SAve you Master Grantham, I am glad to sée you; but would be gladder if you would not differ so much in your way of Teaching, from these grave Schoole-masters: Gentlemen I tell you all the Disputes are hot on both sides, not onely here in Lon­don, but elsewhere.

Sir, there is no hope of reconciliation, so [Page 2] long as so many Knaves and Fooles are interested in the cause.

Syr, me thinks a little wit might easily dis­prove Master Granthams way.

Sir, then you are as sit a man as can be for that purpose. I pray you let us hear what you can say?

Syr, the way of learning without Booke, is an ancient approved way; I remember thirty years ago, I was whipt thrice for the thrée degrees of comparison, because I could not say them without Book: once for eve­ry degree.

And I remember when I went to Schoole, the Vsher tyed a knot of a Rush for every word I mist, but I mist so many words, that four or five rushes was not enough for me; but then at last I got a trick to write my Lesson on the back side of my Book, and so I could say it, although my Masters face was many times towards me.

Master Dotteril, I could prove that Grammer it selfe is not the ancient way of learning a Language; much lesse the learning of it word by word without Book: for the Inventors of the Grammer (you will grant) had the Language before the Art. But I will speak more plainly to you. The Grammers which were before Lilly, (a) wereViz. Priscia­nus, Tertel­lius, Lanciolo­tus, Nicolaus Ferellus, Georgius Val­la, Aldus Ro­manus, Nestor Stoa, Eristli­n [...]s. some of them almost as big as a Church Bible: (if you take out the Apocrypha and Common-Prayer.) Now to learne these word by word without Book, was a taske passing the patience of an Asse. Upon this Erasmus concludeth Moriae En­comio. That Grammer it self is enough to make a man spend his whole life in Tortures.

Good Master Cuffum help me out. I am ab­solutely gravelled.

I say, and will maintain, that learning the Grammer word by word without Book, is ancient and approved.

What is your reason Sir?

What is your reason to the contrary?

Sir, if you should dispute so in an University, [Page 3] you would be hissed at: He asketh you to prove what you say, and you bid him prove the contrary: The task lyes on you to show a reason for what you say, but there is no more to be expected from an Ass in praesents.

Syr, I can prove it hath been practised, and commanded in the Preface to the Reader before the Grammer.

Sir, you were too much cuffed and dulled at Schoole, to attain to any Logick; There are many things practised, that are not lawfull: I therefore deny your sequell. And in that Preface, there is not a word of saying word by word without Book, and there was never any command by Authority, laid on the common Schooles for it.

There is in that Treatise much against your selves; As, that a Boy should not learn by Rote, but by Rea­son: See the Pre­face to the Reader before the Grammer. But you teach first all the Grammer by Rote, and after cuffe the understanding of it into him. There are also these very words, which are much against you: That Boyes should not learn the Rules orderly as they lye in the Syntaxe, but some little sentence should be given them; and if there fall any necessary rule of the Syntaxe to be known, then to learn it as the occasion of the sentence giveth cause that day. But you teach all word by word without Book; so that a Boy is confounded with a multitude of Rules, and knowes no­thing distinctly, till he hath been cuffed and whipt seven yeares together: So that Doctor Web saith, they are some­times twenty, sometimes thirty, before they go to the Vniversity. I heard some say of good credit, they knew one who con­fessed he was seven and thirty yeares of age, before he came from Schoole to their Colledge.

What way then do you say is the best?

Sir, there are three things most necessary in a Language; the words, the Stile, the Rules: For the words, a Boy may easily learn a thousand words in ten dayes; that is, a hundred words a day, suppose a man allow an houre for twenty words, in five houres he learneth a hundred words. I have taught some that have learned a hundred words in an houre: but I do not mean after the silly sustian way of [Page 4] learning in the common Schooles, to say them all in order by rote like a Parrot, but let him have an hundred English words, and a hundred Latin words printed or writ, he shall tell you Latin for any English word, and this is the learning I mean.

