The Education of Children

A lykenynge of scholemasters and nurses together. Thys man shulde do in fashionyng hys wytte, that parentes and nurses be wont to do in formynge the bodye. Howe do they fyrst teache the infante to speake lyke a man? The fedyng of the bodye and mynd cõpared together. So then as by small morsels, and geuen now and then, the lytle tender bodies are noryshed: in lyke manner chyldrens wyttes by instruccions meete for them taught easely, and as it were by playe by lytle & litle accustume thẽ selues to greater thyngs: & the wearynesse in the meane season, is not felte, because that small encreasynges so deceyue the felynge of labour, that neuerthelesse they helpe much to great profite. As it is told of a certen wrestler, whych, accustumed to beare a calfe by certein furlonges, bare hym whẽ he was waxen a bull, wythoute anye payne: for the encrease was not felt, whych euerye daye was put to the burden. t they thẽ selues wer once children. How much more curteouse is it that Pliny warneth a certen master that was to sore. Remember saythe he, that bothe he is a yonge man, and that thou hast ben one thi selfe. But many be so cruel against the tender chyldren, as though thei remẽbred not neyther them selues, neyther their scolers to be menne. What things lytle yonge chyldrẽ shold be fyrste taughte. Thou woldest that I shulde shewe the those thynges that be meete for the inclinaciõ of that age, and whiche shuld by and by be taughte the lytle yongons. Fyrst the vse of tonges whych commeth to them without any greate studye, ther as olde Chyldren desyre naturally to folow & do as other do. And here to as we sayde, moueth the chyldrẽ a certen desyre to folowe and do as they se other do: of the which thing we see a certen lyke fashion in pies and popiniayes. What is more delectable then the fabels of poetes, which wyth their swete entisynge plesures to delight childrens eares that thei profite vs very much whẽ we be olde also, not only to ye knowledge of the tong, but also to iudgement and copye of elegant speche? Bucolicall, where ye herdmen do speke of nete and shepe. Also what is more mery conceited thẽ the verses called Bucolicall? what is sweter then a comedie, whych standing by morall maners, deliteth bothe the vnlearned and chyldren? And heare how great a parte of philosophye is lerned by playe? Adde vnto thys the names of all thynges, in the whych it is meruell to see howe now a dayes, yea euẽ they be blind which are taken for wel lerned mẽ. That is a teacher of holye lernynge. And what he is now I can not tel, for I sawe hym not beynge growẽ vp. To the knowledge of the tonge it wyll helpe verye muche if he be broughte vp amonge them that be talkatiue. Fabels and tales wyll the chylde lerne so muche the more gladly, and remember the better, if he maye see before his eyes the1 The same shall helpe as much to lerne without boke the names of trees, herbs, and beastes, and also their properties, inespecially of these whych be not common to be seene in euerye place, as is Rhinoceros, whyche is a beaste that hathe a horne in hys nose, naturall enemye to the Elephant: Tragelaphus, a goate hart, Duocrotalus, a byrd lyke to a swã, whyche puttyng hys head into the water brayeth lyke an asse, an asse of Inde and an Elephant. The table maye haue an Elephant whom a Dragon claspeth harde aboute, wrapping in his former feete with his tayle. The litle chyld laugheth at the syght of thys straunge paintynge, what shall the master do then? He shall shewe him that ther is a greate beaste called in Greeke an Elephante, and in Latine lykewyse, saue that sometyme it is declined after the latine fashion. He shall shewe, that that whyche the grekes cal proboscida, or his snout,2 in the genitiue case. He shall shewe that naturallie betwyxte the dragons and the Elephantes is great fyghte. And if the chylde be somewhat gredy of learnynge, he maye rehearse manye other thynges of the nature of Elephantes and dragons. Manye reioyse to see huntinges paynted. Here howe manye kyndes of trees, hearbes, byrdes, foure footed beastes maye