The Works of the English Poets: With Prefaces, Biographical and Critical

animals they should be shewed anatomy as a divertise ment, and made to know the figures and natures of thofe creatures which are not common among us, difabufing them at the fame time of those errors which are universally admitted concerning many. The fame method fhould be used to make them acquainted with all plants; and to this must be added a little of the ancient and modern geography, the understanding of the globes, and the principles of geometry and astronomy. They fhould likewife ufe to declaim in Latin and Englith, as the Romans did in Greek and Latin; and in all this travail be rather led on by familiarity, encouragement, and emulation, than driven by severity, punishment, and terror. Upon feftivals and play-times, they should exercise themselves in the fields, by riding, leaping, fencing, muftering, and training, after the manner of foldiers, &c. And, to prevent all dangers and all disorder, there should always be two of the scholars with them, to be as witneffes and directors of their actions; in foul weather, it would not be amifs for them to learn to dance, that is, to learn just so much (for all beyond is fuperfluous, if not worfe) as may give them a graceful comportment of their bodies.

Upon Sundays, and all days of devotion, they are to be a part of the chaplain's province.

That, for all thefe ends, the college fo order it, as that there may be fome convenient and pleasant houses thereabouts, kept by religious, difcreet, and careful perfons, for the lodging and boarding of young fcholars; that they have a constant eye over them, to see that they be bred up there pioufly, cleanly, and plentifully,

Fully, according to the proportion of the parents' expences.

And that the college, when it fhall please God, either by their own induftry and fuccefs, or by the benevolence of patrons, to enrich them fo far, as that it may come to their turn and duty to be charitable to others, fhall, at their own charges, erect and maintain fome house or houses for the entertainment of fuch poor men's fons, whofe good natural parts may promise either ufe or ornament to the commonwealth, during the time of their abode at fchool; and fhall take care that it fhall be done with the fame conveniences as are enjoyed even by rich men's children (though they maintain the fewer for that caufe), there being nothing of eminent and illuftrious to be expected from a low, fordid, and hofpital-like education.

CONCLUSION.

IF I be not much abused by a natural fondness to my own conceptions (that of the Greeks, which no other language has a proper word for), there was never any project thought upon, which deferves to meet with fo few adverfaries as this; for who can without impupudent folly oppofe the establishment of twenty wellfelected perfons in fuch a condition of life, that their whole bufinefs and fole profeffion may be to ftudy the improvement and advantage of all other profeffions, from that of the higheft general even to the lowest arfifan? who fhall be obliged to employ their whole time, wit, learning, and industry, to thefe four, the moft ufeful that can be imagined, and to no other ends; Dd z first

first, to weigh, examine, and prove, all things of nature delivered to us by former ages; to detect, explode, and ftrike a cenfure through, all false monies with which the world has been paid and cheated fo long; and (as I may fay) to fet the mark of the college upon all true coins, that they may pass hereafter without any farther trial fecondly, to recover the loft inventions, and, as it were, drowned lands of the ancients: thirdly, to improve all arts which we now have and laftly, to difcover others which we yet have not: and who fhall, befides all this (as a benefit by the bye), give the best education in the world (purely gratis) to as many men's children as fhall think fit to make ufe of the obligation? Neither does it at all check or interfere with any parties in a state or religion; but is indifferently to be embraced by all differences in opinion, and can hardly be conceived capable (as many good inftitutions have done) even of degeneration into any thing harmful. So that, all things confidered, I will fuppofe this propofition fhall encounter with no enemies: the only question is, whether it will find friends enough to carry it on from difcourfe and defign to reality and effect; the neceffary expences of the beginning (for it will maintain itself well enough afterwards) being fo great (though I have fet them as low as is poffible, in order to fo vaft a work), that it may feem hopeless to raise fuch a fum out of those few dead relics of human charity and public generofity which are yet remaining in the world.

CON

CONTENTS

O F

THE SECOND VOLUME.

PINDARIC ODES, WRITTEN IN IMITATION OF THE STILE AND MANNER OF THE ODES OF PINDAR.

PREFACE

The second Olympic Ode of Pindar

The first Nemæan Ode of Pindar