October the 22. 1649. The threepenny Cooks fat in the fire, Or the downfall of as-in-presenty; Or the schoolmaster under the Black-rod. Or the Brain-breakers breaker newly broke out again. By Thomas Grantham, Master in art of Peter-house in Cambridge, Heretofore Professor in Bowlane and Mugwell-street near Barbar chirurgeons Hall: Now over against Grays Inn Gate in Holborn, at Master Bull's. Printed for Thomas Pabody, in Queens-head-alley, in Pater-noster-row. 1650. Upon a time, walking by myself, I fell into contemplation of my former life, and of all the miseries that befell me, either by my inconsiderateness and rashness, or God's justice upon me for my sins. And although I added weight to some of those crosses, by taking them more heavily than I ought to have done; Yet I found nothing crucified me so much as my long and tedious going to the school; how many showers of tears? how many streams of blood? And I was cuffed, as if the Messenger of Satan had been sent to buffet me; and after two seven years spent constantly in this Bridewell, so that I was nineteen or twenty years of age, I could not understand so much Latin as a sucking Child, nor speak so much as a spelling Child; Methought it was strange, that a Child should suck in more with milk, than I should get with so many drops of Blood, having so much advantage of years, but some will say, it may be you were very dull in learning, if I were never so dull, nor never so stupid, nor never so blockish; was this cruelty a way to quicken me? But some will say, we know the misery's so great, that many of us had rather have our Children ignorant then learn with so much torment: Therefore the time will be better spent by me in showing the remedy, and that is my task at this present. 1. Remedy. One remedy against this epidemical disease is, let a Boy learn his grammar Aschams way, which way those learned schools beyond Seas do highly commend, that is, to understand within book, and to apply every necessary Rule: It makes no matter whether he can say his grammar word by word without book or no; if he can give the sense without book, and turn to the Rule within book, it is sufficient; No University man, no great scholar, can say his grammar word by word without book, no, not the Master himself; and yet he whips the scholars for that he cannot do himself; If a man remember there is such a Rule, or such a sense of the R●l●, it suffices: No grammar have the same words, the sense is all we look for; and so soon as we come to the University we forget to say our Rules word by word without book, may, scorn and deride him that doth it. Thus this many years great labour is lost in a month or two, and is so far from profiting, that it becomes ridiculous. Consider also, the grammars which were before lily, were some of them almost as big as a Church-Bible, if you take out the Apocrypha and commonprayer. Now to learn these word by word without book, was a task passing the patience of an ass; Upon this Erasmus concludeth, that grammar itself is enough to make a man spend his whole life in tortures. Ascham, in his first Book hath these words; so as the grammar-book be always in the scholar's hand, and also used of him as a Dictionary for every present use, this is a lively and perfect way for teaching of Rules, where the common way used in common schools, to read the grammar alone by itself, is tedious for the Master, hard for the Sholler, cold and uncomfortable fur them both. Now you see according to Ascham, the grammar must be used as a Dictionary, and he that knows any thing, knows that a Dictionary is not to be learned word by word without book therefore not a grammar: He tells you in this place, that it is tedious to a scholar; let any man consider who hath not the patience of an ass, what a tedious thing it is to have all the grammar or most part of it leapt up in his head word by word, and presently to apply every Rule word by word, or else up he goes, if he were as good as George a green. Read Ascham in his second book, these are his words; I remember when I was young, in the North there went to the grammar-school little Children, they came from thence great Lubbars, always learning and little profiting, learning without book every thing, understanding within book little or nothing; their whole knowledge by learning without the book was tied only to their tongue and lips, and never ascended up to the brain and head; and therefore was soon spit out of the mouth again; they were as men always going, but ever out of the way; and why? For their whole labour, or rather great toil without order, was even vain idleness without profit; Indeed they took great pains about learning, but employed small labour in learning; when by this way prescribed in this book, being straight, plain and easy, the scholar is always labouring with pleasure, and ever going on forward with profit. Here this scholar famous all over Christendom, and the glory of his Kingdom for Languages, tells you learning without book, was vain idleness without profit; He tells you, they took great pains about learning, but employed small labour in learning. Erasmus, the restorer of the father's Greek and Latin, the greatest Writer in his time, incomparable for Wit, Learning, and Eloquence, hath the same words; some make it their greatest care to learn the Rules word by word without book, which thing saith he, I allow not of, for it is great pains to no purpose, nor profit all. Brinsley, a famous schoolmaster in his book called, A Consolation for our grammar schools, writes of one