far, I drew up for his Ufe, (hort Chronological Tables, commenc- ing from the Siege of Troy, and ending with the Reign of Tiberius. I fhew'd him how to make ufe of thefe Tables, by asking him feveral little Qneftions 44 Tanaquil FaberV Method of Queftions out of the Hiftories of Juftia and Eutroptus. For example ; I ask'd him how many Years there were from Darius, or the Battle of Maratktn, to the Birth of Chrift ? And what Number of Years he reckon J d from the Sea-fight of Salamis, to Alexander? How many from Epaminondas, to the Death of Julius Cafar? Fixing his Memory on the Sixth Olympiad, the Foundation of Rome, the firft, fecond, and third Carthaginian War; the three great Civil Wars of the Romans, and on the Birth of Chrift as being the moft remarkable Epocha's in Hiftory. Thefe are the firft Sketches and Out-Lines of Hiftory; and yet how many are there, who charge themfelves with the Education of Youth, and themfelves know little or nothing of thefe firft. Elements of Chronology ? I made him like- wife perufe carefully a Catalogue of the Kings of Perfia, and another of the ^Egyptian Kings ; which are eafily learned, and are profitable for excellent Ufes, Our next Author was the great Livy; and that the reading thereof might be more pleafant and profitable, I laid before him the Map of Rome, done by Peter Ligorio ; which Map he had look'd over already, and was acquainted with it pretty well: But I foon found, that Livy is no Author for Children, the Sentences thereof being very long, and fcarcely to be pro- nounc'd in one Breath. Having therefore fi- nhVd the third Book of the firft Decad, we proceeded therein no further j but refum'd what we Teaching the Learned Languages. 45 we had left of the Iliads ; which the Child dif- patch'd with that Facility and Readinefs, that was very furprifing. The Boy indeed, had a happy Genius, and Nature feem'd to have defign'd him for Arts and Sciences, his Completion was fanguine and melancholy; the firft Quality is the Mother of good Humour, and the other of Application and Diligence. I did likewife my Duty, in feafoning my Explications now and then with Ridicule and Jokes, to produce Laughter and Merriment : For I have found this Method to help the Memory exceedingly. I muft on this Occafion tell you alfo very freely, that I do not wonder how more than one half of the Boys, committed to the Care of School-Matters, do become downright Aifes, rather than Learned Men . I know, that Chil- dren are often link'd to Books, tho' they have no Capacity at all for ftudy. In fuch a Cafe, I blame not the Matter, if he does but in- genioufly acquaint the Parents of the Child's Incapacity. If he does not, I fhould be loth to call him an honeft Man : But if they cannot difcern a Child's Incapacity, I fay, they them- felves are Dunces,- And what can we expect from their Difciples, but to be Dunces like themfelves ? . At the fame time we ended the Iliads % we finiftYd likewife the four Books of Virgifs JEneids, which are much eafier than the fore- going ones. I con. Tanaquil FaberV Method of I conclude, by asking once more every con- fiderate Man, and your felf, SIR, in particular, what Lengths had this Boy gone, and what Progrefs had he not made, had he attain'd to the Twentieth Year of his Age? How many Greek and Latin Hiftorians? How many Ora- tors, Moralifts, and Tragedians, had we read over ? For the moft difficult Part of our Studies was already happily accomplifli'd. All this, that I have performed, may be done ; and, it may be, much more than all this, by the Directions of good Matters : But he who merits this Title, fhould be well acquainted with what he undertakes to teach. He muft be very diligent, wife, and prudent in Behaviour, and Matter of his Paffions: for Peevifhnefs will deftroy all. He muft likewife have an entire Love for his Pupils. But inftead of this, How many idle, ignorant and peevifh Men are em- ploy'd in Schools and Colleges? Very bad Qualities in thofe who are entrufted with. the Education of Youth, and more efpecially, of Gentlemens Children. He ends his Narrative) with the following Latin Letter Ulaftrit Teaching the Learned Languages 47 Illuftrijflimo Viro, D. D. de Marangy, Sacra? Majeftati ab omnibus Confiliis. S. P. D. T, Faler. """ ^ Enuiffimum LibeUum, qui nuper a me die* tatus eft, aufus fum ad te mittere, Vir iHuftriflime. De iDo rifores, genm otiofum, & nulli i-ona rei natum, fcio quid ditturi Jint : fed ego, qui a. Natura. paulq faftidior, & interdum viciffim de- rifor, tUorum, fententiam, feu levitatem potius, ac fcunilitatem, baud magnopere morabor y qui mihi confcius Jim, quadam in hoc tantitto fcripto fofita & me ejfe, que ad utilitatem & profettum honefliorum puerorum, (Jj parentes Jenfum aliquem Literarum habuerint) haud fane mediocriter pertinebunt. Hoc certe liquido affirmem, pueros intra pau- cukrum annorum fp at turn it a inflitui C7 1 informari potfe, ut qui 'via pervulgata deduEii fuerint pue- rulos dicas, iflos autem viros ejfe, & ad fplendorem literarum natos dejeres. Sed utcunque hac erunt t tuum judicium exfyeElabitur, Ittuftriffime Morangy, quod hnge acerrimum eft, non modo ubi de Rep. agendum eft apud Principem, fed in genere etiam literario ; qui fcilicet prifcos illos fcriptoresy tibi in familiaritatem adjunxeris, & in illomm catu gravi- orum curarum intervalla confumas. Vale diu. The Subftance whereof in Englifi is thus: 4 % Tanaquil FaberV Method of c SI R, IMake bold to fend you the enclofed little Treatife. I know what Treatment the common School- matters will give it ; a lazy, good-for-nothing pack of Pedants. But, as I think my felf a better Judge, > and laugh at their foolifti by-rote Methods, I (hall defpife their poor fcurrilous Reflexions , being verily perfuaded, that Parents (if they have any fenfe of ingenious Education,) will find in this fmall Tract, what will be of flngular Service in training up their Children in good Literature. * Thus much I will be bold to fay, That Youth may be inftructed in fuch a Method, as to be deem'd Men and Scholars at thofe ear- lier Years j when others, educated in the com- mon Road, deferve only the Name of School- Boys. * But I defer this whole Matter to your Judgment, which is of the utmoft Penetra- tion, not only in thofe Affairs which concern the Publick, but the learned World alfo ; the little time you have to fpare from the Affairs of State, being devoted to the Mufes, and the Study of good antient Authors/ 1 am, &c. I Teaching the Learned Language. I think it very proper to acquaint the Reader in this Place, with the Perfons concerned iri thisTreatife, viz,. Mr. 7ANAQUIL fAEER, the Author of the foregoing Book, was the Father of the famous Madam DACIER, fo well known for her Commentaries on many of the Greek and Latin Authors, who was inftrufted by her Fa- ther, according to this Method of teaching, and at the fame time with her Brother, who was the Occafion of writing this Narrative ; as it is attefted in the Journal des Scavam of 'the S?th of December 1720, viz,. ^ f Anne de Paler, Daughter of Tanaquil de Paler, born in Saumur, i6<>i. She was about ^ eleven Years of Age when her Either (who' f was a Profeflbr of Greek and Latin in that ^ Univerfity) form'd a Defign of giving her a' ^ learned Education] the'Occafion whereof was this: : While he was teaching one of his Sons ( the Rudiments of Grammar, in the fame Room where Madamoifelle la Paler was em- e ployM at her Needle; fhe, as aPerfon wholly unconcern'd, did now and then fupply her little Brother with proper Anfvvers to the .^ moft intricate Grammatical Qiieftions propos'd to him by the Father, when (he found he could not help himfelf. The Father took this Hint, and refolved to make her a Scholar. So (he was brought up E 5 o Tanaquil Faber f s Method, &c. according to the foregoing Method, and be- came the Ornament of her Sex, as well as a Reproach to Men employ 5 d in the Study of Learning, but fpend their Lives in Lazinefs and Ignorance. THE THE Author's METHOD OF TEACHING LANGUAGES. HE foregoing Method being for the moft Part the fame with my own, this Narrative will be fo much the (horter; but in every Point as true and faith- ful. The Boy, whofe Education I undertook, was going in his i3th Year, and could read Englffi very well, and write a legible Hand. His Pa- rents being in mean Circumftances, and noc having wherewith to bring him up in Learning,' did earneftly defire me to get him into fome Grammar School, where he might have his Education Gratis. I told them that I had no Acquaintance with any Truftees or Directors E % 6f 5i The Author's METHOD of fuch Schools; and that it was a very dif- ficult Matter to get a poor Boy to be fettled on thofe Foundations, purfuant to the pious Intentions of the Founders: For Men, who are far from being in poor Circumftances, are not afham'd to ferve themfelves with thofe pub- lick Charities, in favour of their own Children; But returning home, I confider'd, that if this Boy had a Genius, and a Defire, to learn,, I might find it very practicable to inftrucl: him according to the Method recommended by the Great ERASMUS, and LUDOV1CUS V1VES, who drew up a Scheme of teaching the Latin Tongue, for the Ufe of the Princefs Mary, pur- fuant to the earneft Defire of Catherine of Spain, Henry Vlllth's Queen ; and alfo by our learned Countryman Mr. Locke, in his Treatife of Edu- cation : Which, becaufe none would be at the Pains to put in Practice, has been look'd upon hitherto, no otherwife than as ain ingenious Romance, for the Amufement of the learned World, to be followed and made ufe of only in the Schools of Eutopia, or in fome enchant- ed Ifland. The next time I met the Boy r s Father, I bid him fend his Son to me in the Evening, that I might make a juft Eftimate of the little Man and his Manners, by narrowly obferving his Inclinations, and making a Trial of his Ca- pacity. Dr. Hua;te, a learned Spaniard, in his excel- lent Book, entituled, Examen of Wits, would have, Of Teaching Languages. 5 $ have, in a well regulated Society, proper Of- ficers to try the Capacities and Inclinations of Children, before they are tied to the Study of Literature, or to any other Employment : For natural Inclinations, affifted with true Rules and Induftry, would fupply the Commomvealth with Men eminently skilful in their refpedive Callings: But for want of fuch publick Ex- aminers, School-matters, and Tutors, might, if they acted ingenuoufly, make up this Deficiency in a great Meafure, as the Jefuits do in their Schools, by obferving their Scholars Inclina- tions and Capacities: For tho* they cannot precifely tell for what Calling a dull Boy may be proper, yet one may venture to aflfert, that Nature never defign'd a Blockhead to improve Arts and Sciences : But thro' want of the like early Enquiries, as we find among Artifans, Men of excellent Parts, which if improved, had made them eminent Scholars; fo we may fee many Graduates and Matters of Arts, who, making but a poor Figure in the learned World, would, in all probability, have diftinguilhed themfelves, had they been fent to ferve their Country in the Wars. Inftead of this, our Schools never trouble themfelves with fuch Dif- quifitions ; but, like Noah's Ark, receive all Kinds, clean and unclean ; Accipiunt pecuniam, & pofl decennium mittunt Afinos in Academiam ; take the Parents Money, and after ten Tears fend their Sons to the Uuiverjities ; from whence they come home every whit as learned as Cicero's Son at 3 hi? 5 4 *$> e o The Author's MET: HOD glifb Gentleman indeed, faid, An omnia pacata funt in Germania ? Is att quiet in Germany ? But pronouncing an a like an e y caus'd a double Entendre. Another Stranger being complimented in La- tin by an Englijh Mafter of Arts, and an excel- lent Scholar, faid ? he was forry he did not un- derftand Englifl), and would be glad to converfe with him in French or Latin ; while our Coun- tryman fpoke very good Latin - y but difguifing it by an Englift Accent, the Stranger concluded it was the English Tongue. This Inconvenience might eafily be remedied : And, I proteft, I have no other end in expoling it, than to have it remov'd : For I am no more inclined to favour the Imperfections of my own Nation, than I am to improve the Vices of Foreigners. The wife Patriot loves his Country, as a judicious Father loves his Child by correft- ing his Faults and little Imperfections ; and not as a fond Mother, who, with her paflionate, but unreafonable Love, nouriflies his Vices. I fpent an Hour every Sunday Morning, all the time the Boy was with me, to read over feveral (hort Catechifms, or Syftems in Divinity, both in French and Latin ; making him write out of the Bible fuch Texts of Scripture as clearly prove the Articles of our Creed, and -to get them by heart ; but never troubled him with vain Difputes, which influence neither Faith nor Practice. I had likewife a fmall En- glifo Book, call'd, Principles of Religion, which, thf Of Teaching Languages. 5 x the better to retain the Subftance thereof, I made him tranflate into Latin. I explained the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments in their moft extenfive Meaning ; and took Occa- fion from thofe of the fecond Table, to cau- tion him againft that ralh, wild and favage Temper, which is but too rife among us, of condemning others for not being in every parti- cular Opinion and Circumftance of Worlhip conformable with our felves, tho' they believe at the fame time, the Old Teftament and the New, to be infpir'd Writings, and the unalter- able and only Rule of the Faith and Practice of all Chriftian People ; and though they be- lieve that Jefus Chrift is the only Redeemer of the World, and the Mediator between God and Man. I told him farther, That an uniformi- ty in Circumftantial Opinions, is no more to be expected, than Uniformity in the Countenances of Men ; but that Opinantium Unitas, and O$i- nionum Diverfaas, might confift very well toge- ther among good Chriftians. I verily believe, that if the Minds of Youth were thus feafon'd with the mild and gentle Principles of Humanity and Goodnefs, and which are urg'd in every one of the four Go- fpels, it would contribute more to the publick Good of Chriftian Societies, than the Knowledge of all the Languages in the World. For want of the like early Advertifements, Humanity is in a great Meafure forgotten, (to fay nothing of Chriftian Chanty) and our blooming Youths taught 7 be Authors METHOD taught to hate one another, when 'tis the fit- teft time to recommend to them Forbearance and Brotherly Love ; who, if they arrive to Years of Difcretion, they become poor blind Bigots, hurried on to Actions of the moft dread- ful Confequences, and very often, by a wild Zeal without Knowledge, fire the Church and State, and bury both under the Afhes of their own Ruins j and all this, with a Pretence of doing Service to Religion. And perhaps, it would not be very eafy to determine, whether a mif-guided Zeal in Matters of Religion, or bare-fac'd Profanenefs, have done moft Mifchief* Nay, if one read the Hiftory of the Chriftian Church for thefe thoufand Tears and upwards, he will be inclined to the Opinion, that Men have fuflfered more in their Interefts, by intem- perate Zeal for Religion, than by all the other Caufes of human Mifery put together. Upon the whole, the Reverend Gentlemen, who are generally entrufted with the Education of Youth, have it in a great Meafure in their Power, to make their Difciples peevifh, or gcod-natur'd wild Dragons, or modeft Chri- itians. And I cannot forbear to fay, of thofe Gentlemen, of what Religion or Denomination and in what Poft or Station foever they may be, as a Portuguese Bifhop, and a Member of the Council of 'Trent^ faid in Relation to the Court of Rome, viz. Ifluftriffimi Cardinales egent itiuftriffiTna Reform aticne : So thofe Reverend In- ftruftors of Youth, (fay I) who inftil Peevifhnefs into Of Teaching Languages. p$ into the Minds of their Pupils, do want a moft Reverend Reformation. And probably, it would redound to the Ad- vantage of Chriftian Societies, if more learned and fober Lay-men were employ 'd in teaching Youth, as being lefs interefted to engage their Minds in the Defence of Syftems and private Opinions : The Jefuits, by monopolizing to themfelves the Inftrudion of Children, have not only poifoned the Minds of their Pupils, but have by this means rendered themfelves very powerful and terrible. In teaching the aforefaid Language, I hinted already, that I infifted chiefly on the Flections of Verbs and Nouns, and on fome general Rules of Syntax, taking notice of the Exceptions and Irregularities as they offered themfelves in the Courfe of our Reading, whether in the Gen- der of Nouns, or in the Syntax: But lead fome of them might efcape our Notice, I made the Lad, after he was pretty well acquainted with any Language, then, and not before, read every Grammar refpectively, from the Begin- ning to the End; and then he read it both with Profit and Delight : For a Grammar is no more than a Series of Reflections made upon any Language j and is of little or no Ufe to any, . but fuch as have fome competent Degree of Knowledge in that Language, whereof it is a Grammar : And therefore all civiliz'd Na- tions have Grammars for perfecting themfelves in their own Tongue. The Grecians, the Ro- many 5? 4 The Author's MET HOD mam had theirs, and we have ours, for culti- vating the Englijh Language. But a Grammar that is deiigned for Youth to learn a Foreign one, (hould be clear and Ihort, comprehend- ing the Flections of Nouns and Verbs, and fome of the moft ufeful general Rules ; which might be eafily written or printed on one Side of a Sheet of Paper, to be fet in a Frame, for the Ufe of the Learner, and fo expofe to View at once the whole Oeconomy of the Latin Tongue. I ihall now refume the Thread of my Dif- courfe, and bring my Narrative to a Conclu- fion. About the End of June 1720, being at a Cof- fee-Houfe, I found a Reverend Clergyman, with whom I had little or no Acquaintaince before this time ; I had indeed read his incomparable Works in defence of the Chriftian Religion, and fome other excellent Books, written by him in Latin and when abroad, was often ask'd, Whether I knew this learned Perfon? Befides, I had been inform'd by feveral credible Perfons, that he done many good Offices to poor Stu-> dents, both Strangers and Natives, and that at his own Expence: This made me deilrous to lay hold of the Opportunity to be better ac- quainted with fo valuable a Perfon ; and in the Progrefs of our Difcourfe, I made mention of this Boy and his Performances. The Gentteman directed me to bring the Youth to his Houfe that Evening : Whereupon I fent for him im- mediately Of Teaching Languages. 9 5 mediately after, and bid him write fairly on half a Sheet of Paper, a Verfe out of his Hebrew Pfalter, and his Greek Teftament, and a Line or two of each of the other Languages he had learn'd : Which when he had done, I took him with me to the Gentleman's Houfe j who was mightily pleafed with his Hand-writing, efpecially in Greek and Hebrew ; and after he had examin'd him in Cornelius Nefos, the He- brew Pfalter, and Greek Teftament, he prevent- ed my petitioning in the Boy's behalf, by tel- ling me, he would give him Meat, Drink, and Cloathing, and enter him in one of the Col- leges, and that he himfelf would be his Tutor ; and fo long as he behav'd himfelf well, he (bould live in his Family ; and that I might fend him thither as (bon as could be, with a Line or two from my felf. Accordingly, the very next Week the Boy was fent to the Uni- verfity with the following Lines from me. Vir The Authors METHOD Vir plurimum Venerande, HAruiH lator, Conditiones, quas propofuifti plane liberates, accipit libmter \ & ad tg properat ; ut tibi, Vir Celeberrime , utpote Mecaenati Optimo, fefe, Operam fuam, (India fua, G)gitati- ones omnes, & quicquid Jit hominis, ea qua par eft obferuantifr flfferat, det, dedicet. Pueri Parentes Deum Optimum Maximum venerantur plurimum^ ut fe tuo patrocinio prabeat dignum. Quod reli- quum eft, beneficium ingens tibi acceptum refero y & propter amiquam, quam in te obfervavi fidem, plura tibi debere velim. Vale. 12 Die julii 1720. I thought it might be fome Satisfadion to this worthy Gentleman, to be affured, that the Boy was defcended from honeft Parents ; and therefore fent with him the following Teftimo- nial: WE, wbofe Names are hereunto fubfcrib'd, do teftify, Tihat J. E. the Bearer, is the Son of R. E. an honeft and induftrious Man, tufa has been employ'd in one of his Majefty's IVard- robes Of Teaching Languages. $7 robes for thefe eighteen Tears ; and iue are of Oft-: xion, that to encourage hh Son in his Studies, will be an Attion both charitable and generous. M.P d. J.Aftip.SubD-' J.E. This Gentleman did not only keep hisPromife, 7 in entring the Lad into a College, and taking him into his own Family ; but was pleas'd fome time fince to beftow upon him a creditable Em- ployment in the College, the Annual Revenue whereof will fupply him with Money to defray extraordinary Expences. A Concurrence of favourable Circumftances has hitherto appeared in the behalf of this Child ; and I hope, Pro- vidence will continue to do him more good, till he is render'd able to ferve his Country, either in Church or State : Which, if I live to fee, I (hall heartily praife God, for making me inftru- mental in promoting his Happineis. And I think my felf abundantly recompensed already for my Pains : For the Satisfaction of Mind at- tending any good Aftion, is more exquifitely pleafant and fenfible, than the moft rehVd De- light in converging with Friends, reading of Books, and getting of Money. And therefore 1 could with, that ingenious and learned Gentle- men, who have nothing to! employ their Time, and are eafy in their Circumftances, would de- vote a few of their idle Hours to the inftruft- H ing 5$ The Authors METHOD, ing fome promifing Youth: For I can't fee how they can fpend their Time, and imploy their Learning to a more generous Purpofe. There are many other more important Branches of Education, that I don't pretend to meddle with; becaufe there are many excellent Books in Latin, French and Englifh, already written on thofe Subjects. Mr. Latin Exercifes, HAT Mr. LOCKE, in his Treatife of Education of Touth, fays, with relation to Greek and Latin Exercifes, take as follows: If a Young Man's Fate be to go to School to get the Latin Tongue, 'twill be in vain to talk to you of the Method I think beft to be obferv'd : For you muft fub- mit to that you'll find there, and not expeft to have it chang'd for your Son, But yet, by all means, if you can obtain it, fee that he be not employ 'd in making Latin Themes and Declamations, neither Verfes of any kindj You may inlift on't, if it xvill do any goodj except you defign to make him a Latin Orator or a Poet-: Buc if barely you would have him H 3 under- too Mt.. Loci's JUDGMENT nnderftand a Latin Author, pray, do but ob- {erve thofe who teach the Modern Languages, and that with Succefs ; they never amufe their Scholars in making Speeches or Verfes, either in French or Italian j their Bufinefs being to learn Language barely, and not Invention* But, to tell you more fully why I would not have him exercis'd in making Themes and Verfes. Pirft, As to Themes ; they have, I confefs, a Pretence of fomething ufefuJ, which is, to teach Men to fpeak handfomely, and well on any Subjeft ; which, if it could be attain'd this way, I own, would be of great Advantage ; there being nothing more becoming a Gentle- man, nor more ufeful in all Occurrences of Life, than to be able on any Occafion to fpeak well, and to the Purpofe. But this I fay, that the making of Themes, as they ufe it in Schools, helps not one jot towards it : For do but con- fider, what 'tis in making a Theme, that a young Lad is employed about ; 'tis to make a Speech on a Latin Saying, as, Omniavincit amor', or, Non licet in hello bis peccare and here the poor Lad, who wants Knowledge in thefe Things he is to fpeak of, (which is to be had only from Time and Obfervation) muft fet his Invention on the Rack, to fay fomething; which is a fort of ^Egyptian Tyrany, to bid them make Brick, who have not yet any of the Materials : And therefore it's ufual in fuch Cafes, On Latin Exercifes.. i o i Cafes, for fuch Children, to go to thofe of higher Forms, with this Petition, Pray give me a little Senfe ? which, whether ic be more un- reafonable, or more ridiculous, is not eafy to determine. Before a Man can be in any Ca- pacity to fpeak on any Subject, 'tis neceffary to be acquainted with it; or elfe, 'tis as foolifh to fee him to difcourfe of it, as to fet a Mnd Man to talk of Colours, or a deaf Man of Mufick: And would you not think him crack'd, who would require another to make an Argument on a Moot Point, who underftands nothing of our Laws? And what, I pray, do School-Boys underftand concerning thefe Mat- ters, which are ufed to be propos'd to them in their Themes, as Subjects to difcourfe on, to whet and exercife their Fancies ? In the next Place, confider the Language that their Therres are made in : 'Tis Latin, a Language which your Son, 'tis a thoufand to one, (hall never have occafion, once to make a Speech in as long as he lives, after he comes to be a Man ; and SL Language, wherein the Manner of exprefling one's felf, is fo far different from ours, that to be perfeft in that, would very little improve the Purity and Facility of his Englifh Stile. Befides that, there is now fo little room or ufe for fet Speeches in our own Language, in any Part of our Englifh Bufincfs, that I can fee no Pretence for this fort of Exercife in our Schools ; unlefs it can be fuppos'd, that the making of fet Latin Speeches, H Mr. Lock's JUDGMENT fhould be the Way to teach Men to fpeak well in Evgt'fb, ex tempore. The way to that, I (nould think to be this : That there fhould be propos'd to young Gentlemen, rational and ufeful Que- ftions, fuited to their Age and Capacities, and on Subjeds not wholly unknown to them, nor out of their way. Such as thefe, when they are ripe for Exercifes of this Nature, they (hould ex tempore, or after a little Meditation, upon the Spot, fpeak to, without penning of any thing : For I ask, If we will examine the Effects of this Way of learning to fpeak well, who fpeak but in Bufinefs, when Occafion calls them to it upon any debate ? Either thofe who ac- cuftom themfelves to compofe and write down before-hand what they would fay ; or thofe, who think only on the Matter, to underftand that as well as they can, and ufe themfelves only to fpeak ex temfore ? And he who (hall judge by this, will be little apt to think, that the accuftoming him to ftudied Speeches, and fet Competitions, is not the way to fit a young Gentleman for Bufinefs. But perhaps we (hall be told, 'tis to improve them in the Latin Tongue. 