The Scholemaster Part 3

_Cuspinian_ doth report, that, that n.o.ble Emperor _Maxi- milian_, would lament verie oft, his misfortune herein.

Yet, some will say, that children of nature, loue pastime, and mislike learning: bicause, in their kinde, the // Pastime.

one is easie and pleasant, the other hard and werisom: which is an opinion not so trewe, as // Learnyng.

some men weene: For, the matter lieth not so much in the disposition of them that be yong, as in the order & maner of bringing vp, by them that be old, nor yet in the difference of learnyng and pastime. For, beate a child, if he daunce not well, & cherish him, though he learne not well, ye shall haue him, vnwilling to go to daunce, & glad to go to his booke. Knocke him alwaies, when he draweth his shaft ill, and fauor him againe, though he faut at his booke, ye shall haue hym verie loth to be in the field, and verie willing to be in the schole.

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Yea, I saie more, and not of my selfe, but by the iudgement of those, from whom few wis.e.m.e.n will gladlie dissent, that if euer the nature of man be giuen at any tyme, more than other, to receiue goodnes, it is in innocencie of yong yeares, before, that experience of euill, haue taken roote in hym. For, the pure cleane witte of a sweete yong babe, is like the newest wax, most hable to receiue the best and fayrest printing: and like a new bright siluer dishe neuer occupied, to receiue and kepe cleane, anie good thyng that is put into it.

And thus, will in children, wiselie wrought withall, maie Will. } // easelie be won to be verie well willing to }in Children. // learne. And witte in children, by nature, Witte.} // namelie memorie, the onelie keie and keper of all learning, is readiest to receiue, and surest to kepe anie maner of thing, that is learned in yougth: This, lewde and learned, by common experience, know to be most trewe. For we remember nothyng so well when we be olde, as those things which we learned when we were yong: And this is not straunge, but Yong yeares // common in all natures workes. Euery man sees, aptest for // (as I sayd before) new wax is best for printyng: learnyng. // new claie, fittest for working: new shorne woll, aptest for sone and surest dying: new fresh flesh, for good and durable salting. And this similitude is not rude, nor borowed of the larder house, but out of his scholehouse, of whom, the wisest of England, neede not be ashamed to learne. Yong Graftes grow not onelie sonest, but also fairest, and bring alwayes forth the best and sweetest frute: yong whelpes learne easelie to carie: yong Popingeis learne quicklie to speake: And so, to be short, if in all other thinges, though they lacke reason, sens, and life, the similitude of youth is fittest to all goodnesse, surelie nature, in mankinde, is most beneficiall and effectuall in this behalfe.

Therfore, if to the goodnes of nature, be ioyned the wisedome of the teacher, in leading yong wittes into a right and plaine waie of learnyng, surelie, children, kept vp in G.o.ds feare, and gouerned by his grace, maie most easelie be brought well to serue G.o.d and contrey both by vertue and wisedome.

But if will, and witte, by farder age, be once allured from innocencie, delited in vaine sightes, filed with foull taulke, crooked with wilfulnesse, hardned with stubburnesse, and let

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louse to disobedience, surelie it is hard with ientlenesse, but vnpossible with seuere crueltie, to call them backe to good frame againe. For, where the one, perchance maie bend it, the other shall surelie breake it: and so in stead of some hope, leaue an a.s.sured desperation, and shamelesse con- // _Xen._ 1. _Cy-_ tempt of all goodnesse, the fardest pointe in all // _ri Paed._ mischief, as _Xenophon_ doth most trewlie and most wittelie marke.

Therfore, to loue or to hate, to like or contemne, to plie this waie or that waie to good or to bad, ye shall haue as ye vse a child in his youth.

And one example, whether loue or feare doth worke more in a child, for vertue and learning, I will gladlie report: which maie be hard with some pleasure, and folowed with more profit.

