ASCHAM'S METHOD.

25

sooner and surer learned by examples of good authors than by the naked rules of grammarians.'

'As you perceive your scholar to go better on away, first, with understanding his lesson more quickly, with parsing more readily, with translating more speedily and perfectly than he was wont; after, give him longer lessons to translate, and, withal, begin to teach him, both in nouns and verbs, what is proprium and what is translatum, what synonymum, what diversum, which be contraria and which be most notable phrases, in all his lectures, as

Translatum Cum illo principe, sepulta est et gloria et salus

reipublicæ.

Synonyma Ensis, gladius, laudare, prædicare.

Diversa

Contraria

Phrases

Diligere, amare, colere, exardescere, inimicus,
hostis.

Acerbum et luctuosum bellum, dulcis et læta pax.
Dare verba, abjicere obedientiam.'

Every lesson is to be thus carefully analysed, and entered under these headings in a third MS. book.

All this time, though the boy is to work over some Terence, he is to speak no Latin. Subsequently the master must translate easy pieces from Cicero into English, and the boy, without having seen the original passage, is required to put the English into Latin. His translation must then be carefully compared with the original, for of good heed-taking springeth chiefly knowledge.'

In the Second Book of the 'Scholemaster,' Ascham discusses the various branches of the study then common, viz.: 1. Translatio linguarum; 2. Paraphrasis; 3. Metaphrasis; 4. Epitome; 5. Imitatio;

6. Declamatio.

He does not lay much stress on any

of these, except translatio and imitatio. Of the last he says: All languages, both learned and mothertongue, be gotten, and gotten only by imitation. For, as ye use to hear, so ye use to speak; if ye hear no other, ye speak not yourself; and whom ye only hear, of them ye only learn.' But translation was his great instrument for all kinds of learning. The translation,' he says, 'is the most common and most commendable of all other exercises for youth; most common, for all constructions in grammar your schools be nothing else but translations, but because they be not double translations (as I do require) they bring forth but simple and single commodity: and because also they lack the daily use of writing, which is the only thing that breedeth deep root, both in the wit for good understanding and in the memory for sure keeping of all that is learned; most commendable also, and that by the judgment of all authors which entreat of these exercises.'

After quoting Pliny,* he says: "You perceive how Pliny teacheth that by this exercise of double translating is learned easily, sensibly, by little and little, not only all the hard congruities of grammar, the choice of ablest words, the right pronouncing of words

* Utile imprimis et multi præcipiunt vel ex Græco in Latinum vel ex Latino vertere in Græcum; quo genere exercitationis proprietas splendorque verborum, copia figurarum, vis explicandi, præterea imitatione optimorum similia inveniendi facultas paratur: simul quæ legentem fefellissent transferentem fugere non possunt. Intelligentia ex hoc et judicium acquiritur.'-Epp. vii. 9, § 2. So the passage stands in Pliny. Ascham quotes et ex Græco in Latinum et ex Latino vertere in Græcum,' with other variations.

STUDY OF A MODEL BOOK.

27

and sentences, comeliness of figures, and forms fit for every matter and proper for every tongue: but, that which is greater also, in marking daily and following diligently thus the footsteps of the best authors, like invention of arguments, like order in disposition, like utterance in elocution, is easily gathered up; and hereby your scholar shall be brought not only to like eloquence, but also to all true understanding and rightful judgment, both for writing and speaking.'

Again he says: "For speedy attaining, I durst venture a good wager if a scholar in whom is aptness, love, diligence, and constancy, would but translate after this sort some little book in Tully (as 'De Senectute,' with two Epistles, the first 'Ad Quintum Fratrem,' the other 'Ad Lentulum '), that scholar, I say, should come to a better knowledge in the Latin tongue than the most part do that spend from five to six years in tossing all the rules of grammar in common schools.' After quoting the instance of Dion Prussæus, who came to great learning and utterance by reading and following only two books, thePhædo' and Demosthenes de Falsa Legatione,' goes on: And a better and nearer example herein may be our most noble Queen Elizabeth, who never took yet Greek nor Latin grammar in her hand after the first declining of a noun and a verb; but only by this double translating of Demosthenes and Isocrates daily, without missing, every forenoon, and likewise some part of Tully every afternoon, for space of a year or two, hath attained to such a perfect understanding in both the tongues, and to such a ready utterance of the Latin, and that with

he

the

such a judgment, as there be few now in both Universities or elsewhere in England that be in both tongues comparable with Her Majesty.' Ascham's authority is indeed not conclusive on this point, as he, in praising the Queen's attainments, was vaunting his own success as a teacher, and, moreover, if he flattered her he could plead prevailing custom. But we have, I believe, abundant evidence that Elizabeth was an accomplished scholar.

Before I leave Ascham I must make one more quotation, to which I shall more than once have occasion to refer. Speaking of the plan of double translation, he says: 'Ere the scholar have construed, parsed, twice translated over by good advisement, marked out his six points by skilful judgment, he shall have necessary occasion to read over every lecture a dozen times at the least; which because he shall do always in order, he shall do it always with pleasure. . . . And pleasure allureth love; love hath lust to labour; labour always obtaineth his purpose.'

MONTAIGNE.

Montaigne was a contemporary of Ascham, but about thirty years younger. In his Essays he may be said to have founded a school of thinkers on the subject of education, of which Locke and Rousseau were afterwards the great exponents. As far as regards method of teaching languages, he simply discarded grammatical teaching, and wished that all could be taught Latin as he had been, i.e., by conversation.

His father had found a German tutor for him, who spoke Latin, but not French; and the child thus grew up to consider Latin his mother tongue. At six years old he knew no more French, he tells us, than Arabic.

As I intend giving an account of Montaigne's principles, in the form in which they were presented by Locke and Rousseau, I need not state them fully in this place; but a quotation or two will show how much his successors were indebted to him. He complains of common education as being too much taken up with language. Fine speaking,' says he, 'is a very good and commendable quality, but not so excellent or so necessary as some would make it; and I am scandalised that our whole life should be spent in nothing else. I would first understand my own language, and that of my neighbour, with whom most of my business and conversation lies. No doubt Greek and Latin are very great ornaments, and of very great use; but we may buy them too dear.' From our constant study of words the world is nothing but babble; and yet of the truly educated we must say with Cicero, Hanc amplissimam omnium artium bene vivendi disciplinam, vita magis quam literis persecuti sunt.' He would take for his models not the Athenians, but the Spartans. Those cudgelled their brains about words, these made it their business to inquire into things; there was an eternal babble of the tongue, here a continual exercise of the soul. And therefore it is nothing strange if, when Antipater demanded of them fifty children for hostages, they made answer that they would rather give

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