'Tis true, that is their proper Bufinefs at School; but the making of Verfes is not the Way to it ; nor Themes : That perplexes their Brains about Invention of Things to be faid ; not about the Signification of Words to be learn'd; and when they are making a Theme, 'tis Thoughts they fearch fweat for, and not Language. But the learning On Latin Exenifes 103 teaming and maftery of a Tongue, being un- eafy and unpleafant enough in it felf, (hould not be cumber'd with any other Difficulties, as is done in this Way of proceeding. In fine, If Boys Invention is to be quickned by fuch Exercifes, let them make Themes in Englijby where they have a Facility and Com- mand of Words; and 'twill better be feen, what Thoughts they have, when put into their own native Language. And if the Latin Tongue be to be learn'd, let it be done the eafieft Way, without the foiling and difgufting the Mind, by fo uneafy an Employment, as that of making Speeches, joyn'd to it. If thefe may be any Reafons, againft Childrens making Latin Verfes or Themes at School, I have much more to fay, and of more weight, againft their making Veries of any fort : For if a Child has not any Genius for Poetry, 'tis the moft unreafonable thing in the World to torment him, and wafte his Time, about that which can never fucceed. And .if he have a Poetick Vein, 'tis to me the ftrangeft thing in the World, that the Father {hould defire cr fuffer it to be cherifli'd or improv'd. Methinks the Parents (hould labour to have it ftiBed and fupprefs'd as much as may be ,* and I know not what Reafon a Father can have to wi(h his Son a Poet, who does not defire him to bid defiance to all other Callings and Bufinefs; which is not yet the worft of the Cafe : For .if he proves a fuccdfsful Rhimer, :and get once the Reputation of a Wit, I defire it may be H 4 con- 104 Mr. Lock's JUDGMENT confider'd, what Company and Places he is like to fpend his Time in, nay, his Eftate too : For it is very rarely feen, that any one dif- covers Mines of Gold or Silver in Parnajfuf. 'Tis a pleafant Air, but a barren Soil; and there are but very few Inftances of thofe, who have added to their Patrimony, by any thing they have reap'd from thence. Poetry and Gaming, which ufually go together, are alike in this too, 'that they feldom bring any Ad- vantage, but to thofe who have nothing elfe to live on ; Men of Eftates always go away Lofers; and 'tis well if they efcape at a cheaper Rate, than their whole Eftates, or the greateft Part of them. If therefore you would not have your Son the Fiddle to every jovial Company, with- out whom, the Sparks could not relifti their Wine, nor know how to fpend an Afternoon idly ; if you would not have him fpend his Time and his Eftate to divert others, and contemn the dirty Acres left him by his Anceftors, I do not think you would much care he fhould be a Poet, or that his School-matters (hould enter him in Verfifying. But yet, if any one would think Poetry a defirable thing, or a fine Quality for his Son ; and that the Study of it would raife his Fancy and Parts ; he muft needs yet confefs, that to that, reading the Greek and Roman Poets, is of more ufe, than making bad Verfes of his own, in a Language that is not his own : And he, whofe Defign is to excel in tygtifh Poetry, would not, I guefs, think the On Latin Exercifes. 105 the Way to it, were to make his firft Mays in Latin Verfes. 'fbus far Mr. LOCK'S Effay on Education.' Mr. C L A RK'S Judgment, N O T H E R ingenious Author, (JOHN CLARK) gives his Opi- nion very frankly on this Sub/ed, and (in my Opinion) very home, viz.. And what does it fignify, I befeech you, to exercife poor Boys all indifferently, and without Diftinftion, fo much in the writing of Verfes, when 'tis not one in an hundred, (to fpeak within compafs) who has any thing of a Genius for Poetry. If I might advife therefore, I would have Boys kept wholly from this Sort of Exer- cife. They may find a great many Ways of employing their Time to much better Purpofe, than in a Task Nature never defign'd them for. The fcribling of paultry wretched Verfe, is no way for them to improve their Parts in. Inftead of that, the Difficulty of performing but mean- ly, and the Shame attending it, will be mighty Difcouragements, and only ferve to give them adif- loff Mr. CWsJubcMENT a diflike to Learning, when they find that made an efTential Part of it, which they per- ceive Nature has not qualify J d them for. I am for having Things call'd by their right Names, and therefore cannct bear with it, that what is only an ingenious Diverfion, fhould by Cuftom, and. the great Strefs laid upon it, be recom- mended under the Notion of a very laudable Employment. And, I prefume, the fober and thinking Part of Mankind, will not condemn me, as guilty of any Miftake, if I think fuch a Book as Mr. Leek's EJfay, or, Mr. Chifliugwortb's !moft rational Defence of the Proteftant Caufe, againft the Church oj Rome, preferable to twenty Iliads or JEneids put together. I do not intend this, as a Reflection upon Homer and Virgil-, they were Men of fine Parts, and rare natural En- dowments : But yet when we commend and ad- mire thefe Authors, it muft be as Poets, as Men who have been at a great deal of Pains CD divert Mankind in a noble and ingenious Manner; not as if the World was much in- debted to them, for any great Advantage was to be reaped from what they left behind them : And I do not know, but it mny be a very good Exchange, were it poffible to purchafe the Books of Livy, or any other of the Noble Historians of Antiquity, which Time has robb'd us of, at the Expence of all the fine Thoughts of thofe two celebrated Poets. For notwith- ftanding all that has been faid by fome, (to recommend their Art to the World) in favour On Latm Exercifes. 107 of Epick Poetry, I cannot be convinc'd, that it is of that wonderful Ufe and advantage to Mankind. I cannot, however, but take notice in this Place, that Poetry, as 'twas manag'd fome time ago among us, was made one of the moft powerful Inftruments of promoting Immo- rallity and Prophanenefs, that Hell it felf could invent : And whether the common Practice of the Schools might not contribute to betray Boys of a Genius, into that woful Way of {pending their Time, to the Ruin of themfelves, and debauching of others, may perhaps deferve the Confideration of fuch as are concerned in the Education of Youth. In fine, 'tis as unreafonable to make all Boys Poets, as to make them Muficians, and Danc- ing-Mafters : And 'twould be lefs ridiculous for a Frenchman or a Dutchman, to fet up for anj English Poet, than for an Englishman to make Verfes in a dead Language : For the Dutchman might confult an Englifh Poet ; but we have no Horace or Vigil living to revife our Blunders. Therefore I hope, this great Rem&ra to Pro- ficiency, and greateft Piece of Grammatical Pedantry, will be difcarded by ingenious School- Mafters, as the chequering Sermons with Greek and Latin, is now prudently laid afide by the moft famous Preachers, and left, wholly to Gir- melites and Capuchins, to beautify their learned Difcourfes with. I have made it my Bufinefs of late, to ask feveral learned Gentlemen, what plaufiible Reafons io8 Mr. Clark's JUDGMENT Reafons could be given for the univerfal and earneft promoting of Latin Poetry; or what Profit doth accrue therefrom to Divinity, Law or Phyfick : I was anfwer'd that a Copy of La- tin Verfes got many a Boy a good Patron. And fo have Hawking, Riding, and twenty other Ex- ercifes, reply 'd I ; and a Copy of Verfes in the Language of the Country, has often got a rich Wife to the Verfificator, which Latin and Greek would never do: And thus the one half of Mankind, and the moft fenfible of the fweet- nefs of Poetry, will rather defpife, than ad- mire Greek and Latin Verfes., as compofed ra- ther to argue the fair Sex of Ignorance in School-Languages, than with a Defign to divert them with the Harmony of their Lays. Ano- ther Gentleman told me, that making Latin and Greek Verfes was neceffary, in order to know the Quantity of Words, and confequently to read diftindly : But all this may be eafily had, by reading the Greek and Latin Poets, and by obferving their Meafures, and fcanning their different forts of Verfes, as diredly by fet re- ceived Rules for that Purpofe. To conclude, read Homer diligently, and J/trgil as much as you can j read Taflo and Mai" herb ; and if you pleafe, read -Cats the Dutch, and Qimoes the Portuguefe Poets ; but compofe in your own Language : For 'tis no Help tp write a good Latin Stile, but rather an Hin- drance, except it be to write Romances. And if you employ your poetical Talent, to promote Virtue On Latin Exercifa. 105* Virtue and Piety, or in difplaying the Works of Nature, and in finging the Praifes of the Creator of all Things, as fome of our Englifh Poets have done of late, to very good Purpofes; Verfes will then be both profitable and pleafing, and your Endeavours will be approved, not only by Tutors and School-Boys, but by all Ranks and Degrees of People. Having dwelt fo long on this Chapter of Latin Exercifes, it will be needlefs to fpeak of thofe performed in Greek ; which can be of no Ufe to Mankind, unlefs it be to diftinguifh whim- fical Fellows from Men of found Senfe and ufe- ful Learning. The only Latin Exercife that will be of great Ufe to a Scholar, in the whole Courfe of his Life, is, to write a Latin Letter handfomely; and this kind of Exercife is alraoft wholly neg- lected in all Grammar-Schools. JOHN -.- O N EDUCATION Written about the Tear 1650. Mr. HART LIB, A M long fince perfuaded, that to fay, or do aught worth Memory and Imitation, no Purpofe or Rcfped fhould fooner move us, than (imply the Love of God, and of Mankind. Neverthelefs, to write now the Reforming of Education, though it be one of the greateft and nobleft Defigns that can be thought on, and for the want thereof this Nation perifhes, I had not yet at this time been induced, buc by your earneft In- treaties. Milton EDUCATION. 1 1 1 treaties, and ferious Con jurements ; as having my Mind for the prefent half diverted in the pnrfuance of fome other Aflertions, the Know* ledge and the Ufe of which cannot but be a great Furtherance both to the enlargment of Truth and honeft Living, with much more Peace. Nor (hould the Laws of any private Friendfliip have prevail'd with me to divide thus, or tranf- pofe my former Thoughts, but that I fee thofe Aims, thofe Actions which have won you with me the Efteem of a Perfon fent hither by fome good Providence from a far Country, to be the Occafion and the Incitement of great Good to this Ifland. And, as I hear, you have obtain'd the fame Repute with Men of moft approved V/ifdom, and fome of highefl Authority among us. Not to mention the learned Correfpondence which you hold in Foreign Parts, and the ex- traordinary Pains and Diligence which you have us'd in this Matter, both here, and beyond the Seas; either by the definite Will of God fo ruling, or the peculiar fway of Nature, which alfo is God's working. Neither can I think that fo reputed, and fo valued as you are, you would, to the Forfeit of your own difcern- ing Ability, impofe upon me an unfit and over- ponderous Argument, but that the Satisfaction which you prcfefs to have received from thofe incidental Difcourfes which we have wander'd into, hath preft and almoft conftrain'd you into a Perfuafion, that what you require from me in this Point, I neither ought, nor can in Coa- fcience Hi Milton on EDUCATION. fcience defer beyond this Time both of fd much Need at once, and fo much Opportunity to try what God hath determin'd. I will not refift therefore, whatever it is, either of di- vine, or human Obligement, that you lay up- on me j but will forthwith fet down in writing, as you requeft me, that voluntary ldea t which hath long in Silence prefented it felf to me, of a better Education, in Extent and Compre- henfion far more large, and yet of time far (horter, and of Attainment far more certai^ than hath been yet in Practice. Brief I (hall endeavour to be ; for that which I have to fay$ affuredly this Nation hath extream Need (hould be done fooner than fpoken. To tell you there- fore what I have benefited herein among old renowned Authors, I (hall fpare ; and to fearch what many modern Januas and DidaEiics y more than ever I (hall read, have projected, my In- clinations led me not. But if you can except of thefe few Obfervations which have flower'd. off, and are, as it were, the burnifhing of many ftudious and contemplative Years, altoge- ther fpent in the fearch of religious and civil Knowledge, and fuch as pleas'd you fo well in the relating, I here give you them to difpofe of. The end then of Learning, is to repair the Ruins of our firft Parents, by regaining to know God aright, and out of that Knowledge to love him, to imitate him, to be like him, as we may the neareft by poffeffing our Souls of true , Mikon ew EDUCATION, i bf true Virtue, which being united to heavenly Grace of Faith, makes up the higheft Perfection. But becaufe our Understanding cannot in this Body found itfelf but on fenfibie Things, nor arrive fo clearly to the Knowledge of God and Things invifible, as by orderly con- ning over the yiftble and inferior Creature i the fame Method is neceflarily to be followed in all diicreet Teaching. And feeing every Nation affords not Experience and Tradition enough for all kind of Learning, therefore we are chiefly taught the Languages of thofe People who have at any time been moft induftrious af- ter Wifdom ; fo that Language is but the In- iftrument of conveying to us things ufeful to be known. And though a Linguift (hould pride himfelf to have all the Tongues that Babel clefc the World into, yet, if he have not ftudied the folid Things in them, as well as the Words and Lexicons, he were nothing fo much to be efteem'd a learned Man, as any Yeoman or Tradefman, competently wife in his Mother Dialed only. Hence appear the many Miftakes which have made Learning generally fo unpleaf- ing, and fo unfuccefsful ; firft we do amifs to fpend feven or eight Years meerly in fcraping together fo much miferable Latin and Greek, as might be learn 'd otherwife eafily and delight- fully in one Year. And that which cafts our Proficiency therein fo much behind, is our time loft, partly in too oft idle Vacancies given both to Schools and Universities, partly in a prepo- I fterous ii4 Milton on EDUCATION. fterous Exadion, forcing the empty Wits of Children to compofe Themes, Verfes and Ora- tions, which are the A&s of ripeft Judgment, and the final Work of a Head fill'd by long reading and obferving, with elegant Maxims, and copious Invention. Thefe are not Matters to be wrung from poor Striplings, like Blood out of the Nofe, or the plucking of untimely Fruit. Befides, the ill Habit which they get of wretched barbarizing againft the Latin and Greek Idiom, with their untutor'd Anglicifms, odious to be read, yet not to be avoided with- out a well continued and judicious converfing among pure Authors digefted, ivhich they fcarce tafte ; whereas, if after fome preparatory Grounds of Speech by their certain Forms got into Memory, they were led to the Praxis thereof in fome chofen (hort Book lefTen'd thorougly to them, they might then forthwith proceed to learn the Subftance of good Things, and Arts in due Order, which would bring the whole Language quickly into their Power. This I take to be the moft rational and moft profitable way of learning Languages, and whereby we may beft hope to give Account to God of our Youth fpent herein: And for the ufual Method of teaching Arts, I deem it to be an old Error of Univerfities, not yet well re- cover'd from the Scholaftick Grofnefs of barba- rous Ages, that inftead of beginning with Arts moft eafy, and thofe be fuch as are moft obvi- ous to the Senfe, they prefent their young un- matri- Milton on EDUCATION. 115 matriculated Novices, at firft coming, with the moft intellective Abftraftions of Logick and Metaphyficks : So that they having but newly left thofe Grammatick Flats and Shallows, where they ftuck unreafonably to learn a few Words with lamentable Conftru&ion, and now on the fudden tranfported under another Climate, to be toft and turmoil'd with their unballafted Wits, in fathomlefs and unquiet Deeps of Con- troverfy, do for the moft Part grow into Ha- tred and Contempt of Learning, mockjd^ and deluded all this while with ragged Notions and Babblements, while they expected worthy and delightful Knowledge j till Poverty or youth- ful Years call them importunately their feveral ways, and haften them, with the fway of Friends, either to an ambitious and mercenary, or igno- rantly zealous Divinity : Some allur'd to the Trade of Law, grounding their Purpofes not on the prudent and heavenly Contemplation, of Juftice and Equity, which was never taughc them, but on the promifing and pleafing Thoughts of litigious Terms, fat Contentions, and flowing Fees. Others betake them to State Affairs, with Souls fo unprincipled in Virtue^' and true generous Breeding, that Flattery and Court Shifts, and tyrannous Aphorifms, appear to them the higheft Points of Wifdom ; infil- ling their barren Hearts with a confeientious Slavery, if, as I rather think, it be not feign'd. Others laftly, of a more delicious and airy Spi- rit, retire themfelves, knowing no better^ td 1 2 the! i\6 Milton on EDUCATION. the Enjoyments of Eafe and Luxury, living out their Days in Feaff and Jollity; which in- deed is the wifeft and the fafeft Courfe of all thefe, unlefs they were with more Integrity undertaken. And thefe are the Fruits of mif- pending our prime Youth at the Schools and Universities, as we do, either in learning meer Words, or fuch Things chiefly as were better nnlearn'd. I (hall detain you no longer in the Demon- fbration of what we fhould not do, but ftrait condud you to a Hill Side, where I will point you out the right Path of a virtuous and noble Education ; labourious indeed at the firft Afcent, but elfe fo fmooth, fo green, fo full of goodly Profpect, and melodious Sounds on every Side, that the Harp of Orpheus was not more charming. I doubt not but ye (hall have more ado to drive our dulleft and lazieft Youth, ur Stocks and Stubs, from the infinite Defire of fuch a happy Nurture, than we have now to hale and drag our choiceft and hope- fulleft Wits to that afinine Feaft of Sow-thiftles and Brambles, which is commonly fet before them, -as all the Food and Entertainment of their tendered and moft docible Age. I call therefore a complete and generous Educa- tion, that which fits a Man to perform juftly, skilfully, and magnanimoufly, all the Offices, both private and publick, of Peace and War. And how all this may be done between twelve, and Milton 00 EDUCATION. 117 and one in twenty, lefs Time than is now be- ftow'd in pure trifling at Grammar and Sofhiftry, is to be thus order'd. Firft, co find out a fpacious Houfe, and Ground about it, fit for an Academy, and big enough to lodge a hundred and fifty Perfons, whereof twenty, or thereabout, may be At- tendants, all under the Government of one, who (hall be thought of Defert fufficient, and Ability either to do all, or wifely to direft and overfee it done. This Place (hould be at once both School and Univerfity, not needing a Remove to any other Houfe of Scholarfhip, except it be fome peculiar College of Law, or Phyfkk, where they mean to be a Practitioner; buc as for thofe general Studies, which take up all our time from Lilly, to the commencing, as they term it, Mafter of Art, it fliould be v ab- fdute. After this Pattern, as many Edifices *ay be converted to this Ufe, as fhall be need- ful in every City throughout this Land, which would tend much to the encreafe of Learning and Civility every where. This Number, le& or more thus colleded, to the Convenience of a Foot Company, or interchangeably two Troops of Cavalry, {hould divide their Day's Work into three Parts, as it lies orderly ; their Stu- dies, their Exercife, and their Diet. For their Studies, Firft, they fhould begin with the chief and neceflary Rules of fome good Grammar, either that now us'd, or any better; and while this is doing, their Speech is to be I faftiion'4 jiS Milton on EDUCATION. falhion'd to a diftind and clear Pronunciation, as near as may be to the Italian, efpecially in Vowels :! For we Englishmen being far Northerly, do not open our Mouths in the cold Air, wide enough to grace a Southern Tongue ; but are obferv'd by all other Nations to fpeak exceed- ing clofe and inward : So that to fmatter Latin with an Englifh Mouth, is as ill a Hearing as Law-French. Next to make them expert in the ufefulleft Points of Grammar, and withal to feafon them, and win them early to the Love of Virtue and true Labour, e'er any flattering Seducement, or vain Principle feize them wan- dering, fome eafy and delightful Book of Edu- cation fliould be read to them ; whereof the Greeks have Store, as Cebes, Plutarch, and other Socratic Difcourfes. But in Latin, we have none of Claflick Authority extant, except the two or three firft Books of Quintilian, and fome felecfc Pieces elfewhere. But here the main Skill and Ground- work will be to temper them fuch Lectures and Explanations upon every Opportunity, as may lead and draw them in willing Obedience, enflam'd with a Study of Learning, and the Admiration of Virtue ; ftirrd up with high Hopes of living to be Men, and worthy Patriots, dear to God, and famous to all Ages. That they may defpife and fcorn all their childifh, and ill-taught Qualities, to delight in manly, and liberal Exercifes: Which he who hath the Art, and proper Eloquence Ip catch them, with, what with mild and effect- ual Milton on EDUCATION, up ual Perfuafions, and what with the Intimation of fome Fear, if need be, but chiefly by his own Example, might in a (hort Space gain them to an incredible Diligence and Courage : infufing into their young Breafts fuch an ingenuous and noble Ardour, as would not fail to make many of them renown'd and matchlefs Men. At the fame time, fome other hour of the Day, might be taught them the Rules of Arith- metick, and foon after the Elements of Geo- metry, even playing, as the old Manner was. After Evening repaft, till bed-time, their Thoughts will be beft taken up in the eafy Grounds of Religion, and the Story of Scrip- ture. The next Step would be to the Authors Agriculture, Cato, Varro, and ColumeUa, for the matter is moft eafy, and if the Language be difficult, fo much the better, it is not a Diffi- culty above their Years. And here will be an Occafion of inciting and inabling them hereafter to improve the Tillage of their Country, to re- cover the bad Soil, and to remedy the Wafte that is made of good : For this is one of Her- cules's Praifes. E'er half thefe Authors be read, (which will foon be with plying hard, and daily) they cannot chufe but be Mafters of any ordinary Profe. So that it will be then feafon- able for them to learn in any modern Author, the Ufe of the Globes, and all the Maps , firft with the old Names, and then with the new : Or they might be then capable to read any compendious Method of natural Philofophy ; I 4 and no