Before I went into _Germanie_, I came to Brodegate in Leceter- s.h.i.+re, to take my leaue of that n.o.ble Ladie _Iane Grey_, to whom I was exceding moch beholdinge. // _Lady Iane_ Hir parentes, the Duke and d.u.c.h.es, with all the // _Grey._ houshould, Gentlemen and Gentlewomen, were huntinge in the Parke: I founde her, in her Chamber, readinge _Phaedon Platonis_ in Greeke, and that with as moch delite, as som ientleman wold read a merie tale in _Bocase_. After salutation, and dewtie done, with som other taulke, I asked hir, whie she wold leese soch pastime in the Parke? smiling she answered me: I wisse, all their sporte in the Parke is but a shadoe to that pleasure, that I find in _Plato_: Alas good folke, they neuer felt, what trewe pleasure ment. And howe came you Madame, quoth I, to this deepe knowledge of pleasure, and what did chieflie allure you vnto it: seinge, not many women, but verie fewe men haue atteined thereunto. I will tell you, quoth she, and tell you a troth, which perchance ye will meruell at. One of the greatest benefites, that euer G.o.d gaue me, is, that he sent me so sharpe and seuere Parentes, and so ientle a scholemaster.

For when I am in presence either of father or mother, whether I speake, kepe silence, sit, stand, or go, eate, drinke, be merie, or sad, be sowyng, plaiyng, dauncing, or doing anie thing els, I must do it, as it were, in soch weight, mesure, and number, euen so perfitelie, as G.o.d made the world, or else I am so sharplie taunted, so cruellie threatened, yea presentlie some tymes, with pinches, nippes, and bobbes, and other waies, which

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I will not name, for the honor I beare them, so without measure misordered, that I thinke my selfe in h.e.l.l, till tyme c.u.m, that I must go to _M. Elmer_, who teacheth me so ientlie, so pleasantlie, with soch faire allurementes to learning, that I thinke all the tyme nothing, whiles I am with him. And when I am called from him, I fall on weeping, because, what soeuer I do els, but learning, is ful of grief, trouble, feare, and whole misliking vnto me: And thus my booke, hath bene so moch my pleasure, & bringeth dayly to me more pleasure & more, that in respect of it, all other pleasures, in very deede, be but trifles and troubles vnto me. I remember this talke gladly, both bicause it is so worthy of memorie, & bicause also, it was the last talke that euer I had, and the last tyme, that euer I saw that n.o.ble and worthie Ladie.

I could be ouer long, both in shewinge iust causes, and in recitinge trewe examples, why learning shold be taught, rather by loue than feare. He that wold see a perfite discourse of it, _Sturmius_ // let him read that learned treatese, which my frende de Inst. // _Ioan. Sturmius_ wrote _de inst.i.tutione Principis_, to Princ. // the Duke of _Cleues_.

The G.o.dlie counsels of _Salomon_ and _Iesus_ the sonne of Qui par- // _Sirach_, for sharpe kepinge in, and bridleinge of cit virgae, // youth, are ment rather, for fatherlie correction, odit filium. // then masterlie beating, rather for maners, than for learninge: for other places, than for scholes. For G.o.d forbid, but all euill touches, wantonnes, lyinge, pickinge, slouthe, will, stubburnnesse, and disobedience, shold be with sharpe chastise- ment, daily cut away.

This discipline was well knowen, and diligentlie vsed, among the _Graecians_, and old _Romanes_, as doth appeare in _Aristophanes, Isocrates_, and _Plato_, and also in the Comedies of _Plautus_: where we see that children were vnder the rule of three persones: _Praeceptore, Paedagogo, Parente_: the scholemaster 1. Schole- // taught him learnyng with all ientlenes: the master. // Gouernour corrected his maners, with moch 2. Gouer- // sharpenesse: The father, held the sterne of his nour. // whole obedience: And so, he that vsed to teache, 3. Father. // did not commonlie vse to beate, but remitted that ouer to an other mans charge. But what shall we saie, whan now in our dayes, the scholemaster is vsed, both for _Praeceptor_

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in learnyng, and _Paedagogus_ in maners. Surelie, I wold he shold not confound their offices, but discretelie vse the dewtie of both so, that neither ill touches shold be left vnpunished, nor ientlesse in teaching anie wise omitted. And he shall well do both, if wiselie he do appointe diuersitie of tyme, & separate place, for either purpose: vsing alwaise soch discrete modera- tion as the scholehouse should be counted a sanctuarie against feare: and verie well learning, a // The schole common perdon for ill doing, if the fault, of it // house.

selfe be not ouer heinous.

