beater, and named the person. 'Though,' quoth I, 'it was his good fortune, to send from his school into the University one of the best scholars indeed of all our time, yet wise men do think, that that came to pass, rather by the great towardness of the scholar, than by the great beating of the master; and whether this be true or no, you yourself are best witness.' I said somewhat further in the matter, how, and why, young children were sooner allured by love than driven by beating, to attain good learning; wherein I was bolder to say my mind, because M. Secretary courteously provoked me thereunto; or else in such a company and surely in his presence, my wont is to be more willing to use mine ears, than to occupy my tongue.

"Sir Walter Mildmay, M. Astley, and the rest, said very little; only Sir Richard Sackville said nothing at all. After dinner I went up to read with the Queen's Majesty. We read then together in the Greek tongue, as I well remember, that noble oration of Demosthenes against Æschines, for his false dealing in his embassage to King Philip of Macadonie. Sir Richard Sackville came up soon after, and finding me in her Majesty's privy chamber, he took me by the hand, and carrying me to the window said: 'M. Ascham, I would not for a good deal of money have been this day absent from dinner; where, though I said nothing, yet I gave as good ear, and do consider as well the talk that passed, as any one did there. M. Secretary said very wisely, and most truly, that many young wits be driven to hate learning, before they know what learning is. . I can be good witness to this myself; for a fond (foolish) schoolmaster, before I was fully fourteen years old, drave me so with fear of beating from all love of learning, that now, when I know what difference

it is, to have learning, and to have little, or none at all, I feel it my greatest grief, and find it my greatest hurt that ever came to me, that it was my so ill chance, to light upon so lewd a schoolmaster. But feeling it is but in vain to lament things past, and also wisdom to look to things to come, surely, God willing, if God lend me life, I will make this my mishap some occasion of good hap to little Robert Sackville my son's son. For whose bringing up, I would gladly, if it so please you, use specially your good advice. I hear say you have a son much of his age; we will deal thus together: point you out a schoolmaster, who by your order shall teach my son and yours, and for all the rest, I will provide, yea though they three do cost me a couple of hundred pounds by year; and besides, you shall find me as fast a friend to you and yours, as perchance any you have.' Which promise the worthy gentleman surely kept with me until his dying day. We had then farther talk together of bringing-up of children, of the nature of quick and hard wits, of the right choice of a good wit, of fear, and love and teaching children. We passed from children and came to young men, namely gentlemen: we talked of their too much liberty to live as they lust; of their letting loose too soon to over much experience of ill, contrary to the good order of many good old Commonwealths of the Persians, and Greeks; of wit gathered, and good fortune gotten by some, only by experience without learning. And, lastly, he required of me very earnestly to show what I thought of the common going of English men into Italy.

""But,' saith he, 'because this place and this time will not suffer so long talk as these good matters require, therefore I pray you, at my request, and at your leisure, put in some order of writing the chief points of this our

talk, concerning the right order of teaching, and honesty of living, for the good bringing-up of children and young men; and surely beside contenting me, you shall both please and profit very many others.' I made some excuse by lack of ability, and weakness of body. 'Well,' saith he, 'I am not now to learn what you can do; our dear friend, good M. Goodricke, whose judgment I could well believe, did once for all satisfy me fully therein. Again, I heard you say, not long ago, that you may thank Sir John Cheke for all the learning you have; and I know very well myself, that you did teach the Queen. And therefore, seeing God did bless you, to make you the scholar of the best master, and also the schoolmaster of the best scholar, that ever were in our time, surely, you should please God, benefit your country, and honest your own name, if you would take the pains to impart to others what you learned of such a master, and how you taught such a scholar. And in uttering the stuff ye received of the one, in declaring the order ye took with the other, ye shall never lack neither matter, nor manner, what to write nor how to write in this kind of argument.'

"I beginning some further excuse, suddenly was called to come to the Queen. The night following I slept little; my head was so full of this our former talk, and I so mindful somewhat to satisfy the honest request of so dear a friend. I thought to prepare some little treatise for a New Year's gift that Christmas; but, as it chanceth to busy builders, so, in building this my poor schoolhouse (the rather because the form of it is somewhat new, and differing from others), the work rose daily higher and wider than I thought it would at the beginning. And though it appear now, and be in very deed, but a small cottage, poor for the stuff, and rude for the workman

ship; yet in going forward I found the site so good, as I was loath to give it over; but the making so costly, outreaching my ability, as many times I wished that some one of those three, my dear friends, with full purses, Sir Tho. Smith, M. Haddon, or M. Watson had had the doing of it. Yet nevertheless, I myself spending gladly that little, that I gat at home by good Sir John Cheke, and that I borrowed abroad of my friend Sturmius, beside somewhat that was left me in reversion, by my old Masters, Plato, Aristotle and Cicero, I have at last patched it up, as I could, and as you see. If the matter be mean, and meanly handled, I pray you bear both with me, and it ; for never work went up in worse weather, with more lets and stops, than this poor schoolhouse of mine. WestminsterHall can bear some witness, beside much weakness of body, but more trouble of mind, by some such sores, as grieved me to touch them myself; and therefore I purpose not to open them to others. And in the midst of outward injuries and inward cares, to increase them withal, good. Sir Richard Sackville dieth, that worthy gentleman; 'That earnest favorer and furtherer of God's true Religion; that faithful servitor to his prince and country; a lover of learning, and all learned men; wise in all doings; courteous to all persons, showing spite to none, doing good to many; and as I well found, to me so fast a friend, as I never lost the like before.' When he was gone, my heart was dead; there was not one that wore a black gown for him, who carried a heavier heart for him than I; when he was gone, I cast this book away; I could not look upon it, but with weeping eyes, in remembering him, who was the only setter on, to do it; and would have been not only a glad commender of it, but also a sure and certain comfort to me and mine for it.

OF THE

LIBRA

UNIVERSITY

"Almost two years together, this book lay scattered and neglected, and had been quite given over of me, if the goodness of one had not given me some life and spirit again. God, the mover of goodness, prosper always him and his, as he hath many times comforted me and mine, and, I trust to God, shall comfort more and more. Of whom most justly I may say, and very oft, and always gladly I am wont to say, that sweet verse of Sophocles, spoken by Edipus to worthy Theseus, 'For whatsoever I have, I have through thee, and through none other of living men.'

"This hope hath helped me to end this book; which if he allow, I shall think my labors well employed, and shall not much esteem the mislikings of any others. And I trust he shall think the better of it because he shall find the best part thereof to come out of his school whom he of all men loved and liked best. Yet some men, friendly enough of nature, but of small judgment in learning, do think I take too much pains, and spend too much time, in setting forth these children's affairs. But those good men were never brought up in Socrates' school, who saith plainly 'that no man goeth about a more godly purpose, than he that is mindful of the good bringing-up both of his own and other men's children.' Therefore I trust, good and wise men will think well of this my doing. And of others, that think otherwise, I will think myself, they are but men, to be pardoned for their folly, and pitied for their ignorance.

"In writing this book, I have had earnest respect to three special points, - truth of religion, honesty in living, right order in learning. In which three ways, I pray God, my poor children may diligently walk; for whose sake, as nature moved, and reason required, and necessity also