Milt6ni 0w EDUCATION. and at the famfe time might be entring info the Grefk Tongue, after the fame Manner as tvas prefcrib'd in the Latin ; whereby the Dif- ficulties of Grammar being foon overcome, all the Historical Phyfiology of Arifloile and T'heo- fkraftus are open before them, and as I may fay, under Contribution. The like Accefs will be to Vttruvius, to Seneca's natural Qu'e- ffrons, to Mtla t Celfus, Pliny, or Solinus. And having thus paft the Principles of Arithmetic^ Geometry, Aftronomy, and Geography, with a ge- neral Compact of Phyficks, they may defcend in Mathematicks to the inftrumental Science of 'Trigonometry, and from thence to Fortification, Architecture, Enginry or Navigation. And in natural Philofophy they may proceed leifurely from th6 Hiftory of Meteors, Minerals, Plants^ and living Creatures, as far as Anatomy. Then alfo in courfe might be read to them out of fome not tedious Writer, the Inftitution of Phy- fick j that they may know the Tempers, the Humours, the Seafons, and how to manage a Crudity : Which he who can wifely and timely do, is rot only a great Phyfician to himfelf, and to his Friends, but alfo may at: fome time or other favfc an Army by this fru- gal and expenfelefs Means only ; and not let the healthy and ftout Bodies of young Men roc away under him for want of * this Difcipline ; tvhich is a great Pity, and no lefs a Shame to the Commander. To fet forward all thefe Pro- ceedings in Nature and Mathemaficks, what hinders, Miltofl on EDUCATION, nt hinders,- but that they may procure, as oft as (hall be needful, the helpful Experiences e>f Hunters, Fowlers, Fiftiermen, Shepherds, Gar* deners, Apothecaries; and in the other Sciences, Architects, Engineers, Mariners, Anatomifts > who doubtlefs will be ready, fome for Reward, ami fome to favour fuch a hopeful Seminary. And this will give them fuch a real Tincture of natural Knowledge, as they (hall never forget, but daily augment with Delight. Then alfo thofe Poets which are now counted moft hard, will be both facil and pleafant, Orpheus, Hejiod, 'Theocritus, Aratus, Nicander, Oppian, Dionyfius, and in Latin, Lucretius, Manilius, and the rural Fart of Virgil. By this time, Years and good general Pre- cepts will have furnifiVd them more diftinctly with that Act of Reafon, which in Ethicks is call'd Proairejis : That they may with fome Judgment contemplate upon moral Good and Evil. Then will be required a fpecial Rein- forcement of conftant and found Endoctrinating, to fet them right and firm, inftructing them mere amply in the Knowledge of Virtue, and the Hatred of Vice : Whiie their young and pliant Affections are led through all the moral Works of Plato, Xenophon, Cicero, Plutarch, Laertius, and thofe Locrian Remnants ; but ftill to be reduc'd in their Nightward Studies, wherewith they clofe the Day's Work, under the determi- nate Sentence of David or Solomon, or the Evangelifts and Apoftolic Scriptures. Being perfect 111 Milton 00 EDUCATION. perfed in the Knowledge of perfonal Duty, they may then begin the Study of Economies : And either now, or before this, they may have eafily learn'd at any odd Hour the Italian Tongue. And foon after, but with warinefs and good Antidote, it would be wholefome enough to let them tafte fome choice Comedies, 'Gree^ Latin, or Italian ; Thofe Tragedies alfo that treat of Houfliokl Matters, as I'rachinia, Akeflis, and the like. The next Remove muft be to the Study of Politicks; to know the Be- ginning, End, and Reafons of political Societies; that they may not in a dangerous Fit of the Com mon wealth, be fuch poor, (haken, uncertain Reeds, of fuch a tottering Confcience, as many of out great Councellors have lately (hewn themfelves, but fledfaft Pillars of the State. After this, they are to dive into the Grounds of Law, and kgal Juftice j delivered firft, and with beft Warrant, by Mofes ; and as far as human Prudence can be trufted, in thofe ex- toll'd Remains of Grecian Law givers, Licurgus, Solon, "Laleucus, Charondas, and thence to all the Roman Edifts and Tables with their ^ti^inian, and b .down to the Saxon and Common- Laws of England, and the Statutes. Sundays alfo, and every Evening, may be now underftand- ingly fpent in the higheft Matters of "Theology, and Church Hiftory ancient and modern : And e'er this Time the Hebrew Tongue at a fet Hour might have been gain'd, that the Scrip- tyres may be now read in their own Original -, whereto Milton on EDUCATION. 115 whereto it would be no Impoflibility to add the Chaldee, and the Syrian Dialed. When all thefe Employments are well conquer'd, then will the choice Hiftories, Heroic Poems, and Attic Tra- gedies of ftatelieft and moft regal Argument, with all the famous political Orations, offer themfelves , which, if they were not only read, but fome of them got by Memory, and folemnly pronounc'd with right Accent and Grace, as might be taught, would endue them even with the Spirit and Vigour of Demoflhenes or Cicero ', Euripides or Sophocles. And now, laftly, will be the Time to read with them,thofe organic Arts which enable Men to difcourfe and write perfpicuoufly, elegantly, and according to the fitted Stile of lofry, mean, or lowly. Logic therefore, fo much as is ufeful, is to be referrd to this due place, with all her well coucht Heads and Topics, until it be time to open her contracted Palm, into a graceful and ornate Rhetorick, taught out of the Rule of Plato, Ariflotle, Phalerius, Cicero, Hermo- genes, Longinus. To which Poetry would be made fubfequent, or indeed rather precedent, as being lefs fubtle and fine, but more fimple, fenfuous and paflionate. I mean not here the Profody of a Verfe, which they could not have hit on before among the Rudiments of Gram- mar ; but that fublime Art which in Ariflotk's Poetics, in Horace, and the Italian Commentaries cfCaftefoetro, T'ajfo, Maz,z,om, and others, teaches what the Laws are of a true Epic Poem, what pf a Dramatic^ what of a Lyric, what Decorum is. Milton is t&& gtand Matter Piece to obferve. This would fnake them foon perceive what defpicable CreatXires our common Rhymers and play Writers be y and (hew them what religious, what glor-Soifcs and magnificent Ufe might be made of Poetfry, both in divine and human Things. From hence, and not till now, will be the right Seafon of forming, them to be able Writers and Compofers m every excellent Mat- tel", when they fhall be thus fraught with an uiiiverfal Inftght into Things. Or whether they be to fpeak in Parliament or Council, Honour and Attention would be waiting on their Lips. There would then alfo appear in Pulpits other Vifageis, other Geftures, and Stuff otherwife wrought, than what we now fit under, oft times to as great a Tryai of our Patience, as Any otfeet that they preach to us, Thefe are the Studies wherein our noble and dur gentle Youth ought to beftow their Time in a difcipli* nafy Way, from twelve to one and twenty; urilefs they rely more upon their Anceftors dead, than upon themfelves living. In which methodical Courfe it is fo foppos'd they muft proceed by the fteady Pace of learning onward, as at convenient Times, for Memory's fake, td rfrtife back into the middle Ward, a"nd fome* times into Che Rear of what they have been fatight, until they have confirmed, and folidly witited the whole Body of their perfected Know* ledge, like the laft embattelling of a Roman Legion. Nov/ will be worth the feeing what Exer.- Milton m EDUCATION. 12,5 Exercifes and Recreations may beft agree, and become thefe Studies. Their The Courfe of Study hitherto briefly de- fcrib'd, is, what I can guefc by reading, likeft to thofe antient and famous Schools of Pythago- ras, Plato, Jfocrates, Ariftotle, and fuch others, out of which were bred up fuch a Number of renoun'd Philofophers, Orators, Hiftorians, Po- ets and Princes, all over Greece, Italy, and Afia> befides the flourilhing Studies of Gyrene and Alexandria. But herein it (hall exceed them, and fupply a Defect as great as that which Plato noted in the Common wealth* of Sparta > whereas -that City traia'd up their Youth moft for War, and thefe in their Academies and Lyceum, all for the Gown. This Inftitution of breeding which I here delineate, (hall be equally good, both for Peace and War ; therefore about an Hour and a half e'er they eat at Noon, fhould be allow'd them for Exercife, and due Reft afterwards : But the time for this may be enlarged at pleafure, according as their riling in the Morning (hall be early. The Exercife which I commend firft, is the exact Ufe of their Weapon, to guard and to ftrike fafely, with Edge or Point; this will keep them healthy, nimble, ftrong, and well in Breath ; is alfo the likelieft Means to make them grow large and tall, and to infpire them with a gallant and fearlefs Courage, which being tempered with fea- Milton on EDUCATION. feafonable Le&ures and Precepts to them of true Fortitude and Patience, will turn into a native and heroic Valour, and make them hate the Cowardife of doing wrong. They muft be alfo pracYis'd in all the Locks and Gripes of Wraftling, wherein Englishmen were wont to excel, as need may often be in fight to tugg or grapple, and to clofe, And this perhaps will be enough, wherein to prove and heat their fingle Strength. The Interim of unfweating themfelves regularly, and convenient Reft before Meat, may both with Profit and Delight, be taken up in recreating and compofing their travail'd Spirits, with the folemn and divine Harmonies, of Mufick heard or learnt; either while the skilful Organift plies his grave and fancied Defcants in lofty Fugues, or the whole Sym- phony with artful and unimaginable Touches adorn and grace the well ftudied Cords of fome choice Compofer ; fometimes the Lute; or foft Organ ftop waiting on elegant Voices, either to religious, material, or civil Ditties ; which, if wife Men and Prophets be not extreamly out, have a great Power over Difpofitions and Manners; to fmooth and make them gentle from ruftick Harflnnefs and diftemper'd Paffions. The like alfo would not be unexpedient after Meat, to affift and cherifli Nature in her firft Concoxion, and fend their Minds back to ftudy in good Tune and Satisfaction : Where having follow'd it clofe under vigilant Eyes, 'till about two Hours before Supper, they are by a fudden Alarum Milton on EDUCATION. 117 Alarum or watch Word, to be call'd out of their military Motions under Skie or Covert, according to the Seafon, as was the Roman Cuftom i firft on foot, then, as their Age per- mits, on Horfe-back, to all the Art of Cavalry: That having in fport, but with much Exactnefs, and daily Mufter, ferv'd out the Rudiments of their Soldierfhip in all the Skill of Embattelling, Marching, Encamping, Fortifying, Befieging and Battering, with all the Helps of ancient and modern Stratagems, Tatficks and warlike Maxims, they may as it were out of a long War come forth renown'd and perfect Com- manders in the Service of their Country. They would not then, if they were trufted with fair and hopeful Armies, fuffer them for want of juft and wife Difcipline, to (bed away from about them like fick Feathers, though they be never fo oft fupply'd : They would not fuflfer their empty and unrecruitable Colonels of twenty Men in a Company, to quaff out, or convey into fecret Hoards, the Wages of a delufive Lift, and a miferable Remnant : yet in the mean while to be over-mafter'd with a fcore or two of Drunkards, the only foldiery lefc about them, or elfe to comply with all Ra- pines and Violences. No certainly, if they knew aught of that knowledge which belongs to good Men or good Governours, they would not fuffer thefe things. But to return to our own Inftitute, befides thefe conftant Exercifes at Home, there is another Opportunity of gaining n8 Milton ^EDUCATION. gaining Experience, to be won from Pleafure -it felf abroad. In thofe vernal Seafons of the Year, when the Air is calm and pleafant, it were an Injury and Sullennefs againft Nature, not to go out, and fee her Riches, and partake in her rejoicing with Heaven and Earth. I Ihould not therefore be a Perfuader to them of ftudying much then, after two or three Year *hat they have well laid their Grounds, but to ride out in Companies with prudent and ftaid Guides, to all the Quarters of the Land: Learning and obferving all Places of Strength, all Commodities of Building and of Soil, for Towns and Tillage, Harbours and Ports fof Trade. Sometimes taking Sea as far as to our Navy, to karn there alfo what they can in the practical Knowledge of Sailing, and of Sea-fight. Thefe Ways would try all their peculiar Gifts of Nature, and if there were any fecret Excellence among them, would fetch it out, and give it fair Opportunities to advance it felf by, which could not but mightily re- dound to the good of this Nation, and bring into Fafhion again thofe old admir'd Virtues and Excellencies, with far more Advantage, now in this Purity of Chriftian Knowledge. Nor (hall we then need the Monfieun of Paris to take our hopeful Youth into their flight and prodigal Cuftodies, and fend them over back again wansform'd into Mimicks, Apes, and Kickfhoes. But if they defire to fee other Countries at three or four and twenty Years of Milton ^EDUCATION, up of Age, not to learn Principles, but to enlarge Experience, and make wife Obfervations, they will by that time be fuch as (hall deferve the Regard and Honour of all Men where they pafs> and the Society and Friendfhip of thofe in all Places who are beft and moft eminent. And perhaps then other Nations will be glad to vifit us for their Breeding^ or elfe to imi- tate us in their own Country. Now laftly, for their Diet, there cannot be much to fay, fave only that it would be beft in the fame Houfe; for much Time elfe would be loft abroad, and many ill Habits got ; and that it fhould be plain, healthful, and mode- rate, I fuppofe is out of Controverfy. Thus, Mr. Hanliby you have a general View iii writing, as your Defire was, of that which at feveral Times I had difcours'd with you con- cerning the beft and nobleft Way of Education ; not beginning, as fome have done, from the Cradle, which yet might be worth many Con- fiderations, if Brevity had not been my Scope. Many other Circumftances alfo I dould have mention'd^ but this, to fuch as have the Worth in them to make tryal, for Light and Direction may be enough. Only I believe that this is not a Bow for every Man to {hoot in, that counts himfelf a Teacher, but will re- quire Sinews almoft equal to thofe which Homer gave Ufyjfes ,- yet I am withal perfuaded, that it may prove much more eafy in the Effay, K thari 130 Milton on EDUCATION. than it now feems at diftance, and much more illuftrious : Howbeit not more difficult than I imagine, and that Imagination prefents me with nothing but very happy and very poffible, according to beft Wilhes ; if God hath fo de- creed, and this Age hath Spirit and Capacity enough to apprehend. THE THE True and ready Way To learn the Latin TONGUE: Exprefs'd in an Anfwer to x Quere, Whether the ordinary Way of Teaching Latin by the Rides of Grammar, be the beft Way for Touth to learn it ? By the late learned and judicious Gentleman, Mr. RICHARD CAREW, of Anthony in N my tender Youth, I was by my Father put to School, and fo con- tinued for nine or ten Years to learn Latin, according to the com- mon Teaching of ordinary School- mafters, by the Rules of Lilly's Grammar. Af- ivard I fpent three Years in the Univerfity o K a Oxford^ i 3 a Richard Carew, Efy UsAnfwer Oxford, and three Years more in the Middle- 1'empte, one- of our Inns of Court : From whence I was fent with my Uncle in his Em- baffage beyond the Seas, unto the King of Po- land > xvhom, when we came to Dantz.ig, we found to have been newly gone from thence into Sueden, whether alfo we went after him : And in this Journey, wanting the native Lan- guage of thofe Countries, I was often inforc'd to ufe the Help of the Latin Tongue, to buy fuch Things as we needed, and to confer with many Perfons; being often imploy'd by my Uncle's Direction, to deliver Meflages, and re- ceive Anfwers, both to and from many great Perfons of the Dutch, Suedifh, and Polijb Na- tions ; and therein found a great Defect in the want of ufual talking in former time in the Latin Tongue, becaufe I had often Occa- fion to call for fuch Things, and at other times to mention fuch Things, as we did feldom or never meet with the Names of in our Books. After my Return and (hort ftaying here, I was fent by my Father into France, with Sir Henry Nevill, who was then Ambaflfa- dour Leiger unto Henry IVth, that there I might learn the French Tongue ; which Language, tho' it feem'd very hard to me in the Begin- ing, becaufe my Ignorance made me unable to diftinguifh one Word from another, and fo imagine that thofe People ufed to talk much fafter than we did, in a little Time, when Alout the Way of Teaching Latin. 1 3 3 by often hearing their Talk, I began to difcern the Diftance of one Word from another, I found they ufed to talk rather more delibe- rately than we do ; and fo by reading and talking, I learn'd more French in three Quar- ters of a Year, than I had done Latit? 3 in above Thirteen ; wherein, though I will not deny but the Ufe of my Latin Grammar did iome- thing help me, to make me the better appre- hend the Coherence of Speech, yet I have -ever fince conceived, upon my Learning by Practice, that ufual Talking, and much Writ- ing and Reading, open a furer and readier Way to attain any Tongue, than the tedious Courfe which is ufed in the Lativ, by conftruing and pearfing according to the Rules of Grammar, in obferving of the Number, Gender, Cafe, and Declenfion of all variable Words j partly, be- caufe fo much time is fpent in the Declina- tion of every Word, according to the Forms fet down in the Grammar ; and partly, in the over-loading of the weak Wits of Youths, with fuch a Multitude of ordinary Rules, ^nd fuch a World of Exceptions in particular Words, as are acknowledged to differ from the general Rules, as is able to confound both the Me- mory and Underftanding of Men of Years : Be- (icies the hard gnawing of the dry Bones, which are able to tire their Jaws, and take away the Edge of their Teeth, before they can break them into fuch Pieces, as will be fit for their weak Stomachs : Becaufe, after the Grammar K 3 Fafhion, i 3 4 Richard Carew, Efy Us Anfwer Fa 0l ion, they are imploy'd to transform them inro 10 many feveral Shapes as Art can devife to turn them inro, and yet all this while they gain the Knowledge of the Senfe but of one Word ; whereas the Underftanding of a Lan- guage, requires the Knowledge of the Senfe of all ', and by the Way which I (hew, not only the Knowledge of many Words, but of many Sentences, are learn'd with Delight, in giving Light to the Underftanding, by the Excellency of the Authors, which have left their Wojks for the bettering of the Knowledge of the after Ages, by the Experience of their times : And at laft, there is more learn'd by the Pra- ctice of Reading, than there was in the long School Teaching. Thefe and many other things, have made me a little to look after the natural Courfe of learning divers, Languages ; and fo I find that Languages were not firft devifed by the Rules of Grammar, but the Rules of Grammar were framed according to the com- mon gradice o f Speech j and which, when in many Words and Phrafes the Particulars differ from the General, they make up a huge Num- ber of Exceptions. And that we find after the Tongue hath enabled Boys and Girls to pro- nounce the Words they hear, a few Years Pra- ctice makes their Tongues run nimbly away with any thing they defire to fay, and as quickly apprehend what they hear ; and that with little Offence to Prifcian, and lefs Study, though fometimes, by Mifchance, they break his About ikeWay of Teaching Latin. 135 his Head, yet lefs and feldomer than great Clerks do in other- Languages. Becaufe com- mon Uie teaches them a fpeedier Meafure by their Practice, than Line and Level could do. Befides, I find a great difference in the very na- tural Framing of the Languages ; for, in our En- glifh Tongue, a Word mifplaced alters the Senfe exceedingly, as every one conceives the Differ- ence between a Horfe-MtS f and a Mtt-Horfe, which is not fo in Latin; and the Verb in Latin is feldom joined with the fame Word we do in Engltjh, and the Adjective commonly follows the Subftantive ; whereas we commonly put him before the fame, and fay, a good Man, they fay, a Man good; and in common Talk, a Word ferves inftead of a Dictionary, to help the Underftanding of another. By which Reafon, my own Father learn'd of himfelf, by continual Reading, the Greek, Dutch, French, Italian, and Spanifh Tongues, only by reading without any other teaching : And it is a Thing plainly obferv'd by a Multitude of Perfons who never learn'd the Grammar Rules, what Errors Foreigners commit, as well in miftaking their Words, as in their undue pronouncing of them, and will as foon (hew their Errors, as if they had been directed by Grammar. I have alfb conferred with many Gentlemen, who (having learn'd Grammar by Rule, and foreign Lan- guages by Rote) have like wife acknowledged, how much more they profited by Practice than K 4 by 1 3 Richard Carew, Efy by Precept ; and likewife how much worfe it fped with thofe who followed the Grammar Rules of thofe foreign Tongues, than with others who neglected them, and plied the Pra- ctice of Speech. I could wi(h therefore, that when Children are firft taught the Grammar, inftead of that they were imploy'd in much Reading and Writing, and turning their Latin Books into Englijb, and returning the fame back again into Latin ; whereby they (hould, in that wafted time of their Youth, gain the Knowledge of many good Authors, which they could not have time to read ; and which by their dulnefs in learning the Rules of Gram- mar, they are fo tired with the Difficulty thereof, that they conceive an Impoflibility ever to attain it, and fo quit it, though they prove Men of excellent Underftanding when they come to ripenefs of Age. And the Romans as ordinarily, both Men, Women and Children, as foon learn'd, and fpeak Latin, as English, French, Dutch, Welch, and Irifo, and all other Nations do their Native Tongues. I have likewife found by Practice the fame Effect, but have been beaten out of it, by the arrogant, ignorant, and obftinate Contradiction of too many others : As I was likewife hindred by that I was not able to follow it my felf, as I ihould have done; neither am I fo foolifh, as to reject Grammar, but would only have it taught (according to the Noblenefs thereof, as one 'AlouttheWay of Teaching Latin. 137 one of the feven liberal Sciences) to Perfons, who by ripenefs of Underftanding, are able to com- prehend the Reafons thereof; and have known fome apter to learn in their Youth the Rules of Logick and Rhetorick, than thofe of Gram- mar, (though they -greedily defired it) which Courfe, if it were taken, 1 think would make many of our Englifh Gentry prove Scholars, which by the ordinary Way could never learn it. And the help prefcrib'd by the Grammar Rules, how to put the Nominative Cafe before the Verb, the Accufative after, and to join the Subftantive with the Adjective, and the order- ing of every Word, according to our Englifh Faftiion, may be far more eafily directed, by placing Figures of Number to exprefs their Order ; and by thefe Means fcarce any who go to School, (hall ever mifs the writing of a good and fwift Hand, and attain ten times more Knowledge by reading fo many wife Authors as have left their Writings for the In- ftruction of Pofterity, by their diligent Ob- fervation of the Means and Fruits, which (hew Men to follow good, and avoid ill Actions. And I hold it likewife very neceflfary for every Teacher to be as diligent in obferving the ex- ceeding different Nature of all their Scholars, according to the Difpofition of their Perfon and Age, rather than according to their com- mon Rules ; for fome can learn the fame thing better at feven, than others at fourteen ; and yet thofe at the fourteen Years end, will many timei 138 Richard Carew, Efy UsAnfww, times overtake, and our- go the fame Perfons, who fb much out-went them before. And by this way their time cannot be loft, for I take Learning to be ordained to teach Knowledge, thac Knowledge by Practice may enable Men by noble Actions, to give Glory co God, and to do as much good as they can, during the Courfe of their whole Lives. 4 * ? 