ftilling their barren hearts with confcientious flavery, if, as I rather think, it be not fain'd. Others laftly of a more delicious and airie fpirit, retire themfelves knowing no better, to the enjoyments of cafe and luxury, living out their daies in feaft and jollity; which inIdeed is the wifeft and fafeft course of all thefe, unleffe they were with more integrity undertak'n. And these are the errours, and thefe are the fruits of miffpending our prime youth at the Schools and Univerfities as we do, either in learning meere words or fuch things chiefly, as were better unlearnt.

I fhall detain you now no longer in the demonftration of what we fhould not doe, but ftrait conduct ye to a hill fide,

where

where I will point ye out the right path. of a vertuous and noble education; la-, borious indeed at the firft afcent, but elfe fo finooth, 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 dulleft and lazieft youth, our flocks and ftubbs from the infinite defire of fuch a happy nurture, then we have now to hale and drag our choifeft and hopefulleft wits to that afinine feaft of fowthiftles and brambles which is commonly fet before them, as all the food and entertainment of their tendereft and most doI call therefore a compleate

cible

age.

and

generous

education that which fits

a man

F

1

a man to perform juftly, fkilfully, and magnanimoufly all the offices both private and publike of peace and war. And how all this may be done between twelve and one and twenty, leffe time then is now beftow'd in pure trifling at Grammar and Sophistry, is to be thus order'd.

First to finde out a fpatious 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 govern ment of one, who fhall be thought of defert fufficient, and ability either to doe all, or wifely to direct, and oversee it done. This place fhould be at once both School and Univerfity, not needing

a.re

a remove to any other houfe of Schollership, except it be fome peculiar Colledge of Law, or Phyfick, where they mean to be practitioners; but as for thofe generall ftudies which take up all our time from Lilly to the commencing, as they term it, Master of Art, it fhould be abfolute. After this pattern, as many edifices may be converted to this ufe, as fhall be needfull in every city throughout this land, which would tend much to the encrease of learning and civility every where. This number, leffe or more thus collected, to the convenience of a foot company, or interchangeably two troops of cavalry, fhould divide their daies work into three parts, as it lies or

derly.

derly.

Their ftudies, their exercife,

and their diet.

For their ftudies, 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 fpeech is to be fashion'd to a diftinct and cleer pronuntiation, as neer as may be to the Italian, especially in the vowels. For we Englishmen being farre northerly, doe not open our mouthes 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: So that to fmatter Latin with an English mouth, is as ill a hearing as law French. Next to make them expert in the usefulleft points

of