thiftles and Brambles which is commonly fet before them, as all the food and entertainment of their tendereft and most docible Age. I call therefore a compleat and generous Education that which fits a Man to perform justly, fkilfully and magnanimoufly, all the Offices, both private and publick, of Peace and War. And how all this may be done between twelve and one and twenty, lefs Time than is now beftow'd in pure trifling at Grammar and Sophiftry, is to be thus order'd.

Firft, to 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 Attendants, all under the Government of one, who fhall be thought of Desert sufficient, and Ability either to do all, or wifely to direct, and overfee it done. This Place fhould be at once both School and University, not need. ing a remove to any other Houfe of Scholarship, except it be fome peculiar College of Law, or Phyfick, where they mean to be Practitioners; but as for thofe general Studies which take up all our time from Lilly to the commencing, as they term it, Mafter of Arts, it fhould be abfolute. After this Pattern, as many Edifices may be converted to this ufe, as fhall be needful in every City throughout this Land, which would tend much to the increafe of Learning and Civility every where. This number, lefs or more thus collected, to the convenience of a foot Company, or interchangeably two Troops of Cavalry, fhould divide their days work into three Parts, as it lies orderly: Their Studies, their Exercife, and their Diet.

For their Studies, Firft they fhould begin with the chief and neceffary Rules of fome good Grammar, either that now us'd, or any better: and while this is doing, their Speech is to be fashion'd to a distinct and clear Pronunciation, as near as may be to the Italian, especially in the Vowels. For we Englishmen being far Northerly, do

not

not open our Mouths in the cold Air, wide enough to grace a Southern Tongue; but are obferv'd by all other Nations to speak exceeding clofe and inward: fo that to fmatter Latin with an English Mouth, is as ill a hearing as Law French. Next to make them expert in the usefullest points of Grammar, and withal to feason them, and win them early to the Love of Virtue and true Labour, ere any flattering Seducement, or vain principle feife them wandring, fome eafy and delightful Book of Education fhould be read to them; whereof the, Greeks have Store, as Cebes, Plutarch, and other Socratic Difcourfes. But in Latin we have none of claffic Authority extant, except the two or three firft Books of Quintilian, and fome felect Pieces elsewhere. But here the main skill and groundwork will be, to temper them fuch Lectures and Explanations upon every Opportunity, as may lead and draw them in willing Obedience, enflam'd with the Study of Learning, and the Admiration of Virtue; ftirr'd up with high hopes of living to be brave Men, and worthy Patriots, dear to God, and famous to all Ages; that they may defpife and fcorn all their childish, and ill-taught Qualities, to delight in manly, and liberal Exercises : which he who hath the Art and proper Eloquence to catch them with, what with mild and effectual Perfuafions, and what with the intimation of fome Fear, if need be, but chiefly by his own Example, might in a fhort space gain them to an incredible Diligence and Courage; infufing into their young Breafts fuch an ingenuous and noble Ardor, as would not fail to make many of them renowned and matchless Men. At the fame time, some other hour of the Day, might be taught them the Rules of Arithmetick, and foon after the Elements of Geometry even playing, as the old manner was. Evening repafts, till bed-time, their Thoughts will be beft taken up in the eafy grounds of Religion, and the ftory of Scripture. The next step-would be to the Authors of Agriculture, Cato, Varro, and Columella; for the matter is most easy, and if the Language be difficult, fo

After

much

much the better, it is not a difficulty above their years: And here will be an occafion of inciting and inabling them hereafter to improve the tillage of their Country, to recover the bad Soil, and to remedy the wafte that is made of good; for this was one of Hercules' Praifes. Ere half thefe Authors be read (which will foon be with plying hard, and daily) they cannot chufe but be Mafters of an ordinary Profe. So that it will be then feasonable for them to learn in any modern Author, the use 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. And at the fame time might they be entring into the Greek Tongue, after the fame manner as was before prescrib'd in the Latin; whereby the difficulties of Grammar being foon overcome, all the Hiftorical Phyfiology of Ariftotle and Theophraftus are open before them, and, as I may fay, under contribution. The like accefs will be to Vitruvius, to Seneca's natural Queftions, to Mela, Celfus, Pliny, or Salinus. And having thus paft the Princi-ples of Arithmetick, Geometry, Aftronomy, and Geography, with a general 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 the 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 Phyfick; 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 not only a great Physician to himself, and to his Friends, but alfo may at fome time or other fave an Army by this frugal and expenfeless means only; and not let the healthy and ftout Bodies of young Men rot away under him for want of this difcipline; which is a great pity and no less a fhame to the Commander. To fet forward all thefe proceedings in Nature and Ma