Now Mr. Twigtail, and Mr. Flea-buttock, you are both bound in conscience to conceive, that he that un­derstands one thousand, must needs understand many thou­sands more: for many derivatives, compounds, decompounds, are understood by the help of the simples, and he that under­stands thus much, will understand most Authors he reads.

But how shall they do for a stile?

M. Dotteril I will show you by an example: There is a certain bird which is a fool, or a fowl, or a foolish fowl, called a Dotteril, your own name-sake: this bird if you see him thrust out his right wing, thrust you out your right arm, if he thrusts out his left leg, thrust you out yours, if he thrusts out his neck, thrust you out yours, and thus by imitating of him, you will come so neare till you take him up in your hand. And so in an Author, where you see him place his adjective adverb, or conjunction, do you so to: and by this imitation, you will catch the strain of your Author, and come to a great perfection. If you imitate but six leaves in a trans­lation, which you may do in two dayes, then you may come near the strain of the Author.

In this thing I am something satisfied.

But what do you say for the Rules?

The rules I would reach thus. First, consider there are 8. parts of Speech, for the 4. that are undeclined, I bid my Scholler take very little care, because they are not declined, nor varied, nor altered at all, as you find an Ad­verbe or a Conjunction in one place, so you finde him every where. Of the other 4. I bid him take care but of two, that is a Noun, and a Verb, for a Pronoun is much like to a Noun, know one, know the other: a Participle that takes part both of a noun and a Verb: both those known, the participle is knowne. So here is but two things chiefly to be cared for, that is a Noun, and a Verb. But be sure to understand the definition of every part of speech, not word by word with­out Book, but the sense of it.

How like you this Sir?

Truly I finde some sense in this?

Truly or else I should have thought there had been little sense in you.

Master Grantham proceed I pray.

Next I show him the Speciall Rules, and how he may know by them the Gender of any Noun: If a Noun vary from a speciall Rule, as virus Pelagus, I bid him look in the Neuters, and there he shall see the word excepted, or something that does imply that word: For others that are not under the speciall Rules, let him onely say the Gender followes the Sexe, as Males and Offices that belong to men, are Masculines; Females, Feminines. The same course I take in As in praesenti.

You have spoke to two or three at this pre­sent, I will assure you.

Then I show the Concords, and with two or 3. lines annext, he hath all things necessary for the Syntaxe.

Now Master Cuffum, you must conceive he does not show them the Concords and English rules as they are in the Grammer, that is before the Genders and the Verbs, as you do, for that is non-sence: for how can a Boy conceive an Adjective to agree with his Substantive in case, Gender, and number, when he hath read nothing of the Gen­ders of Nounes, and can show no rule for it.

And all this concerning Concords, Nounes, and Verbs, I show in an houre.

Now brother School-masters, mark something to laugh at; he teacheth a thousand words in ten dayes, a stile in two dayes, Genders of Nounes, Conjugations of Verbs all in an houre, so reckon all together, in twelve dayes and an hour, he teaches to understand much of the Latin tongue.

Yes Sir that he doth, to such as you have not too much cuffed, and dulled, and twig'd, and fleaed.

M. Cuffum you are too hot, if you cannot deny any of these several, then they are true altogether, you grant a man may learn a hundred words a day, that way I speak on?

That I grant.

You will grant a man may imitate sixe leaves in two dayes.

I will not differ with you for that neither.

Then you will grant the Rules may be learned as I have expressed?

Truly, that I grant too, onely this makes me averse; although I conceive such a thing possible to be done, yet because I never saw it done, I am something in­credulous.