And thus the children, kept vp in G.o.ds feare, and preserued by his grace, finding paine in ill doing, and pleasure in well studiyng, shold easelie be brought to honestie of life, and perfitenes of learning, the onelie marke, that good and wise fathers do wishe and labour, that their children, shold most buselie, and carefullie shot at.

There is an other discommoditie, besides crueltie in schole- masters in beating away the loue of learning from // Youth of children, which hindreth learning and vertue, and // England good bringing vp of youth, and namelie yong // brought vp ientlemen, verie moch in England. This fault // with to is cleane contrary to the first. I wished before, // much li- to haue loue of learning bred vp in children: // bertie.

I wishe as moch now, to haue yong men brought vp in good order of liuing, and in some more seuere discipline, then commonlie they be. We haue lacke in England of soch good order, as the old n.o.ble _Persians_ so carefullie vsed: // _Xen._ 7.

whose children, to the age of xxi. yeare, were // _Cyri Ped._ brought vp in learnyng, and exercises of labor, and that in soch place, where they should, neither see that was vnc.u.mlie, nor heare that was vnhonest. Yea, a yong ientleman was neuer free, to go where he would, and do what he liste him self, but vnder the kepe, and by the counsell, of some graue gouernour, vntill he was, either maryed, or cald to beare some office in the common wealth.

And see the great obedience, that was vsed in old tyme to fathers and gouernours. No sonne, were he neuer so old of yeares, neuer so great of birth, though he were a kynges sonne, might not mary, but by his father and mothers also consent.

_Cyrus_ the great, after he had conquered _Babylon_, and subdewed

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Riche king _Crsus_ with whole _Asia minor_, c.u.mmyng tryumph- antlie home, his vncle _Cyaxeris_ offered him his daughter to wife. _Cyrus_ thanked his vncle, and praised the maide, but for mariage he answered him with thies wise and sweete wordes, as _Xen._ 8. _Cy-_ // they be vttered by _Xenophon_, o kuazare, to _ri. Paed._ // te genos epaino, kai ten paida, kai dora boulomai de, ephe, syn te tou patros gnome kai [te] tes metros tauta soi synainesai, &c., that is to say: Vncle _Cyaxeris_, I commend the stocke, I like the maide, and I allow well the dowrie, but (sayth he) by the counsell and consent of my father and mother, I will determine farther of thies matters.

Strong _Samson_ also in Scripture saw a maide that liked him, but he spake not to hir, but went home to his father, and his mother, and desired both father and mother to make the mariage for him. Doth this modestie, doth this obedience, that was in great kyng _Cyrus_, and stoute _Samson_, remaine in our yongmen at this daie? no surelie: For we liue not longer after them by tyme, than we liue farre different from them by good order. Our tyme is so farre from that old discipline and obedience, as now, not onelie yong ientlemen, but euen verie girles dare without all feare, though not without open shame, where they list, and how they list, marie them selues in spite of father, mother, G.o.d, good order, and all.

The cause of this euill is, that youth is least looked vnto, when they stand [in] most neede of good kepe and regard. It auail- eth not, to see them well taught in yong yeares, and after whan they c.u.m to l.u.s.t and youthfull dayes, to giue them licence to liue as they l.u.s.t them selues. For, if ye suffer the eye of a yong Ientleman, once to be entangled with vaine sightes, and the eare to be corrupted with fond or filthie taulke, the mynde shall quicklie fall seick, and sone vomet and cast vp, all the holesome doctrine, that he receiued in childhoode, though he were neuer so well brought vp before. And being ons inglutted with vanitie, he will streight way loth all learning, and all good counsell to the same. And the parents for all their great cost Great mens // and charge, reape onelie in the end, the frute sonnes // of grief and care.

worst // This euill, is not common to poore men, as G.o.d brought // will haue it, but proper to riche and great mens vp. //

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children, as they deserue it. In deede from seuen, to seuentene, yong ientlemen commonlie be carefullie enough brought vp: But from seuentene to seuen and twentie (the most dangerous tyme of all a mans life, and most slipperie to stay well in) they haue commonlie the reigne of all licens in their owne // Wise men hand, and speciallie soch as do liue in the Court. // fond fa- And that which is most to be merueled at, // thers.

commonlie, the wisest and also best men, be found the fondest fathers in this behalfe. And if som good father would seick some remedie herein, yet the mother (if the house hold of our Lady) had rather, yea, & will to, haue her sonne cunnyng & bold, in making him to lyue trimlie when he is yong, than by learning and trauell, to be able to serue his Prince and his contrie, both wiselie in peace, and stoutelie in warre, whan he is old.

