same in spelling and reading other mens workes as the Catechisme and Primer Wherein let him not learne by rote spelling one sillable of a worde and shufling vp the rest without distinct spelling As if he had to learne this word mercifulnes suffer him not as some would to go on thus m-e-r mer c-i-f-u-l-n-e-s mercifulnes But according to the letters and syllables which are as precepts in this behalfe let him learne it by reason thus m-e-r mer c-i ci merci f-u-l fâ—â— merciful n-e-s nes mercifulnes For if he repeate the former syllables with euery other added vnto them he shall haue all in perfect memorie when he commeth to the ende whereas otherwise he may erre or forget But because in the table of syllables commonly there are set forth no syllables that haue aboue two letters a peece whereas they may haue three fower fiue sixe seauen or eight a peece if he knowe not the force of many letters in a syllable he shal first learne the force of two alone whereof one must be a vowell then of the same two and the third added to them and so the fourth as in theÌ„ foresayd word the first syllable is of three letters m e r if he know not what m-e-r maketh aske him first for m-e he will answere me as his table teacheth him then for m-e-r no doubt he will answere mer. The like is to be done in the two last syllables ful and nes So strength a sillable of eight letters being too hard for a childe to learne all at once he may learne letter by letter thus r-e re t-r-e tre s-t-r-e stre s-t-r-e-n stren s-t-r-e-n-g-t-h strength The like practise is it when the maister nameth the letters and the scholler giueth their signification And this is the readiest way to induce the true meaning of the letters and syllables and consequently the pronouncing of euery word into the phantasie of the childe For as Cato euen in his tender yeeres by searching the reason of those things that were taught him did profite wonderfully aboue his fellowes so surely one word by reason thus exactly learned will bring more fruit then twentie words rawlie passed ouer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But here the scholler shall finde one hinderance and stumbling blocke in that the practise both not alwaies agree with the precepts For whereas he learned in his table t-i ti g-i gi he shall sometime in practise say t-i â—i g-i ghi As in these words saluation giuen And so in diuers other syllables the letters haue otherwhiles a variable sound otherwhiles no sound at all Which difficultie seeing it is not reformed by them that are learned the childe must ouercome by continuall obseruation and custome Yet the Printers might easely redresse that barbarous kind of printing y e for the y t for that c. Where y very absurdly doth represent th and tha when as it farre differeth from the force and fashion of any of these letters And therefore the childe in learning will eftsoone repugne agaynst this barbarisme and say y t ye y t yt These and such like difficulties are as rough ground in the way of the learner which he cannot ouerstride vnlesse the Maister do leade him as it were by the hand supporting him agayne and agayne least he fall which must needes bee tedious to them both for a while Now the scholler in learning euery word shall pronounce him with his true accent as he may not say maiéstie but máiestie Also after that he hath spelled his lesson he shall reade the same obseruing therein the poynts and distinctions of the sentence Now followeth the like practise in making words first by imitation as the scholler hauing learned that band is spelled with b-a-n-d so he shall imitate to spell bond with b-o-n-d as bold with b-o-l-d so told with t-o-l-d as seem with s-e-e-m so seen with s-e-e-n Lastly without imitation as if ye aske him how he will spell this word or that word Thus if he bee exercised in spelling and reading his lessons and in spelling other words propounded vnto him sometime by his teacher sometime by his fellowes when he shall haue ended his first booke the Catechisme he wil be able to passe through the Primer commendably without spelling some harde words here and there excepted About the end of this Booke for the better confirming of all these things in memorie by Orthographie let him learne to write For Orthographie which teacheth with what letters euery syllable and word must be written and with what points the sentence and parts thereof must be distinguished is a practise of the same knowledge but expressed by the hand as the former is by the toong Which expressing and skill of the hand belongeth properly to the Arte of Painting and not vnto Grammar so that the best Grammarian is not alwayes the fairest penman Neuerthelesse séeing it hath singular vse and commoditie in the exercise of Grammar the Maister shall teach his Schollar to write by precepts of holding the Pen of forming the letters in due proportion of ioyning them aptly togethers by practise of drawing the Pen vpon the figures of shadowed letters then of writing without shadowed letters by imitating a Copie lastly of writing without a Copie In this exercise of writing the Schollar shall spend but two or three houres in