ftrained in of their hating thofe who endeavour to open their eyes to the faults of their children; of listening to their groundlefs complaints against their mafters; of reftraining and hampering them in the discharge of their duty to their children; and of ungratefully imputing to the mafter's want of care the failure of their children's improvement in what nature has denied them capacities for; at the fame time, that they know other youths have made proper improvements under the fame care; and cannot with any colour of reafon fuppofe a prudent mafter fo much his own enemy, as to neglect one pupil, and ufe diligence with another.

SECT. III.

Procefs of Education from four Years of Age, to the finifbing of the Puerile Studies and Exercises.

ROM the age of four to fix, a healthy child, of

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good capacity, may learn to read English diftinctly, according to the fpelling and points. The propriety of emphafis and cadence muft not be expected at fo early an age. Within this period likewife, he may be introduced into the rudiments of Latin, and may learn to decline by memory a fet of examples of all the declinable parts of speech.

If I did not think fome knowledge in the Latin language abfolutely neceffary to any perfon, whofe ftation raises him above the rank of a working mechanic, I fhould not recommend it. Notwithstanding what has been faid by many against the neceffity of any knowledge of Latin, I must own, I cannot fee that an English education can be begun upon any other foundation. Without grammar, there can be no regular education. And the grammar of one language may as well be learned as of another, the science being in the main the fame in all. It is very well known, that moft of the European languages are more Latin than any thing else. And what more thorough method is there of letting a perfon into the spirit of a language, than by making

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him early acquainted with the original roots, from whence it is derived? As great part of the Latin arises from the Greek, fome judicious perfons have thought it beft to begin with that language.

Upon the whole, one would think, no parent fhould with his fon brought up in fo defective a manner, as to be at a ftand at a Latin phrafe in an English book, or a faying of an ancient author mentioned in converfation, which must be very often met with by any man who reads at all, or keeps company above the very lowest ranks of life.

From the age of fix to eight, his reading may be continued and improved, his principles of Latin reviewed from time to time, and he may be employed in reading fuch eafy books as Corderius, and fome of Erafmus's Colloquies with an English Tranflation.

About this age likewife, children may be taught to read a little French, a language which no gentleman, or man of bufinefs, can be without. After they have gone through Boyer's Grammar, and learned by memory a set of examples of verbs regular and irregular, and common phrafes, they may read a little collection lately published, called, Recueil des auteus François, printed at Edinburgh. Les avantures de Gil Blas, Le diable boiteux, Les avantures de Telemaque, Les comedies de Moliere, and Les tragedies de Racine, are proper books for youth to read for their improvement in French. They must likewife practife tranflating into French, and Speaking the language.

From eight to twelve years of age, they may be employed in the fame manner, and may befides be introduced to fuch Latin authors as Juftin, Cornelius Nepos Eutropius, Phædrus, and the like. There is a pretty Collection lately published, entituled, Selecta Latini Sermonis Exemplaria, &c. very proper for the lower claffes. Ovid is an author ufually put into the hands of youth about this age. But for my part, I do not think any thing of his, befides his Fafli, at all fit for the young and unprincipled mind. His obfcenities, and indecencies will, I hope, be readily given up. And the bulk of his other writings are either overftrained witticifms,

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witticifms, bombaftic rants, or improbable and monftrous fictions; none of which feem proper for laying a good foundation in the young mind for raifing a fuperftructure of true tafte; rational goodness; and a steady love of truth.

From twelve years of age to fixteen or eighteen, that is, to the finishing of the education, properly fo called; for a wife man never finishes his inquiries and improvements, till life itself be finished; in the beginning of this period, I fay, befides carrying on and improving the above, a youth ought (and not much before, according to my judgment) to be entered into writing, and foon after into arithmetic, and then to read a little of the elements of geometry. Writing requires fome degree of ftrength of muscle, and of fight; and numbers and the elements of geometry, fome ripeness of judgment, which are not to be found in the generality of youth before twelve years of age.

