pleafing thoughts of litigious terms, fat contentions, and flowing fees; others betake them to ftate affairs, with fouls fo unprincipled in virtue, and true generous breeding, that flattery, and court-shifts, and tyrannous aphorisms appear to them the highest points of wifdom; inftilling their barren hearts with a confcientious flavery, if, as I rather think, it be not feigned: others, laftly, of a more delicious and airy spirit, retire themfelves, knowing no better, to the enjoyments of ease and luxury, living out their days in feaft and jollity; which indeed is the wifeft and the fafeft course of all thefe, unless they were with more integrity undertaken. And thefe are the fruits of mifpending our prime youth at the fchools and universities as we do, either in learning mere words, or fuch things chiefly as were better unlearnt. I shall detain you no longer in the demonstration of what we should not do, but ftraight conduct you to a hill-fide, where I will point ye out the right path of a virtuous and noble education; laborious indeed at the first ascent, but elfe fo fmooth, 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 ado to drive our dulleft and lazieft youth, our stocks and stubs, from the infinite defire of fuch a happy nurture, than we have now to hale and drag our choicest and hopefulleft wits to that afinine feast of sowthiftles and brambles which is commonly fet before them, as all the food and entertainment of their tenderest and most docible docible age. I call therefore a complete and generous education that which fits a man to perform justly, fkilfully, and magnanimously, all the offices, both private and public, of peace and war. And how all this may be done between twelve and one-and-twenty, lefs time than is now beftowed in pure trifling at grammar and fophiftry, is to be thus ordered, may Firft, To find out a spacious house, and ground about it, fit for an Academy, and big enough to lodge an hundred and fifty persons, whereof twenty or thereabout be attendants, all under the government of one, who shall be thought of defert sufficient, and ability either to do all, or wifely to direct, and oversee it done. This place fhould be at once both school and univerfity, not needing a remove to any other house of scholarship, except it be fome peculiar college of law, or phyfic, 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, mafter of arts, 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 increase of learning and civility every where. This number, lefs or more thus collected, to the convenience of a foot company, or interchangeably two troops of cavalry, fhould divide their days work into three parts, as it lies orderly: their ftudies, their exercise, and their diet. For their ftudies, first they fhould begin with the chief and neceffary rules of fome good grammar, either X 3 that that now used, or any better: and while this is doing, their speech is to be fashioned to a distinct and clear pronunciation, as near as may be to the Italian, especially in the vowels, For we Englishmen being far northerly, do not open our mouths in the cold air, wide enough to grace a fouthern tongue; but are obferved by all other nations to fpeak exceeding clofe and inward; fo that to fmatter Latin with an English mouth, is as ill a hearing as Law-French. Next to make them expert in the ufefulleft points of grammar, and withal to feason them, and win them early to the love of virtue and true labour, ere any flattering feducement, or vain principle feize them wandring, fome eafy and delightful book of education should 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 fome felect 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, inflamed with the study of learning, and the admiration of virtue; ftirred up with high hopes of living to be brave men, and worthy patriots, dear to God, and famous to all ages, that they may defpife and fcorn all their childish and ill-taught qualities, to delight in manly and liberal exercises, which he who hath the art and proper eloquence to catch them with, what with mild and effectual perfuafions, and that with the intimation of fome fear, if need be, be, but chiefly by his own example, might, in a fhort space, gain them to an incredible diligence and courage; infufing into their young breasts such 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 arithmetic, and foon after the elements of geometry even playing, as the old manner was. After evening-repafts, till bed-time, their thoughts will be beft taken up in the eafy grounds of religion, and the story of scripture. The next step would be to the authors of Agriculture, Cato, Varro, and Columella; for the matter is most easy, and if the language be difficult, fo much the better, it is not a difficulty above their years: and here will be an occafion of inciting and enabling them hereafter to improve the tillage of their country, to recover the bad foil, and to remedy the waste that is made of good; for this was one of Hercules's praises. Ere half these authors be read (which will foon be with plying hard, and daily) they cannot choose but be masters of an ordinary prose. So that it will be then seasonable for them to learn in any modern author, the use of the globes, and all the maps; first with the old names, and then with the new: or they might be then capable to read any compendicus method of natural philosophy. And at the fame time might they be entering into the Greek tongue, after the fame manner as was before prescribed in the Latin; whereby the difficulties of grammar being foon overcome, all the historical physiology of Ariftotle and Theophrastus X 4 Theophraftus are open before them, and, as I may say, under contribution. The like accefs will be to Vitruvius, to Seneca's natural queftions, to Mela, Celfus, Pliny, or Solinus. And having thus past the principles of Arithmetic, Geometry, Aftronomy, and Geography, with a general compact of Phyfics, they may defcend in Mathematics to the inftrumental science of Trigonometry, and from thence to fortification, architecture, enginry, or navigation. And in natural philofophy they may proceed leisurely from the history of meteors, minerals, plants, and living creatures, as far as anatomy. Then also in course might be read to them out of fome not tedious writer the institution of phyfic; that they may know the tempers, the humours, the feafons, and how to manage a crudity: which he who can wifely and timely do, is not only a great phyfician to himself, and to his friends, but also may, at fome time or other, fave an army by this frugal and expenfeless means only; and not let the healthy and ftout bodies of young men rot away under him for want of this difcipline; which is a great pity and no lefs a fhame to the commander. To fet forward all thefe proceedings in nature and mathematics, what hinders, but that they may procure as oft as shall be needful, the helpful experiences of hunters, fowlers, fishermen, fhepherds, gardeners, apothecaries; and in the other fciences, architects, engineers, mariners, anatomists; who doubtless would be ready, fome for reward, and fome to favour fuch a hopeful seminary? And this will give them fuch a real tincture of natu ral |