a day at the most employing the rest of the time in reading vntill he be about seauen yeares old At which time he shall procéede to the second degree of Schooling which consisteth in learning the Grammar and knowledge of other languages and in this degrée are certaine fourmes euery one whereof may occupie a yéere The first fourme therefore shall begin to learne the Grammar in the Latin toong As for reading though the Schollar haue it alreadie yet for that there is some difference betwéene the reading of English and Latin first let him reade ouer the rudiments of the Latin toong and then learne by hart the parts of speach with their properties as the deriâ—â—tion and composition of words the forming of Nombers Cases and Genders in euery declension of Nounes the forming of diminitiues in Substantiues of comparisons in Adiectiues so the forming of Nombers Persons Tenses and Moobes in euery Coâ—iugation of all sorts of Uerbes whereof he shall rehearse afterwards some part ordinarily euery day illustrating the same with examples of diuers Nounes and Uerbes And so hauing learned the concordances of speach made plaine vnto him by the examples there added and being about eight yeeres old let him moue foorth into the second fourme to practise the precepts of Grammar in expounding and vnfolding the works of Latin Authors whereof the easiest shall be chosen first the middle sort next and the hardest last Now because Children learne first to talke familiarly with their fellowes or others Dialogs are most easie for their capacitie as are the Dialogs of Corderius and Castalion The Maister shall first reade sensibly a competent
if wee search the Schooles of all ages and all places we shall finde that from time to time they were men of great renowne great honour and vertue Therefore that we may the more orderly view their traces throughout these schooles first let vs enter into the olde schoole of Gods people which we will call the schoole of the Hebrewes secondly let vs step aside into the schoole of the Gentiles which wee may call the schoole of humanitie thirdly we will come néere to our owne schoole comprehending in it the schoole of Christianitie In the first schoole therefore though Adam be conteyned who no doubt did his duetie in teaching his children yet for that we finde no euidence thereof in writing wee will passe by him and come to his sonne Seth a very godly and learned schoolemaister as I may terme him For besides that it is recorded that in his daies men began to worship God and to call vpon his name Iosephus witnesseth that he was a singular man giuen to the studie of wisedome and taught the same to his Nephewes and they agayne to their posteritie in y e which was Enoch that walked with God prophecying and teaching the old world as appeareth by the testimonie of Iude and at length was taken vp into heauen aliue Moreouer the same Iosephus writeth that when they vnderstoode that the world should bee twice destroyed once with water and agayne with fire they engraued their learning in two pillers the one of bricke the other of stone that if the bricke piller should be dasht in peeces with the flood the stone piller might remayne and if the stone piller should bee consumed with the fire the bricke piller might remayne to teach men this ancient knowledge Then both before and likewise after the flood Noe is chronicled for a famous Doctor of righteousnesse and godly knowledge not only by the holy Ghost but also by prophane men For whereas Socrates affirmeth that learning being the gift of the Gods was by Prometheus the repayrer of mankind after the flood fet out of heauen and brought vnto men in very trueth it must bee vnderstood of Noe who was the author of this reparation Another most reuerend teacher in this schoole was Abraham of whom GOD himselfe testifieth that he taught his children and familie the way of the Lord. Who also is both for learning and teaching commended by Iosephus and Berosus The like is to be vnderstood of Abrahams posteritie as Isaack Iacob and the rest which wee will passe ouer together with Melchisedec that auncient Priest seeing there is no mention made of their teaching Thus wee haue in this schoole Seth Enoch Noe and Abraham foure most auncient Patriarkes of blessed memorie celebrated by name to be Doctors and maisters besides many others vnnamed But what Some will say touching their bookes wee heare yet nothing nothing of writing nothing of reading No doubt these ages were adorned with such heroicall spirits and golden wittes that they did conceiue and keepe in minde without the helpe of letters a great deale better than the ages following could do so that their letterlesse and vnwritten doctrine did bring that fruite and commoditie which ours doth now being written Howbeit by Iosephus report we see that they had the vse of letters euen before the flood wherewith these two pillers were engrauen as two famous bookes set forth to all the world But behold the next renowmed Doctor in this schoole commeth forth with his pen and inke and writeth the lawes and precepts of the liuing God with diuers histories full of noble examples conteyning