Master Tovey a schoolmaster equal to the best, that teaching Aschums way; that is, only the sense of the Rules, brought a Nobleman to a perfection beyond all expectation. Comenins, a man admired for his quickness in teaching the Languages, hath writ sharply against this dog-bolt way; Innumerable are the learned men who have sought to take away the servitude and slavery that Youth hath undergone; some Authors I have quoted in my Animadversions upon Cambden's Greek grammar, made for the use of westminster-school, and I have showed, and I will show more hereafter; That it is a false, obscure, imperfect Gammer, abounding with above twelve gross errors, besides many little ones; and those who are school: masters of great schools, and make men believe they know much, when alas it is very little they know; they might blush if they had any shame, to let so many errors go uncorrected in a grammar, which is the foundation of a Language; If Foundations be false and rotten, what will the building be? I need not spend much time upon this point, because I have represented in a Comedy often acted by my scholars, the Cruelty, Folly, and nonsense of Common schoolmasters, which I intend to Print as soon as I can. Look upon Aschams success in this way, in his first book he speaks thus of Queen Elizabeth; It is your shame, I speak to you all (you young Gentlemen of England) that one Maid should go beyond you all in excellency of Learning and knowledge of divers tongues; point forth six of the best given Gentlemen of this Court, and they altogether show not so much, will not spend so much time, bestow not so many hours, daily, orderly and constantly, for the increase of Learning and Knowlidge as doth the Queen's Majesty here: Yea, I believe th●t besides her perfect readiness in Latin, Italian, French and Spanish; she did read more Geeke every day, than some Prebbendary of this Church doth read Latin in a whole week; And that which is most praiseworthy of all, within the Walls of her Privy-Chamber, she hath obtained that excellency of Learning, to understand, speak and write, both wittily with head, and fair with hand, as scarce one or two rare Wits in both the Universities have in many years reached unto. Among all the Benefits that God hath blessed me withal, next the knowledge of Christ's true Religion, I count this the greatest, that it pleased God to call me to be one poor Minister in setting forward▪ these excellent Gifts of Learning in this most excellent Prince. Look upon his success in his second book, amongst many others, one Witney, a most accomplished Gentleman, these are his words; I gave him a translation to turn into Latin, which he did so choicely, so orderly, without any great miss in the hardest points of grammar, that some in seven years in grammar-schools, yea, and some in the Universities too, cannot do half so well: and this perfection be obtained from Christmas to Alhallowes-tide, & this scholar was altogether ignorant of the Latin Tongue and the Rules before. Now briefly take some few Reasons against this way of saying word by word without book. All Arts, as Geometree, arithmetic, logic, Navigation, men attain too, and never learn Rule word by word without book, and what offence hath grammar done that it must be cuffed into a Boy word by word without book? If learning without book word by word be necessary for the understanding of a thing, than it is before a Boy understands or after he understands. Now for a Boy to learn without book like a parrot, that he understands not, is very laborious and ridiculous; and to learn without book after he understands, that is to no purpose; for the Master understanding himself the sense of the Rule, neglects saying word by word without book, and whips Shollers for that he cannot do himself: If saying without book word by word be profitable to the understanding, than he that saith best without book understands best, but this is false; there are many that can say much Scripture without book, but understand not so well as those that can say none. Take this instance, Christopher Grecu●, Clerk of a g●eat Parish, a man of threescore years and ten, he can say all the psalms without book, and yet I dare not trust him to apply a Psalm after my Sermon. I have had boys come from common schools, could say all the grammar word for word without book, and yet could not make half a Line of true Latin; and that which is most absurd of all, they teach a Boy to make Latin by the Latin Rules, when a Boy understands not Latin; just as if a man should teach one an art in French, when he understands not French; then there are many boys can say without book to their Companions or by themselves, but the Master, strutting with the Rod in his hand, and his imperious look and threatning, puts a Boy clear out; as for a Master to talk thus to a Boy, sirrah I'll smoke you, I'll make your Buttocks blush, I'll make you fear me; these words confound a Boy and fright him out of all: If a Boy be to say this Rule, A●ectives that signify fullness, emptiness, plenty, &c. If he misplace a word, although the sense be the same, presently the Master fells him all along, where as some grammars have the first words last, and the last words first, the sense being still the same. Observe Doctor Webs words, in his appeal to truth, now if Gammer should be the best course to Languages, and Kings may have their choice of best courses, I wonder what grammars were made by Mithridates? and that makes me wonder more, we that have no business but a Language, spend all our life and are not