"good things; but if you follow the trade of Sir "John Cheke (who was one of the sweetest flowers "that hath come in my time out of the garden "you grow in,) you cannot do better. One

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manner of his, amongst divers excellent, was this, to appoint those that were under him, and "that he desired should most profit, to take a "piece of Tully, and to translate it into English, "and after (laying their books aside) to translate "the same again into Latin, and then to compare "them with the book, and to consider which were "done aptly or improperly; and how near Tully's

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phrase was followed in the Latin, and the most "sweet and sensible writing in English; continu"ing this kind of exercise once or twice in a week "for two or three years, you shall come to write (as "he did) singularly in both tongues, which is "most necessary and most commendable."

Reverting to our quotation from the "Scholemaster," we find this mode of double translation so clearly and minutely detailed, that we give Ascham's own exposition in preference to more distant originals. It will be observed that in these directions, small importance is attached to Grammar as an elementary study, a very limited portion being prescribed in the early stages of a classical

course. Indeed, the technicalities of grammar are entirely disowned as conducive to elegant scholarship, and it is asserted that "Grammatica "itself is sooner and surer learned by examples of "good authors, than by the naked rules of gram"marians." With respect to the reading of these authors, it is no less clearly enjoined, that every facility whatever should be afforded to the student; that the whole lesson should be expounded to him by the master, and no exertion be required on his part, except the exercise of memory. The intention of our author will be best understood from his own words:

"After the child hath learned perfectly the

eight parts of speech, let him then learn the right "joining together of substantives with adjectives, "the noun with the verb, the relative with the an"tecedent. And in learning farther his syntaxes, by "mine advice, he shall not use the common order in

common scholes, for making of Latines; whereby "the child commonly learneth, first, an evil choice "of words, then a wrong placing of words, and "lastly, an ill-framing of the sentence, with a per"verse judgment both of words and sentences.

"There is a way touched in the first book of "Cicero de Oratore, which wisely brought into

"scholes, truly taught, and constantly used, would, "with ease and pleasure, and in short time, as I "know by experience, work a true choice and placing of words, a right ordering of sentences, an

easy understanding of the tongue, a readiness to "speak, a faculty to write, a true judgment both of "his own and other men's doings, what tongue "soever he doth use.

"The way is this: After the three concordances 66 learned, as I touched before, let the master read "unto him the Epistles of Cicero, gathered together " and chosen out by Sturmius, for the capacity of "children.

First, let him teach the child cheerfully and plainly the cause and matter of the letter; then let "him construe it into English so oft, as the child

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may easily carry away the understanding of it;

lastly, parse it over perfectly. This done thus, let the child, by-and-by, both construe and parse it "over again; so that it may appear, that the child " doubteth in nothing, that his master taught him "before. After this, the child must take a paper "book, and sitting in some place, where no man "shall prompt him, by himself, let him translate " into English his former lesson. Then shewing it "to his master, let the master take from him his

"Latin book, and pausing an hour at the least, then "let the child translate his own English into Latin

again in another paper book.-When the master "shall compare Tully's book with the scholar's trans"lation, let the master, at the first, lead and teach "his scholar to join the rules of his grammar book "with the examples of his present lesson, until the "scholar by himself be able to fetch out of his

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grammar every rule for every example; so as the

grammar book be ever in the scholar's hand, and "also used of him as a dictionary for every pre"sent use. This is a lively and perfect way of "teaching of rules; when the common way used in "common scholes, to read the grammar alone by it"self, is tedious for the master, hard for the scholar, "cold and uncomfortable for them both.

"For translating, use you yourself every second or "third day, to choose out some epistle ad Atticum ; "some notable common-place out of his orations, or 66 some other part ofTully, by your discretion, which 66 your scholar may not know where to find; and "translate it you yourself into plain English; and "then give it him to translate into Latin again, "allowing him good space and time, to do it "both with diligent heed and good advisement.

"Here his wit shall be set on work, his judgment

"for right choice truly tried; his memory, for sure "retaining, better exercised, than by learning any

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thing without the book; and here, how much he "hath profited, shall plainly appear. When he bringeth it translated unto you, bring you forth "the place of Tully; lay them together, compare "the one with the other; commend his good choice "and right placing of words; shew his faults gently, "but blame them not over sharply; for of such missings gently admonished of, proceedeth glad and good heed-taking; of good heed-taking springeth

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chiefly knowledge, which after groweth to perfect

ness, if this order be diligently used by the scholar, “and gently handled by the master. For here shall "all the hard points of grammar, both easily and "surely be learned up; which scholars, in common "scholes, by making of Latines, be groping at with care and fear, and yet in many years they scarce 66 can reach unto them.

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"When by this diligent and speedy reading "over those good books of Tully, &c. and by this "second kind of translating out of your English, "time shall breed skill, and use shall bring per"fection; then ye may try, if ye will, your scholar "with the third kind of translation, which is "thus: