masters) of teaching the common grammar, and making use of those ordinary school-books in every form which are taught in most schools in England. And because it belongs chiefly to the usher in most of our grammar schools to teach children to understand and make use of their grammar, and by degrees to furnish them with proper words or good phrase, that they may be able of themselves to write or speak true Latin, or translate either way pretty elegantly before they come under the master, I call this part of my discovery The Usher's Duty, wherein he may plainly see how he ought to respect the end, the means, and the manner how to use every help or mean for the better dispatch of that which he is continually employed about, viz., the well grounding of children in grammar learning, which may be done in three years with the ordinary sort of boys, even those of the meanest capacity if discretion in every particular be used, which is beyond any directions that can be given. So that under the usher I admit of three forms: the first, of enterers; the second, of practitioners; the third, of proficients in the knowledge of grammar. Having done therefore with grounding children, (whose inadvertency is the teacher's daily trouble, and not to mention their other infirmities, requireth that they be held long in one and the same work, and be made ever and anon to repeat again what they formerly learned,) I shall next add somewhat concerning teaching men at spare hours in private, with whom (by reason of their stronger capacities and more use of reason) a far speedier course may be taken, and greater proficiency may be made in half a year, than can be expected from children in three years' space. And what I shall here deliver is confirmed by that experiment which I have made with many young gentlemen for these eleven or twelve years together last past in London, who being very sensible of their own want of the Latin tongue, and desirous (if possible) to attain it, have thought no cost nor pains too much to be employed for gaining it, and yet in a few months they have either been so grounded as to be able to help themselves in a plain author in case they knew nothing before, or so perfected as to grapple with the most difficult and exactest authors in case they had formerly but a smattering of the language, and this they have obtained at leisure time, and at far less expense, than they now prize the jewel at which they have. In teaching a man, then, I require none of those helps which I have provided for children's use, (though perhaps he may find benefit to himself by perusing them in private,) only I desire him at the first to get an easy entrance to the Latin tongue, and by it I show him as briefly, orderly and plainly as I can, 1. How he ought to distinguish words so as to know what part of speech any word is. 2. To tell what belongeth to every several part of speech. 3. To get the examples of the declensions and conjugations very exactly so as to know what any noun or verb signifieth according to its termination, and to store him with words, I advise him to peruse a chapter in the Vocabulary at least once every day, and to observe the Latin names of such things as are common in use and better known to him. 4. Then I acquaint him with the most general rules of concordance and construction, and help him to understand them by sundry short examples applicable thereunto. 5. Last of all I cause him to take some of the Collectanea, and help him to construe, parse, imitate, and alter them until he be able to adventure upon some easy author. After he be thus made well acquainted with the grounds of grammar, I bid him to procure the Latin Grammar fitted for his use as well as for schools, and together with it a Latin Testament or Bible, and then I cause him to read over his grammar, (by as much at once as he can well peruse in half an hour,) and be sure that he thoroughly understand it, and after every one of the four parts of grammar I give him a praxis of it, by exercising whereof he may easily know how to use his rules and where to find them. When by this means he can tell what to do with his grammar, I turn him to the Latin Testament, (beginning with the first chapter of Saint John's Gospel because it is most easy,) and there I make him (by giving him some few directions which he hath, together with his grounds of grammar) learn to construe of himself six, eight, or ten verses, with the help of his English Bible, and to parse them exactly according to his grammar, and by going over three or four chapters he will be able to proceed understandingly in his Latin Bible without help. Which when he can do I advise him to get Corderius, English and Latin, where he is chiefly to take notice of the phrases how they differ in both languages, and to imitate here and there a colloquy to try what good Latin he can write or speak himself. And now I commend to his own private reading Dialogi Gallico Anglo-Latini, by Dugres: Dictionarium octo lingue, or The Schoolmaster, printed formerly by Michael Sparks, and Janua Linguarum, or rather Janua Latinæ linguæ, and the like, by perusal of which, together with Corderius, he may be furnished with a copy of words and phrases for common discourse in Latin. Afterward I help him in reading Esop's Fables to construe and parse, and imitate a period or more in any of them, thereby to acquaint himself with the artificial manner of placing words. And when I see he dare adventure upon the Latin alone, I make him read Terence over and over, and to observe all the difficulties of grammar that he meets in him, and after he is once master of his style he will be pretty well able for any Latin book, of which I allow him to take his choice, whether he will read Tully, Pliny, Seneca, or Lipsius for epistles; Justin, Sallust, Lucius Florus, or Caesar for