he lerne and playe? I wyll not holde you longe wyth examples, seynge it is easye by one to coniecture all. Autumne is the tyme betwyxt somer and wynter. so muste the master marke what is mete for euerye age. Mery and plesaunte thynges be conueniente for chyldehod, howbeit all sourenesse and sadnes muste be cleane awaye from all studies. The meaning of ye poetes deuise touching the muses & Charites. And I am deceyued except the olde men ment that also, whyche ascribed to the muses beynge virgins, excellent bewtye, harpe, songes, daunses, and playes in the pleasaunt fieldes, and ioyned to them as felowes the Ladies of loue: and that increase of studies dyd stande specially in mutual loue of myndes, and therefore the olde Wherfore lernyng is called humanitie For what letteth that they shulde not lerne eyther a proper fable, arte of poets, or a sentence, or a notable prety hystorie, or a learned tale, as well as they lerne and can wythout boke a piuyshe songe, and oftẽtimes a baudy one to, & folishe old wiues tatlynges, & very trifles of triflyng womẽ? What a sũme of dreames, vaine ryddels, and vnprofitable trifles of spirites, hobgoblines, fayries, witches, nightmares wood men and gyauntes, how manye naughty lies, how many euyll sayings remember wee, yea euen when we be men, whych beyng lytle chyldrẽ we lerned of our dadies, graũdmothers, nurses, & maydens whyle they were spynnynge, and heard thẽ when they kissed & plaied wyth vs? And what a profite shuld it haue bene to lernynge, if in stede of these moste vaine garringes, not only folyshe, but also hurtfull, wee had lerned those thynges that we e childe Samuell. And ther be now a daies whych eyther for a lytle money, or for theyr plesure take almost more payne in teachyng a pye or a popiniay. There be some that for deuocions sake take vpon them iourneys that both be farre of and ieoperdeous, and other laboures besyde almost intollerable. Why dothe not holynes cause vs to do thys office seynge nothyng can please god better? Howbeit in teachinge those thynges that we haue rehearsed, the master must neyther be to much callyng vpon, neither to sharpe: but vse a continuaunce rather then be wythout measure. Continuaunce hurteth not so it be mesurable, & spiced also wyth varietie and plesaũtnes. Finally if these thynges be so How learnyng may be made swete vnto ye chyld. which before we somwhat touched. To be able to speake redely, as I told you is easely gotten by vse. After thys cõmeth the care to reade and write whych of it selfe is somwhat tedious, but the griefe is taken awaye a great parte by the cũnyng handling of the master, if it be sauced wt some pleasaunt allurementes. For you shall fynde some whych tarye long and take great paine in knowyng & ioynynge their letters & in those fyrst rudimẽtes of grammer, whẽ they wyl quyckely lerne greater thyngs. The yrksõnes of these thinges must be holpẽ by some pretie craft, of the which ye old fathers haue shewed certẽ fashions. Some haue made the letters in sweete crustes and cakes that chyldren loue well, that so in manner they myghte eate vp their letters. The practise of a certen englishe man to teache hys chyld hys letters by shootyng. The englyshe mẽ delyte principally in shotynge, and teache it their chyldren fyrst of all: wherefore a certen father that had a good quicke wyt perceiuinge his sonne to haue a greate pleasure in shotyng, bought hym a prety bowe & very fayr arrowes, & in al partes both of hys bowe & arrowes were letters painted. Afterwards insted of markes, he set vp the fashiõ of leters, fyrste of Greke, and after of latẽ: when he hyt, & tolde the name of the letter, besyde a greate reioysinge, he had for a reward a cherye, or some other thynge that chyldrẽ delyte in. Of that playe commeth more fruite, if two or thre matches playe together. For then the hope of victorie and feare of rebuke maketh them to take more heede, and to be more chereful. By thys deuise it was broughte aboute that the The beste craft for memmorie. The best crafte for memorie, is thorowlye to vnderstande, and then to brynge into an