5 7 * 3 Pharifxos Chriflus Paftores malos, fe vero muhts 3 82*8 2 argumentis bonumcomprobatPaftorem. Dijfidium i 3 4 2 587 profterea oritur. Lapides wUentium^ & eum pre- 6 12 bendere cupientium manus evadit. AN A N AC C OUNT O F T H E Education of the DAUPHINE. In a LETTER to his Holinefs, Pope INNOCENT XI. By JAMES BENIGN us Bos SUET, Bifhop of y Prasceptor to the 2)aupbine. Tranflated from the Original Latin. E have often heard it, Holy Fa- ther, from the Mouth of Lewis the Great, that the Dauphine be- ing his only Son, and the only Hopes of his Family and Kingdom, could not but be very dear to him ; yet he de- fired his Life xvith this one Condition, that he might be worthy of his Anceftors, and the Empire he was born to: And cjiat he had ra- ther 1 40 An Account of the ther have no Son, than fee him grow up with- out any excellent Qualifications and true Merit. For this Reafon it was his early Care, that this Auguft Prince might be accuftomed not to Idlenefs and Effeminacy, to childifh Trifles and Diverfions, but to Application and Virtue: And that from his very Infancy he might be taught the Fear of God, on which all human Happinefs depends, and without which Princes can never maintain their Authority and Ma- jefty; and in the next Place, that he (hould be inftructed in all valuable Arts and Sciences, which xvould become a Prince of his high Birth, and efpecially thofe which are of Ufe in Go- vernment. He took into his Defign likewife, all rhofe parts of Knowledge that might polifln his Trifbj give a Luftre to his Perfon, and re- commend him to the Efteem of learned Men ; that fo the Daupkine might be an Example of Virtue, a Model to other Youths, and at length, an eminent Patron of Learning, and truty worthy of his noble Defcent. I. There was one * Rule the King gave us relating to the Prince's Education, never to be tranfgrefs'd , namely, that no Day (hould pafs without fome Employment. He judged there was a vaft Difference betwixt hav- ing proper Recreations, and doing nothing for a whole Day ; and that Childrens Spirits * A Ru'p of Studying, from the King. were Education of tie DAUPHIK 141 were to be refrefh'd and recruited indeed, by Play and Paftime, but that they were not to be wholly given up to it. It was his Judg- ment, that they were daily to be put upon ferious Matters, and that too long Intermif- fions fo unhing'd their Minds, that they could never make any Proficiency. He knew there was no Life more properly a bufy Life, than that of Kings ; that every Day prefented them with new Affairs of the greateft Importance ; their Youth therefore fhould be kept in Exer- cife, and fome Hours at leaft in every Day, be fpent in Employments of a ferious Nature. Thus by the Studies of their youthful Age, they would be prepared for the Bufinefs of their future Life. Befides, that good Habits early form'd, would render the reft of their Edu- cation eafy, fupply the Place of a Monitor, and fave them the vexation of being frequently call'd upon to do what they were averfe to. For thefe Reafons, this wife King appoint- ed certain Hours in every Day for his Son's Learning ; not forbidding however thofe Amufe- ments which might keep him in good Humour, and prevent Learning appearing to him with a frightful Afpeft. The Succefs of this Method, was anfwerable to his Wifties, and the Prince always came to his Studies, as to another kind of Diverfion. But the Mafter-piece in the Dauphins' s Edu- cation, was the giving him the Duke of Mon- taujier for his Governour ; who was himfelf a very 1 42, An Account of the very learned Man, as well as an excellent Sol^ dier, and above all, eminent for his Piety, and as it were form d on purpofe to educate the Son of fo great an Heroe. He always had the Prince under his Eye ; nor, would he fuf- fer him to hear any low and licentious Difcourfe, or permit any Perfon of a vicious Chara&er to have Accefs to him. He gave him the beft Council, and taught him by his own Example j and omitted nothing that could be of Service in forming the Body and Mind of this Royal Youth. 'Tis our Glory to have liv'd in perfed Friendlhip with this great Man, who did us the Honour to furnilh us with many excellent Hints relating to that Part of the Prince's Edu- cation, which was more peculiarly under our Care. II. His Studies were begun both Morning and Evening with fome previous Leflbns of Piety *, - which the Prince attended to with a great deal of Reverence, and with his Hat off. When we explained the Catechifm to him, which he had learn'd by heart, we inculcated this, that befides the general Precepts of Chri- ftianity, there are fpecial Obligations belonging to Mens federal Circumftances and Characters ; and that there are Duties proper and peculiar to Princes, which they can't omit without great * Religion. Guilt Education of the DAUPHIN E. 143 Guilt. We fpoke of 'em however at this time only in the General, referring the reft to a riper Age. By frequent Repetitions, rhefe three Words, and their Connexions one with another, were deeply fix'd in Memory, Piety, Goodnefs, and Juftice. We told him that the whole Duty of a Chriftian and a King was comprehended in thefe. And we argued in this Manner: He who is piou^ towards God, cannot but be very good to Men, as being his Children, and made after his Likenefs. He who loves Mankind, will give them what is their Right ; will pro- tect good Men, and for the fake of the Publicfc Peace punifh Injuftice, and reftrain thofe who are diforderly. A pious Prince therefore will be good ; He'll be a common Benefador, and will be grievous to none but thofe who provoke him by their Crimes. Under thefe three Heads we reduc'd all the Precepts, which we afterwards fully mftruded him in ; we fhew'd him how all other Virtues fpring from thefe, and that all other Learning was intended to facilitate the Practice of 'em. He was very early acquainted with the facred Hiftory in the Old and New Teftament: He had it in his Memory, and would often repeat it, efpecially fome remarkable Inftances of the Fa- vour of God to good Princes ; and terrible Judgments that had fall' n upon thofe that re- bell'd againft him. When 144 An Account of the When he was fomewhat more advanc'd, h6 read the Gofpels and the Afts of the Apoftles, which contain the Hiftory of the Church in its Infancy. By thefe he was taught to love Jefus Chrift, to take him as it were into his Arms, to grow up with him, to obey his Pa- rents, increafe in Favour with God and Men, give daily new Proofs of Wifdom : Then he attended at his Sermons, admired his Miracles, ador'd his Goodnefs to all forts of People. Nor did he forfake him at his Death,, that he might be worthy alfo to follow him in his Re- furre&ion and Afcenfion to Heaven. He here learn'd to love and honour the Church, humble, patient,, from the beginning exercifed with Cares, prov'd by Afflictions, and in all Vi- ctorious. Here he faw the Apoftles ruling ac- cording to the Commands of Chrift, and in their Doftrine and Example, going before the Faithful. In a Word, nere he learn'd many other things, which lay a Foundation for Faith, enliven Hope, and inflame Charity. If at any time in reading the Gofpel his Attention was off, or there appeared the leaft Token of Irreverence, the Book was laid afide, as not to be read, but with a facred Refpect : The Prince would think this a heavy Punifli- ment, and by degrees he learn'd to read fmall Portions with the clofeft Attention, and think afterwards upon what he had read. We gave him a plain and natural Explication of the Palfages that had been perverted, told him there were! Education of the DAUPHINE. 1 45 were many things not only above his Age, but even above ail human Comprehenfion, proper therefore to mortify Pride, and exercife Faith. When he had read over the Gofpels feveral Times, we put the Old Teftament into his Hands, and began with the Hiftory of the Kings; where we obferv'd, that the moft terrible Inftances of Divine Vengeance had been given in Kings, that being advanc'd by the Divine Pleafure, next to himfelf over other Men, they were oblig'd to the elofeft Subjection to him,' that in them had been given the ftrong Proofs of the Inftability of human Affairs, and that therefore there is no Security but in the Divine Protection. After this, we chofe cut fome Chapters in. the Apoftolical Epiftles, which contain the Chriftian Morality; and fome Parts of the Prophetical Books were recommended to him ; wherein it was obfervable, with what Authority and Majefty God fpake to proud Kings, and how with the Breath of his Mouth, he fcatter'd numerous Armies, overturned Kingdoms, and levell'd the Conquered and Conquerors in one and the fame Deftruction. We directed him particularly to thofe Prophecies concerning Chrrft, which are referr'd to in the Gofpels: Thefe the Prince read with Admiration : And we had a fair Occafion to take Notice, that none of God's Promifes or Threatnings are vain, that what he had told us concerning a future State, might be relied on, and that the Cer- L tainty An Account of the tainty of Things, yet future, was evident from what had already come to pafs. To thefe Matters was added fome brief Account of the Fathers, the Ads of the moft famous Martyrs, and fo much of Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, as might be of Service to him. III. We need not be long upon Grammar, Latin t h e Method of his Grammar Authors, Geography. , . _ T . , ,, Learning. We endeavour d to teach him the Latin and French Tongues, both together, firft of all their Propriety, then their Elegance. We relieved the tedioufnefs of this Part of Learning, by convincing him of the Ufefulnefs of it, and by forming the Knowledge of Things with that of Words, fo far as his Age would admit. We were fo happy in this Method, that when he was little more than a Child, he underftood the beft Latin Authors, and was feldom at a lofs where they were moft difficult. He could repeat many of the moft ufeful and entertaining Paflages in them, and would apply them, upon Occafion, with great Pertinence. In reading over thefe Authors, we always had our main End in View of teaching him, together with the other Parts of Learning, Piety, Virtue and Government. We did not fail therefore, in reading over the Roman Au- thors, to take notice that Fables and impure Myfteries of the Heathen Theology and Re- ligion, Education of the DAUPHINE. 147 ligion, were an Argument of the darknefs Men would be in, if altogether left to them- felves; that the politeft Nations, and thofe that are moft celebrated for the Wifdom of their political Inftitutions, the Egyptians, G.u- dans, and Romans, had been very ignorant in Divine Things, and woiihip'd abominable Mon- fters ; and were never recovered from thefe Abfurdities, ? till Jefus Chrift enlighten'd them. Right Sentiments therefore concerning Religion were the Gift of Heaven. But though the Gentiles were fo much mi- ftaken in their Religion, yet they kept up a due Refpeft for what they efteem'd facred ; knowing that Civil Government could not fub- fift without it. And there were many Examples of Juftice and other Virtues amongft them, which will reflect very much upon Chriftians, if they are not virtuous, though they have been taught of God* Thefe Remarks were not given him in Form of a Leflbn, but in the Way of familiar Converfation : And when he was Matter of them, he would difcourfe of them of his own accord. And I remember, that upon fome Commendation of Alexander, who had boldly undertaken the common Caufe of Greece, againft the whole Perjian Monarchy 9 he obferv'd of himfelf, that it would be much more glorious for a Chriftian Prince to oppofe the common Enemy of Chriftendom, who was then breaking in upon it. L2 We 1 48 An Account of the We thought it not the beft Way to read the Latin Authors in fmall Parcels, I mean one or two Books only of the &neids, or of Cafar's Commentaries; but rather read over the whole Workm a continued Courfe, and as it were, at one Breath, that the Prince might be able to form a Juogment, not of a Part only of a Work, but of the whole Defign, and the Connexion of the feveral Parts: And indeed, the Beauty of a (ingle Part is not fo difcernable, without hav- ing a View of the whole Piece. Nor do we qtherwife judge of a true Building. Amongft the Poets, he was beft pleas'd with Virgil and Terence ; and amongft the Hiftorians, with Salufl and Cafar. This laft he admir'd above all, as an excellent Model of Writing and Action, and was defirous to learn of him the Art of War : We did therefore, as it were, follow this great Commander in all his Marches, we made Encampments, form'd and executed Defigns, prais'd or punifti'd the Soldiery, employ 'd them in Works, rais'd their Hopes, held them in a Pofture for Action, whilft we conducted a conquering Army, re- ftrain'd their Plunder, kept our own Men in order by Difcipline, and fecur'd our Allies by punctual Regard to Treaties, accommodated the Difpofition of our Troops to the Circumftances of Place, and the Temper of the Enemy j fometimes we made Advantage by Delays, but udially pulh'd on, and by the Quicknefs of our Marches, gave our Enemies no Time, either for Council Education of the DAUPHINE^ 149 Council or Flight; thofe that fubmitted we fpar'd, but thofe who flood out, we treated with Severity ; conquer'd Countries we recon- cii'd to our Government, by Prudence and Equity ; and at once foften'd their Subjection and fecur'd our own Victories. I hardly need mention the Pleafure he had in reading Terence. Here he was prefented with a Pidure of human Nature. Here he faw the deceitful Charms of Pleafure and Women, the Excefles and Misfortunes of Youth, cor- rupted by the Intriegues and Flattery of Slaves, tormented by a blind Paifion, at laft recovered, tho' almoft by a Miracle, and then only enjoy- ing Calmnefs and Serenity. Here he obferv'd the juft Reprefentation of the Manners and Paflions of every Age and Condition, with every Feature and Lineament of each Character, finifli'd by this great Artift, with that Pro- priety and Decorum, which is the diftinguiftiing Excellence of this fort of Performances. In the mean Time, we pafs'd our Cenfure upon the licentious Paflages we met with in this Author; expreffing ftill a much greater Surprife, that many of our own Writers have (hewn lefs Mo- defty in their Pieces. This Practice we con- demn'd as infamous, and deftructive of good Manners. This Account would be of an improper Length, (hould I relate all our Remarks upon other Authors, efpecially upon Gcero, whom L we 150 An Account of the we could not forbear admiring for his Wit, Philofophy and Eloquence. Geography was bu 1 1 a Sport, and as a plea- fant Voyage to us; we fell down Rivers in their gentle Current, then put out to Sea, view'd the Coafts, enter'd the Ports and Cities, then went up the Country. All this we per- form'd not in a Hurry, like Travellers void of Curiofity, but enquired after every thing wor- thy of Obfervation, efpecially of the Manners and Cuftoms of the People : But more particu- larly we endeavoured to underftand the Genius of the French Nation, whom we found to be a Warlike People, yet given to cftange, abound- ing in populous Cities, poflefs'd of a vaft Empire, febt to be govern 'd but by the greateft Steadi- nefs and \Vifdom. IV. Hiftory demanded a more than ordinary Application, being the k by the great Miftrefs of Prudence, in pri- Prince. vate and pu blick Life. We be- gan, with the Hiftory of France, our own Country. We directed him to fome Parts of Ccmines of Bellay j but we did not put him to the Fatigue of reading much himfelf, for we cdlefted out of our beft Authors, all thofe Facts that might be necefifary to give him an Ixtea of our whole Hiftory. This we read to hitrij that is, fo much at a Time as he might be able to remember ; then he repeated it, and afterwards wrote it down in French. Be- fides Jbaucanon oj HW? UAUPHINE. 151 fides this, he turn'd the French into Latin : This was inftead of a Theme. We corrected both afterwards with great Care. Every Satur- day he read over at once, all that he had writ out in all the whole Week : Thefe Papers in- creas'd, 'till we were forc'd to divide them into feveral Books, which the Prince read over frequently- He was fo induftrious in this Employment, that we have now a great Part of our Hiftory> in the Style and Hand-writing of this Prince, both in French and Latin. When he was fuffi- ciently Mafter of the Latin Tongue, we abridged his Labour, by omitting the Tranflation : But ftill he continued to write down in French, what we read to him. With the Prince's Judgment, our Hiftory enlarg'd. The firft Accounts of our Affairs we had rehears'd but briefly. As we came nearer our Time, we grew more par- ticular. We took notice of all our moft remark- able Laws and Conftitutions, and all confide- rable Revolutions and Changes, and not only E- vents themfelves, but the fecret Caufes of them. Nor did we omit the Miftakes of our Kings, and the Difafters they brought upon them. And that the Prince might learn from Hifto- ry, how to govern, when we met with a nice Conjuncture, the whole Pofture of Affairs was fet before him: And we enter'd as it were into Council, and having well weigh'd all Circum- ftances, proposed what Meafures were moft pro- per to be taken, and ask'd his Opinion. Then L 4 we 1 5 i An Account of the we proceeded in our Hiftory to fee the Iffue, and pointed out the Errors that were obferv- able, either in Defign or Execution. Thus from Experience we form'd all our Rules of Action. \ V. Though as we went a- St. Lewis an Exam- long, we took up Examples of lng * Conduct, through the whole Hi- ftory of our Kings, yet St. Lewis was our great Heroe, and the only perfect Model of a good King. Him we found, not only eminent for his Sanctity, (which all know) but like wife for the utmoft Skill in all the Affairs of Peace and War ; for Courage, Moderation, and a true Greatnefs of Mind. In him began the Glory of the French Monarchy. In him we have at once a perfect Pattern of perfonal, private and royal Virtues, and a fure Interceffor for us with God. VI. Next to him, we plac'd As alfo Lewis XIV. j^gwis the Great, that living Example of good Govern- ment, which we have before our Eyes. Here we laid before the Prince his Father's admirable Laws and Edicts,- we acquainted him with the exact Difpofitions of our Finances, the Frauds that had been difcover'd in their Management ; our military Difcipline maintained with equal Prudence and Authority ; the new Methods of ftoring Magazines, befieging Towns, and con- ducting Education oj the DAUPHINE. 155 ducYmg Armies ; the true Spirit of our Sol- diery, their Brisknefs in Aflaults, and Firmnefs in maintaining their Ground ; the ftrong Per- fuafion of our People in general, that nothing is too great or difficult to be perform'd under fo great a King; At laft we fhew'd him the King himfelf equal to an Army, We (hew'd him the Weight, Uniformity, and Secrefy o his Councils, never difcover'd but by the Exe- cution in the moft furprifing Events. His Con- duct and Valour in War, giving Peace to conquer'd Enemies on equal Terms ; and above all, his unwearied Zeal in propagating and fupporting true Religion : Thus we fet the great Example of the Father before the Son, fo capable of following him. VII. In Philofophy we obferv'd this Diftindion, PHofophy,OftheKnow- , . i y j ledge of God, and our to give him the Grounds f e ies. and Reafons of thofe Maxims that are certain and of Ufe in Life ; but the Hiftory only of thofe that are con- troverted and doubtful. Recommending to him an equitable Temper towards all Sides, judging it to be for the Honour of one born to govern, to proteft all in their Enquiries, rather than to enter as a Party into any of their Difputes. Being fully perfuaded that the great Bufinefs of Philofophy, is to teach us the Knowledge pf our felves, and from our felves to carry us 154 * Account of the us to God, we form'd our Inftrudions upon this Principle. We had long fince fown the Seeds of this Philofophy in his Mind, and had taken Care, that vvhilft he was but very young, he might be able to diftinguifh the Mind from the Body, namely, that Part which is to govern, from that which is to ferve ; and that from the Image of a Mind ruling the Body, he might form an Idea of God, governing the World, and the Mind it felf. When Years had ripen'd his Judgment, we thought our felves o- blig'd to teach him this more methodically, and remembering the Direction of our Lord, St. Luke xxi. 34. "fake heed to your fehes ; and the Sen-' tence of David, T*he Knowledge of T'hee from my felf is wonderful : We dreiv up a Treatife under thefe two Heads, T'he Knowledge of God and our fehes : In which we explain'd the Structure of the Body, and the Nature of the Soul, from what every Man may obferve in himfelf. And as a Man is moft prefent to himfelf, we en- deavour'd that from hence he might apprehend how intimately prefent God is with all things. For as much as without him, we could not live, move, breathe or think, according to that moft Philofophical Sentence of the Apoftle at Athens, the very Seat of Philofophy (Acts xvii. 25, 27, 28. ) As the Apoftle from things al- ready known, and evident to Reafon, propos'd to lead them forwards to higher things ; fo it was Education of the DAUPHINE. 155 was our care to improve the Apprehenfion of the Deity, which Nature had implanted in us; and demonftrated by the moft certain Argu- ments, that they who chofe to be thought no better than Brutes, are indeed the moft con- ceited, and yet the moft contemptible of all Men. VIII. The next thing we had to do, was to give him fome Notion of Logick and moral Philofophy, for Ethicks. the farther cultivating the beft Powers, the Underftanding and Will. The Principles of Logick we took from Plato and Ariflotki But our Logick was not the empty Science of wrangling and difputing, but the Art of forming the Judgment. We employ 'd our felves chiefly in that Part which furnilhes thofe Heads of Arguments which are of Ufe in publick Deliberations and Counfels, and which, tho J fingly and by themfelves, are of no great Moment, yet when laid together, amount to a Probality, and are a good Foun- dation for Aftion. Thefe we confidered as the Ground of Rhetorick, which cloaths, moves and animates thofe naked Arguments which Logick had collected and put together as fo many Bones and Sinews, But the Rhe- torick we taught him did not confift in Sound and Noife, nor was it foft and effeminate, but flrong and mafculine, founded upon Truth and Nature An Account of th Nature. We fele&ed for him fome of the beft: Rules out of Cicero, Quimilian, and others. But we made more ufe of Examples than Pre- cepts. And it was a Cuftom with us to ftrip thofe Speeches that aflfeded us, of moft of thofe Figures and other Ornaments, which Words had beftow'd upon 'em; and reduce 'em to thofe fimple and naked Arguments we juft now mentioned, that we might fee what came from Logick, and what Rhetorick had added. As for Morality, we judg'd it beft to take it from Scripture and the Chriftian Inftitution ; nor could we endure, that he who might be fatisfied from the Fountain, fhould follow im- pure Streams. However we did not quite overlook Ariftotles Ethicks ; and to them we join'd the wonderful and fublime Difcoveries of Socrates, efpecially confidering the time in which he liv'd ; which muft put our modern Deifts to the Blufti, if not convert 'em. We remark'd likewife, what Chriftianity condemn'd in them, \vhat it added, and what new Light it beftow'd upon thofe things it approv'd of and confirm'd. And when we had done all this, the Wifdom of thefe great Men, notwithstanding its Phi- Jofophical Gravity, appear'd to us little better than a mere childifti Science. IX. Nor did we think it befide ourPurpofe to eive him fome Know- Civil Law. r i n T r r ledge or the Roman Laws; io far at leaft as to acquaint him with the Education of ^?DAUPHINE. 157 the Definition of Right, and the feveral Di- ftributions of it; with the threefold Objeft of the Law, (i. e.) Perfons, Things, and Ac- tions; as alfo the Nature of Contracts, Teft- aments, Inheritances; the Jurifdidion of Civil Magiftracy, and the Authority of Decifions in Courts of Judicature ; with divers other things relating to the Principles of the Civil Law. X. We have little to fay concern- ing Metaphyficks, befides what has Natural Phi- been already mentioned under the former Heads : And many Parts of Natural Philofophy came in our way when we difcourfed on the Structure of the hu- man Bodies ; and as for the reft, it was more agreeable to us to deliver them in the manner of Hiftory than a Syftem. The ufual Experi- ments were perform'd before the Prince, fo as to give him a very agreeable and ufeful En- tertainment. And he obferv'd the Induftry of Mankind, in tracing out Nature in all her Operations, as well as in aflifting and improv- ing her. From thence he proceeded to admire the Art of Nature it felf, and the wonderful Contrivance of the great Artift, which is at the fame time fecret and manifeft. XI. For the Mathematicks, which are fo ferviceable in ftrengthening , r Mathematicks. human Reaion, he had an excel- lent Matter, who taught him not only 158 An Account of the only the Methods of fortifying and befieging Towns, and making Encampments, and to draw out thefe with his own Pencil ; but alfo the Nature of all kinds of Machines, and their Powers, the feveral Syftems of the Uni- verfe, and fome of the firft Books of Euclid all which the Prince apprehended with a readinefs that was furprizing to all that were about him. I muft juft take Notice, that all the feveral Parts of Knowledge were inftill'd into him by Degrees, and were taught in their proper Place and Order, that he might be able to make ufe of it upon every Occafion. The three laft XII. And now for the finifhing Parts of the t h e Prince's Studies, we under- studies. to k three Things of no fmall Moment. i. Firft of all, univerfal Hiftory, Antient and Modern. The former comprehending the Hiftory of the World, from the Creation to Charles the Great, and the ruin of the antient Roman Empire ; the latter from thence to the prefent Time. We firft gave it a curfory Read- ing, and after that, in feveral Lectures, made him mafter of the Whole. We here fet before him the Rife and Progrefs of Religion, the Fates of Empires, the Springs and Caufes of Events. We fhew'd him the Connexion of the Old and New Teftament j hoxv Religion was ever Education of the DAUPHINE. 