The neglecting too long the first principles of geometry, and the knowledge of numbers, is found in experience to be very prejudicial; as a perfon, whose mind comes once to be full of various ideas, and eager after different purfuits, as thofe of moft people are by fixteen or eighteen, can hardly by any means bring himself to apply to any new branch of knowledge, of which he has not had, in the young and tractable years of life, fome principles. Mathematics, to one who has had no tincture of that fort of knowledge infufed into his mind in youth, will be a mere terra incognita; and therefore too difagreeable and irkfome to be ever purfued by him with any confiderable fuccefs. The cafa is by experience found to be the fame with respect to languages, and every other complex or extenfive branch of knowledge; which gave occafion to the great Mr. Locke to obferve, that "the taking a tafte of every fort "of knowledge is neceffary to form the mind, and is "the only way to give the understanding its due im"provement to the full extent of its capacity."

Proper books for learning the knowledge of numbers are Fisher's, Wingate's, Hill's, or Wells's Arithmetic.

For the elements of geometry fome think Pardie's an eafy introduction. But his demonftrations, not being always unquestionable, I cannot recommend it. Simpfon's geometry is a very elegant compend. But Cunn's or Simpfon's Euclid is the best book for a young beginner. Of the higher parts of mathematics 1 fhall fpeak afterwards.

About the age of twelve it will be proper for a youth. to enter on the Greek language. From the fmall Weftminfter Grammar (which is as good as any) he may go on to read the New-Teftament, and from thence to fun-, dry Collections, and Ifocrates, or Demofthenes, Plato, and Homer.

I know no occafion a youth can have to be obliged to get any thing by memory in learned or foreign languages, except the declenfions of a fet of examples, a few phrafes, and rules of conftruction, which laft may, be learned in English. The memory may be, to much greater advantage, furnished with what may be of real use in life, than with crabbed grammar rules, or with heaps of Latin or Greek verfe. As to making Latin or Greek themes or verfes, I would as foon have a son of mine taught to dance on a rope. But of this enough.

From the Latin authors above-mentioned a youth of parts, may, about fourteen and fifteen, and onwards, be advanced to Virgil, Salluft, Terence, Livy, Tully, with felect parts of Horace (for many parts of that author ought not to be in print), and fo on to Tacitus, Juvenal, and Perfius.

One of the beft school-books extant is a small collec tion lately published, printed for L. Hawes, in Paternofter-row, which I could with enlarged to the extent of a volume or two more, collected with equal judgment. It is entitled, Selectæ ex profanis. fcriptoribus biftoriæ. This may be read by youth from ten years of age and upwards; and would be very proper to make tranflations from, for improving them at once in ortho, graphy, in writing, in ftyle, and fentiment. If they were to speak fuch verfions, corrected by the mafter, by way of orations, before their parents, I fhould think the

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end of improving their elocution, and giving them courage to speak in public, might be thereby much. better attained, than by their being taught either to act plays in a dead language, or to rant in a theatrical manner English tragedies. To fpeak a grave fpeech with proper grace and dignity may be of ufe in real life. The rant of the ftage can never be ufed off the ftage. And practifing it in youth has often produced very bad effects.

I know no neceffity for a youth's going through every claffic author he reads. There are parts in all books lefs entertaining than others. And perhaps it might have a good effect to leave off fometimes where the pupil fhews a defire to go on, rather than fully fatiate his curiofity.

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When youth come to read Horace, Livy, and fuch authors, they may be fuppofed capable of entering a little into the critical beauties of the ancients, and of writing in general. It will be of great confequence, that they be early put in the right way of thinking with refpect to the real merit of the ancients, their excellen ces, which may properly be imitated, their faults to be avoided, and deficiences to be fupplied. Of which more fully afterwards.

Pope's Effay on criticifm may with fuccefs be commented upon. From which, as it takes in the principal rules laid down and obfervations made by the wri ters before him, as well as his own, may be drawn a general view of the requifites for a well-written piece, The principles of this knowledge, early planted in the mind, would be of great ufe in leading people to form their tafte by fome clear and certain rules drawn from nature and reason, which might prevent their praifing and blaming in the wrong place; their mistaking noisy bombaft for the true fublime; a ftyle holding forth more than is expreffed, for the dull and unanimated; bignefs, for greatnefs; whining for the pathetic; bullying for the heroic; oddity for terror; the barbarous for the tragical; farce for comedy; quaint conceit, pert fcurrility, or affected cant, for true wit; and fo forth.

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