order, last of al oftẽ to repete that thou woldest remember. And in litleons there is a natural e shame: whych thynge capteyns be wonte to dooe in batayle. And sometyme we shall suffer that the chyld shuld thynke he hadde gotten the better, when he is worse in deede. Finally by enterchaungyng, prayse and disprayse, he shall noryshe in them, as Hesiodus sayth, a stryfe who shall do best. Perchaunce one of a sadde wyt wyl be loth so to play the child t natural loue of our children, and hope of great profit is wunt to make those thynges also pleasaũte, whyche of them selues be sharpe, sowre and bytter. I confesse that the preceptes of grammer be at the beginnynge somewhat sowre, and more necessary then pleasant. But the handsomnes of the teacher shal take from them also a greate parte of the payne. The beste thynge and playnest muste be taughte fyrste. ¶ But nowe wyth what compasses, and hardenesse be chyldren troubeled whyle they learne wythout the booke the names of the letters before they knowe what manner letters they bee?A good schol master in teachyng, muste folow a phisicion in medicines. whych whan they shalt gyue a bytter medicyne do anoyut, as Lucrecius faith, the brimmes of their cuppes with honye, that the chylde entised by pleasure of the swetenes shuld not feare the wholesome bytternes, or else put suger into ye medicine it selfe, or some other swete sauoryng thynge. Yea they wyl not be knowen that it is a medicine, for the only imaginacion sometyme maketh vs quake for feare. Finally thys tediousenes is sone ouercome, if things be taught them not to much at once, but by lytle and litle, and at sundrie times. Note the sentence. In some thinges a flye passeth an elephant. Euerye thyng is mighty in that, to the , And howe muche they lacke in strengthe, so muche they be holpen in thys part, that is, that they feele not labour, The last obieccion touching the profit of ye chyld in his young yeres. There remayneth one doute, wonte to be obiected by those whych saye: The profite that the chylde getteth in those thre or foure yeres to be so lytle, that it is not worthe the laboure, eyther to take so muche payne in teachynge, or bestowe so much coste. And these in dede seme vnto me, not so muche to care for to profite the chyldren, as for the sparyng of theyr money, or the teachers labour. But I wyl saye he is no father, whyche when the matter is of teaching his child, taketh so greate care for expenses. t Fabius sayth, yt more good is done in .i. yere after, then in these .iii. or .iiii. why shuld we set light by this litle yt is won in a thyng far more precious.iiii. yeres in oure chyldren, when there is nothyng more costly then tyme, nor no possession better thẽ lerning? t goeth swyftest awaye. The husbande manne if he be anye thynge diligente, wyll not suffer anye parte of hys lande to lye vacante, and that that is not meete to brynge forthe corne, he setteth it eyther wyth yonge graffes, or leaueth it to pasture, or storeth it wyth potte hearbes. And shall we suffer the beste parte of our lyfe to passe awaye wyth oute all fruite of lerning? Newe falowed ground must be preuented wyth some fruitfull thynge, leste beynge vntylled, it brynge forthe of it selfe naughty cockle. For needes muste it brynge forthe somewhat. Lykewyse the tender mynde of the infante, except it bee strayghte wayes occupyed wyth fruitefull teachynges, it wyl be ouercoued wyth vyce. An earthen potte wyll keepe longe the sauoure of the liquore that it is fyrste seasoned wyth, and it wyll be long or it go out. But as for an earthen vessell beynge newe and emptye, you maye keepe it for what liquore ye wyll.Ouide. Ouide beyng a verye yonge man wrot hys verses of loue. What olde man is hable to do lyke? Lucane. What maner of man Lucane was in hys youth hys workes declare. Howe came thys? Because that beynge but .vi. moneths old he was brought to Rome, & strayght waie deliuered to be taught of two the best gramarians, Palemõ, and Cornutus. Bassus. Hys companions in studye were Salcius Bassus, and Aulus Persius: Persius. that one excellente in