159 ever acknowledged and prote&ed by an Al- mighty Providence, and advanced from its firft Obfcurity to the full Light of the Gofpel. We acquainted him with the Inftitutions of the Affy- rians y Per/tans, Grecians, and Romans; and other Kingdoms that have fucceffively made a Fi- gure in the World. All this was perform'd without a tedious Prolixity, and with as great Brevity as was poflibie. We had this double Advantage, from the Knowledge of the World and the general Hiftory of Nations ; in the firft Place, we learn'd the Antiquity, Autho- rity, and Stability of Religion ; and in the next Place, we learn J d the true Methods of preferv- ing a Government in a flourilhing Condition, from the Miftakes others had been guilty of: Senfible neverthelefs, that the beft conftituted States are fubject to the Accidents of Mor- tality, and that from all human Things, we muft raife our Thoughts and Hopes to thofe which are Divine and Heavenly. 2. Our next Performance contains the Rules of Policy and good Government, and of the Adminiftration of Juftice, taken out of the Holy Scriptures': Shewing not only the Duties of Subjects to their Princes, how the publick Worfhip of God ought to be directed, and the Minifters of Religion fupported, but alfo the Original of Government, and how Societies have been form'd, together with the Rules of good Conduct in War and Peace, and whatever elfe 1 60 An Account of tic clfe is neceffary for the true preferving of the Dignity of Government. This Work will make it evident, that the Scriptures exceed all other Books that have treated of Civil Policy, not only in the Authority, but alfo in the Prudence and Excellency of its Precepts. 3. Our third and laft Piece contains the par- ticular Laws and Cuftoms of the French Mo- narchy : And in confidering its Intereft, with reference to other Kingdoms, we (hall fee down the whole State of Chrifiendom and Europe. We fhall finilh thefe Defigns as the Time and our Abilities will permit : And then at the King's Command fhall return to him his beloved Son, whofe Education has been com- mitted to us by his Orders, and conducted according to the Rules he had given us. What remains will be compleated by the King him- felf, the beft Mafter, and his own Experience. This, Holy Father, is the Method , ,. we have purfued with the utmoft Conclufion. . - Application and Faithlulneis ; We have planted and watered; may God give the Increafe. And ever fince He, whofe Vicegerent you are, hath infpired you with a paternal Regard to thefe our Endeavours, we have not fail'd in your Holinefs's Name to ad- monifti and excite the Prince, and have found this a powerful Incentive to every thing that is Education of the DAUPHINE 1 6 i is great and excellent. We efteem our felves happy that we have fo great a Patron of thefe our Labours, in one, who is another Leo, or Gregory, or rather another Peter. Holy Father, Tow Holinefs's moft Devoted, AM Obedient Son, At the Palace of St. German . 1670. J. BENIGNUS, Bifhoj) of Condom? tf. 5. He was made Bifliop of Meauxl i^8f; M THE THE METHOD By which the DUKES O F BURGUNDY, ANJOU, and BERRY, the Grandchild- ren of LEWIS XlVth were educated. H E Manner, in which thefe young Princes were bred up, in regard to their Health, was not at all approved of by the Gen- tlemen of the Faculty : Never- thelefs, their Governour the Duke de Beaiwillier, had Refolution enough to purfue it, and his Majefty placed fiich and en- tire An Account of the Education, tire Confidence in him, that he left that Affair folely to his prudent Management. They live upon plain Diet, eating as much as they pleafe at each Meal, nothing but pro- per Food being ferv'd up. At breakfaft they eat a Cruft of dry Bread, drinking a large Glafs of Wine and Water, or Water only, juft as they pleafe. At Dinner and Supper they eat juft what they will of all that is brought to Table ; care being taken that they eat a good deal of Bread, and but little raw Fruit. Three Days in the Week are call'd Ragoo Days, but that is meant only for Dinner, and then befides boil'd and roafted, Fricaflees of Chickens ; Tarts, white Meats and fuch like Difhes are brought to the Table, but feldom or never any real Ragoos, or Difhes high feafon'd. The other Days they dine upon Beef, and their roaft Meet is Chicken, Partridge, and fuch like. Their Suppers are always alike, a Leg of Mutton, a Loyn of Veal, or a Rib of Beefj with fome wild Fowl or Poultry dreft plain j and inftead of Fruit, March-Pane, or Orange- Peels. In Lent they keep more or fewer Faft Days according to their Age. The Duke of Burgundy will keep the whole approaching Lent, but the Prince's Brother will eat Flefti three times a Week. Fridays and Saturdays, and all Faft Days, as well as in Lent, they eat a-part^ M 2 thac 1 6 4 An Account of ikt Educatidn that each may be ferv'd with Food proper for his Age and Conftitution, without the one's longing for the other's Vi&uals. And Lenten Food being generally of a higher Gouft and higher feafon'd, and confequencly better re- lifh'd, 'tis to be fear'd they may eat too much of it, for which reafon care is taken to provide what is moft innocent, and chiefly Pan or Pud- ding Cakes. For their Bevers they eat as at Breakfafts, a Cruft of Bread or a Bifcuit, and drink a Glafs of Water ; but they have Wine at Dinner and Supper, if they pleafe, for fometimes they'll not drink any. Their Wine is always Burgundy, and they are allowed but two Glafles at a Meal. They never tafte Beer, Cyder, or your made Wines, nor Lemonade, unlefs they have now and then a gaudy Day, which comes but feldom, or when they eat with the Duke de Beauiiillier : They likewife never drink iced Wine, becaufe the Duke of Burgundy don't love it. Thus much for their eating and drinking, as to their Exercife, for their Health fake, they are of fuch forr, that a Citizen of Paris would fcarce put his Children under the like Regi- men, and it is to be confefs'd, that were thefe Princes not fo hail and healthy as they are, they would fcarce be put to it neither. They never put on their Hats when without Doors, unlefs when they are on Horfeback, or it rains, for be it never fo hot, or cold, or wind Of tie Dukes of Burgundy, &ci i 65 windy, they always go bare-headed ; and they are now fo much accuftom'd to it, that they donVfufe the leaft Inconvenience, in keeping their Heads uncover'd. They never take any Kind of Phyfiek, nor were they ever blooded or purg'd. They have now and then, 'tis true, been troubled with Fevers, and then they give them the Bark : But (hould they be feiz'd with a violent Fit of Sicknefs, I make no doubt but they'd call in the Doctors. As they take the Air every Day, both Summer and Winter, whether they walk or ride, they are permitted to ufe as much Exercife as they will, and though they put themfelves in never fo great a Sweat, they don't thift their Linnen, unlefs when they have been at Tennis, and then they are allow'd to have a dry Shirt ; but they are neither rubb'd with warm Cloths, nor fuffer'd to lye down, by way of Refreflnment. They run almoft daily, 'till they are quite tir'd; and fometimes go a hunting on Foot, for a whole Day together. When they are at Fountainbkau, they go a Swg Hunting for feveral Hours together -, I mean for the four Years laft paft. In a Word, they are educated, as if they were one Day to fet up for hardy Champions ; and the Duke of BeauviVitr is fo verily perfuaded, that an infirm Prince is good for nothing, efpecially in France, where 'tis expected the King (hould command M 3 his 1 66 An Account of the Education his Armies in Perfon, that it muft be fome- thing very extraordinary that (hall oblige him to alter this his Method, and God be prais'd, hitherto he has had no Occafion : On the con- trary, the Princes are in fuch perfect Health, and of fb ftrong Conftitutions, that they never have the leaft Ailing. Now and then it happens, that they catch a flight Cold, but they don't ufe a bit the lefs Exercife for all that; unlefs their Cold is very bad indeed, they don't mind it. Thus much for their daily Recreations. They all three rife at the fame Time, that is, precifely at three Quarters after Seven, and by a Quarter after Eight, they are dreft, and have faid their Prayers : Then they go to Mafs, and after that, to the Daupbine's Levy ; there they continue but a (hort Space, and then go to the King's ; where they ftay 'till half an Hour after Nine, at which Time his Majefty goes to Mafs. Each Prince then returns to his own Apart- ment, where they play for half an Hour with their Gentlemen Ufhers, and firft Valet de Chambre ; who with their Sub-Governours, or without them, are thofe appointed to keep them Company. At Ten they betake themfelves to their Study, which holds 'till Noon. Then they go to Dinner all together. The Duke <& SeatffviSier attends them when they eat in private, which is every Evening and Faft Day ; but when they eat in Publick, they are waited on by the Steward of the Houlhold, and Of the Dukes of Burgundy, &c. 1 67 and in Form. They rife from Table, a quar- ter before One, three Quarters being the Al- lowance for dining Time: Each Prince then retires to his own Apartment, with his Sub-Go- vernours and Gentlemen, and there they write* dance" and draw, 'till two a Clock. Then they play at Tables, Chefs or Cards, with their Sub-Governour and Gentlemen- Ufhers, for three Quarters of an Hour ; after which, they go to their Book, if it's Summer, three Quarters after Two being too hot for walking ; but in Winter they then take their Walk, becaufe 'tis Night before Five : So that from September, their Walking begins a Quarter before Three, 'till Five, and their Study lafts 'till Seven ; and from May, their Study com- mences three Quarters after Two, 'till Five ; and then they take their Walk 'till Seven. At Seven they have a Lecture read to them, on fome diverting Subject; this continues three Quarter of an Hour 'till Supper time. About Eight they fet down to Supper, from whence they go to their feveral Apartments, where they play at Cards, Chefs, Billiards, &c. At Nine, or a Quarter after, according as they have behav'd, they go to Bed, and fome- times fooner, by way of Punifhment. They take their Walk all three together, at leafhvife when they have not made a faux fas, for in that Cafe they are feparated, and he that has misbehaved, (lays at Home, to his very great Mortification. M 4 They 1 6 8 An Account of the Education They never go abroad, either on Footf or Horfeback, without three or four young Noblemen in Company ; but at all other Times, they have only their own Domefticks about them ; and neither Pages , nor any young Gentlemen are permitted to come near them. They are never fuffer'd to whifper to each other, nor are any of the young Gentry, who walk or ride in their Company, permitted tp whifper to them ; and of all their Domefticks, only the Sub-Governours, Gentlemen-Ufhers, firft Valet de Chambre, and upper and under Preceptor, and their Confeflbr, when he is prefent, are allow'd to whifper to them, or {peak in private : And if any thing remarkable happens, the Duke de Beauvittier is to be mad acquainted with it. If either of the young Princes does any thing in Publick, which the Duke de Beauvillier rnay difapprove, in his Abfence the Sub-Go- vernour or chief Domeftick in waiting may whifper to him his Fault, and whenever it happens, that being in a private Manner told it, he does not take care to behave as he fhould, he certainly meets with a proper Punifh- ment. Thofe who have the Charge of the Princes Education, having their Authority de- pendent on the Duke de BfOttviBier, and confe- quently no Power to act on their own Heads, the Duke is more exad and rigorous to inflift thofe Punilhments, which the Sub-Governours have threatned, than thofe which the Duke himfelf Of the Dukes 0/Burgimdy, &c. frimfelf has, when a fmall Fault has been committed in his own Prefence. When a Fault is done privately, that is, in their own private Apartment, lefs notice is taken, and the Tranfgreffion is much eafier forgiven, than when done in publick. When the Princes go to Fount ainbleau , 'tis reckon'd a fort of Breaking-up-time : Not becaufe they don't ftudy as at other Times^ at leaft once a Day, but becaufe they go a hunting every Day, either with the King, or with the Dauphine; for which Reafon they have lefs of their Book ; the greateft Part of cheir Time being taken up in thefe Diverfions. Neither Feftival Days nor Sundays, exempt them from their Study, they only hinder their Walk abroad, fome of the grand Feftivals ex- cepted ; the Service of the Church being then much longer, which happens but five or fix Times a Year. The other Feaft Days and Sun- days, they attend only at low Mafs, as at other Times, going befides either to Vefpers or Mattins. Feftival Days and Sundays, their Studies are upon religious Matters, as well as their Lecture at Evening. Their Themes for Example, are taken from Treatifes of Piety, and they tranflate from the Bible, and the beft Latin Fathers. They learn Latin by Rote, and not by prammar Rules, except the very firft Rudi- ments i and the Reafon why this Method is to be 'i 70 An Account of the Education be preferr'd, is, becaufe the painful irkfome Part is hereby remov'd, and their Studies ren- der'd more pleafant and agreeable ; and this farther Benefit attends it, that they take as much Pleafure at their Book, as their other Diverfions. It is true, the two eldeft naturally take great Delight in Learning, and are already Mafters of the Latin Tongue ; they write it with Eafe, and elegantly, and make Fables and Dialogues, which they fend to one another ; the Matter as well as the Latin being their own Compofure. They tranflate Latin into French, and French into Latin. They are not fuffer'd to make Verfes in either Language, becaufe it is ridiculous for a Prince to pafs for a Poet ; but they tranflate Poetry, and by the Knowledge they have of the Latin Tongue, they diftinguifa their feveral Beauties. They have already tranflated Virgil, Ovid and Horace, and they are to conftrue alt the reft. The Books they learn are different, as muft be fuppos'd, by reafon of their different Ages ; but bating that, their Capacities are near upon an Equality. Indeed the Duke of Burgundy, as being the Heir Apparent, is inftrufted in fome things, which are not fo abfolutely ufeful to the other two. They endeavour to inftill into them, the greateft Averfion imaginable to Pedantry : The Archbifhop of Cambray y their Preceptor, being perfuadcd, that a Prince had better be wholly -gnoranr of the bsttes Lettrcf, than be a Pedant ; becaufe Of the Dukes 0/Burgundy, &c. 171 becaufe it is ridiculous in a Prince to be cha- racterifed for his more than ordinary Acquire- ments, in any one Science not effential to him as a King ; there being only three things ab- folutely neceflfary for him perfectly to under- ftand: ('viz,.) Hiftory, Politicks, and the Com- mand of an Army. The greateft Care there- fore is taken for their being well inftruded in thofe three, in other Knowledge they don't defire they (hould excel. It is likewife taught them, how contemptible a Figure that Prince makes, who paflfes for a Poet, a Grammarian, a Mathematician, a Paint- er, a Philofopher, a Mufician, a Divine, or even a Scholar, none of thefe Titles being worthy his Character, for that they are enjoy'd in com- mon by great Numbers, and fometimes by the moft defpicable of Mankind. But withal, it is requifite the Prince (hould be better acquainted with thefe feveral Arts and Sciences than any ot his Courtiers are prefum'd to be, and to have fuch a (hare of Knowledge therein, as to be able to hold a Converfation with thofe who are efteemed Conoiflfeurs : But not to dive too deep into unprofitable Difquifitions, which waft much time, too precious to be thus fquander'd by thofe of his Rank ; they are therefore taught the moft beautiful, curious, and profitable Parts in the feveral Arts and Sciences. They have learn'd perfectly, for Example, Geography } and the ufe of the Sphere (I fpeak of the two eldeft) alfo antient and modern Hiftory, 1 7 z An Account of the Education Hiftory, the Mythology of the Antients ; they know fomething of Painting, Carving, Archi- tecture, Fortification and Anatomy, and they are beginning to ftudy the Law, not as it is taught in the Schools, they will only read over fome good Treatife of the Law, which is care- fully to be explained. They are to be inftru&ed, as far as is pro- per, in antient and modern Philofophy, and the Mathematicks, for the two or three fuc- ceeding Years, whilft they learn their Exercifes. But the Duke of But-gundy is not to fpend fo much time as his two Brothers in thefe fort of Studies, nor be fo throughly acquainted with them, left his Knowledge therein fhould make him too particular, and take up that time which may be employ *d much better, and more a Prof os. They have therefore begun to teach or ex- plain to him Politicks and Trade, not by lay- ing down general and idle Rules, as is the Me- thod of the Schools, but by reading fuch Books to him, as treat on thefe Subjects, wrote in different Countries, and by the ableft Statefmen, and making proper Remarks and fuitable Re- flections thereupon. For this Purpofe, one of the ableft Men of the Age, is compofing for the Ufe of this Prince, but what will not be made publick ; a Compen- dium in Chronological Tables, of all that has patted in Europe fince the Deftrudion of the Ro- Empire, which will explain the Origin of the Of the Dukes of Burgundy, &c. 173 the feveral European Nations now in Being, the Changes and Revolutions of Kingdoms, their Wars and Acquifitions, their Loflfes, the Nature of their Commerce, the Names and Characters of all the Princes our Neighbours, their Interefts, their Maxims, and the Altera- tions made in their Politicks; the whole brought down, and treated more largely, the nearer to our own Times: And what will render this Work infinitely curious and profitable is, that being compofed for the fole Ufe of the Prince, and by the Direction of the Duke of Beauvil- lier, who is a Minifter of State, it will con- tain all the Treaties made by the feveral States of Europe ; the Breach of Treaties, the Caufes and Succefles of all the Wars, the Misfortunes attending them, what might have been done to prevent them, fetting to open view the Let- ters wrote by Princes or their Prime Minifters, which difcover the fecret Springs of Action, and their own private Ends and Defigns, which they have followed, contrary to the good of the State, as alfo private Inftructions left by Princes to their Children. As in the Account of Spain, for Example, the Inftructions of Charles Vth, and thofe of Philip lid, Hid, and IVth. In a Word, it will contain all that's neceitary the Duke of Burgundy (hould know of the Kingdom he is one Day to inherit, and of the Dominions and Territories of his Neigh- bours, The whole Truth being herein to be laid 1 74 dn Account of tht Education laid open without any Defign, it is eafy to be judged the great Benefit and Emolument he will receive from this Undertaking. Sometimes they hold an Argument upon thefe matters in which the Prince is to bear his part* in fuch like Converfations they canvafs the falfe Steps taken by Kings and Minifters, and the Duke of Burgundy is to raife his Objections likewife ; thus they difpute the matter Pro and Con, and in the End of the Debate the Prince delivers his Sentiments before the reft. He is alfo to remark their Faults in Government, what has caufed them, and the Characters of the Princes, who have committed them. They endeavour to inftil into him the greateft Aver- fion to the falfe Maxims of the modern Politicks of Machia'vel and others, and make him fenfi- ble that Truth and Juftice ought to be the Foun- dation of all our Adions, to which End they produce a thoufand Examples of Princes, who have been ruined by following other Maxims, which they miftook for good and true ones. That he may the better know the Characters of the Princes, who have from time to time reign'd in Europe, they make him compofe Dia- logues of the Dead, in which he is to bring the contemporary Kings upon the Stage, where they are to recount the real Caufes of all their Actings, and reprefent in the moft lively Co- lours all their Defaults, and difcover without any fear, the true Motives which induced them CO Of the Dukes of Burgundy, &c. 175 to act as they did. Here likewife the lively Por- tratures of their Minifters are faithfully drawn, their real Defigns unmask'd ; in (hort, nothing is omitted which may contribute to an exact and perfect Knowledge of antient and modern, Hiftory, and the proper Reflections made upon the reading thefe Dialogues, ferve to inform, the Prince's good Genius and Judgment, and infpire into him thofe true Maxims by which he ought to govern, and a great Love- for fincere and folid Virtue, with a juft Abhorrence of every thing that bears the femblance of Vice. It is during the four Hours Study Morning and Evening, and fometimes at his leifure Hours, that the Prince is imploy'd in thefe ufeful Studies, care being taken to render them more agreeable by their great Variety ; he is moft delighted when intent upon them, and his Latin takes up but a fmall part of his times not more than an Hour and half in each Day. They never let him get any thing by heart, efpecially if he has no mind to it, becaufe it will take up a great deal of his time, and the Prince befides has the Happinefs of having fo good a Memory, that it is as difficult for him to forget any thing he has learned, as it is for others to retain it. And I muft not omit to mention one thing very remarkable, that his Head contains fo exact' a Series of Chronology that it may ferve as Chronological Tables for the ufe of the whole Family. Whenever An Account of the Educatiori Whenever his Domefticks difpute upon Point of Hiftory, any antient Fable, any Paint- ing or Piece of Tapeftry Work, which may want explaining, or any thing elfe, with which he has been once made acquainted, they apply to him for their Information, and his Know- ledge in thefe matters is always more infallible than that of his Teachers. The Princes learn no other dead Language betides the Latin Tongue, which they perfectly underftand ; they are not required to fpeak it readily, only to write it elegantly and in purity. In the Morning they make Themes, and in the Evening they tranflate. As for the living Languages they don't much defire they (hould learn them, becaufe, as they are never to travel, all, who come to Court, fpeak either French or Latin ; neverthelefs they are to be taught a little Italian and Spani/h, but not till they have finifiVd their Latin, left theif great affinity to the latter, (hould any way corrupt their Latin Stile. They are not to learn to play on any Mufi- cal Inftrument, for fear it (hould engrofs too much of their time, and render them too par- ticular : At prefent they only learn to Dance, to Write, to Draw j but in a little while they are to be taught Mathematicks, Fencing, Vault- Ing; and in a Year or Year and half, the two eldeft are to learn to ride the great Horfe, and what is taught in the Manage. The Of the Dukes of Burgundy, &c. 177 The Duke de Beauviltier has never offer'd to whip or give the Ferula to any of the young Princes, judging thefe forts of Punifhments to be by no means proper for Children of their Rank. On the contrary, he ftudies to make them love him, in order to do them the greater Service, he treats them with the utmoft Lenity. There are, however, feveral forts of Punilh- ments which he inflict? as Occafion requires. One thing I think is worthy to be obferv'd, that they are never punifh'd for their Books, becaufe they always go to them with Pleafure; care being taken to make their Study-time as agreeable to them as that imploy'd in their other Diverfions. Whenever they are granted a Holyday, they apply themfelves but once that Day to their Studies, and then they hunt, that being the Diverfion which' pleafes