understanding of any language critically, which " is seldom the business of any but professed "scholars.

"When by this way of interlining Latin and

English one with another, he has got a mode"rate knowledge of the Latin tongue, he may "then be advanced a little farther to the reading "of some other easy Latin book, such as Justin "or Eutropius: and to make the reading and un

derstanding of it the less tedious and difficult “to him, let him help himself with the English "translation. Nor let the objection that he will "then know it only by rote, fright any one. This, "when well considered, is not of any moment against, but plainly for this way of learning a

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language. For languages are only to be learned by rote; and a man who does not speak English and Latin perfectly by rote, so that having thought of the thing he would speak "of, his tongue of course, without thought of

rule, or grammar, falls into the proper expression " and idiom of that language, does not speak it

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well, nor is master of it. And I would fain "have any one name to me that tongue, that any "one can learn, or speak as he should do, by the "rules of grammar. Languages were made not

by rules or art, but by accident, and the com"mon use of the people. And he that speaks "them well, has no other rule but that; nor any

thing to trust to but his memory, and the habit "of speaking after the fashion learned from those, "that are allowed to speak properly, which in "other words is only to speak by rote.

"It will possibly be asked here, is grammar "then of no use? and have those who have taken "so much pains in reducing several languages to "rules and observations, who have writ so much "about declensions and conjugations, about con"cords and syntaxis, lost their labor, and been "learned to no purpose? I say not so: Grammar "has its place too. But this I think I may say, "There is more stir a great deal made with it "than there needs, and those are tormented about "it, to whom it does not at all belong; I mean "children at the age wherein they are usually perplexed with it in grammar schools.

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"If grammar ought to be taught at any time, "it must be to one that can speak the language already; how else can he be taught the grammar of

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it? When any one finds in himself a necessity or disposition to study any foreign language to the

bottom, and to be nicely exact in the knowledge

"of it, it will be time enough to take a gramma"tical survey of it. If his use of it be only to "understand some books writ in it, without a "critical knowledge of the tongue itself, reading

alone, as I have said, will attain this end, with

"out charging the mind with the multiplied rules and intricacies of grammar.

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"For the exercise of his writing, let him some"times translate Latin into English; but the learn"ing of Latin being nothing but the learning of

words, a very unpleasant business both to young "and old, join as much other real knowledge "with it as you can, beginning still with that "which lies most obvious to the senses.

"The Fables of Esop, the only book almost "that I know fit for children, may afford them "matter for this exercise of writing English, as "well as for reading and translating, to enter "them in the Latin tongue. When they have

got past the faults of grammar, and can join, "in a continued coherent discourse, the several

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parts of a story, without bald and unhandsome "forms of translation (as is usual) often repeated, "he that desires to perfect them yet farther in "this, which is the first step to speaking well, "and needs no invention, may have recourse to

Tully, and by putting in practice those rules, "which that master of eloquence gives in his

"first book de Inventione, § 20. make them "know wherein the skill and graces of an "handsome narrative, according to the several

subjects and designs of it, lie. Of each of "which rules fit examples may be found out, and "therein there may be shewn how others have practised them. The ancient classic authors

"afford plenty of such examples, which they "should be made not only to translate, but have "set before them as patterns for their daily imi"tation.

"When they understand how to write English "with due connexion, propriety, and order, and

are pretty well masters of a tolerable narrative "style, they may be advanced to writing of "letters; wherein they should not be put upon "any strains of wit or compliment, but taught

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to express their own plain easy sense, without 66 any incoherence, confusion or roughness. And "when they are perfect in this, they may, to raise "their thoughts, have set before them the example of Tully's Epistles, as the best pattern, "whether for business or conversation. "writing of letters has so much to do in all the

The

"occurrences of human life, that no gentleman "can avoid shewing himself in this kind of

writing.

"Had the methods of education been directed "to their right end, one would have thought this "so necessary a part could not have been neglected, whilst themes and verses in Latin, of no use at all, were so constantly every where pressed, to the racking of children's inventions beyond their strength, and hindering their cheerful progress in learning the tongues, by "unnatural difficulties. But custom has so or"dained it, and who dares disobey?"

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We have been more copious in our quotations from the works of Locke and Ascham, because the system which we advocate, is chiefly derived from the details furnished by these two writers on education. If any trifling discrepancies should be thought to exist in the letter of their directions, with respect to elementary instruction, they will easily be reconciled by consideration of the different times wherein they lived. The spirit which influenced the exertions of both was essentially the same, and may be recognized even in those particulars, where the order of the course is not precisely identical.