allur'd to the Trade of Law, grounding their Purposes not on the prudent and heavenly Contemplation of Justice and Equity, which was never taught them, but on the promising and pleafing Thoughts. of litigious Terms, fat Contentions, and flowing Fees; others betake them to State-Affairs, with Souls fo unprincipled in Virtue, and true generous Breeding, that Flattery, and Court-shifts, and tỷrannous Aphorifms appear to them the highest Points of Wisdom; inftilling their barren Hearts with a confcientious Slavery, if, as I rather think, it be not feign'd: Others, laftly, of a more delicious and airy Spirit, retire themselves, knowing no better, to the Enjoyments of Eafe and Luxury, living out their Days in Feast and Jollity; which indeed is the wifeft and the fafeft Course of all these, unlefs they were with more Integrity undertaken. And thefe are the Fruits of mifpending our prime Youth at the Schools and Universities as we do, either in Learning mere Words, or fuch things chiefly as were better Unlearnt.

. I fhall detain you no longer in the Demonftration of what we should not do, but ftrait conduct you to a Hill-fide, where I will point ye out the right Path of a virtuous and noble Education; laborious indeed at the firft Afcent, but elfe fo fmooth, fo green, fo full of goodly Profpect, and melodious Sounds on every fide, that the Harp of Orpheus was not more charming. I doubt not but ye fhall have more ado to drive our dullest and laziest Youth, our Stocks and Stubs, from the infinite defire of fuch

a happy Nurture, than we have now to hale and drag our choiceft and hopefullest Wits to that afinine Feast of Sowthiftles and Brambles which is com monly fet before them, as all the food and entertain. ment of their tenderest and most docible Age. I call therefore a compleat and generous Education that which fits a Man to perform juftly, skilfully and magnanimously, all the Offices, both private. and publick, of Peace and War. And how all this may be done between twelve and one and twenty, lefs Time than is now beftow'd in pure trifling at Grammar and Sophiftry, is to be thus order'd.

First, to find out a fpacious House, and Ground about it, fit for an Academy, and big enough to lodge a hundred and fifty Perfons, whereof twenty or thereabout may be Attendants, all under the Government of one, who shall be thought of Defert fufficient, and Ability either to do all, or wifely to direct, and overfee it done. This Place fhould be at once both School and University, not needing a remove to any other Houfe of Scholarship, except it be fome peculiar College of Law, or Phyfick, where they mean to be Practitioners; but as for thofe general Studies which take up all our time from Lilly to the commencing, as they term it, Mafter of Arts, it fhould be abfolute. After this Pattern, as many Edifices may be converted to this ufe, as fhall be needful in every City throughout this Land, which would tend much to the increase of Learning and Civility every where. This number, lefs or more thus collected, to the convenience

of

of a foot Company, or interchangeably two Troops of Cavalry, should divide their days work into three Parts, as it lies orderly: Their Studies, their Exercife, and their Diet.

For their Studies, Firft they should begin with the chief and neceffary Rules of fome good Grammar, either that now us'd, or any better: and while this is doing, their Speech is to be fashion'd to a diftinct and clear Pronunciation, as near as may be to the Italian, especially in the Vowels. For we Englishmen being far Northerly, do not open our Mouths in the cold Air, wide enough to grace a Southern Tongue; but are obferv'd by all other Nations to speak exceeding clofe and inward: fo that to fmatter Latin with an English Mouth, is as ill a hearing as Law-French. Next to make them expert in the usefulleft points of Grammar, and withal to feafon them, and win them early to the Love of Virtue and true Labour, ere any flattering Seducement, or vain principle feife them wandring, fome eafy and delightful Book of Education should be read to them; whereof the Greeks have Store, as Cebes, Plutarch, and other Socratic Difcourfes. But in Latin we have none of claffic Authority extant, except the two or three firft Books of Quintilian, and fome felect Pieces elsewhere. But here the main fkill and ground-work will be, to temper them fome Lectures and Explanations upon every Opportunity, as may lead and draw them in willing Obedience, inflam'd with the Study of Learning, and the Admiration of Virtue; ftirr'd up with

high

high hopes of living to be brave Men, and worthy Patriots, dear to God, and famous to all Ages; that they may despise and scorn all their childish, and ill-taught Qualities, to delight in manly, and liberal Exercifes: which he who hath the Art and proper Eloquence to catch them with, what with mild and effectual Persuasions, and what with the intimation of fome Fear, if need be, but chiefly by his own Example, might in a short space gain them to an incredible Diligence and Courage; infufing into their young Breafts fuch an ingenuous and noble Ardor, as would not fail to make many of them renowned and match lefs Men. At the fame time, fome other hour of the Day, might be taught them the Rules of Arithmetick, and foon after the Elements of Geometry even playing, as the old manner was. After Evening-repafts, till bed-time, their Thoughts will be best taken up in the easy grounds of Religion, and the ftory of Scripture. The next step would be to the Authors of Agriculture, Cato, Varro, and Columella; for the matter is most easy, and if the Language be difficult, so much the better, it is not a difficulty above their years: And here will be an occafion of inciting and inabling them hereafter to improve the tillage of their Country, to recover the bad Soil, and to remedy the waste that is made of good; for this was one of Hercules' Praifes. Ere half thefe Authors be read (which will foon be with plying hard, and daily) they cannot chufe but be Mafters of an ordinary Profe, So that it will be then feasonable for them

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to learn in any modern Author, the ufe of the Globes, and all the Maps; firft with the old names, and then with the new: or they might be then capable to read any compendious method of natural Philofophy. And at the fame time might they be entring into the Greek Tongue, after the fame manher as was before prefcrib'd in the Latin; whereby the difficulties of Grammar being foon overcome, all the Hiftorical Phyfiology of Ariftotle and Theopbraftus.are open before them, and, as I may fay, under contribution. The like accefs will be to Vitruvias, to ́Seneca's natural Questions, to Mela, Jus, Pliny, or Solinus. And having thus paft the Principles of Arithmetičk, Geometry, Aftronomy, and Geography, with a general Compact of Phyficks, they may defcend in Matbematicks to the inftrumental Science of Trigonometry, and from thence to Fortification, Architecture, Enginry, or Navigation. And in natural Philofophy they may proceed leifurely from the History of Meteors, Minerals, Plants and living Creatures, as far as Anatomy. Then alfo in courfe might be read to them out of fome not tedious Writer the Institution of Physick; 'that they may know the Tempers, the Humours, the Seasons, and how to manage a Crudity: Which he who can wifely and timely do, is not only a great Phyfician to himself, and to his Friends, but allo may at some time or other fave an Army by this frugal and expenfelefs means only; and not let the healthy and tout Bodies of young Men rot away under him for want of this difciplinë; which is a

great