Doubtles hereof cam that most perfite knoweledge that he had in all the seuen sciences, & his so marueylous eloquence, that in verse he was both an excellente oratoure, & also a Poet. In thys our time ther wãteth not exemples of good bringing vp (although thei be veri few) & yt as wel in womẽ as mẽ. Politiã praised ye wit of ye maidẽ Cassãdra. ¶ And what is more marueylous thã Vrsinus a childe of .xii. yeres olde? for the remẽbraunce of him, he also in a very eligãte epistle put in eternall memorye. How fewe men shal you nowe fynd, whiche at one time be able to endite two epistles to so manye notaries, that the sẽtence in euerye one do agree, and that there shoulde happen no inconueniente speache. That chylde did it in fyue epistles & gaue the argumentes wtout any study, & was not prepared afore hãd to do it. Some men when they se these things, thinking that thei passe al mens strength, ascribe it to witchcraft. It is done in dede by witchcrafte, but it is an effectual enchaũting, to be set in time to a learned, good, and vigilant master. It is a stronge medicine to learne the best things of learned men, and emonge the learned.

Alexander. By such wytchcrafte Alexander the greate, whan he was a yonge man, besides eloquence, was perfit in al the parts of Philosophie, and except the loue of warres, & swetenes to raygne had quite raught away his inclinaciõ, he might haue bene counted the chiefe among the beste Philosophers. By the same meanes Caius Cesar beinge but a yonge man, was so eloquent & wel sene in the mathematical sciences. So well sene also were many Emperors: Marcus Tullius, also Virgil, and Horace in their lusty youth were so excellent in learninge and Eloquence, all bycause they were strayght waye in their tender age learned of their parentes & nourses the elegancy of the tonges, and of the beste maisters the liberal sciences: as Poetry, Rhetorique, Histories, the knowledge of antiquities, Arithmetique, Geographye, Philosophye, moral and political. And what do we I praye you? wee kepe our children at home till they be past fourtene or fiftene yere old, and whan they be corrupted wyth idlenes, ryot, & delicatenes, with muche worke at the laste we sende them to the cõmen scholes. There to further ye matter wel, they taste a little grammer: after, whan they can declyne words, & ioyne the adiectiue and the substãtiue togither, they haue learned al the grammer, and thã be set to that troubled Logike, wher they must forget againe if they haue learned to speake anie thynge well. But more vnhappye was the tyme whan I was a child whiche al to vexed the youth with modes of signifiinge, and other folyshe questions, & teching nothinge els then to speake folishelye. Verely those masters bicause they wold not be thought to teach folish thinges, darckened grammer wyth difficulties of Logike and Metaphisike: euen for this verelye, that afterwardes they shold returne backwardelye to learne grammer, whã they were olde, which we see happeneth nowe to some diuines that be wyser, that after so manye hye degrees and all their titles, wherby they maye be ignoraunte in nothing, they be faine to come againe to those bookes, which are wonte to be reade vnto children. I blame thẽ not, for it is better to lerne late then neuer, that thing which is necessary to be knowen.

Good Lorde what a world was that, whan wyth greate boastynge Iohn Garlandes verses wer read to yonge men, and that with longe and painefull commentaries? whã a greate parte of tyme was consumed in folyshe verses, in saying thẽ to other, repetynge them, and hearynge theim agayne? whan Florista and Florius were learned without booke? for as for Alexander, I thynke him worthye to be receiued amonge the meaner sorte. Moreouer howe muche tyme was loste in Sophistrye, and in the superfluous mases of Logyke? And bicause I will not be to longe, howe troublesomelye were all sciences taughte? howe paynefully? whiles euerye reader to auaunce him selfe, wolde euen straighte waye in the begynninge stuffe in the hardest thynges of all, and sometyme verye folyshe thyngs to. For a thyng is not therfore goodly bycause it is harde, as to stand a far of, and to caste a mustarde seede thorowe a nedles eye & misse not, it is hard in dede, but yet it is a verye trifle: and to vndo a payre of tariers, it is much worke, but yet a vayne and idle subilltye.

Adde here vnto, that oftentymes these thynges be taught of vnlearned men, and that is worse, of lewd learned men, somtyme also of sluggardes and vnthriftes, which more regarde takynge of money thã the profite of their scholers. Whã the commune bryngynge vp is suche, yet do wee maruayle that fewe be perfitly learned before they be old. Nota. The beste parte of oure lyfe is loste wyth idlenes, with vices, wherewith whan we be infected, we giue a litle parte of our tyme to studies, and a greate parte to feastes and plaies. And to an yll matter is taken as euil a craftes manne, either teachynge that is folyshe, or that whiche must be vnlearned againe. And after this we make our excuse that the age is weake, the wyt not yet apte to learne, the profite to be verye small, and manye other thinges, whan in dede the fault is to be ascribed to euill brynginge vp. I wil not trouble you any lẽger, onelie wil I speake to your wisdome whyche is in other thynges verye sharpe and quycke of syght. A goodli brief rehearsall of the thinges before spokẽ. Consider howe deare a possession youre sonne is, howe diuerse a thynge it is and a matter of muche worke to come by learnynge, and how noble also the same is, what a redines is in all childrens wyttes to learne, what agilitie is in the mynd of mã howe easily those thynges be learned whyche be beste and agreable to nature, inespeciallye if they be taught of learned and gentle maisters by the waye of playe: further how fast those thynges abide with vs, wherewt we season fyrste of all the emptye and rude myndes, whiche selfe thynges an elder age perceyueth boeth more hardelye, and soner forgetteth: Beside thys how dear and the losse neuer recouered, tyme is, howe much it auayleth to begin in seasõ, and to learne euery thyng whan it shold be, how much continuaunce is able to do, & howe greately the heape that Hesiodus speaketh of, doeth increase by puttinge to little and litle, how swiftly the time flieth away, how youth wyll alwayes be occupied, & howe vnapte olde age is to be taught: If thou consyder these thynges thou wilt neuer suffer that thi litle child shoulde passe away (I wil not say) seuen yere, but not so much as thre dayes, in the whiche he maye

be eyther prepared or in-structed to learnyngethough the profitbe neuer solitleFINIS

1

“in a table”

In context, “table” looks like an error for either “tale” or “fable”, but it means picture (Latin tabula)

2

“the grekes says dracontes in the genitiue case”

Latin draco, draconis

Greek δρακων, δρακοντος (drakôn, drakontos)