perfect in one, and he that had a Kingdoms affairs to look upon, had two and tw●nty complete Languages. Now if a Language cannot be got but by learning word for word without book, than Mithridates, who had a kingdom's affairs to look to, must learn two & twenty Grammars, word by word without book; and to learn a grammar in this manner, will take up five years, to be complete in a Language as he was will be at least five years more, which reckoned, make up two hundred and twenty years. Now Mithridates lived not a quarter of the time. Doctor Webbe in that learned work quotes above a hundred learned men, who envey bitterly against Grammarians, and he undertakes to prove by learned Authors, that a Language may be learned without a grammar, which needs no proof at all to men of common sense. How many are there that can speak French and Latin that never saw a Grammar? Many young Gentlemen and Gentlewomen have learned to speak French in half a year, who never knew any Latin. Doctor Webbe names many Noblemen who speak Latin excellent well at five years of age, having nothing but Latin spoken to them before. And I have known many, who spoke Latin and French admirable well, and understood Greek very well in a twelvemonth. And this is easily done, by joining Doctor webs way with Aschams. I had boys when I was in London, who had been but one year at most with me, and in these four points we challenged any school in London. First, who understands the Greek and Latin grammars best in Accents, and Dialects, and all things necessary Secondly, who understands a Greek and Latin author best. Thirdly, who can prove a Greek or Latin Verse best. Fourthly, who can make a Greek or Latin Oration, or a Greek and Latin Verse best and soonest; and the highest of my scholars was but fifteen years of age, and the second to him but ten. Some I had I confess, could not do a quarter so much, which was no fault of mine; For I often told them, if they were careless and would not mind, and would not learn without cuffling, pulling, lugging and whipping, they must go to Masters that delight in this way of teaching; They may be taught in many places very reasonably this way, as for a noble or seven shillings a quarter, at some free-schools they may have it for nothing. Some schoolmasters think they pay me home, when they say I make scholars unfit for other schools; truly I conf●ss● it, I teach without any correction, and they teach with correction, and in this we differ. We teach to understand the Rules first, and they teach to learn without book first, in this we differ; Our scholars understanding the Rules, and often applying them, the Rules come without book, whether they will or no. Then we differ in severity. Some keep their scholars so strictly for four or five hours that they allow them not so much as a mouthful of fresh air, not so much as to ease nature: I have read, and heard many scholars speak against this severity. Let a Boy be tied three or four hours to that Game he likes best, and let him be soundly cuffed and whipped when he doth not play his Game well, you shall see this Boy as weary of his play as his book, and the reason is, because of great severity. Socra●es the wisest man of his time, and many who have writ concerning the instruction of youth, often say, Learning must be taught with Love: and some scholars at London being thus taught, seriously profess they had rather come to school, then go about any pleasure or delight. remedies 3. First, there are three things most necessary in a Language, the Words, the style, and the Rule; For the words a Boy may easily learn a thousand▪ words in ten days, that is, a hundred words in 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 Fustian way of learning in the common schools, to say them all by rote like a Parriot; but let him have an hundred English words, and a hundred Latin words printed or writ, he shall tell you Latin for English, and this is the Latin I mean; and he that understandeth a thousand, must needs understand many thousands more, for many Derivatives, Compounds, De-compounds, are understood by the help of the Simples, and he that understands thus much will understand most Authors he reads. Remedy 2. Secondly, for stile take this example; there is a certain Bird called a dotterel, this Bird if you see him thrust out his right wing, thrust you out your right arm, and if he thrust out his left leg, thrust out yours; and thus▪ by imitating of him, you will come so near till you take him in your hands; and so in an Author, where you see him place his Adjective, Adverb or Conjunction, do you so too, 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 six days, than you may come near the strain of your Author. Remedy 3. For the Rules teach thus, Consider there are eight parts of speech, for the four that are undeclined, I bid my scholar take very little care, because they are not varied nor declined at all; you find them everywhere after the same manner. Of the other four, I bid him take care but of two, that is, a noun and a Verb, for a pronoun is much like a noun, know one, know the other; a Participle that takes part of a noun & a verb, both those known, the Participle is known. So here is but two chiefly 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. I cannot follow this point any further, take some Propositions. Proposition first, My council is to take away all the Revenus that belong to free-schools, and other Schools, and let it be committed to a Treasurer, and every one in any part of the kingdom that makes a scholar