their roots deeply and widely, in order to display, at a maturer period, a profuse luxuriance.

At great grammar-fchools, little attention can be paid to this impatience of the injudicious parent. A regular plan is usually there established; such an one as, from the earliest times, has been attended with fuccefs. The great and leading principle of that plan is, to lay a FIRM AND DURABLE FOUNDATION IN GRAMMAR. I hope no parental indulgence, and no relaxation of difcipline, will avail to bring into neglect this lefs fplendid, but indispensably neceffary, attainment. When the grammar is learned inaccurately, all other juvenile ftudies, if profecuted at all, will be profecuted inaccurately; and the refult will be, imperfect and fuperficial improvement. The exercife of mind, and the ftrength of mind acquired in confequence of that exercise, are fome of the most valuable effects of a strict, a long, and a laborious ftudy of grammar learning, at the puerile age*. At that age, grammatical ftudies must be difficult; but the difficulty is every day conquered, and the conqueft has given additional ftrength and confidence, and facilitated the acquifition of farther victories +.

A ftudy abfolutely neceffary, but abfolutely difguftful to a riper age; therefore more proper for childhood, which cannot be better employed. Father GERDIL.

+ Mr. Cowley is faid to have learned grammar by books, and not books by grammar. To apply to both at the fame time, is certainly beft, even from the first entrance on Latin.

5

-alterius,

alterius fic

Altera pofcit opem res.

HOR. Art Poet.

But mutually they crave each others aid.

ROSCOMMON.

On the fubject of initiating children early in the languages, read the fentiments of the judicious Bruyere.

"One can scarcely burden children too much with the knowledge of languages. They are useful to men of all conditions, and they equally open the entrance, either to the most profound, or the more eafy and entertaining parts of learning. If this irksome study be put off to a little more advanced age, young men either have not refolution enough to apply to it out of choice, or fteadiness to carry it an. And if any one has the gift of perfeverance, it is not without the inconvenience of spending that time upon language, which is deftined to other uses: And he confines to the ftudy of WORDS that age of his life that is above it, and requires THINGS; at leaft, it is the lofing the best and most beautiful feafon of one's life. This large foundation of languages cannot be well laid, but when every thing makes an eafy and deep impreffion on the mind; when the memory is freb, ready, and tenacious ; when the head and heart are as yet free from cares, paffions, and defigns; and thofe on whom the child depends, have authority enough to keep him close to a long-continued application. I am perfuaded that the fmall number of truly learned, and the multitude of fuperficial pretenders, is owing to the neglect of this."

BRUYERE.

SECTION V.

ON SCHOOL-BOOKS, DICTIONARIES, &c.

Pueris quæ maximè ingenium alant, atque animum augeant, prælegenda. With boys, those things which tend moft to nourish the genius, and to enlarge QUINTILIAN. the mind, are proper to be read.

IN

N the more celebrated fchools, the proper books are already chofen; because the mafters of them are, and have been, men of judgment and learning. But as I wish to comprehend every thing that appears ufeful, I truft it will not be presumptuous to make a few remarks on school-books, and the editions of them which are beft calculated to accelerate the improvement of scholars.

The choice of a dictionary is not quite unimportant. I need not fay that Ainsworth's and the Abridgment, are the only dictionaries to be used in the higher claffes; but it is certain that one of their excellencies, their copioufnefs, is an objection to them in the lower. When a boy, juft out of his accidence, begins to read the Latin Teftament, he is under the neceffity of looking out almoft every word in the dictionary. He fearches for them in Ainfworth's; a book, which even abridged, is, from its bulk,

very inconvenient to a very little boy; and there, after much labour and lofs of time, he finds the Latin word he fought. Under it he finds twenty meanings, befides phrafes and authorities. He reads them all as well as he can, and when he has done, he is as much at a lofs as at first. To avoid this very great obftacle to improvement, I ftrongly recommend, for the first two or three years, the use of a little portable dictionary, compiled by Entick. When it is improved, and a little augmented in another edition, it will be, from its convenient. fize and conciseness, the best calculated for very young scholars of any extant. I must repeat, left I should be misunderstood, that this fhould only be adopted during the two or three first years, and that Ainsworth's is the proper dictionary to be used by the fenior fcholars. The Abridgment of Ainfworth is undoubtedly better adapted to fchools than the original work. If any prefer Young's, or Cole's, there is no objection to the ufe of them; though perhaps no good reafon can be given for the preference.

Schrevelius's Lexicon is, with great propriety, every where ufed. It is particularly adapted to the Greek Teftament, and to Homer; and is well fuited both to the beginner, and to the proficient in Greek. Hederic's ought, however, to be always provided in the. fchool, for the common ufe of all the Greek fcholars; for fometimes a word will occur in reading, not included in Schrevelius. Scapula's Lexicon is justly difufed in fchools, fince his method is perplexing to a learner, though his book is excellent.

D'

I would

1

I would banish all Nomenclators, parfing Indexes, Synopfes, the Clavis Homerica, and the Clavis Virgiliana. The dictionary, the grammar, and the LIVING INSTRUCTOR, Conftantly near, are the only allowable auxiliaries. The other contrivances generally serve either

to

*The following is the opinion of archbishop Markham on the fubject of the FACILITATING METHODS. His opinion deferves attention as he was a SCHOOLMASTER, and therefore fpeaks from experience.

"It is natural, indeed, for common minds to look to thofe things which are obvious, and fuperficial. It is NATURAL ALSO TO AVOID LABOUR, and to feek for COMPENDIOUS METHODS. We may, with very little application, acquire the opinions of those who have gone before us; and if our PURSUITS ARE MEAN, they may ferve our purpose. But NO HIGH POINT OF EXCELLENCE WAS EVER ATTAINED, BUT BY A LABORIOUS EXERCISE OF

THE MIND. I do not fay, that abridgments, fyftems, and common places, with the other affiftances, which modern times have fo abundantly furnished, may not have their use. At the fame time, it can scarcely be denied, THAT THEY HAVE CON

TRIBUTED VERY MUCH TO LANGUID AND INEF

FICIENT STUDIES. The advantages of rational mathematics have perhaps been much abridged by the useful invention of algebra. AND IN DIVINITY, PHYSIC, AND LAW, WHATEVER PROMISES TO SAVE US TROUBLE IS GENERALLY A CORRUPTOR, AND LEADS US ONLY TO SUPERFICIAL ATTAINMENTS. The fame it is, in the inferior profeffions. WHATEVER FACILITATES THE ART TENDS TO THE DECAY OF IT. To obviate these corruptions, our beft fecurity feems to be in a li

beral