A DISCOURSE IN Derision of the Teaching in Free-Schooles, and other common Schools.  
The Speakers on the One side are; 



Masters of Free-Schooles.  
CUFFUM,  
FLEABUTTOCK,  
TWIGTAIL,    
SIMON DOTTERIL, a Citizen.  
HUMPHREY GOOSE, a Country Gentlemen.    
And on the other side; 

EUTRAPILUS, a Traveller.  
THOMAS GRANTHAM, Professor of the Greek and Latin Tongues, in London.    Simon Dotterill. 
SAve you Master Grantham, I am glad to see you; but would be gladder if you would not differ so much in your way of Teaching, from these grave Schoolmasters: Gentlemen I tell you all the Disputes are hot on both sides, not only here in London, but elsewhere.  Eutrapilus. 
Sir, there is no hope of reconciliation, so long as so many Knaves and Fools are interested in the cause.  Dotteril. 
Sir, me thinks a little wit might easily disprove Master Granthams' way.  Eutrapilus. 
Sir, than you are as sit a man as can be for that purpose. I pray you let us hear what you can say?  Dotteril. 
Sir, the way of learning without Book, is an ancient approved way; I remember thirty years ago, I was whipped thrice for the three degrees of comparison, because I could not say them without Book: once for every degree.  Humphrey Goose. 
And I remember when I went to School, the Usher tied a knot of a Rush for every word I missed, but I missed so many words, that four or five rushes was not enough for me; but then at last I got a trick to write my Lesson on the back side of my Book, and so I could say it, although my Master's face was many times towards me.  Eutrapilus. 
Master Dotteril, I could prove that Grammar itself is not the ancient way of learning a Language; much less the learning of it word by word without Book: for the Inventors of the Grammar (you will grant) had the Language before the Art. But I will speak more plainly to you. The Grammars which were before Lily, (a) were 
Viz. Priscianus, Tertellius, Lanciolotus, Nicolaus Ferellus, Georgius Valla, Aldus Romanus, Nestor Stoa, Eristlin●s.  some of them almost as big as a Church Bible: (if you take out the Apocrypha and Common-Prayer.) Now to learn these word by word without Book, was a task passing the patience of an Ass. Upon this Erasmus concludeth 
b Moriae Encomio.  That Grammar itself is enough to make a man spend his whole life in Tortures.  Dotteril. 
Good Master Cuffum help me out. I am absolutely gravelled.  Cuffum. 
I say, and will maintain, that learning the Grammar word by word without Book, is ancient and approved.  Grantham. 
What is your reason Sir?  Cuffum. 
What is your reason to the contrary?  Eutrapilus. 
Sir, if you should dispute so in an University, you would be hissed at: He asketh you to prove what you say, and you bid him prove the contrary: The task lies on you to show a reason for what you say, but there is no more to be expected from an Ass in praesents.  Cuffum. 
Sir, I can prove it hath been practised, and commanded in the Preface to the Reader before the Grammar.  Eutrapiles. 
Sir, you were too much cuffed and dulled at School, to attain to any Logic; There are many things practised, that are not lawful: I therefore deny your sequel. And in that Preface, there is not a word of saying word by word without Book, and there was never any command by Authority, laid on the common Schools for it.  Grantham. 
There is in that Treatise much against yourselves; As, that a Boy should not learn by Rote, but by Reason: 
See the Preface to the Reader before the Grammar.  But you teach first all the Grammar by Rote, and after cuff the understanding of it into him. There are also these very words, which are much against you: That Boys should not learn the Rules orderly as they lie in the Syntaxe, but some little sentence should be given them; and if there fall any necessary rule of the Syntaxe to be known, then to learn it as the occasion of the sentence giveth cause that day. But you teach all word by word without Book; so that a Boy is confounded with a multitude of Rules, and knows nothing distinctly, till he hath been cuffed and whipped seven years together: So that Doctor Web saith, they are sometimes twenty, sometimes thirty, before they go to the University. I heard some say of good credit, they knew one who confessed he was seven and thirty years of age, before he came from School to their College.  Twigtail. 
What way then do you say is the best?  Grantham. 