fit for the University, he shall have ten pounds out of the Common stock, and the scholar preferred, & if he make him fit to be an Apprentice to a chirurgeon or a lawyer's clerk, he shall have five pounds, by this means none shall have any money but those that deserve it. Prop. second, Let any man judge whether they or I teach the best; was it ever known that any Graduate in the University, or Master of Art, physician, Lawyer, ever came to their schoolmasters to better themselves in the Languages, whereas all my gains and practice many times in the year, have been chiefly by these men. Prop. third, Their scholars before they go to the University come to me a month or two to be oiled over, & profess they profited more in that time with me, than they did before in four years. Prop. fourth, they will make a man believe that a Boy is a Poet, and able to make themes and Verses; now these Boys can neither speak Latin, nor understand an Author; and will any think a man to be a Freench Poet, when he cannot speak French, or a good Orator when he cannot understand it, these Verses are only patched up of phrases (a mere delusion) see more of this in my six queries to the free-schools, in and about London, printed three years ago, and not yet answered: At that time had I followed my blow, the Free-Schools had been absolutely routed, and never able to rally or recruit again: and I set up a Challenge in the Exchange, to all the schools in London or thereabouts seven to seven, which stood nine days. Our school stood open to all examination for one whole year, and when the best scholars of one of the primest schools in London contended with ours, there was a Gentleman of the inns of Court, that delivered in a Latin Speech, Vobis laudem, ●llis palman tribuo; I give you praise (saith he) to the scholars of that great school, but I give Master Granthams' scholars the Victory. All that I shall say in this great haste is; I desire that there may be an act of Oblivion of the abuses and mistakes of both parties, and that we may all join together, and study Reformation of the schools, that schoolmasters may no longer make merchandise of the precious time of Youth, which is of that great height, that it is many times the destruction of soul and Body; and if the sin of scandal shall deserve the weight of a millstone; what shall he deserve that keeps Youth many years in teaching, and can show no progress to the purpose: employment now cuts me off, but I should be happy in London, before Authority to have a dispute with these schoolmasters, and that there may be an account taken of every Boy that goes to school, what he is when he goes, and how much he hath profited when he comes away. I Will undertake in two months, to make him that can read English, to construe an Author▪ in Latin and Greek, he shall make Greek and Latin Verses and Orations, and his progress in Hebrew shall be correspondent; and because men may think that a man doth this for money, I will desire but two shillings a day whilst I teach, for the public good, and all the rest shall go for charitable uses, only I desire that I may make choice of what kind of charity the money may be bestowed on. Now to that God that hath commanded love and charity amongst us, be all Honour, and Glory for ever, &c. Herculea cecidisse manu tot monsta negamus, Quot Methodo & Calamo iam perierie tuo. The hand of Hercules did never kill, Such Monsters as thy Method and great Skill. CAnst thou that art full twenty years and more? Tremble and shake to hear thy Master roar Like a storm frighted seaman, oh ye fools, How does all wise men laugh to scorn your schools? Thou humbly on a Horse, hangs down thy head, And a fierce Rod thy Buttocks overspread, Or horsed upon an ass, much like to thee, Horse, ox, and ass enjoy more liberty; At every stroke thy trembling Buttocks quake, Like two great Custards, that are newly baked, Tears trickle from thy Buttocks, from thine Eye, Who can but laugh to see this Booby cry? Younger than thee dare on the Cannon go In spite of fire, and flame confront their Foe, And when a Bullet flies in full career, They scorn to stir or start aside for fear, Then rouse brave Spirits boys and you shall see A way to learn, with all facility: The Latin call a school, a learned Play, And so is mine, 'tis always Holiday, In twenty days I'll fit you for a gown, If you'll but leave this play of Hose go down. Man's life is short, but Art is long they say, O happy's he that goes the nearest way, Homer discribes his God, flying with speed, Shooting his arrows till the Grecians bleed; The ●●gels good and bad have wings, the Sun The light of lights, how swiftly does he run; The Goddesses came down like shooting stars▪ When Greece and Troy were at their bloody Wars, Homer does say the horses of the Sun, So far as one can see at one step run, I hate the snail, the Crab, the flow paced ●●sse, That hums and drums out a foire hourglass. The Creatures in the Law had four feet, God damned because they could not goes▪ but creep, And he that creeps and slugs at whipping school, The flower of his age, I call a pool. If on Pernasses-hill one did but sleep, Or on the Muses-well chance to drink deep, Then would he sing such Verses and such rhymes, As made him live for everlasting times; All this condemns your cuffing, whipping schools, That spend so many years to make men fools. Thou that dost strike where Christ himself doth kiss Let any judge how far thou dost amiss, Thou that dost cuff those whom he did embrace, How canst thou answer't to thy Master's Face. Raptim.