the doctrine of all diuine and humane matters I meane Moses who also propounded and interpreted this doctrine to a great multitude of people and by the commaundement of God ordeyned a continuall order of Priestes and promised a succession of Prophets that should bee teachers and expounders of the same charging withall all parents and housholders to do the like to their children and housholders as we see the Patriarkes before time had done This Doctor being brought vp in the King of Egypts Court was euen from the cradle instructed in learning and wisedome as also by al likelihood was Aaron the eloquent Priest his sonnes and others of the Israelites though not brought vp in the Court yet instructed in learning for that if they had been vnlettered they could not haue serued in that calling neither had it been to any purpose to write these lawes vnto them Next was Iosua an actiue Captaine and a teacher of the people who made vnto them many pithie Orations and diuided to euery man the portion of his inheritance which thing also required knowledge in the Mathematicall Artes. After him succéeded many Judges and Prophets beautified with learning as appeareth otherwise and also by the learned and Poeticall Song of Debora in the time of the Judges Furthermore we reade that the holie woman Anna hauing dedicated her child Samuel to the seruice of the Lord so soone as he was wained committed him to Elie the Judge and Preest to be trained vp in learning wherefore let Elie be added to the former maisters of teaching Hitherto we haue had worthy examples of Patriarks Prophets Préests and Judges that taught Children priuatly at home and all sorts of persons publikely in the congregation Now Scholers increase and Parents being either otherwise busied or else not sufficiently for this purpose furnished send their Children to the common Schoole which as we reade was first instituted in Naioth whereof Samuel the Lords Judge and Prophet was moderator and Maister Such an honorable man was the first publike Schoolemaister in this Schoole whose Schollers then as the Schollers a long time after him were called the Sonnes of the Prophets because the benefit of their good instruction which they receiued of the Prophet their Maister was estéemed at no lesse price then the benefit of their begetting and birth which they had of their Parents Immediatly heerevpon learning began to flourish by reason that there were store of Prophets and Preests to teach the same Of the Prophets two were famous Kings Dauid and Salomon two Diamonds of art and gratious eloquence which they haue plentifully expressed in the Psalmes Prouerbs Ecclesiastes and other their workes but because their hands were occupied with the royall Scepter they could not also be publike Schoolemaisters to youth howbeit they instructed not onely their housholds priuatly as Salomon sayth that he was taught of his Father but also the assembly publikely and therefore Salomon calleth himselfe the Preacher The other Prophets in those dayes were Gad Nathan Heman Elcana Ahias and Iedo after in the dayes of Roboam Abias Asa and Iehosaphat Kings of Iuda were Semias Iddo Azarias and Iehu all the which besides that they were Maisters of the Schooles and Colledges wrote also seuerall Bookes excepting one or two as is mentioned in the Scripture Next vnto
Are there no examples thereof to be found in these latter ages and in our owne religion Yes verely such examples as one of them is enough to counterpâ—ise yea to weigh downe the heauiest examples of the two former though he lay them all together For in the former Schooles God was acknowledged to be the author of discipline and learning but man was the instrument and messenger by whose seruice God did put it in practise but this latter Schoole was not onely instituted by the authoritie of our gratious God but also the first Doctor therein was his only déere Sonne our Sauiour Jesus Christ and therefore of him is called the Schoole of Christianitie He as the Prophets had done before taught publikely both the people in the congregation and also was alwayes furnishing of his Disciples and Schollers with store of treasure that out of the same afterwards they might be able like good housholders to bring foorth vnto their audience things both new and old The noble actes and practises of which Schollers are in the new Testament set foorth to the viewe of all men so that it is néedlesse to say any thing thereof only I note briefely that they forsooke all their wealth and worldly promotions that they bare many times much trouble and bitter affliction to the end that they might become good Schollers in this Schoole These Schollers at length being Doctors to wit Apostles Euangelists Prophets and Ministers walked in the steps of Christ their maister and of the old Prophets their predecessors not only teaching the multitude in the congregation but also making their Schollers learned and fit for some function in preaching the Gospell As to passe by all the rest S. Paule instructed Timothy Titus Erastus Archippus Epaphroditus Denis Stephana and Tychicus with others At Ephesus he taught dayly for the space