Sir, there are three things most necessary in a Language; the words, the Style, the Rules: For the words, a Boy may easily learn a thousand words in ten days; that is, a hundred words a day, suppose a man allow an hour for twenty words, in five hours he learneth a hundred words. I have taught some that have learned a hundred words in an hour: but I do not mean after the silly sustian way of learning in the common Schools, to say them all in order by rote like a Parrot, but let him have an hundred English words, and a hundred Latin words printed or writ, he shall tell you Latin for any English word, and this is the learning I mean.  Eutrapilus. 
Now Mr. Twigtail, and Mr. Fleabuttock, you are both bound in conscience to conceive, that he that understands one thousand, must needs understand many thousands more: for many derivatives, compounds, decompounds, are understood by the help of the simples, and he that understands thus much, will understand most Authors he reads.  Dotteril, 
But how shall they do for a stile?  Eutrap. 
M. Dotterel I will show you by an example: There is a certain bird which is a fool, or a fowl, or a foolish fowl, called a Dotterel, your own namesake: this bird if you see him thrust out his right wing, thrust you out your right arm, if he thrusts out his left leg, thrust you out yours, if he thrusts out his neck, thrust you out yours, and thus by imitating of him, you will come so near till you take him up in your hand. And so in an Author, where you see him place his adjective adverb, or conjunction, do you so to: and by this imitation, you will catch the strain of your Author, and come to a great perfection. If you imitate but six leaves in a translation, which you may do in two days, than you may come near the strain of the Author.  Twigtail. 
In this thing I am something satisfied.  Fleabuttock. 
But what do you say for the Rules?  Grantham. 
The rules I would reach thus. First, consider there are 8. parts of Speech, for the 4. that are undeclined, I bid my Scholar take very little care, because they are not declined, nor varied, nor altered at all, as you find an Adverbe or a Conjunction in one place, so you find him every where. Of the other 4. I bid him take care but of two, that is a Noun, and a Verb, for a Pronoun is much like to a Noun, know one, know the other: a Participle that takes part both of a noun and a Verb: both those known, the participle is known. So here is but two things chief to be cared for, that is a Noun, and a Verb. But be sure to understand the definition of every part of speech, not word by word without Book, but the sense of it.  Eutrapilus. 
How like you this Sir?  Twigtail. 
Truly I find some sense in this?  Eutrapilus. 
Truly or else I should have thought there had been little sense in you.  Fleabuttock. 
Master Grantham proceed I pray.  Grantham. 
Next I show him the Special Rules, and how he may know by them the Gender of any Noun: If a Noun vary from a special Rule, as virus Pelagus, I bid him look in the Neuters, and there he shall see the word excepted, or something that does imply that word: For others that are not under the special Rules, let him only say the Gender follows the Sex, as Males and Offices that belong to men, are Masculines; Females, Feminines. The same course I take in As in praesenti.  Eutrapilus. 
You have spoke to two or three at this present, I will assure you.  Grantham. 
Then I show the Concord's, and with two or 3. lines annexed, he hath all things necessary for the Syntaxe.  Eutrapilus. 
Now Master Cuffum, you must conceive he does not show them the Concord's and English rules as they are in the Grammar, that is before the Genders and the Verbs, as you do, for that is nonsense: for how can a Boy conceive an Adjective to agree with his Substantive in case, Gender, and number, when he hath read nothing of the Genders of Nouns, and can show no rule for it.  Grantham. 
And all this concerning Concord's, Nouns, and Verbs, I show in an hour.  Cuffum. 
Now brother Schoolmasters, mark something to laugh at; he teacheth a thousand words in ten days, a stile in two days, Genders of Nouns, Conjugations of Verbs all in an hour, so reckon all together, in twelve days and an hour, he teaches to understand much of the Latin tongue.  Eutrapilus. 
Yes Sir that he doth, to such as you have not too much cuffed, and dulled, and twiged, and flayed.  Grantham. 
M. Cuffum you are too hot, if you cannot deny any of these several, than they are true altogether, you grant a man may learn a hundred words a day, that way I speak on?  Cuffum. 
That I grant.  Grantham. 
You will grant a man may imitate six leaves in two days.  Cuffum. 
I will not differ with you for that neither.  Grantham. 
Then you will grant the Rules may be learned as I have expressed?  Cuffum. 
Truly, that I grant too, only this makes me averse; although I conceive such a thing possible to be done, yet because I never saw it done, I am something incredulous.  Grantham. 