them beft. It is then alfo they dine after a more fumptuouts Manner. I have faid nothing in this Treatife concern- ing their religious Education : I think the Me- thod here taken is properly educating them in a Chriftian-like Manner ; and it is thought much better, in order to make them good Chriftians, to infpire into them virtuous Prin- ciples, and remove out of their Sight whatfoe- ver may give ill- Example, than to put them to practice external Mortifications and outward Devotions, which commonly produces no bet- ter effect in thofe Children, who are burthened with performing thefe religious Ceremonies, N than 1 7$ An Account of tie Education, than to give them during their whole Lives after an Averiion, and fometimes even the utmoft Abhorrence to all real Piety. And it may be faid without Flattery, becaufe it is a thing well known to all the World, that never Princes received a more Chriftian-like Education. THE THE O P I N I O N O F Roger Afcham, Efq; Concerning Double TRANSLATIONS. LINIUS SECUNDUS, a wife Senator of great Expe- rience, excellently learned him- felf, a liberal Patron of learn- ed Men, and the pureft Wri- ter, in my Opinion, of all his Age, (I except not Suetonius, his two School- mafters Quintilian and Tacitus, nor yet his molt excellent learned Uncle, the elder Plinius) doth exprefs, in an Epiftle to his Friend Fufcus, many good Ways for Order in Study; but he be- ginneth with Tranflation, and preferreth it be- fore all the reft. N 2 But 1 8 o Of Double Tranflations. But a better and nearer Example herein may be, our moft noble Queen Elizabeth, who ne- ver took yet Greek nor Latin Grammar in her Hand, after the firft declining of a Noun and a Verb ; but only by this double tranflating of Demoflhenes and Ifocrates daily, without mif- fing every Forenoon, and likewife fome Part of luRy every Afternoon, for the Space of a Year or two, hath attained to fuch a perfect Under- ftanding in both the Tongues, and to fuch a ready Utterance of the Latin, and that with fuch a Judgment, as there be few in Number in both the Uni verities' or elfe where in England, that be in both Tongues comparable with her Majefty. And to conclude in a fhort Room the Commodities of double Tranflation ; furely the Mind, by daily marking, firft, the Caufe and Matter ; then the Words and Phrafes ; next, the Order and Compofition ; after the Reafon and Arguments ; then, the Forms and Figures of both the Tongues ; laftly, the Mea- fure andCompafs of every Sentence, muft needs, by little and little, draw unto it the like Shape of Eloquence, as the Author doth ufe, which is read. And thus much for double Tranflatioa. A LETTER FROM THE Marchionefs de LAMBERT To her SON. S I defire nothing fo much as to vl fee you perfectly a complete Gen- tleman, let us fee what are his Duties, that you may know your Obligations. I inftruft my felf by thefe Reflections ; perhaps I (hall one Day be fo happy as to change my Precepts into Examples. Thofe who exhort others (hould go firft themfelves in the Way. An Ambaflador t&Perfia asked the Wife ofLeonidas, Why they honoured Women fo much in Lacedemovfa ? It is becaufe, faid (Vie, they alone know' how to N make i 8 z The Marchionefs de Lambert'* make Men. A Greek Lady (hewed her Jewels to Phocions Mother, and asked to fee hers : She (hewed her her Children, and faid to her, Thefe are my Drefs and Ornaments ; I hope one Day they will be all my Glory. But let us return to the Duties incumbent on Men. The Order of which, is to know how to live with Superiors, Equals, Inferiors, and onefelf ; with Superiors, to know how to pleafe without Meannefs ; to (hew Efte^m and Amity to Equals ; not to make Inferiors f eel the Wejght of Superiority ; and to preferve a due Dignity with onefelf. Above all Duties is the Worftiip we owe the Supreme Being. Religion is a Commerce eftabliuYd between God and Men ; by the Graces of God to Men, and by the Wor(hip of Men to God. Elevated Souls have Senti- ments and a particular Worfliip far unlike that of the Vulgar. All proceeds from the Heart and goes to God. Moral Virtues are in Danger In Entertain- ments. I do not require of you a Piety full of Weakneflfes and Superftitions,* I only require that the Love of Order (hould make you fnb- nrit to God all what you know and think ; that the fame Love of Order govern all your Ac- tions : It xv ill give you Juflice, and Juftice af- furcdly brings along with her every Virtue. The greateftPart of young People nowa-Days, fancy they diftinguifh themfelves by alfuming an Air of Libertinifm, which leffens them however LETTER to hey SON. 183 hcnvever extreamly in the Eyes of reafonable Per- fons. It is an Air which no ways proves the Su- periority of the Mind, but the irregular Sallies of the Heart. People never attack Religion when they find it not their Intereft to attack it. No- thing is more happy than to have the Mind thoroughly perfuaded of it, and the Heart fenfibly penetrated with it. This is at all times good ; even they who are not fo happy as to believe as they ought, fubmit themfelves how- ever to the eftabliftYd Religion. They know very well that what they call Prejudice, is of high Station in the World, and muft be re- fpeded. Libertinifm of the Mind, and Licentioufnefs in Manners, ought to be banilhed the Reign we live in. The Manners of the Sovereign bear fway, they enaft what he does, and for- bid that which he does not. The Faults of Princes double, and their Virtues receive new Birth by Imitation. Should the Hearts of Cour- tiers be never fo corrupted, there reigns always at Court fuch blamelefs Demeanor as quite co- vers Vice. We are happy in being born in an Age, wherein purity of Manners, and refpeft for Religion, are neceflary to pleafe the Prince. I could, my Son, put my felf among the Objeds of your Devoirs, but I would have all proceed from your Heart. Confider attentively the Condition wherein your Father left me : I facrificed all my Eftate to his Fortune ; I loft all at his Death, I faw my felf alone and with- N 4 i 84 The Marchionefs de LambertV out Support j I had no Friends but his ; I found few People knew how to be Friends to the Dead, and my Enemies were in my own Family. I had "a Law Suit to maintain againft powerful Adverfaries, which determined my Fortune : I had nothing on my Side but Juftice and my own Courage : I gain'd it without running in debt, and without doing any thing that was little. In fliort, out of my wretched Fortune, I made what poffibly was to be made of it. As foon as it be- gan to be better, yours employed my Thoughts. Give me in your Love, that 'which I gave you in my tittle Fortune: I will have no forced Refped, nothing but what ccmes from your Heart (hall content me: Let your Sentiments come to me without being led by your Inrerefh. In (hort, take care of your Honour, and I'll take care of the reft. You know how to behave your felf in Re- lation to your Superiors. There remains only now the Knowledge of the Precepts of fuch Duties as regard the Prince. You are of a Fa- mily which has ever facrificed to him their All. In refpect to thofe on whom you depend the chief Merit is to pleafe. In Subaltern Employ- ments you do not fnpport your felf, but by being agreeable^ Mafters are like MifireiTes j \vhat Service fcever you have done them, they ceafe to love you as foon as you ceafe to pleafe them. There are feveral forts of Greatnefs which demand feveral forts of Homage. There is real LETTER to her SON. 185 real Greatnefs, petfonal, and that of Inftitu- tion. We owe Refped to Perfons of elevated Dignity, but this is only an exterior Refped. "We oxve an Efteem, and a Refped of Senti- ment to Merit. When Fortune joined with Virtue hath placed a Man in an elevated Sta- tion, it is a double Empire which exacts a double Submiffion. But the Glitter of Greatnefs muft not dazle you and caft you into Illufion. There are low and groveling Souls that are always proftrate before Greatnefs : We muft feparate the Man from Dignity, and fee what he is when he is defpoiled of it. There is another Greatnefs very different from that which refults from Authority. It is neither Birth nor Riches which diftinguifli Men ; real and true Superiority amongft them is Merit. The Title of an honeft Man is far above all the Titles of Fortune. In Subaltern Employments, wherein we are dependent, we muft make our Court to Mini- fters ; but it muft be done with Dignity. I (hall never give Leffons of doing any Thing mean and little ; your Services ought to fpeak for you, and not ill-placed Submiflions: Per- fons of Meric, who are attached to Minifters, do them Honour : Slaves, who fervilely follow them, render them little. Nothing is more a- greeable than to be a Friend of Perfons in high Place ; but you never arrive at that but through a Defire to pleafe. Let your Acquain- tance be with Perfons above you. By this you will i 8 The Marchionefs de Lambert'/ will accuftom your felf to refpedful and polite Comportment. With our Equals we neglect our ielves, the Mind flumbers. I do not know whe- ther one may hope for fuch Things as Friends at Court. As for Perfons eminent in Dignity, their Station difpenfes with them from a great many Duties, and hides a great many Faults. It is good to approach Men, to fee them un- difguifed, and with their every Day's Merit. Afar off the Minions of Fortune impofe upon us. Diftance places them in that Point of Pro- fpeftive which is favourable to them, Renown exaggerates their Merit^ Flattery makes them Gods; approach them, you will find them no more than Men. What People do we find at Court ! To difabufe our felves in refped of Great-* nefs, we muft look upon it very near. You will icon ceafe to fear or defire it. Let not the Faults of great Men corrupt you s but let them redrefs your own. Let the bad Ufe they make of Wealth, teach you to dei- piie Riches, and regulate your Conduct. Vir^ tue does not guide their Expences. Why, in the infinite Number of Gouts invented for foft Pieafures and Voluptuoufnefs, never has yet one appeared for the Comfort of the Unhappy ? Does not Humanity make us feel the Need of iuccouring our fellow Cre tures ? Perfons of good Difpofitions of Heart are more fenfible of the Obligation of doing Good, the lefs they feel L E T T E R to her S o tf. 187 feel the other Neceffities of Life. MARCUS AURELIUS thanked the Gods that he had al- ways done good to his Friends without making them wait for it. The Happinefs of Greatnefs is when others find their Fortune in ours. I cannot, faid that Prince, be affected with a Happinefs which no one partakes of but my felf. The moft delicate Pleafure is to givePlea- fure to another ; but for all that, we muft not fet fo high a Value on the Goods of Fortune : Riches never gave Virtue, but Virtue has often given Riches : And what Ufe alfo do great Men make of their Glory ? They place it all in Pomp and outward Shew. Their Dignity grows heavy and weighs down others. In the mean while true Greatnefs is humane ; it fuf- fers it felf to be approached, it even defcends to you. Thofe who poflefs it are eafy, and make others fo. Their Elevation does not coft them one Virtue; and the Noblenefs of their Sentiments hath, as it were, prepared them for it, and ufed them to it. They are no Stran- gers thereto. Titles and Honours are not Bonds to unite us to Men, or attract them to us: if we do not add to them Merit and Goodnefs, we eafily mifs of them. We endeavour to acquit our felves of a Homage we are forced to pay their Rank ; and in their Abfence give our felves the Liberty to judge and condemn them. If through Envy we defire to diminifh their good Qualities, we muft oppofe fuch Sentiments, and do Juftice to i $ 8 The MarcUanefs de LambertV to their Merit. We often fancy it only tends to the Men, whereas it is their Places which are its Objec~t. Never any who filled them, have been fo happy as to pleafe every one ; and the World never did them Jnftice, but after they quitted them. Envy againft her own Will pays Homage to Greatnefs, though (he feems to defpife it ; for to envy Places is to honour them. Let us not condemn through Chagrin and ili Humour agreeable Situations, which have no other Fault -than becaufe ; we are not in them. Let us proceed now to the Duties of Society. Men have found that it was neceffary and agreeable to unite themfelves for the Common Good ; they have made Laws to reprefs the bad; they have agreed amongft themfelves upon the Duties of Society, and have fixed the Idea of Glory to the Practice of thofe Duties. The rnoft honed Man is he whoobferves them with the greateft Exa&nefs ; we multiply them in Propor- tion as Men are more delicate and honourable. Virtue holds them together, and is a kind of Alliance between them ; and it is the Union of Virtues which makes extraordinary Men. After having prefcribed fuch Duties as were neceflfary to their common Security, they fought how to make their Commerce agreeable ; they eftabliih'd Rules of Civility and how to live. To Perfons well born there are no Precepts to be given againft certain Faults ; there are ibme Vices which are unknown to Gentlemen and Men of Honour. Probity, L i T T E R to her S ON. 185* Pr.obity, Fidelity in keeping one's Word, Love of Truth ; I believe I need not inftruct you in any of thefe. You know a Gentleman knows not what a Lie is. What Praifes are there not given to thofe who love Truth ? That Man, fay they, is like the Gods ; he does good, and fpeaks the Truth. We muft not however fpeak always what we think, but we muft always think what we fpeak. The true Ufe of Speech is to ferve the Truth. When a Man has ac- quired the Reputation of True, we might fwear upon his Word, it has all the Authority of Oaths; we bear to what he fays, a kind of reli- gious Deference. The falfe Man in his Actions is no lefs an Oppofer to the Love of Truth, than he that is falfe in his Words ; honeft People, or Men of Honour, are never falfe, What have they to conceal ? They fuffer not fo much as the leaft Violence to make them (hew themfelves, being afTured that foon or late true Merit fees the Day. Be always aflfured your Faults will much fooner be pardoned, than the Affectation of drefling up your felf with thofe Virtues you . have not. Fallhocd is the Imitation of Truth. The falfe Man makes Ufe of Difcourfe and Carriage, the true Man, Conduct. It is a long while fince it has been faid, that Hypo- crify is a Homage which Vice pays to Virtue. But to pleafe it is not fufficient to have the principal Virtues ', we muft alfo have agreea- ble 1 5>o The MarcUonefs de Lambert V ble and engaging Qualities. When we afpire to a great Reputation, we are ever dependent on the Opinion of others. It is very difficult to rife to Honours by Services, if Friends and the manner of doing them do not make them be taken Notice of. I have already faid, that in Subaltern Employments we cannot maintain our Ground without knowing how to pleafe ; as foon as we neglect that, we are very little efteemed. Nothing difpleafes fo much as to difcover too predominant a felf-Love, to make People fee we prefer our felves to all Things as their Centre. We may difpleafe very much with a great deal of Wit, when we apply it for no other End than to find out the Faults of other People, and expofe them to open View. As for thofe who have no Wit, but at the Ex- pence of others, they ought to reflect that there is no Man's Life fo pure, as to give him a right to cenfure that of other Men. Raillery, which makes a Part of the Amufe- ments of Converfation, is a Thing very diffi- cult to manage. They who have Occafion to fpeak ill, and love Raillery, have a Malignity fown in their Hearts. There is but one little Step to make from the mildeft Raillery to Of- fence. Falfe Friends very often abufing the Rights of Pleafantry, really wound you ; but the Perfon whom you attack, has the fole Right to judge whether you do not over-act your Part, and exceed the Bounds of the Pleafaat. The very Moment you wound him, he is no longer barely L E T T E R to her S o N. i ^ i barely rallied, but actually offended. The Ob- ject of Raillery ought to fall on little Defeds, at which the Perfon concerned may be diverted and pleafed himfelf. Delicate Raillery is a Competition of Praife and Reproof; it only touches upon little Faults, that it may the better dwell on the Detail of excellent Qua- lities. Monfaur de la Roche-foucaut, fays, that Terms of Difhonour offend lefs than Ridicule : I thould think as he does, becaufe it is not in the Power of any one to diihonouf another: It is our own Conduct, and not other Peoples Difcourfe that do us Diflionour. The Caules of Diflionour are known and certain. Ridicule is purely arbitrary, it depends in the Manner that Objects prefent themfelves, the Manner of perceiving and thinking. There are People who always look through the Perfpedive o Ridicule; it is not the Fault of the Objects, but the Fault of thofe who look at them. This is fo true, that fuch Perfons who would be ridiculed in fome certain Companies, (hall be admired in others where there is Wit and Merit. We always pleafe and difpleafe by Humour, cloudy and uneafy Humours which incline to- wards Mifantfyofy, difpleafe very much, Hu- mour is a Difpofition with which the Soul re- ceives the Impreffion of Objects. Mild -Hu- mours are wounded at nothing, their Indul- gence ferves them and lends to others what they want. The i5>2, The Marchionefs de Lambert'.? The greateft Part of Men imagine that Hu- mour cannot be wrought upon : They fay, I am born fo, and fancy this Excufe gives them the Right of Impunity. Such like Humours moft certainly have the Gift to difpleafe. Men owe you nothing, but in Proportion as you pleafe them. The Rules to pleafe are to forget one's felf, to bring others back to what concerns them, to make them content with themfelves, to make them valued and refpe&ed, and allow them thofe Qualities which are con- tefted with them; they believe you give them that which the World does not yield them. It is in fome fort to create their Merit when you heigh- ten it in their Ideas and in thofe of others: It muft not be however carried on as far as Flattery. Nothing pleafes fo much as fenfible People who feek to unite themfelves to others. A&. in fuch fort that your Comportment may offer Friendfhip and demand it ; you cannot know- how to be an amiable Perfon, but you muft know how to be a Friend, and what Amity is. It 'is what corrects the Vices of Societies ; it makes fierce Humours fweet and mild ; it humbles the vain Glorious, and reduces them to their proper Station. All the Duties of an honeft Man, or Man of Honour, are circum- fcribed by the Duties of a Friend. Amidft the Tumult of the World, my Son, have fome Friend, to make the Words of Truth flow into your Soul. Be docile to the Advice of your Friends j the Sight of their own Faults cofts thofe > LETTER to her S o N^ thofe nothing, who find in chemfelves where- with to amend them. Do not think you have done enough, as foon as you find you can do better : No One fuf- fers Reprehenfion more mildly than he who moft deferves Refpect and Praife. If" you are fo happy as to have found a virtuous and faith- ful Friend, you have found a Treafure : His Reputation warrants yours j he will anfwer for you to your felf ; he will fweeten ybur Pains, double your Pleafures. But tb merit a Friend, you muft know how to be one* Every Body complains that there is no fuch Things as Friends ; and yet fcarce any one gives himfelf the Trouble to carry fuch Difpofitibns, as are neceffary to make and preferve them. Young People have Companions, very rarely Friends : Pleafures unite them, and Pleafures are not Tyes worthy of Friendfhip. But I do not pretend to make a DifTertation," I touch lightly on the Duties of civil Life ; I fend you back to your own Heart, which re- quires a Friend, and will make you feel the Neceflity of having one. I leave it to your de- licate Tafte to inftrud: your felf in the Duties of Friendship. If you will be perfectly a Man of Honour* think of regulating the Love of your felf, and giving it a proper Object. True Honour or Honefty confifts in defpoyl- ing our felves of our own Rights, and refpe&ing thofe of others. If you defire to be the only O happy 1 5>4 "The Marchtonefs de LambertV Happy Man, you will never be fo: have you a Mind every one fhould be happy along with you, they will all afllft you. All Vices favour felf-Love, and all Virtues agree to fight againft itj Valour expofes it, Modefty humbles it, Generofity diifolves it, Mo- deration difcontents it, and Zeal of the Publick Good facrifices it. Self-Love is preferring one's felf to others ; We diftinguifh two forts of felf- Love ; one natural, lawful and regulated by Juftice and Reafon, the other vieious and cor- rupted. Our chief Object is our felves, and we return not to Juftice but by Reflection. We do not know how to love our felves, we love our felves too much, or we love our felves very ill : To love our felves as we ought, is to love Virtue ; to love Vice, is to love our felf with a Love ill underftood and blind. We have feen fometimes Perfons rife by bad Ways; but it lafts not long, they deftroy themfelves by the fame Means, and with the fame Principle that raifed them. If you would be fecurely happy, you muft be fo with Inno- cence ; there is no Empire certain and durable but that' of Virtue. There are aimable Characters, which have a natural and delicate Agreement with Virtue. For thofe to whom Nature has not made that happy Prefent, they have nothing elfe to do but to fee with good Eyes, and to know their true Intereft to correct an evil Inclination: Thus you fee how the Mind rectifies the Heart. The L E T T E R to her S o N. The Love of Efteem is alfb the Soul of Society, it unites us to each other, I ftand in need of your Approbation, you have Oecafion of mine. In retiring from Men, we retire from Virtues that are neceflfary to Society ; for when we are alone we negled our felves ; Com- pany forces us to obferve what we do. Politenefs is a Quality moft neceflary to Com- merce, which fets at work external Manners^ which at the Bottom, afcertain nothing. Po- litenefs is an Imitation of Honefty or true Ho- nour, which (hews a Man without, what he ought to be within : It (hews it felf in every Thing, in one's Air, Language, Actions. There is a Politenefs of the Mind, and a Politenefs of Manner; that of the Mind, confifts in fay- ing fine and delicate Things, and that of the Manner^ to fay Things pleafing and with an agreeable Turn. I do not comprehend Polite- nefs in that Commerce of Civility and Compli- ments which Ufe and Cuftom have eftabliih'd ; we fpeak them without Thought, and receive them without Acknowledgment : We fnrfeit in this kind of Commerce, and naufeate them by Experience. Politenefs is a Defire to pleafe thofe Perfons with whom we are obliged to live, and make in fome fort every Body con- tented with us : Our Superiors with our Re- fpefts, our Equals with our Efteem, and our Inferiors with our Goodnefs. In (hort, it eon- fifts in the Attention of pleafing, and faying to every one what is fuitable to them ; it fets 1 96 the Marchioneft de Lambert'* Value upon their good Qualities, and makes them fee that it acknowledges their Superiority: When you have exalted them, they will fet you off in your Turn ; they will give you the Place you would yield to them ; it is the Inte- reft of their felf-Love. The way to pleafe, is not to make People fenfible of our Superiority, it is to conceal it. The greateft Part of the World require only the Manner of pleating i if you have it not, your good Qualities muft be as great again j you muft have a great deal of Merit to pierce through a grofs Manner : You muft not difcover too much Attention for your felf, a polite Perfon has never any Time to make himfelf the Object of his own Dif- courfe. You know what fort of Politenefs is neceflfary with Women. At prefent it feems as if young People had fworn to be without it: This fa- vours of a neglected Education j nothing is more (hameful than to be willingly grofs and rude. But it is all in vain, they never will be able to take from the Sex, the Glory of hav- ing formed the moft honourable Perfonages of paft Ages. It is to them we owe the Sweetnefs of Manners, and that fine Delicacy of Senti- ments, the Gallantry of Wit and Deportment. It is true, outward Gallantry is at prefent ba- nifh'd the World ; Cuftoms have altered, and every Body has loft by it : The Women the De- fire to pleafe, which is the Source of all their Charms ; and Men, that fweet agreeable Be- haviour, L B T T E R to her S o N. 197 haviour, and delicate Politenefs, which is no where acquired but in their Converfation. Moft Men neither believe their Duty, Probity nor Fidelity ; it looks as if they had Permiffioa to be- tray them without interefting their own Honour. Whoever would penetrate this Conduct, would find it very fhameful ; the Men are faithful to their own Sex, becaufe they fear one another, and know how to do themfelves Juftice ; but they fail of this in Refpeft of the Women with Impunity and without Remorfe. The Pro- bity then of the Men is only forced, it is ra- ther the Effect of Fear, than the Love of Ju- ftice. Thus by examining clofely thofe who make a Profeflion of Gallantry, we (hall find them very often difhonourable and difhoneft Wretches : They contract bad Habits, their Mo- rals are corrupted, the Love of Truth weak- ened; they are ufed to neglect their Word and Oaths; What Dealing is this! The leaft Evil you do, is to force Women from their Duty, diflionour fome, -and make others defpair ; and often a certain Mifery is all $he Recompence of a fincere and ccnftant Attach. The Men have no Right fo much to blame Women ; it is through them they lofe their Innocence. Were it not for fome Women deftined to Vice from their Birth, the others would live conftant- ly in their Duty, were not great Care and Diligence employed to put them out of their way. But in fhort it highly concerns them to ftand upon their Guard. You know it is not O 3 per- 1 5)8 "The MarcUonefs de Lambert'* permitted to difhonour them, if they have beer) fo weak as to truft you with their Honour ; it is a Truft which ought not to be abus'd ; you ought to do it for their Sakes ; if you have Reafon to be glad : you ought to do it for your own, if you have Reafon to complain. You know moreover, that by the Laws of Ho- nour we (hould fight with equal Weapons : You ought not then to do any Acl: of Difhonour to a Woman on Account of her Love, fince (he can never do any one in Refpeft of yours. I muft alfo put you in Mind that you m'uft never by any Means incurr their Hatred; it is lively and implacable. There are fome Offences which they never pardon, and we hazard a great deal more than we are aware of by wounding their Honour. The lefs Noife their Refentment makes, the more terrible it is, it grows the more enraged by being reftrained. Never em- broil your felf with a Sex which knows how to hate and be revenged. Other wife Women are the Reputation of Men, as Men are that o the Women. Jt is as rare a Thing to manage Praifes, and thence beftow them agreeably and wirh Juftice- The Mifanthrope or Man-hater, knows not how to praife; his Difcernnient is corrupted by his Humour. The Flatterer by praifing too much, difcredits himfelf, and honours no Body. The vain Glorious beftows Praifes with Views of receiving them ; he difcovers too much that he has nor Sentiments productive of real Praife. Little LETTER t little Souls admire every Thing, becaufe they Jcnow not the Value of Things,* they are not capable where to place Efteem or Contempt- The envious Perfon praifes no Body, for fear of making himfelf equals. An honeft Man praifes a Promos -, he takes greater Pleafure to do Juftice, than to encreafe his own Reputa- tion by leflening that of other Men. Performs of Delicacy and Attention perceive all thefe Differences. If you would have your Praifes profitable, let them turn at what regards others, not your felf ; you muft know how to live with Com- petitors, nothing is more common than to de- fire to raife ourfelves above them, or feek to ruin them. But there is a much more noble Conduct j it is never to attack them, but think always to furpafs them in Merit. It is fine to yield them the Place you believe their due. The Man of Honour, or honeft Man, had rather be wanting to his own Fortune than Ju- ftice. Difpute Glory with your own felf, and ftrive to acquire fuch Virtues as may heighten thofe you already have. You muft alfo be very referved and cautious on the Point of Revenge : It is very often ufeful to make one's felf feared, but almoft always dangerous to make ufe of Vengeance : Nothing difcovers greater Weaknefs, than to do all the Evil we can. The belt Way of re- venging an Injury, is not to imitate him who has done it us : It is a Sight worthy an honeft O 4 Man, 2.00 The MarcVmefs de Lambert^ Man, to oppofe Patience to Paffion, and Mo- deration to Injuftice. A bridled Hatred places you above thofe you hate. Do not juftify your Enemies; do nothing that may abfolve them; they do us lefs hurt than our Faults. Little Souls are cruel : Great Men are full of Cle- mency. Ocfar faid that the fweeteft Fruit of his CoiKjaefts was to gire Life ro thofe who had attempted his. Nothing is more qlorious, more delicious than this fort of Revenge ; it is the only one Men of Honour allow themfelves. As foon as your Enemies repent, and fubmit, you lofe all Right of Revenge. The greateft Part of Mankind, in Conver- fation, make ufe of nothing but the Weak- nefles fubfervient to Society. Men of Honour are united by Virtue, the Common fort by Pleafures, and Villains by Crimes. The Table and Play have their Exceffes and Dangers,: Love has his. We do not always play with Beauty; (he fomctimes commands very im- perioufly. Norhirg is more fhameful than in Wine to bury Reafon, which ought to be the Guide of Man. To give our felves up to Vo- luptuoufnefs, is to degrade our felves: The fureft way we can take, is not to make our felves familiar with it: The Soul of a volup- tuous Man feems to be a Burthen to him. As for Play, it is the Overthrew of all Decency and good Breeding : The' e the Prince forgets his Dignity, and a Woman her Modefty. High Play comprehends all the Faults of Society. At certain. certain Hours the Word is given to ruin our {elves and hate one another; it puts Probity to its greateft Proof: Few People have preferv'd its Purity in Play. The moft neceffary Difpofition to tafte Plea- fures, is to know how to leave them. Volup- tuoufnefs is a Stranger to reafonable Perfons. Remember that after the greateft Pleafures, we exped either anUneafinefs to difturb their Con- tinuance, or fomething highly difagreeable to put a Period to them. Wifdom makes ufe of the Love of Glory to defend her felf from the mean Condition Voluptuoufnefs throws her Votaries into : Bnc we muft value her early to keep our felves from the Attacks of the Paffions : In the Beginning they obey her, and at laft (he commands them : They are much more eafy to conquer than fa- tisfy. Defend your felf from Envy, it is the meaneft and moft flnameful Paffion in the World ; it is always difallowed. Envy is the Shadow of Ho- nour, as Honour is the Shadow of Virtue. The greateft Sign that a Man is born with great Qualities, is to be without Envy. A Man of Quality cannot be aimable with- out Liberality: The covetous Man has a Right to difpleafe ; he has in him an Obftacle to all Virtue ; he has neither Juftice nor Humanity : The Moment we abandon our felves to Avarice, we renounce Honour. It has been faid that there i, o i The Marctitmefs de Lambert* s there have been illuftrious Villains, but never illuftrious Mifers. Though Liberality be a Gift of Nature, yet if we have Difpofitions to the oppofite Vice, we may correct them by Judgment and Refle- &ion. The Mifer enjoys nothing. It has been faid, that Money is a good Servant, but a bad Matter; it is only good but by the Ufe we know how to make of it. The Mifer is more tormented than the poor Man. The Love of Riches is the Beginning of all Vices, as difin- tereftednefs is the Principle of all Virtues. Riches muft find a great deal of Difficulty to be efteem'd in the Order of good Things, to merit the chief Rank, though they are the chief Obje& of the Defires of the greateft Part of Mankind. However Virtue, Honour, and great Reputation, are far above the Pre- lenrs of Fortune. The moft feniible Pleafure to Men of Ho- nour, is to do good, and comfort the Mifera- ble. What Difference is there in having a lirtle more Money, or to know how to part with it to pleafe others, and to change it, for the Reputation of Bounty and Generofity .' It is a Sacrifice you make to your own Honour ; take the Fund of your Liberality upon your felf : It is an excellent Frugality to raife you, and make your felf well fpoken of. A great Reputation is a great Treafure. It rnuft not be imagined that it is only in great Fortunes we can do good; every one can do it in LETTER toler SON. 105 in their own Sphere with regard to themfelves and others. Imprint thefe Sentiments in your Heart, you will find wherewith to fatisfy them : Qccafions offer themfelves to yqu, they fpring up before your Eyes ; and there are but too many unhappy People to follicit your Attention. Liberality charaderifes itfelf by the Manner of beftowing it. The Liberal double the Me.rit p the Gift by Sentiments j the Mifer fpoils it by Re- gret : Liberality never ruin'd any one. It is not Avarice that raifes Families ; they fupport them- felves by Juftice, Moderation and good Faith. Liberaliry is one of the Duties of a great Birth ; When you do good, you only pay a Debt ; but Prudence muft be your Rule. The Principles of Prodigality are not fhameful, but their Confequences are dangerous. Few People know how to live with their Inferiours : The great Opinion we have of our felves, makes us look upon that which is below us, as a different Species : Thefe Sentiments are contrary to Humanity. If you would ac- quire a great Name, you muft be acceflible and affable. The Profeffion of Arms, does not difpence with this. GERMANICUS was ador'd by his Soldiers : To know what they thought of him, he walked in the Camp at Night-time, he heard what they faid in their little Repafts, where they gave themfelves the Liberty to judge their General. He went (faid Tacitus) to enjoy his Reputation and Glory. We '2,04 The Marchionefs de LambertV We (hould command by Example, and not 'Authority : Admiration forces Imitation much more than Command. To live in the height of Eafe, and treat hard their Soldiery, is to be their Tyrant and not their General. Learn with what Views Command was inftituted, and after what Man- ner we (hould conduct our felves therein. It is Virtue, the natural Refpect we have for it, that makes Men confent to obey j you are an Ufurper of Authority, as foon as you ceafe to poflfefs it on thofe Terms. In an Empire, where Reafon (hould govern, every Thing Ihould be equal ; and there {hould be no Di- ftin&ion made to any thing but Virtue. Hu- manity fuffers on account of the extreme Dif- ference which Fortune makes between one Man and another ; it is Merit only which ought to feparate you from the Vulgar, and not Dig- nity, or Pride. Regard not the Advantages of Rank and high Birth, but only as the Goods of Fortune which fhe lends you, and not as diftin&ions infeparable from your Being, and making a Part of your felf : If your Blood exalts you above the People, think neverthelefs what Analogy you bear with the generality of Men. Know that the chief Laws which you ought to obey, are thofe of Humanity : Remember you are a Man, and command Men. The Son of Marcus Aurelius having loft his Preceptor, the Courtiers took it ill that he wept for him. Marcus LETTER to for SON. 2,05' Marcus Aurelius faid to them, fuflfer .my Son to be a Man before he is an Emperor. Forget always what you are the Momenc Humanity requires it; but never forget that true Glory will have you always remember her. In fhort, if you are in Authority, ufe it only for the good of others : Never let your Infe- riors feel they are fo, and live with them as you would have your Superiors live with you. The Generality of Men know not how to live with themfelves j they think of nothing but flying from themfelves and feeking their Happinefs from without. You rnuft, if poffible, eftablifh your Happinefs within your felf, and there find an Equivalent of the Goods Fortune refufes you; you will be thereby the more free. But it muft be a Principle of Reafon which muft recal you to your felf, and not fe- parating from the Society of Men. You love Solitude, you are reproached for being particular : I do not condemn that Gout- but the Virtues of Society muft not fuflfer. Retire within your felf, fays Autoninus ; pra- &ife often that Retreat of the Soul ; you will thereby renew your felf. Let fome Maxim re- animate your Reafon, and fortify your Princi- ples. Retirement puts you into the Converfa- tion of good Authors. Men of Ability do not heap Knowledge upon Knowledge, but they make choice of the moft ufeful. Let your Studies fpread themfelves all over your Morals, and the Profit of what you read turn into Virtue. Strive The MarcUtmcfs de Lambert*/ Strive to penetrate the firft Principles of Thing and fuffer not your felf too fervilely to follow the Opinions of the Vulgar. I (hall advife you, my Sen, to attend much more to the cultivating your Heart, than perfect- ing your Mind : This ought to be the Study of your whole Life. The true Greatnefs of Man is in the Heart : You mnft raife it, if you af- pire to great Things, and even dare to think your felf worthy of them. It is as honeft to be glorious with our felves, as it is ridiculous! to be fo with other People. Have ever fuch Thoughts and Sentiments as are worthy your felf. Virtue exalts the Condi- tion of Man, and Vice degrades it. If we: were fo unhappy as not to have an upright Heart, we (hould for our own Intereft redrefs it; \ve are not eftimable but on the account of our Heart, and we are not happy but by it, fined our Happinefs entirely depends on our manner: of thinking. If your Sentiments tend only to frivolous Paf- fions, you are the Sport of thofe vain Defires : They prefent you with Flowers; but diftruft, fays Montaign, the Treachery of Pleafu'res. We {hould only lend our felves to Things that pleafe us The Moment we give our felves to them, we lay the Foundation of Uneafmefs and Regret. Moft Men employ the fifft Part of their Life to make the Remainder miferable. You muft not abandon Reafon m your Pleafures, if you L E T T E R to Iff S O N. 2.07 you would find her in Sorrows. In ftiort, guard well your Heart; it is the Source of Inno- cence and Happinefs. It is not paying too dear for the Liberty of the Heart and Mind, to buy it by the Sacrifice of Pleafures, as faid a Man of great Wit : Never hope then to make an Alliance of Voluptuoufnefs with Glory ; and the Charms of foft Eafe with the Recom- penfe of Virtue : But by abandoning Pleafures, you will elfewhere find wherewith to make you ample Amends : A great many Things will do it ; Glory and Virtue have their Delights, they are the Pleafures of the Soul and Heart. Learn alfo to fear and refped your felf. The Foundation of Happinefs is in the Peace of the Soul, and the fecret Witnefs of the Confcience. By the Word Confcience I underftand the in- ward Sentiment of a delicate Honour, which affures you that you have nothing wherewith to reproach your felf. Once more, how happy is it to know how to live with one's felf, to find our felves again with Pleafure, to leave one's felf with Regret ! The World then is lefs neceflary to you. But take Care that this does not make you too much difgufted. You muft not make this Retirement from Men too fendble ; they fly from you when you fly from them : You are neither of an Age nor Profef- fion to abandon them. But when we know how to live with our felves, and with the World: Thefe are .two Pleafures which fupport us. The io8 Tie MarcUtmefs de Lambert'* The Sentiment of Glory may do a great deal to contribute to your Happinefs and rifing in the World : But it may alfo make you un- happy, and of very little Efteem, if you do not know how to govern it : It is the moft lively and durable of all Gouts. The love of Glory is the laft Sentiment which leaves us ; but we muft not confound it with Vanity. Vanity feeks the Approbation of others, true Glory, the fecret Teflimony of the Confcience. Strive to fatisfy the Sentiment of Glory which is in you ; make your felf fure of this inward Teftimony : Your Tribunal is within your felf, why then do you feek it elfe where ? You can always be a judge of your own Worth. Let others difpute your good Qualities, or they will not know you; be comforted herein: The Queftion is not fo much to appear an ho- neft Man, as it is to be fo. They who are not follicitous for the Approbation of others, but only of that which makes one merit it, acquire both. The Idea of Honour contains three Things ; The Sentiment of our Worth, the Love of our Duty, and the Defire of being efteemed This is what true Glory infpires, and what we may know it by. What Relation is there between the Gran- deur of Men, and the Littlenefs of thofe Things in which they glory themfelves ? Nothing is fo ill match'd as his Dignity, and the Vanity he draws from an Infinity of frivilous Things. A LETTER/*? her SON. a Glory fo ill founded is a Sign of a great Scarcity of Merit. Perfons of true Greatnefs are not fubjecl: to the Dazzlings of vain Glory. You muft, if poffible, my Son, be contented with your Condition; nothing is more rare, and more worthy of Efteerh, than to find People who are fo. It is our own Fault : There is no Condition fo bad, but has its good Side every State has its Point of Profpeft. We muft put our felves in it, it is not the Fault of the Situation, but our own. We have much greater Reafon to complain of our Humour than our Fortune. We impute to Events, thofe Faulrs which proceed only from our own Uneafmefs and Difcontent ; the Evil is in us, let us not look for it elfewhere. By fweetening our Hu- mour , we very often change our Fortune. It is much more eafy for us to fit our felves to Things, than to fit them to us. Very often too intenfe an Application to look for the Remedy, inflames the Evil , and the Imagination of keeping Intelligence with the Affliction, ferves to fortify and confirm it. A fedulous Attention to Misfortunes reveals and prefents them afrefh to the Soul. An unprofitable Re- fiftance retards the Habit it would contract with its Condition. We muft give way to Misfortunes, and remit them to Time and Patience j it is that alone can render them eafy. If 2, i o The Marchionefs de Lambert'* If you will do your felf Juftice, you will be contented with your Situation. I dare fay, after the Lofs you have fuftain'd, that had you had another Mother, you would have grieved much more. Be attentive to the Wel- fare of the State you are in, and you will be lefs fenfible of its Troubles : A wife Man of equal Condition, has more Good, and lefe Evil. You muft account no State without its Troubles ; it is the Condition of human Life ; nothing is pure, every thing mix'd. To pretend to unalterable Happinefs, is to defire to be free from the common Law of Things. They who appear to you the moft happy, if you could but fee their Heart or Fortune, will no ways appear to be fo : The moft elevated are oftentimes the moft unhappy. We are always agitated with great Employments, and vulgar Maxims ; it is Reafon only which frees the Soul from Care, and not Places. If you are wife, Fortune can neither encreafe nor dimintth your Happinefs. Judge by your felf, and not by the Opinion of others. Misfortunes- and Diforders come from falfe Judgments; falfe Judgments, from Sentiments; and Sentiments, from the Con- verfations we have with Men : You return from them always more imperfect. To weaken the Impreffion they make upon you, moderate your Defires and your Chagrins, think that Times takes away your Troubles, as well as your Pleafures ; that every Inftant, as young as you are, carries away L E T T E R to he? S O N. Ill away with it a Part of your felf; that all things roll continually into the Abyfs of what is paft, whence they never return. All that is greater than you are, finds no better Treatment Vhan your felf. Thofe Honours, Dignities, and Preferences eftablifh'd amongft Men, are meer Shows, and Ceremonies void of Reality ; do not fancy they are Qualities infeparable from their Being. You fee how . you ought to look upon what is above you. But let us not lofe the Sight of an infinite Number of unhappy People, who are below us : You owe to nothing but Acci- dent, the extreme Difference there is between them and you : But Pride and the high Opinion we have of ourfelves, makes us look upon it as a Good due to the State we are in ; and as a Robbery, what we have not. Nothing is more unjuft. Enjoy, my Son, the Advantages of your Condition, but fuffer calmly its Troubles ; re- member that wherever there are Men, there are thofe who are unhappy : Have, if poffible, fuch an Extent of Soul, as may make you look upon all Accidents as forefeen and known. Remember, in (hort, that Happinefs depends upon Manners and Conduct ; but the Height of Felicity, is to feek it in Innocence j we never fail of finding it there. P a AN ESSAY Towards an Univerfal and Rational GRAMMAR. RAMMAR is a Word bor- row'd from the Greek, which in Englifh may be tranflated Literature; and hence Gram- mart am were formerly call'd by the Latins, Literatores, becaufe they imploy'd their Time and Labour in duly confidering the Ufe and Properties of Letters and Syllables, which are the Marks or Signs of the feveral Sounds that we make ufe of, to exprefs our Notions or Ideas to one another, in Words, Sentences and Difcourfes. Hiftory, An ESSAY, &c u 3 Hiflory, Poetry, and Rhetorick, are much more antient with moft Nations, than Grammar, (confider'd as an Art) which is the true Reafon of fo maay Irregularities in all Grammars, and Exceptions from general Rules, becaufe that Art was fuited to Language, and not Language formed according to Art by Philofophers and wife Men, but all Tongues had their Birth among the ignorant People, and Ufe gave the Stamp of Authority to the moft irregular Ex- preflions, and therefore 'twas not in the Power of any Mortal, however learn'd, to reduce them to any Rules without innumerable Excep- tions; whereas, if a Language was made by learned Men, according to Bifhop Wtlluns's Directions in his Treatife of an Umverfal Cha- ratter, the Rules of Grammar would be as little liable to Exceptions, as thofe of Arithmetick. There are many Languages not reduced to any Rules of Grammar to this Day, and before Mr. Alexander Gill, Ben. Johnfon, and Doftor WaUis, few undertook any Thing of this Na- ture for the Englifb Tongue ; and one may al- moft dare to affirm the fame of the German and other Languages of Europe; and indeed it is a difficult Task to confine a living Language to Fetters and Chains, which will aflert its Liberty in fpight of Criticks and Grammarians. The Ramans knew nothing of its Critical Ni- ceties, till Crates Malotes, Ambaflador from At- tains, King of Pergamus, 583 Years after the Foundation of Rome, taught it in Rome, as P 3 Suetoniusi z 1 4 -4 E s s A Y towards an Suetonius informs us in his Book of the Life of famous Grammarians : Ever fince that time the Latin Tongue has been disfigur'd by Thou- fands of ignorant Grammarians, copying one another's Blunders, which lead the Learners into inevitable Miftakes, by having more Re- gard to the obfcure Rules of Pedagogues, than to the diligent Reading and Imitation of Latin Authors, who wrote before the Tyranny of Grammar came to be fo much in Vogue : And I am inclined to believe that thofe dull Gram- marians contributed as much, if not more, to the monkifh Stile of fubfequent Times, than the barbarous Nations of the Goths and Vandals-, for, to write Latin by uncertain, and often falfe, Rules, and Words pick'd out of Dicti- onaries, is to build by a falfe Square, which cannot but make a very irregular Structure ; fo that we had no judicious Syftem of Rules for learning Latin, till SanElius t a Spaniard, printed his Commentary on the Latin Tongue, at Ma- drid 1560, who difcovered the many Miftakes of the antient Grammarians: Then followed Gafpur Scioppius, and others, very excellent in their Kind, but of no Uie to Children and Be- ginners, becaufe written in Latin -, for to teach Latin by Latin Rules, is to explain one Obfcu- rity by another, and therefore very ridiculous in it felf, and not to be fuffer'd by any People, but among thofe who would have ns fubmic not only to a National Grammar, but likevvite to National Prayers, in an unknown Tongue: As Univtffol and Rational Grammar 1 1 5 As Mr. Johnfon in his Grammar Commentaries (hews at large, and as I have my felf obferv'd in this Treatife. The Precepts of Grammar may be divided into four Heads, whereof the firft teaches the true Spelling, and the Ufe of Stops in Read- ing, which is not only to give a proper Time for breathing, but to avoid Obfcurity and Con- fufion of the Senfe, in the joyning of Words together in a Sentence : This Part of Grammar is call'd Orthography, which treats likewife of other Marks tn Writing and Abbreviation of Words, which are commonly taught in all - glifh Schools, and are fuppofed to be known. The fecond Part confiders the feveral Endings and other Properties of Words j as, Number, Cafe, Gender, Declenjtons, the Times, and Moods of Verbs, call'd Etymology. The Third treats of the Agreement of Words in fome third Property (as for Example, the Adjective and Subftantive muft be in the fame Cafe, in the fame Number, and in the fame Gender) which the Greeks call Syntaxis. And the laft Part is employed about Qiiantity of Syl- lables, and the Art of Verifying, call'd Profodie, but of thefe more particularly in Order. Whatever exifts in the whole Univerfe, is cither a "Thing or Subftance, or the Manner or P 4 1 1 An E s s A Y towards an Quality of a 'Thing ; the Attion of a Thing, or the Manner or Quality of that Attion. In Confequence of which there are thefe four principal Kinds of Words, a Subftanti'ue, an AdjeElive or Accident , a Fer^ or Action, and a Particle that never changes its Ending. Thefe four kinds of Words are fufficient to exprefs all the Ideas of Things, and the Judgments we make upon them, and render them intelligible to others, by Writing or Difcourfe. All thefe together, the Grammarians in ob- fcure Terms call'd Noun y Pronoun, Participle, Verb, Adverb, Prepojition, Conjunction, Inter- jection, I dare fay that a Child would learn many hundred Latin Words, before he can under- ftand thefe eight Terms : Neverthelefs we are oblig'd to make ufe of thefe Terms, though obfcure in themfelves, that the Learner may not be ignorant of the Grammatical Language; for 'tis now become a great Part of Learning to ftudy the Meaning of thefe perplex'd Terms, and a great deal of Time is fpent therein which might be fpent on the Language that we defign to learn, if the Rules of Grammar were writ- ten in plain Englifh, free from all Obfcurity of Terms. Till that is done I hope this Collection of Rules will be of ufe co the English Learner; which are drawn together from the beft Grammars extant, but efpecially from Mr. Shirley, Unwerfal and Rational Grammar. 