CHAPTER II. "The SCHOOLMASTER is a classical production in English, which may be placed by the side of its great Latin rivals, the Orator of Cicero and the Institutes of Quintilian." -I. D'ISRAELI. THIS is a book scarcely two-thirds as large as the volume which the reader now has in his hand. It is divided into two nearly equal parts. The first part is on "The bringing up of youth;" the second on "The ready way to the Latin tongue." The work is avowedly based upon a passage of Cicero (De Oratore, Book I. chap. xxxiv.), which has been thus translated: "But in my daily exercises, I used, when a youth, to adopt chiefly that method which I knew that Caius Carbo, my adversary, generally practised, which was, that having selected some nervous piece of poetry, or read over such a portion of a speech as I could retain in my memory, I used to declaim upon what I had been reading in other words, chosen with all the judgment that I possessed. . . . Afterwards I thought proper, and continued the practice at a rather more advanced age, to translate the orations of the best Greek orators; by fixing upon which, I gained this advantage, that while I rendered into Latin what I had read in Greek, I not only used the best words, and yet such as were of common occurrence, but also formed some words by imitation, which would be new to our countrymen, taking care, however, that they were unobjectionable." We propose to give a few extracts from the work, rather to show the author's style than to furnish an abstract of his views on the best methods of teaching the languages. Those wishing to learn these, will, of course, refer to the book. A good edition, in the original spelling, without notes, is published as one of a series of "English Reprints" - price one shilling, Birmingham, England, 1870. An account of Ascham's method, compared with later theories and systems, can be found in "Essays on Educational Reformers," by Robert Herbert Quick, Cincinnati, 1879. Under some form or other, Ascham's suggestions are embodied in every successful attempt to teach a strange language, especially to adult pupils. It seems proper that Ascham should have a little space in the Chautauqua series, as several languages are successfully taught in the summer schools (Dr. Vincent's "Chautauqua Movement," p. 69). Our extracts from "The Scholemaster" will be given in modern spelling, as more convenient to general readers. The "Preface to the Reader " gives at length the reasons that led the author to write his little book. Both for manner and matter, it seems worthy of being copied in full. The titlepage is given, as nearly as possible, in the original style and spelling. An edition of "The Whole Works of Roger Ascham" was published in London, 1865, by Dr. Giles of Oxford. THE SCHOLEMASTER Or plaine and perfite way of teachyng children,to understand, write,and fpeake, in Latin tong, but fpecially purpofed for the priuate brynging up of youth in Ientlemen and Noble mens houfes, and commodious alfo for all fuch, as haue forgot the Latin tonge, and would, by themfelues, without a Scholemaster, in fhort tyme, and with fmall paines, recouer a fufficient habilite, to under - stand, write, and ¶ By Roger Ascham. T An. 157 0. AT LONDON. Printed by Iohn Daye, dwelling ouer Alderfgate. ¶ Cum Gratia et Priuilegio Regia Maieftatis, per Decennium. "PREFACE TO THE READER. "WHEN the great plague was at London, the year 1563, the Queen's Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, lay at her Castle of Windsor; where upon the tenth day of December, it fortuned, that in Sir William Cecil's chamber, her Highness's principal Secretary, there dined together these personages, M. Secretary himself, Sir William Peter, Sir J. Mason, D. Wotton, Sir Richard Sackville, Treasurer of the Exchequer, Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of Exchequer, M. Haddon, Master of Requests, M. John Astely, Master of the Jewel House, M. Bernard Hampton, M. Nicasius, and I. "Of which number, the most part were of her Majesty's most honorable Privy Council, and the rest serving her in very good place. I was glad then, and do rejoice yet to remember, that my chance was so happy to be there that day, in the company of so many wise and good men together, as hardly then could have been picked out again, out of all England besides. "M. Secretary hath this accustomed manner; though his head be never so full of most weighty affairs of the realm, yet at dinner time he doth seem to lay them always aside; and findeth ever fit occasion to talk pleasantly of other matters, but most gladly of some matter of learning, 38 wherein he will courteously hear the mind of the meanest at his table. "Not long after our sitting down, 'I have strange news brought me,' saith M. Secretary, this morning, that divers scholars of Eaton run away from the school for fear of a beating.' Whereupon M. Secretary took occasion to wish, that some more discretion were in many schoolmasters, in using correction, than commonly there is; who many times punish rather the weakness of nature, than the fault of the scholar; whereby many scholars, that might else prove well, be driven to hate learning before they know what learning meaneth; and so are made willing to forsake their books, and be glad to be put to any other kind of living. M. Peter, as one somewhat severe of nature, said plainly, that the rod only was the sword, that must keep the school in obedience, and the scholar in good order. Mr. Wotton, a man mild of nature, with soft voice and few words, inclined to M. Secretary's judgment, and said, 'In mine opinion the schoolhouse should be indeed as it is called by name, the house of play and pleasure, and not of fear and bondage; and as I do remember, so saith Socrates in one place of Plato. And therefore if a rod carry the fear of a sword, it is no marvel if those that be fearful of nature, choose rather to forsake the play, than to stand always within the fear of a sword in a fond [foolish] man's handling.' "M. Mason, after his manner, was very merry with both parties, pleasantly playing both with the shrewd touches of many curst boys, and with the small discretion of many lewd schoolmasters. "M. Haddon was fully of M. Peter's opinion, and said, that the best schoolmaster of our time was the greatest |