Sir I can bring you sufficient proof of this, by Earls, Lords, Colonels, Knights, and Gentlemen, all Parliament men. Or take a shorter or a nearer way of trial. Amongst many in my School, I have one not above ten years of age, who hath been with me but a little above a year; This boy will construe at the first fight, presently out of the Greek Testament, into good Latin: Perhaps some place may stagger him for the present, but he will soon overcome it. Give him a Latin Author, he shall construe a Leaf or two with a little consideration. And so in a Greek Author, Poet, or Orator in any Dialect. I teach him the Greek tongue, because all the terms of Grammar, all the terms of Tropes and Figures in Rhetoric, are Greek: and knowing the Original, he learns that in a Month, he could not learn without it in two years.  Cuffum. 
Can he Accent a piece of Greek?  Grantham. 
Any Greek in any Dialect. Still I say he may be staggered, but he will recover himself presently. This Boy understood not two lines in his Accidence when he came to me, and could not say one without Book, and now he is skilled in eleven Greek Grammars, and can prove any Greek or Latin verse that is laid before him, and also make.  Eutrapilus. 
Now let me see any Boy that hath gone ten years to the School, in any of your common Schools, do so much: And Master Granthams' Scholars plays ten times as much as any common Schools.  Fleabuttock. 
Sir, we confess it is very much, and you do well to show a nearer way to Learning. In the Preface to the Reader before the Grammar, there are these words: If one seeing by trial an easier and readier way than the common 
See the Preface to the Reader, before the Grammar.  sort of Teachers, would say what he hath proved, and of the commodity allowed, that others not knowing the same, might by Experience prove the like.  Grantham. 
Sir this way is best for common Schools, for a Master may teach as well a hundred as one, because the way is by dictating, and runs all upon the tongue; if you have but one fine leading Boy, the rest will come easily on: unless they be very careless, and will not give their minds to it at all. As some will not unless they be cuffed, and whipped, which is against my way of teaching: for I have not had a Rod in my School, many times for half a year together.  Eutrapilus. 
Master Cuffum, I will now make it appear to you, you are far out of the way in teaching. Mark Mountaign 
Lib. 1. cap, 25.  his words in his Essays. I must needs acknowledge that the Greek and Latin Tongues, are great Ornaments in a Gentleman, but they are purchased at an over high rate; I will tell you how they may be gotten easier, as it was tried in mine Education: So soon as my tongue was loosed, my Father had Scholars eminent for the Latin tongue, who spoke nothing but Latin to me: so that before I was six years of age, I spoke pure Latin, full as readily as any Boy could his Mother tongue at that Age. Sir, take another instance. Let a Boy of seven or eight years of age, be sent out of England into France: he shall learn in a twelve month and less, to write and speak the French tongue readily, although he keep much company with English, read many English Books, and write many English Letters home; and all this with pleasure and delight: Whereas many thousand who have gone to Free-Schooles two seven years, for they keep them longest, and there they rise up early and go to bed late, shed many a rear both before and behind; and with all this Learning, which hath been put into them like a Glister, they cannot speak at all: and they cannot write a piece of ordinary Latin, unless they have Dictionaries and Phrase-Books, and many of them have as much Greek as their Masters, that is little, or none at all. Whosoever considers this, must needs confess we have not the knack of Teaching.  Grantham. 
The Commonwealth suffers much, in this tedious way of Teaching: Very few of our Gentry are Scholars, for at fourteen or fifteen the blood grows hot, and they scorn a yoke, and then they are but punies, in the Common-Schooles, under the lowest or second Usher. Now if there be three Masters in a School, three to one but a Boy miscarries under one: For they are of several dispositions, and the Boy cannot agree with all. A Boy will learn under one Master, nor under another, suppose a Boy pass the first Usher, and second, yet the highest Master, with a great deal of pains, care, and diligence, may make him as errand a Dunce, as ever went to the University, or as ever came from thence.  Eutrapilus. 
Sir, you may see more of this in a Book he writ; Called, The Brain-Breakers Breaker: And in his Animadversions upon Cambdens Greek Grammar: To be sold in Little Britain over against the Clock. Gentlemen, for the present, Farewell.  Grantham. 
Success to you Gentlemen.  
Cuss. Twigtail. Fleab. The like to you. Farewell.  
FINIS.