117 Shirley, and Mr. Mtlton t Author of Parodife loft. ' Of a Subftantive. A Sulftantive is any Name or Word denoting any Thing or Subftance that we can conceive in our Minds, as a fubjed Matter, of which any Thing may be deny'd or affirmed; and though nothing is denied or affirmed, it wants no additional Word to make it intelligible ; as, a Man, a Tree ; and in English as a, an, or the before it, which can't be put before other Words, without fpeaking Nonfenfe, or being unintelligible , as, the Againft, or an Againft, is Nonfenfe ; and a Great, or the Great, is un- intelligible, unlefs I add Man, Tree, or fome other Name of Thing or Subftance; as a great Man, the great 'free. Subftantives are of two Sorts, Common or Proper. A Common or Univerfal Name or Noun, is a Word, which fignifies fome one kind of Things, and is common to all the Species of that kind ; as the Words, Man, City, Kingdom, Houfe, Ta- ble, School, &c. Man is one kind of Thing, a City another, a Kingdom another, a Houfe ano- ther, a Table another, &c. A Proper Name is a Word given to fome one individual Thing, by which it may be known and diftinguifh'd from others of the fame kind, to prevent Confufion , as Peter, London, England: Peter i 1 8 An ESSAY towards an Peter diftinguiihes the Man fo call'd from other Men; London the City fo call'd from other Cities; England the Kingdom fo call'd from other Kingdoms. Man is one kind of Thing ; Peter is one of that kind, diftinguifti'd from John another, James another, &c. A City is one kind of Thing, London is one of that Kind, diftinguifti'd from Paris another, Rome another. N. B. If twenty Men were together y and all named Peter, no Bufinefs could be done till you gave each a more diftinguifhing Name, which diftinguijhing Word would become the Proper Name in that Cafe ; as, little Peter, great Peter : In which Cafe little and great would become Proper Names. Obferve, Chough there be but one Sun, yet it is not therefore a Proper Name, but a Common or univerfal Noun, becaufe it is one kind of 'Thing diftintt from all others. And on the contrary, though there be many catfd Peter, yet it is not therefore a Common or Appellative Noun, becaufe it does not fegnify any one kind of 'Thing, being nothing elfe but a mere Sound, whereby one individual 'Thing is known and diftingui/h'd from others of the fame kind. Obferve, Perfom have ufually two Proper Names, the former call'd the Name, and the lat- ter the Sirname y or the proper Name of the Family ', as. Unru&fai and Rational Grammar as Martin Luther : Some have three or more Proper Names ; as, Julius Csefar Scaliger. Obferve, Proper Names as fuch, cannot be tran- (lated from cm Language to another-, for if the Sound be changd, the Proper Name is loft : Yet the Latins, to accommodate Foreign Proper Names to their own Idiom, do often add to them a Latin "fermi nation ; as, us, a, urn : And Foreigners for the fame Reafon, do ufually cut off the Latin Ter- mination from Latin Proper Names. 7%us we fa} in Englifh, Mark, Rome, London : in Latin, Marcus, Roma, Londinum. Of Number. Subftantives, in Refpeft of Number, are di- ftinguilhed into Singular and Plural. A Subftantive of the Singular Number denotes one Thing, as, a Book ; A Subftantive of the Plural Number is that which denotes more than one j as, Books. In Eugliffi and French the Plu- ral Number is ufually made by adding S to the Singular ; as, a Stone, a School ; in the Plural, Stones, Schools -, la Mairt, a Hand, let Mains, Hands. Proper Names have no Plural Number , becanfe reftrain'd to fignify one Thing, unlefs in a Metaphor-, as, Thefe are our C^fars and Alexanders ; that is, Men not inferiour to Cafar and Alexander in heroic Actions and military Prudence. There i 10 An ESSAY towards an There are feveral Common Names, never ufed in the Plural, not only in the Latin, but alfo in the Englifh ; as, Honey, Wax, Butter, Gold, Silver: Some never ufed in the Singu- lar; BeUows, Goods, Bowels, Snufers, Stiff an ; but it happens very often, that a Word that wants the Singular or Plural in one Language, has it regularly in another. Of the Declining of a NOUN. The Declining of a Noun is the Variation of its Endings, according to the various State or Cafe of the Thing fignify'd by it. In Latin Grammar every Noun or Name of a Thing is confider'd in a fixfold State or Cafe, to exprefs fo many different relative Ideas, which, if every one of them had a feparate Word to exprefs it, there would be fix times as many Words for the Noum or Names of Things, and almoft two Hundred times as many Words would be neceffary to exprefs all the circumftantial Ideas of Verbs or Actions, which would make the Learning of a Language impracticable : Therefore this Invention of Cafes and Conjugations is like (hort Hand, where the fame Letter with a little Variation in the Ending doth fignify feveral Things: Thefe different States or Cafes are call'd the Nomina- tive, the Vocative, the Genitive, the Dative, the Accufative, and the Ablative. Unfoerfal and Rational Grammar. 1 1 1 A Noun is in the Nominative State or Cafe, when it only names tjie Agent, that comes be- fore the Val or the Word fignifying an Action ; as, the Mafler reads : Here I know Mafler is the Naming or Nominative Cafe, becaufe it is the Agent or Thing that reads, and comes in good Senfe before the Verb reads. A Noun is the Calling or Vocative Cafe when, it is a Perfon or Thing to whom we fpeak, or call ; as, 0! Mafler ; liuitt obty : Here I know, Mafler is in the Vocative Cafe, becaufe it is the Perfon to whom I fpeak or call. A Noun is in the Genitive Cafe when it is the Pojfejfor of fome other Thing poffejfed, and therefore is more properly called the Cafe Pof- Jejjive ; as, the Mafter's Book, or the Book of the Mafler: Here I know that Mafler is in the Genitive Cafe, becaufe it is the Subftantive of the Pojftjfor, and Book the Subftantive fojfejfed, for there can be no Pojfejfor without fomething fojfejfed j in Latin, Liber Magiflri, the Book of the Mafter : In Englijb the Genitive is known by the Sign Of. A Noun is in the Dative or Genitive Cafe 9 when it is the Thing to which any Thing is applied or given. In Englijh the Particle to or for comes ufually before the Dative ; as, this Book is profitable to the Mafter. A Noun is in the Accufative Cafe when it is the Object of Action, or the Thing into which the Action pafies, more properly called the Pa- tient An ESSAY towards an tient or Pajfive Cafe ; and then it ufually comes after a Verb of an Active Signification ; / love the King : I know King (in this Sentence) is in the Accufative or Pafffol Cafe, becaufe it is the Objeft of my Action, or the Thing I love, and comes after the Verb Active love. A Njun is faid to be in the Ablative Cafe when it comes after any of thefe Particles, With) from, in, or by ; as, / -will go with the Mafler, 1 come from the Mafler : It ferves to exprefs feveral Relations or Circumftances of Things that are not made out by the other Cafes, as feparating or taking away one Thing from another, which is denoted by the Word Ablative, and fo far very properly call'd Abla- tive : But when the fame Cafes, or Latin Endings, are made ufe of to denote the join- ing Things together, and other Circumftances and Petitions, the Word Ablative is an im- perfect and improper Term ; and it might as well be call'd in general the Relative Cafe. Note, It is to comply with the Genius of the Greek and Latin we fpeak of Cafes ; for the Northern Languages dcn'r vary the Endings of Words, but make Ufe of preceding Particles, as in the Englifh of, to, &c. to exprefs the Re- lations of Things. But in Latin, if you would exprefs a Word in its various Relations, you give it different Endings or Cafes, according to five different Forms, which are call'd by the Grammarians the five Decknfotui as, Mufa^ a Song j Mufa, of a Song, &c. Mt&fte/, a Matter Unfoerfal and 'Rational Grammar, z 1 3 Mafter ; Magiftri, of a Matter, &c. Z^//, 1 a Stone ; Lafidis, of a Stone ; Manus, a Hand ; Manus, of a Hand j />;, a Day j Diet, of a Day. The Subftantive Father declin'd. Nom. Sing, a Father ; Voc. Father ; Gen. of rt Father, or # Father's ; Dat. to fl Ftffgr ; Ace. a Father ; Abl. with, front, in, or y a Father. Nom. Plural. Fathers ; Voc. Fathers; Gen.' o/ Fathers ; Dat. fo Fathers ; Ace. Fathers ; Abl. //A, /row, , or ^y Fathers. In English, Subftantives are thus regularly declin'd in both Numbers, and in other Lan- guages agreeably to their Genius refpe&ively. Of the Genders of Nouns. Gender in the Greek and Latin Languages, is a technical Term or Word of Art, fignifying the Joining the Names of a Quality or Ad- jective with that Termination or Ending which the Nature of the Subftantive requires in the Greek and Latin; (for the Englifl) is not em- barrafs'd with it ; ) thus if the Word denotes a Perfon of the Male Kind, or any Thing cunfider'd as fuch, it requires the Adjeftive to* be j-nn'd with it in a Male Habit, call'd the Mafculine Termination; as for Example, if I would exprefs a good Horfe, in Latin I muft fay, bonus Equus j but if I would fay a good Mare, I muft Ess AY towards an I muft fay bona Equa, which is the Female Ending; but when the Subftantive is neither Male nor Female, that is of no Gender at all, it requires that the Adjective (hould be join'd to it in another Ending different from the two 'foregoing, and therefore call'd the Neuter Gen- der or Ending ; as, bonum Regnum : Whereas in English, without any of thefe Niceties, we properly fay, a good Horfe, a good Mare, a good Kingdom ; no Change being made in the Termi- nation of the Word denoting the Quality or Adjective : But that which makes the Doctrine of- Genders yet more perplex'd, in Latin and fome other Languages, is, that a Word that is neither Male or Female, yet by the Caprice of 'Ufe and Cuftom, is to be join'd with a Male or Female, Garb or Ending in the Adjective ; as, bonus Liber, a good Book ; bona Navis, a good Ship ; where Liber and Navis are neither Mate or Female, only that we conceive them as if they were Males and Females, without any Reafon in Nature for fo doing ; and hence it is that the fame Word is conceivM as a Malf by one Author, and as a Female by another, which Sort of Words are faid to be of the 1 Common Gender. t* l j There are fome Adjectives that have two* Endings only, whereof one fits both the. Word denoting the Male and the Female; as, triftis Dominus, a fad Lord; triftis Domina, a fed Lady ; and trifle Regnum, a fad Kingdom ; and fome of them are fo complaifant, as to conform 1 , them- Unherfal and Rational Grammar. 115 themfelves to all Sorts of Words with ,one Termination, in Latin as well as in Englifh', viz. felix Dominus, felix t)omina, felix Regnum J at leaft in fome Cafes, for in other Cafes they require two Endings ; as, felicenr, to be join*d with Words of the Male and PerHale Kind, and felix with Words of the Neuter , when coming after a Word fignifying an Adion: But to have a clear Notion what an AdjecYivfc is, it may be defined thus j An Adjedive 'is a Word that Jignifies the Man- ner or Quality of a T'hing, and may in good Senfe ie declind 'with a Subjiantiue, and -without a Sub- /iantive cannot be underftood ; as the Words wife, }wljfl) y white, black I know the Word wife is an AdjeElive ; Firft, becaufe it is the Manner or Quality of a Thing ;. Secondly, becaufe I can decline it in good Senfe with a Subftantive; as, a wife Man i of a wife Man j to a wife Man ; with a wife Man ; But in this Sentence, / have white, it is not Senfe, unlefs I add fome Subftantive ; as, white Paper, white Bread, white Linnen, white Hands, &c. Adjeftives in Englifh receive no Alteration either as to Number or Cafe, but when they are put Subftantively, they admit S, to make them Plural ; as, Secrets, or the Plural of a Secret. Of the Comparing of Adje&ives. Becaufe one Magnitude is bigger or lefs than another, Adjectives are diftinguifh'd into Com- parable and Incomparable. Q A tit An ESSAY towards an . A Comparable Adjective, is that which in good >enfe admits before it the Particles .move, mofl^ or very ; as, hardy more hard, or harder, mofl itiwa, or hardefl. I knr^ f/;^? fignifes tie Aftion, Pajfion, or Being (fa Thing, and may be conjugal ed cr have 'its Endings chang y d in good Senfe, with a Subftantive of the Nominative Cafe before it, and- without a Nominative Cafe cant make 'Senfe ; as the Words, run, read, teach, &c. I know the Word read is a Verb, becaufe it fignifies the Action of a Thing, and can be conjugated '-in good Senfe- withJa Nominative before it ; thus, I 'rea'd- A . ytrfal and Rational Grammar. 2. 1 7 I read, thou readeji, he readeth, we ready ye ready they read. Or a Verb (by Grammarians fo caS'd) is a Word made ufe of when we affirm one Thing of another; as when I fay, a Man is rational, the Faculty of reafoning is attributed to, or affirm'd of Man ; / write, is the fame as, / am writing^ where an Affirmation is imply'd : Or 'tis the denying one Thing of another; as, jfo/j/z is not ftrong, where Strength is deny'd to belong to John; here the Attribute is affirm'd or feparated from the Subject, by the Help of the copulative Word am, in its feveral Termi- nations or Endings. Verbs, as to their Signification, are diftin- guifh'd into Active, Pajfive, and Neuter. A Verb Atlwe, is that which denotes the Ading or Doing of its ; Subject or Nominative Cafe, and may in good Senfe have after it the Ac- cufative Cafe of its Object or Thing it ads upon, as the Verb Call is AElwe, becaufe I can fay in good Senfe, I catt thee, I call him, I caS her. A Verb AEiive, in refpeft of its Object or Accufative Cafe, is diftinguilh'd into Tjranfitive, or when the Action pafles into another Subject; or Intranjitive, when the Action doth remain in the Agent. A Verb Adive 'tranjiti've is that which in good Senfe admits many Accufatives, as the Verb active Call, for I fay in good Senfe, I call him, I call Peter, I call John, CTc. Q 2 A Verb i8 2, An ESSAY towards an A Verb Active Intranfoive is that which in good Senfe admits only one Accufative Cafe, and that of its own Signification, or when the Action does not pafs into another Subject ; as, the Verbs run, go, live, &c. I can fay in good Senfe, I run a Race, I go a Journey, I live a Lifej becaufe thefe are Accufatives of their own Signification, and the Action remains in the Agent : But if I fay, I go a Man, I live a Houfe, it is Nonfenfe, becaufe thefe are not Accufatives of their own Signification, neither doth the Action go from the Agent into another Subject. Every Verb that in Englifh admits before it the Auxiliar or Helping- Words do, or did, in gooH Senfe, is a Verb Active, Tranfoive, or Intranfoive ; as, / do dye, 1 do grow, I do fit, &c. A Verb Paffive, is that which denotes the Paffion or Suffering of its Subject or Nominative, nor car? it in good Senfe admit of an Ac- cufative Cafe after it ; as, / am read, I am called: In Engti/b the Verb Paffive is always exprefs'd by two Words, the Verb am, and the Participle of the Prefent Tenfe, if either of thefe be wanting, it is not Paffive. A Verb Neuter, is that which neither de- notes the Action or Paflion of its Subject or Nominative Cafe, but only its being or Ex- iftence , and in good Senfe it admits after it a Nominative Cafe, as the Verb am : I can fay in good Senfe, I^;*'he, not, I am him, &c. - Of Unherfal and Rational Grammar, z i $ Of the Conjugation or the Variation of the Endings of the Verb. The Conjugating of a Verb is the Variation thereof, according to its various Nominatives or Perfons, and various Difference of Time or Tenfe, according to four different Forms in the Latin, and according to more or lefs Forms in other Languages ; for the Arabians have no lefs than Thirteen Conjugations. Nominatives, as they, come before Verbs, are diftinguifti'd into three Sorts, call'd by Grammarians Perfoas, which are three in the Singular, and as many in the Plural : which are ., the Words, /, thou, he, with their Plurals, We, Ton, they, made ufe of, to prevent the Re- peating often the fame Words ; as, /, faves the Trouble of nameing my felf or the Perfon ipeaking; T'hou and Tou are Proxies for the Name of him or them that are fpoken to : But He, and T'hey, reprefent all Names in general that are abfent, or confider'd as fuch, and fpoken of, and may be call'd Attorney's general which fupply the Place of any Per- ibn or Perfons, Thing or Things that are fpoken of. _' ji Verb is faid to be of the firft Perfon Singular, that may in a good Senfe be join'd with the Perfon fpeaking, or with its Subfti- tute of the firft Perfon Sin^lrlar, /, as, I teach-, Q. 3 noc 2.30 ^EssAY towards an not, / teacheft ; becaufe teacheft is not a Verb of the firft Perfon Singular. That Verb is of the fecond Perfon Singular which can be join'd to the Perfon fpoken to, or to thou itsReprefentative; as, thou teacheft ; not, thou teach ', or thou teacheth : And fo of the reft. The Moods or Modes of Verbs are Terms of Art, to (hew in what Manner the Predicate or Attribute is join'd with its Subject, which wcetiiz Indie. 'Imperaf. Optat. Potential, SuljunB. and Infin. The Indicative, when the Matter is {imply declared to be fo and fo ; as, I teach, or am teaching-, thou teacheft, or art teaching; or when it is in the Speaker's Power to have it be fo^ ' which Manner or Mode of fpeaking is call'd the Imperative Mood, and when it is nei- ther declar'd to be fo, nor fe'ems to be imme- diatejy in the Speaker's Power to have it fo ; then he can do no more but make out the Ex- preffion of his Will by the Particles, Would to God. May, might) if y denote either the Poffibi- licy of the Attribute to be joyn'd to the Subjeft, or the Defire of the Perfon fpeaking ; as, Wwld to Gvd 3 I did love-, or; I can, may, or tumid Icve ; and thefe Manners of fpeaking are com- monly cali'd Optative, Potential, or Sttbj unfit ve, becaufe fubjoin'd in the Latin to fome Particles that modify or (hew that the Attribute is not join'd to, or feparnted from the Subject abfo- lutely and neceflariiy, but only poflible and con- ditionally. What Grammarians call the Infini- tive Univerfal and Rational Gram mar 2. 3.1 tive is an imperfonal Verb, or rather a Noun Subftantive indeclinable and indeterminate. Of the different Times or Senfes of a VERB.. 'There are five Tenfes or Times; the Prefent, 'Imperfect, PerfeB, Pluperfttt, and Future. The Prefent Tenfe (hews that fomething is now a doing; as, / do write ; or, am 'writing a Letter, is the fame as, / do now. write, or am now writing. > ' The ImperfeEi, or PretmmperfeEl Tjenfe, (hews that fomething was then a doing, or prefent at that Time which we fpeak of; as, 2 was writing my -Letter when your Mejfenger came to me. The PerfeEl or Preterperfett Tettfe is that which {hews that fomething rs already done and paft; as, / -have written my Letter, without Regard being had to any other Action. The Pluperjeft, or PreterpluperfeB, is that which fhews that fomething had been done be- fore an another Thing that was done and paft? as, 1 had written my Letter an Hour before your Mejfeffger came unto me. The Future T'enfe is that which (hews that fomething is to come ; as, I foall write my Let- ter to morrow Morning. i . O Of a PARTICIPLE. That Part of Speech cali'd by Grammarians a Participle, becaafe it has Cafes like a Noun Sub- 1 3 1 dn ESSAY towards an Subftantive, ancl fignifies Time as a Verb ; is no more indeed than an Adjedive, or Name of Quality, and therefore we (hall fpeak no more of it in this Place: The fame may be faid of Gerunds 5 and Supines are but Nouns Subftantives of the fourth Declenfion: For the fame Renfon xve made no Mention in this Difcourfe of Pro-* nouns, becaufe they are properly all either Sub- ftantives., or Adjedives. !' i : * r Of a PARTICLE. *** f . A Particle is a Word that Jignifies fonte Man- ner, Circwnftance or Connexion of Words and Sen- tences, and can neither be declined or conjugated in good Senfe i as the Words, wijefy, foot'$fy, with us, &.c. I know the Word -wifely is a Particle, becaufe it fignifies the Manner of an Action j as, 7 fpeak wifely : And becaufe I can neither decline nor conjugate it in good Senfe 5 and fo of all others. Particles are of three Sorts; Adve-fls, Prepo- foions, and Conjunctions. An 'Adverb is a Particle that denotes the Manner or Quality of an Aflicn, and with one Verb makes complsat Senfe ; as, fwiftfy, /lowly, merrily, 'fadly, &c. I know fvafth is an Adverb^ becaufe it compleats the Senfe with one Verb 5 as in thefe Sentences, A Horfe runs Swiftly > a Fool fpeaks fiol'fity 5 a good Scholar reads Ji~ A /- Unherfal and Rational Grammar. 155 A Prejpftipn, is a Particle that denotes fome Circumftance of an Action, and can't make com- > pleat Senfe.with one Verb without fome oblique Cafe after it ; as the Prepofitions, of, to, with, from, againfl : Here I know the Particle of is a Prepofoion, becaufe I can't fay in compleat Senfe, I fpoke of, but, I fpoke of him not I fpoke of he, becaufe be is not an oblique Cafe, but the Nominative, with which no Prefofttion . can make Senfe: So, with me, not, with Ij from thee, not, from thou, &c. Obferve, I'le Nominative and Vocative are cal- led- direct Cafes, aU the reft are calfd oblique, or relative, as having a Relation to fomething elfe. -'. . A Conjunction is a Particle that denotes the Connection of two Verbs, or (which is the fame) of two Sentences together, and can't with one Verb compleat the Senfe, but leaves the Hearer in Sufpenfe till another Sentence be added , as the Particles, when, whilfl, if, as, that, &c. as in thefe Sentences, When I was fick \ If I live well ; 'As I came home j 'That I may read, &c. where the Senfe remains imperfect, and leaves the Mind in Sufpenfe, till another Sentence be added 5 as,- when I was fick, I fent for a Phy- fician ; As I came home, I met my Mafter ; I will go to my Chamber, that I may read ; If I live- 'well, 1 (hall die happily. ,. Obferve, Oftentimes the lame Word is of dif- ferent Parts of Speech, according to its different Signification, tobich mufl be diftinguiftfd by the Senfe o/ the Sentence in which it is ; as the Words, ESSAY to vx^v^vrV - . v s . V.vj.\ ViVi^ INTRODUCTION. Page i JL The famous Tanaqiiil* FaberT Method of teaching the l&arned Languages, p. 19 The AuthorV Method of teaching Lan- guages, p. 51! O ,- -J f > f .-...>. J .i. ^'l! >M 1C\ . LockV Judgment on Latin . . - oJB.i ^ l^iWW^ll Mr. GlarkV Judgment ^ &c. -^ 1 p. 105 John Milton on Education, written about the Tear 1650. p. no The true and ready Way to learn the Latin Tongue ', exprefs'd in Anfwer to a Quere, Whether the ordinary Way of teach- The C O N T E N T S. teaching L&m by the Rules of Gram- mar, be the left Way for Touth to learn it? %y the late learned and judicious Gentleman Richard Carew, of Anthony in Cornwall. Page 1 3 i An Account of the Education of the Dau- phine, in a Letter to his Holinefs Tope Innocent Xlth, by James Benighus Bof- fuet, Bijhop of Meaux, T receptor to the Dauphine. Tfranjlated from the Original Latin, p. 139 The Method by which the 'Dukes of Burgundy, Anjou, and Berry, the Grandchildren of Lewis XlVth were ILducated. p. *fhe Opinion of Roger Afcham, Concerning double Tranflations. p. A Letter from the Marchionefs de Lam- bert to her Son. p. i8i An Effay towards an Univerfal and Ra- tional Grammar ; by the Author, p. 2 n \> -::.!. ^ " lv :.'^,;-vV.-. it? : UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book \f DUE o he last date stamped below. w JBL'5^ . AU6 1971 Form L9-Series4939 P 53. P53C 1727 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY A 001 289 527 2