history; Virgil, Ovid, Lucan, or Horace for poetry. And when I see he can read these understandingly, I judge him able to peruse any Latin author of himself by the help of Cooper's Dictionary and good commentators or scholiasts. These authors which I have mentioned are most of them in English, as also Livy, Pany's Natural History, Tacitus, and other excellent books, which he may peruse, together with the Latin, and by comparing both languages together he may become very expert in both. Yet I would advise him to translate some little books himself, first out of Latin into English, and then out of English into Latin, which will at once furnish him with all points of grammar, and the right use and ordering of words, and in a short time bring him to the like eloquence. Mr. Ascham commendeth Tully de senectute and his epistles, ad Quintum Fratrem et ad Lentulum, for this purpose. If he would exercise himself in oratory or poetry, I suppose his best way is to imitate the most excellent pieces of either that he finds in the best and purest authors (especially Tully and Virgil) till he can do well of himself. Horace and Buchanan's Psalms will sufficiently store him with a variety of verses. And now if one should ask me before I conclude this book and begin with the next, whether it be not possible for men or children to learn Latin as well as English without grammar rules? I answer, first, that it is hardly possible, because the Latin tongue is not so familiarly spoken as English, which is gotten only by hearing and imitation. 2. That it is not the better way, partly because they that are well acquainted with grammar know when they or others speak well and when they speak ill, whereas, they that are ignorant of the rules take any Latin for good, be it never so barbarous or full of solecisms; and partly because they that are skillful in grammar are able to do something in reading authors or translating, or writing epistles, or the like, by themselves, whereas, they that learn Latin without any rule are able to do nothing surely if their teacher be away. Besides, if the Latin be once well gotten by rule, it is not so apt to be forgotten as if it be learned only by rote, because the learner is at any time able to recover what he hath lost by the help of his own intellect, having the habit of grammar in his mind. Yet I conceive it is the readiest way to the gaining of this language to join assiduity of speaking and reading and writing, and especially double translating to the rules, for as the one affordeth us words and phrases, and the other directs us how to order them for a right speech, so the exercise of both will at last beget such a habit in us, that we may increase our ability to speak and understand pure Latin, though perhaps the rules of grammar be forgotten by us. Having here done with The Usher's Duty, I shall (God willing) go on to discover The Master's Method in every particular according to what I have either practiced myself, or observed from others of my profession. And I hope this my slender discovery will excite some of greater practice and experience to commit also to public their own observations, by whom if I may be convinced that I have any where gone in an erroneous way I shall willingly retract my course, and endeavor to steer by any man's chart that I find more easy and sure to direct me. In the meantime I commit my little vessel to the waters all alone, and desire God that whatever dangers attend it, he would so protect and prosper it that it may safely arrive to the port which I chiefly aim at, viz., the honor and service of his divine majesty, and the benefiting of both church and commonwealth in the good education of children. THE MASTER'S METHOD.* BY CHARLES HOOLE, A. M., Master of Grammar School at Rotherham in 1636, and of a Private School in London in 1660. CHAPTER I.-How to make the Scholars of the fourth Form very perfect in the art of Grammar and elements of Rhetoric; and how to enter them upon Greek in an easy way. How to practice them (as they read Terence, and Ovid de Tristibus, and his Metamorphosis, and Janua Latinæ linguæ, and Sturmius, and Textor's Epistles) in getting copy of words, and learning their derivations and differences, and in varying phrases. How to show them the right way of double translating, and writing a most pure Latin style. How to acquaint them with all sorts of English and Latin verses, and to enable them to write familiar and elegant epistles either in English or Latin, upon all occasions. The usher having thoroughly performed his duty, so as to lay a sure foundation by teaching grammar and lower authors, and using other helps forementioned to acquaint his scholars with the words and order of the Latin tongue, as well for speaking as writing it; the master may more cheerfully proceed to build further, and in so doing, he should be as careful to keep what is well gotten, as diligent to add thereunto. I would advise therefore that the scholars of this fourth form may, 1. Every morning read six or ten verses (as formerly) out of the Latin Testament into English, that thus they may become well acquainted with the matter and words of that most holy Book; and after they are acquainted with the Greek Testament, they may proceed with it in like manner. 2. Every Thursday morning repeat a part out of the Latin Grammar, according as it is last divided, that by that means they may constantly say it over once every quarter. And because their wits are now ripe for understanding grammar notions wherever they meet with them, I would have them every one to * The following is a copy of the original title page :— THE OR THE Exercising of Scholars In GRAMMARS, Authours, and Exercises; GREEK, LATINE, and HEBREW. By C. H. LONDON, Printed by J. T. for Andrew Crook, at the Green Dragon in Pauls Church Yard, 1659. |