to confuse the ftudent, or to increase, by encouraging his idlenefs. The revivers of learning, who had none of thefe affiftances, have never been excelled in the knowledge of the antient languages.

I have already mentioned the grammar moft commonly approved. I have preferred Clarke's

beral education; in which, by frequently converfing with thofe great authors of antiquity, who are diftinguished FOR JUST AND CLEAR CONCEP

TIONS, THE MIND ACQUIRES THE HABIT (F THINKING AS THEY DID, AND IS TEMPTED TO

TRY ITS OWN POWERS. The profeffion of phyfic is one of the most liberal and ufeful; it has a connexion with learning and fcience of every kind; it has great opportunities of adding to the common ftores of knowledge, and has ufually been particu larly converfant in elegant letters; without the aid of which, it can neither ufe its beft fources, nor communicate its difcoveries with any advantage.

"It is to be lamented, that many attend only to the technical and vulgar kind of education; useful, indeed, as the rules of arithmetic are to the tradesman; they facilitate the procefs of his bufinefs, but never apply to his fentiments or manners. It is to be la

mented, that fo many in the practice of phyfic have looked to this part only; and have contented themfelves with thofe mechanical acquirements, which a perfon may eafily poffefs, without having the leaft tincture of any thing that deferves the name of education. A fmall acquaintance with languages, enough perhaps for common currency, with a few couries of lectures in the medical branches, are thought to form a fufficient stock."

Dr. MARKHAM in a fermon before the University of Oxford.

Introduction for beginners, because the Latin is furnished on one fide of the English. Perhaps that circumftance is an objection to its ufe among the higher claffes. Let then the Eton Exempla Moralia, or Wyllimot's Particles, be fubftituted in its place.

With respect to chufing the Latin and Greek books proper to be read in schools, and adapting them to the age and clafs of the fcholars, no judicious and experienced mafter will want directions. But I will beg leave humbly to offer, and not to obtrude, my fentiments on this fubject, as it is a subject of importance.

Suppofe then the school to be divided, as it often is, into eight claffes. In the firft or loweft clafs, the grammar only will be used; in the fecond, let Cordery's Colloquies and the Latin Teftament be introduced; in the third, let the books confift of Cornelius, Nepos, Phædrus, and the latter part of Cordery; in the fourth, of Ovid's Epiftles, Erafmus's Dialogues, and Phædrus continued; in the fifth, of Ovid's Fafti and Metamorphofes, Virgil, and Cæfar; in the fixth, let Greck be commenced, and let the books confift of the Greek Teftament, Virgil, and Cicero's Letters; in the feventh, of the Greek Teftament, Lucian, Virgil, Cicero de Officiis; in the Eighth, of Homer, Demofthenes, Xenophon, Virgil, Horace, Juvenal, Cicero's Orations, and his golden treatifes De Amicitia and De Senectute. The books may certainly be varied with propriety according to the judgment and tafte of the teacher; and I only enumerate thefe, because

I think

I think it right, as I have elsewhere faid, to defcend to particulars in a practical treatise.

General removals fhould take place throughout the school twice a-year. The beft fcholars fhould be promoted to the next clafs, and the others remain where they were, another half year. The books should be read in regular rotation, and with the moft fcrupulous regard to method and regularity.

The editions of fchool-books in Ufum Delphini, are almoft univerfally received. I confefs I do not approve them. I know that the interpretation is always more attended to than the text. The eye and mind of the young ftudent are confufed with a page crowded with that, and with annotations. The mafter fhould, indeed, have a comment before him, to affift and facilitate his bufinefs of explanation; but I wish the fcholars to have editions without notes, or with very few notes. The type and paper cannot be too beautiful. Thefe allure and please the eye. With fuch editions, let the boy difcover the meaning of his leffons, proprio Marte, by his own efforts, and the ufe of dictionaries. It will be difficult at firft. The mafter will have additional trouble. But the scholar will derive great ftrength of mind from being obliged to exert himfelf, and will infallibly improve much fafter, and retain his improvements longer, than if he were affifted with those inventions, which, though they were defigned to introduce the ftudent to his books with greater eafe and fuccefs, are always abused to the gratification of indolence.

D 3

I will

I will not close this fection without declaring, that, in pointing out books, or editions of books, I neither mean to dictate, nor to promote the intereft of any selfish editor. I write what I think, and I offer directions on this topic, unneceffary indeed to the profoundly learned, but fuch as may poffibly fuggeft fome ufeful hints to the inexperienced inftructor *.

*Since the above was written, I have had the fatisfaction to find, that I am not fingular in difapproving fchool-books with annotations, &c. Felton has the following paffage in his Differtation on the Claffics.

"The celebrated Dr. Busty ftrictly forbad the "ufe of notes; and, for our Greek and Latin authors, we had nothing but the plain text in a "correct and chafte edition."

"Vera emendatè loquendi facultas optimè paratur, cum ex caftigato loquentium colloquio, convictuque, tum ex eloquentium auctorum affiduâ lectione, e quibus ii primum funt imbibendi, quorum oratio, præterquam quod eft caftigatiffima, argumenti quoque illecebra aliqua difcentibus blandiatur."

ERASMUS.

SECTION VI.

ON WRITING EXERCISES.

Stylus optimus magifter.
The pen is the best mafter.

Cie.

O enfure improvement, it is not enough

T to be paffively attentive to inftruction,

Opportunities must be given to the ftudent to display his attainments. He must learn to reduce theory to practice. He muft exemplify his rules. He must be exercised in thinking. He must be accustomed to folitary study, and a habit must be formed of literary labour *.

For all these reasons, it has been the custom of our best schools to exact from the scholars a written exercife, to be brought every morning on entrance into the school. Under proper regulations, and duly attended to, both by the inftructor and the pupil, this practice has been productive of effects greatly beneficial. I therefore recommend it to be univerfally pursued, as foon as the pupil fhall be capable of writing eafily and legibly.

T

From the age of eight to ten, no exercises can be done with more propriety than those of

*Φυσις, μαθησις, ασκησις. To complete the work, there must be united nature, inftruction, and exer

cife.