of two yeares in the Schoole of one Tyrannus And what a diligent Student he was himselfe it may appeare in that he sent from Rome to Troas aboue a thousand miles for his papers and bookes the instruments of studie After the Apostles time was a famous Schoole of Diuinitie institutâ—â— at Alexandria in Aegypt in the which Panteâ—us was the first teacher then Clemens then Origen a Doctor of no lesse learning then fame And about this time flourished Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage Now the Emperout Constantine the Great being the sonne of Helene a woman borne and brought vp in this land in all the countries and prouinces of his large Empire set vp Schooles of all good Artes but especially of Diuinitie not only with liberall stipends mainteining them but also with honorable priuiledges and exemptions defending them So therâ— began to arise the great starres of Christianitie as Athanasius Bishop of Alexandria Gregorie Nazianzene Chrysostome Bishop of Constantinople Basile the great Bishop of Cesarea whome his Father instructed multáque insignem reddidit arte S. Hierome the eloquent Doctor Ambrose Bishop of Milan and Austin his Scholler Bishop of Hippo with many others of the which some were brought vp in the Schoole of humanitie and afterwards conuerted to Christianitie and some from their infancie were trained vp in the Schoole of Christ But what should I staâ—â— in rehearsing the names of a few men of a two or three Countries when as in euery parish of innumerable Countries and Kingdomes throughout all the world not only learned men are ordeined to preach the Gospell and haue seuerall stipends publikly allowed for their maintenance but also Schooles Colledges Uniuersities and other places of studie are euery where erected for the increasing and nourishing of learned men to furnish these vocations as to name some the Colledges and Uniuersities at Paris in the dayes of Charles â—he Great at Bononia and Pauie in Italy at Brâ—ges by Charles King of Bohemia at Craconia Colen Erford in Thuringia at Lipsia at Vienna in Austria at Friburge Basile Ingolstade Tubinga Wittemberge Francford Marpurge S. Andrewes in Scotland and at Maguntia by Ditherus the Bishop where the Arte of Printing the preserger of all Artes was inuented in the yeare of our Lord 1466. But if any man will be rather moued with home examples of his Ancesters then with forraine examples of Strangers this our Countrey of England aswell for embracing Christianitie and all godly learning as also for liberalitie emploied to mainteine the same Tantum alias inter caput extulit vrbes Quantum lenta solent inter viburna cupressi For as the Schoole of humanitie was heere planted when it was yet tender and young so was the Schoole of Christianitie insomuch that our Countreyman Gyldas writeth that the Gospell was receiued heere euen from the comming of Christ in the dayes of Tiberius by the preaching of Ioseph of Arimathea as others declare whome Phillip the Apostle sent hither out of Fraunce Then in the time of the valiant King Arthur the exercise and studie of learning was diligently applied in Southwales The like is recorded to be done an hundred and twenty yeares after in the dayes of Sigebert King of the Eastangles who set vp Schooles of the Gréeke and Latin toong And Egbert King of Kent fortie yeares after followed the same steps of his predecessors King Ethelstane was not only a founder of Schooles for learning but also a profound learned Astronomer himselfe Yet of all our auncient Kings none may be preferred no nor compared to that most vertuous King Alfred either for knowledge in the Artes and all good letters or for loue and diligence to aduance the same For besides that he translated diuers bookes into the vulgar toong and wrote many new of his owne he also instructed all his Children Sonnes and Daughters in the liberall Artes and did shut the dore of climing to any dignitie in the Court against such as wanted the furniture of learning Furthermore he procured with great charges learned men some to be his Counsellers as the godly Diuine Iohn Scot afterwards martired by his Schollers at Malmesburie some to teach the Schooles and Colledges whereof he ordeined diuers in Oxford Therefore now we haue the blessed founder of that famous Uniuersitie of Oxford founded aboue seauen hundred yeres agone whether before or after the founding of the Uniuersitie of Cambridge it is not materiall but in either of them at this day are sixteene goodly Colledges and moreouer in Oxford eight Haules builded by Kings Queens Princes Bishops and other good men and enriched with lands reuenewes stipends as also established and fortified with lawes ample priuiledges and immunities for the maintenance and commoditie of Students and learned men These are two bright fountaines of learning whose wholesome streames runne plentifully abroade watering not only this Realme but also forraine Countries to the great benefit of the Church of God Also by the like good Authors after the same manner and for the same cause were instituted many other houses of learning Colledges and free Schooles as partly we see in this Towne