Sir I can bring you sufficient proofe of this, by Earles, Lords, Collonels, Knights, and Gentlemen, all Parliament men. Or take a shorter or a nearer way of triall. Amongst many in my Schoole, I have one not above ten yeares of age, who hath been with me but a little above a year; This boy will conster at the first fight, presently out of the Greek Testament, into good Latin: Perhaps some place may stagger him for the present, but he will soon over­come it. Give him a Latin Author, he shall conster a Leafe or two with a little consideration. And so in a Greek Au­thor, Poet, or Orator in any Dialect. I teach him the Greek tongue, because all the termes of Grammer, all the termes of Tropes and Figures in Rhetorick, are Greek: and know­ing the Originall, he learnes that in a Moneth, he could not learne without it in two yeares.

Can he Accent a piece of Greek?

Any Greek in any Dialect. Still I say he may be staggered, but he will recover himselfe presently. This Boy understood not two lines in his Accidence when he came to me, and could not say one without Book, and now he is skilled in eleven Greek Grammers, and can prove any Greek or Latin verse that is laid before him, and also make.

Now let me see any Boy that hath gone ten yeares to the Schoole, in any of your common Schooles, do so much: And Master Granthams Schollers playes ten times as much as any common Schooles.

Syr, we confesse it is very much, and you do well to show a nearer way to Learning. In the Preface [Page 7] to the Reader before the Grammer, there are these words: If one seeing by triall an easier and readier way then the com­mon See the Pre­face to the Reader, before the Grammer. sort of Teachers, would say what he hath proved, and of the commodity allowed, that others not knowing the same, might by Experience prove the like.

Sir this way is best for common Schooles, for a Master may teach as well a hundred as one, because the way is by dictating, and runs all upon the tongue; if you have but one fine leading Boy, the rest will come easily on: unlesse they be very carelesse, and will not give their minds to it at all. As some will not unlesse they be cuffed, and whipped, which is against my way of teaching: for I have not had a Rod in my Schoole, many times for halfe a yeare together.

Master Cuffum, I will now make it appear to you, you are far out of the way in teaching. Mark Moun­taign Lib. 1. cap, 25. his words in his Essayes. I must needs acknowledge that the Greek and Latin Tongues, are great Ornaments in a Gentleman, but they are purchased at an over high rate; I will tell you how they may be gotten easier, as it was tried in mine Education: So soon as my tongue was loosed, my Father had Schollers eminent for the Latin tongue, who spoke nothing but Latin to me: so that before I was sixe yeares of age, I spake pure Latin, full as readily as any Boy could his Mother tongue at that Age. Sir, take another instance. Let a Boy of seven or eight years of age, be sent out of England into France: he shall learn in a twelve moneth and lesse, to write and speak the French tongue readily, although he keep much compa­ny with English, reade many English Books, and write ma­ny English Letters home; and all this with pleasure and de­light: Whereas many thousand who have gone to Free-Schooles two seven yeares, for they keep them longest, and there they rise up early and go to bed late, shed many a reare both before and behinde; and with all this Learning, which hath been put into them like a Glister, they cannot speak at all: and they cannot write a piece of ordinary La­tin, unlesse they have Dictionaries and Phrase-Books, and many of them have as much Greek as their Masters, that is [Page 8] little, or none at all. Whosoever considers this, must needs confesse we have not the knack of Teaching.

The Common-wealth suffers much, in this tedious way of Teaching: Very few of our Gentry are Schollers, for at fourteen or fifteen the bloud growes hot, and they scorn a yoak, and then they are but punies, in the Common-Schooles, under the lowest or second Usher. Now if there be three Masters in a Schoole, three to one but a Boy miscarries under one: For they are of severall dispositions, and the Boy cannot agree with all. A Boy will learne under one Master, nor under another, suppose a Boy passe the first Usher, and second, yet the highest Master, with a great deal of paines, care, and diligence, may make him as errand a Dunce, as ever went to the University, or as ever came from thence.

Sir, you may see more of this in a Book he writ; Called, The Brain-Breakers Breaker: And in his Animadversions upon Cambdens Greek Grammer: To be sold in Little Brittain over against the Clocke. Gentlemen, for the present, Farewell.

Successe to you Gentlemen.

Cuss. Twig-tail. Fleab. The like to you. Farewell.