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gracefull and ornate Rhetorick taught out of the rule of Plato, Ariftotle, Phalereus, Cicero, Hermogenes, Longinus. To which Poetry would be made fubfequent, or indeed rather precedent, as being leffe futtle and fine, but more fimple, fenfuous, and paffionate. I mean not here the profody of a verfe, which they could not but have hit on before

the rudiments of

among grammar; but that fublime art which in Ariftotles poetics, in Horace, and the Italian commentaries of Caftelvetro, Taffo, Mazsoni, and others, teaches what the laws are of a true Epic poem, what of a Dramatic, what of a Lyric, what decorum is, which is the grand mafter peece to obferve. This would make them foon

perceive

perceive what despicable creatures our common rimers and play-writes be, and, shew them, what Religious, what glorious and magnificent ufe might be made of Poetry both in divine and humane things. From hence and not till now will be the right feafon of forming them to be able writers and compofers in every excellent matter, when they fhall be thus fraught with an univerfall insight into things. Or whether they be to fpeak in Parlament or counfell, honour. and attention would be waiting on their. lips. There would then alfo appear in pulpits other visages, other geftures, and stuffe otherwise wrought then what we now fit under, oft times to as great a

triall

triall of our patience as any other that they preach to us. Thefe are the studies wherein our noble and our gentle youth ought to beftow their time in a disciplinary way from twelve to one and twenty; unleffe they rely more upon their ancestors dead, then upon themfelves living. In which methodicall courfe it is fo fuppos'd they muft proceed by the fteddy pace of learning onward, as at convenient times for memories fake to retire back into the middle ward, and fometimes into the rear of what they have been taught, untill they have confirm'd, and folidly united the whole body of their perfeted knowledge, like the laft embattelling of a Romane

legion.

legion. Now will be worth the feeing what exercises, and what recreations may best agree, and become these ftudies.

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The course of ftudy hitherto briefly deferib'd, is, what I can gueffe by reading, likest to those ancient and famous fchools of Pythagoras, Plato, Ifocrates, Ariftotle, and fuch others, out of which were bred up fuch a number of renowned Philofophers, orators, Hiftorians, Poets and Princes all over Greece, Italy, and Afia, befides the flourishing studies of Cyrene and Alexandria. But herein it fhall exceed them, and supply a defect as great as that which Plato, noted in the commonwealth of Sparta; whereas

that

that city train'd up their youth most for warre, and these in their Academies and Lyceum, all for the gown, this inftitution of breeding which I here delineate, fhall be equally good both for peace and warre. Therefore about an hour and a halfe ere they eat at noon fhould be allow'd them for exercise and due rest afterwards but the time for this may be enlarg'd at pleasure, according as their rifing in the morning fhall be early. The exercise which I commend firft, is the exact use of their weapon; to guard and to strike fafely with edge, or point; this will keep them healthy, nimble, strong, and well in breath, is also the likelieft means to make them grow large, and tall, and to inspire them with a gal

lant

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