our time loft partly in too oft idle vacan cies given both to fchools and univerfities, partly in a prepofterous exaction, forcing the empty wits of children to compofe Theams, verfes, and Orations, which are the acts of ripeft judgement and the finall work of a head fill'd by long reading, and obferving, with elegant maxims, and copious invention.. Thefe are not matters to be wrung from poor ftriplings, like blood out of the nofe, or the plucking of untimely fruit:. befides the ill habit which they get of wretched barbarizing against the Latin and Greek idiom, with their untutor'd Anglicifms, odious to be read, yet not to be avoided without a well continu'd and judicious converfing among pure Au thors thors digefted, which they scarce tafte, whereas, if after fome preparatory grounds of fpeech by their certain forms got into memory, they were led to the praxis thereof in fome chosen short book leffon'd throughly to them, they might then forthwith proceed to learn the fubftance 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 rationall and. most profitable way of learning languages, and whereby we may beft hope to give account to God of our youth fpent herein and for the ufual method of teaching Arts, I deem it to be an old errour of univerfities not yet well recover'd from the Scholaftick grofneffe of barbarous 3 barbarous ages, that inftead of beginning with Arts moft eafie, and those be fuch as are most obvious to the fence, they prefent their young unmatriculated novices at first coming with the most intellective abstractions of Logick and metaphyficks: So that they having but newly left thofe grammatick flats and fhallows where they ftuck unreasonably to learn a few words with lamentable conftruction, and now on the fudden tranfported under another climat to be toft and turmoild with their unballafted wits in fadomles 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 they expected worthy and delightfull knowledge; till poverty or youthfull yeers call them importunately their feverall wayes, and haften them with the fway 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 juftice 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 aphorifmes appear to them the higheft points of wifdom; in ftilling 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, fiving out their daies in feaft and jollity; which indeed is the wifeft and fafcft course of all thefe, unleffe they were with more integrity undertak'n. And thefe are the errours, and these 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 |