The fault is in your selues, ye n.o.ble mens sonnes, and therefore ye deserue the greater blame, that // Meane commonlie, the meaner mens children, c.u.m to // mens sonnes be, the wisest councellours, and greatest doers, // come to in the weightie affaires of this Realme. And // great au- why? for G.o.d will haue it so, of his prouidence: // thoritie.

bicause ye will haue it no otherwise, by your negligence.

And G.o.d is a good G.o.d, & wisest in all his doinges, that will place vertue, & displace vice, in those // n.o.bilitie kingdomes, where he doth gouerne. For he // without knoweth, that n.o.bilitie, without vertue and // wisedome.

wisedome, is bloud in deede, but bloud trewelie, without bones & sinewes: & so of it selfe, without the other, verie weeke to beare the burden of weightie affaires.

The greatest s.h.i.+ppe in deede commonlie carieth the greatest burden, but yet alwayes with the greatest ieoperdie, not onelie for the persons and goodes committed vnto it, // n.o.bilitie but euen for the shyppe it selfe, except it be // with wise- gouerned, with the greater wisdome. // dome.

But n.o.bilitie, gouerned by learning and wisedome, is in deede, most like a faire s.h.i.+ppe, // { Wisedom.

hauyng tide and winde at will, vnder // { the reule of a skilfull master: whan // n.o.bilite with-{ contrarie wise, a s.h.i.+ppe, caried, yea // { Out wise- with the hiest tide & greatest winde, // { dome.

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lacking a skilfull master, most commonlie, doth either, sinck it selfe vpon sandes, or breake it selfe vpon rockes. And euen so, Vaine plea- // how manie haue bene, either drowned in vaine sure, and // pleasure, or ouerwhelmed by stout wilfulnesse, stoute wil- // the histories of England be able to affourde ouer fulnes, two // many examples vnto vs. Therfore, ye great and greatest // n.o.ble mens children, if ye will haue rightfullie enemies to // that praise, and enioie surelie that place, which n.o.bilitie. // your fathers haue, and elders had, and left vnto you, ye must kepe it, as they gat it, and that is, by the onelie waie, of vertue, wisedome, and worthinesse.

For wisedom, and vertue, there be manie faire examples in this Court, for yong Ientlemen to folow. But they be, like faire markes in the feild, out of a mans reach, to far of, to shote at well. The best and worthiest men, in deede, be somtimes seen, but seldom taulked withall: A yong Ientleman, may somtime knele to their person, smallie vse their companie, for their better instruction.

But yong Ientlemen ar fane commonlie to do in the Court, as yong Archers do in the feild: that is take soch markes, as be Ill compa- // nie them, although they be neuer so foule to nie marreth // shote at. I meene, they be driuen to kepe youth. // companie with the worste: and what force ill companie hath, to corrupt good wittes, the wisest men know best.

And not ill companie onelie, but the ill opinion also of the The Court // most part, doth moch harme, and namelie of iudgeth // those, which shold be wise in the trewe de- worst of the // cyphring, of the good disposition of nature, of best natures // c.u.mlinesse in Courtlie maners, and all right in youth. // doinges of men.

But error and phantasie, do commonlie occupie, the place of troth and iudgement. For, if a yong ientleman, be demeure and still of nature, they say, he is simple and lacketh witte: if he be bashefull, and will soone blushe, they call him a babishe _Xen. in_ 1. // and ill brought vp thyng, when _Xenophon_ doth _Cyr. Paed._ // preciselie note in _Cyrus_, that his bashfulnes in youth, was y^e verie trewe signe of his vertue & The Grace // stoutnes after: If he be innocent and ignorant of in Courte. // ill, they say, he is rude, and hath no grace, so

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vngraciouslie do som gracelesse men, misuse the faire and G.o.dlie word GRACE.

But if ye would know, what grace they meene, go, and looke, and learn emonges them, and ye shall see that it is: First, to blush at nothing. And blushyng in youth, sayth _Aristotle_ is nothyng els, but feare to do ill: which feare beyng once l.u.s.tely fraid away from youth, then foloweth, // Grace of to dare do any mischief, to contemne stoutly any // Courte.

goodnesse, to be busie in euery matter, to be skilfull in euery thyng, to acknowledge no ignorance at all.

