civil knowledge, and fuch as pleas'd you fo well in the relating, I here give you them to dispose of.

The end then of Learning is to repair the ruines of our first 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 neereft by posfeffing our fouls of true vertue, which being united to the heavenly grace of faith makes up the highest perfection. But because our understanding cannot in this body found it self but on fenfible things, nor arrive fo clearly to the knowledge of God and things invisible, as by orderly conning over the visible and inferior creature, the fame method is neceflarily to be follow'd in all difcreet teaching. And feeing every Nation affords not experience and tradition enough for all kind of Learning, therefore we are chiefly taught the Languages of those people who have at any time been moft induftrious after Wisdom; fo that Language is but the Inftrument conveying to us things usefull to be known. And though a Linguift should pride himself to have all the Tongues that Babel cleft the world into, yet, if he have not studied the folid things in them as well as the Words and Lexicons, he were nothing fo much to be esteem'd a learned man, as any Yeoman or Tradefman competently wife in his Mother Dialect only. Hence appear the many mistakes which have made Learning generally fo unpleafing and fo unsuccessful; firft we do amiss to spend seven or eight years meerly in fcraping together fo much miferable Latine and Greek, as might be learnt otherwise eafily and delightfully 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 prepofterous exaction, forcing the empty wits of Children to compofe Theams, Verses and Orations, which are the acts of

ripeft judgment and the final work of a head fill'd by long reading and observing, with elegant maxims, and copious invention. These are not matters to be wrung from poor ftriplings, like blood out of the Nofe, or the plucking of untimely fruit: besides the ill habit which they get of wretched barbarizing against the Latin and Greek idiom, with their untutor'd Anglicisms, odious to be read, yet not to be avoided without a well continu'd and judicious converfing among pure Authors digested, which they scarce taste, whereas, if after fome preparatory grounds of fpeech by their certain forms got into memory, they were led to the praxis thereof in fome chofen fhort book leffon'd throughly to them, they might then forthwith proceed to learn the substance of good things, and Arts in due order, which would bring the whole language quickly into their power. This I take to be the most rational and most profitable way of learning Languages, and whereby we may best hope to give account to God of our youth spent herein And for the ufual method of teaching Arts, I deem it to be an old errour of Universities not yet well recover'd from the Scholaftick groffness of barbarous ages, that in ftead of beginning with Arts moft eafie, and those be fuch as are most obvious to the fence, they present their young unmatriculated Novices at first comming with the most intellective abstractions of Logick and Metaphyficks: So that they having but newly left those Grammatick flats and shallows where they stuck unreasonably to learn a few words with lamentable conftruction, and now on the sudden transported under another climate to be toft and turmoil'd with their unballafted wits in fadomlefs and unquiet deeps of controverfie, do for the most part grow into hatred and contempt of Learning, mockt and deluded all this while with ragged Notions and Babblements, while they ex

pected worthy and delightful knowledge; till poverty or youthful years call them importunately their feveral wayes, and haften them with the sway of friends either to an ambitious and mercenary, or ignorantly zealous Divinity; Some allur'd to the trade of Law, grounding their purposes not on the prudent and heavenly contemplation of justice and equity which was never taught them, but on the promifing and pleafing thoughts of litigious terms, fat contentions, and flowing fees; others betake them to State affairs, with fouls fo unprincipl'd in vertue, and true generous breeding, that flattery, and Court shifts and tyrannous Aphorifms appear to them the highest points of wisdom; inftilling their barren hearts with a conscientious slavery, if, as I rather think, it be not fain'd. Others lastly of a more delicious and airie spirit, retire themselves knowing no better, to the enjoyments of ease and luxury, living out their daies in feast and jollity; which indeed is the wifeft and the fafeft course of all these, unless they were with more integrity undertaken. And these are the errours, and these are the fruits of mifpending our prime youth at the Schools and Univerfities as we do, either in learning meer words or fuch things chiefly, as were better unlearnt.

I fhall detain you no longer in the demonstration of what we should not do, but ftrait conduct ye to a hill fide, where I will point ye out the right path of a vertuous and noble Education; laborious indeed at the firft afcent, but elfe fo smooth, fo green, fo full of goodly profpect, and melodious founds on every fide, that the Harp of Orpheus was not more charming. I doubt not but ye fhall have more adoe to drive our dullest and laziest youth, our stocks and stubbs from the infinite defire of fuch a happy nurture, then we have now to hale and drag our choisest and hopefullest Wits to that afinine feast of sow

thistles and brambles which is commonly set before them, as all the food and entertainment of their tenderest and most docible age. I call therefore a compleat and generous Education that which fits a man to perform justly, skilfully and magnanimously 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 then is now bestow'd in pure trifling at Grammar and Sophistry, is to be thus order'd.

First to find out a spatious house 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 defert fufficient, and ability either to do all, or wifely to direct, and overfee it done. This place should be at once both School and University, not needing a remove to any other house of Schollership, except it be fome peculiar Colledge of Law, or Phyfick, where they mean to be practitioners; but as for those general studies which take up all our time from Lilly to the commencing, as they term it, Master of Art, it should 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 encrease of Learning and Civility every where. This number, less or more thus collected, to the convenience of a foot Company, or interchangeably two Troops of Cavalry, should divide their daies work into three parts, as it lies orderly. Their Studies, their Exercife, and their Diet.

For their Studies, First they should 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 diftinct and clear pronuntiation, as near as may be to the

Italian, efpecially in the 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 observ'd by all other Nations to speak exceeding close and inward: So that to fmatter Latine with an English mouth, is as ill a hearing as LawFrench. Next to make them expert in the usefullest points of Grammar, and withall to season them, and win them early to the love of vertue and true labour, ere any flattering feducement, or vain principle seise them wandering, some eafie and delightful Book of Education would be read to them; whereof the Greeks have ftore, as Cebes, Plutarch, and other Socratic difcourfes. But in Latin we have none of claffic authority extant, except the two or three first Books of Quintilian, and some select 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 Vertue; 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 despise and scorn all their childish, and ill-taught qualities, to delight in manly, and liberal Exercifes: which he who hath the Art, and proper Eloquence to catch them with, what with mild and effectual perfwafions, 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 brefts fuch an ingenuous and noble ardor, as would not fail to make many of them renowned and matchless men. At the fame time, fome 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. After evening