thematicks

thematicks, what hinders, but that they may procure as oft as fhall be needful, the helpful Experiences of Hunters, Fowlers, Fishermen, Shepherds, Gardeners, Apothecaries; and in the other Sciences, Architects, Engineers, Mariners, Anatomifts; who doubtless would be ready, fome for Reward, and fome to favour such a hopeful Seminary? And this will give them fuch a real Tincture of natural Knowledge, as they fhall never forget, but daily augment with Delight. Then also those Pots which are now counted most hard, will be both facil and pleafant, Orpheus, Hefiod, Theocritus, Aratus, Nicander, Oppian, Dionyfius; and in Latin, Lucretius, Manilius, and the rural Part of Virgil.

By this Time, Years and good general Precepts will have furnisht them more diftinctly with that Act of Reafon which in Ethicks is call'd Proairefis; that they may with fome Judgment contemplate upon moral Good and Evil. Then will be requir'd a fpecial Reinforcement of conftant and found Endoctrinating to fet them right and firm, inftructing them more amply in the Knowledge of Virtue and the Hatred of Vice; while their young and pliant Affections are led thro' all the moral Works of Plato, Xenophon, Cicero, Plutarch, Laertius, and thofe Locrian Remnants; but still to be reduc'd in their nightward Studies, wherewith they close the Day's Work, under the determinate Sentence of David or Solomon, or the Evangelifts and Apoftolic Scriptures. Being perfect in the Knowledge of perfonal Duty, they may then begin the Study of Economics. And either now, or before this, they may have eafily learnt at any odd Hour the Italian Tongue. And foon after, but with Warinefs and good Antidote, it would be wholefome enough to let them taste some choice Comedies, Greek, Latin, or Italian: Thofe Tragedies also that treat of Houshold Matters, as Trachinia, Alceftis, and the like.

The next Remove must be to the Study of Politics; to know the Beginning, End, and Reafons of political Societies;

6

Societies that they may not in a dangerons Fit of the Common-wealth be fuch poor, fhaken, uncertain Reeds, of fuch a tottering Confcience, as many of our great! Counsellors have lately fhewn themselves, but stedfaft Pillars of the State.

After this they are to dive into the Grounds of Law, and legal Juftice; deliver'd first, and with best Warrant, by Mofes; and as far as human Prudence can be trusted, : in thofe extoll'd Remains of Grecian Law givers, Lycur gus, Solon, Zaleucus, Charondas; and thence to all the Roman Edicts and Tables, with their Juftinian; and fo down to the Saxon and common Laws of England, and the Statutes. Sundays alfo and every Evening may be now understandingly spent in the higheft Matters of Theology, and Church-Hiftory Antient and Modern; and ere this Time the Hebrew Tongue at a fet Hour might have been gain'd, that the Scriptures may be now read in their own Original; whereto it would be no Impoffibility to add the Chaldee, and the Syrian Dialect.

When all these Employments are well conquer'd, then will the choice Hiftories, Heroic Poems and Attic. Tragedies of stateliest and most regal Argument, with all the famous political Orations, offer themselves; 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 Demofthenes, or Cicero, Euripides, or Sophocles.

And now lastly will be the Time to read with them thofe organic Arts which inable Men to difcourfe and write perfpicuously, elegantly, and according to the fitted Style of Lofty, Mean, or Lowly.

Logic therefore, fo much as is useful, is to be referred to this due Place, with all her well-coucht Heads and

Topicks,