To do thus in Court, is counted of some, the chief and greatest grace of all: and termed by the name of a // _Cic._ 3. _de_ vertue, called Corage & boldnesse, whan _Cra.s.sus_ // _Or._ in _Cicero_ teacheth the cleane contrarie, and that most wittelie, saying thus: _Audere, c.u.m bonis_ // Boldnes _etiam rebus coniunctum, per seipsum est magnopere_ // yea in a _fugiendum_. Which is to say, to be bold, yea // good mat- in a good matter, is for it self, greatlie to be // ter, not to exchewed. // be praised.

Moreouer, where the swing goeth, there to follow, fawne, flatter, laugh and lie l.u.s.telie at other mens liking. // More To face, stand formest, shoue backe: and to the // Grace of meaner man, or vnknowne in the Court, to // Courte.

seeme somwhat solume, coye, big, and dangerous of looke, taulk, and answere: To thinke well of him selfe, to be l.u.s.tie in contemning of others, to haue some trim grace in a priuie mock. And in greater presens, to beare a braue looke: to be warlike, though he neuer looked enimie in the face in warre: yet som warlike signe must be vsed, either a slouinglie busking, or an ouerstaring frounced hed, as though out of euerie heeres toppe, should suddenlie start out a good big othe, when nede requireth, yet praised be G.o.d, England hath at // Men of this time, manie worthie Capitaines and good // warre, best souldiours, which be in deede, so honest of // of conditi- behauiour, so c.u.mlie of conditions, so milde of // ons.

maners, as they may be examples of good order, to a good sort of others, which neuer came in warre. But to retorne, where I left: In place also, to be able to raise taulke, and make discourse of euerie rishe: to haue a verie good // Palmistrie.

will, to heare him selfe speake: To be seene

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in Palmestrie, wherby to conueie to chast eares, som fond or filthie taulke: And if som Smithfeild Ruffian take vp, som strange going: som new mowing with the mouth: som wrinchyng with the shoulder, som braue prouerbe: som fresh new othe, that is not stale, but will rin round in the mouth: som new disguised garment, or desperate hat, fond in facion, or gaurish in colour, what soeuer it cost, how small soeuer his liuing be, by what s.h.i.+ft soeuer it be gotten, gotten must it be, and vsed with the first, or els the grace of it, is stale and gone: som part of this gracelesse grace, was discribed by me, in a little rude verse long ago.

_{To laughe, to lie, to flatter, to face: {Foure waies in Court to win men grace.

{If thou be thrall to none of thiese, {Away good Peek goos, hens Iohn Cheese: {Marke well my word, and marke their dede, {And thinke this verse part of thy Crede._

Would to G.o.d, this taulke were not trewe, and that som mens doinges were not thus: I write not to hurte any, but to {Councell. // proffit som: to accuse none, but to monish Ill{ // soch, who, allured by ill counsell, and folowing { // ill example, contrarie to their good bringyng vp, {Company. // and against their owne good nature, yeld ouer- moch to thies folies and faultes: I know many seruing men, Seruinge // of good order, and well staide: And againe, I men. // heare saie, there be som seruing men do but ill _Terentius._ // seruice to their yong masters. Yea, rede _Terence_ _Plautus._ // and _Plaut._ aduisedlie ouer, and ye shall finde in those two wise writers, almost in euery commedie, no vn- Serui cor- // thriftie yong man, that is not brought there vnto, ruptelae // by the sotle inticement of som lewd seruant.

iuuenum. // And euen now in our dayes _Getae_ and _Daui_, _Gnatos_ and manie bold bawdie _Phormios_ to, be preasing in, Multi Ge- // to pratle on euerie stage, to medle in euerie tae pauci // matter, whan honest _Parmenos_ shall not be hard, Parmeno- // but beare small swing with their masters. Their nes. // companie, their taulke, their ouer great experience

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in mischief, doth easelie corrupt the best natures, and best brought vp wittes.

But I meruell the lesse, that thies misorders be emonges som in the Court, for commonlie in the contrie // Misorders also euerie where, innocencie is gone: Bashful- // in the coun- nesse is banished: moch presumption in yougthe: // trey.