In lui era la vita, e la vita era la 44 In him was the life, and the life was the degli uomini:

of the men:

65

luce light

e le

E la luce splende tra le tenebre, And the light shines among the darkness, and tenebre hanno non ammessa la.

darkness have not admitted her.

'6

the

Vi fu un uomo mandato da Dio che nomava

interlineal translation of course spares the trouble and time of this mechanical labour. Immediately under the Italian word is placed the English word. The un.. known sound therefore is instantly exchanged for one that is known. The labour here spared is of the most irksome nature; and it is spared at a time of life the most averse to such labour; and so painful is this labour to many boys, that it forms an insuperable obsta. to be sent to sea. It is useless to say of any medicine that it is valuable, if it is so nauseous that the patient flings it away. You must give me, not the best medicine you have in your shop, but the best you can get me to take.

There was a man sent by God, who did name cle to their progress. They prefer to be flogged, or

si Giovanni,

himself John.

47

affin

Questi venne qual testimone, di rendere This came like as witness, in order of to render testimonianza alla luce, onde per mezzo di lui tutti testimony to the light, whence by means of him credessero. might believe.'

all

Words, in their origin, have a natural or primary sense. The accidental associations of the people who use it, afterwards give to that word a great number o secondary meanings. In some words the primary meaning is very common, and the secondary meaning very rare. In other instances it is just the reverse ;and in very many the particular secondary meaning is pointed out by some preposition which accompanies it, curate translation points these things out gradually as or some case by which it is accompanied. But an acit proceeds. The common and most probable meanthe Hamiltonian method, insensibly but surely fixed ings of the word Ballo, or of any other word, are, in on the mind, which, by the lexicon method, must be done by a tentative process, frequently ending in gross error, noticed with peevishness, punished with severity, consuming a great deal of time, and for the most part only corrected, after all, by the accurate viva voce translation of the master-or, in other words, by the

We have hitherto been occupied with finding the word; we will now suppose, after running a dirty finIn this way Mr. Hamilton contends (and appears to ger down many columns, and after many sighs and us to contend justly), that the language may be ac- groans, that the word is found. We presume the quired with much greater ease and despatch, than by without any translation; he is in pursuit of the Greek little fellow working in the true orthodox manner the ancient method of beginning with grammar, and word Baxx, and, after a long chase, seizes it as greeproceeding with the dictionary. We will presume at present, that the only object is to read, not to write, dily as a bailiff possesses himself of a fugacious capor speak Italian, and that the pupil instructs himself tain. But alas! the vanity of human wishes-the from the key without a master, and is not taught in a never sufficiently to be pitied stripling has scarcely class. We wish to compare the plan of finding the congratulated himself upon his success, when he finds English word in such a literal translation, to that of Ballo to contain the following meanings in Hederfinding it in dictionaries-and the method o ending ick's Lexicon:-1. Jacio; 2. Jaculor; 3. Ferio; 4. with grammar, or of taking the grammar at an ad- Figo; 5. Saucio; 6. Attingo; 7. Projicio; 8. Emitto; vanced period of knowledge in the language, rather. Profundo; 10. Pono; 11. Immitto; 12. Trado ;than at the beginning. Every one will admit, that of 13. Committo; 14. Condo; 15. Edifico; 16. Verso, all the disgusting labours of life, the labour of lexicon 17. Flecto. Suppose the little rogue, not quite at and dictionary is the most intolerable. Nor is there a home in the Latin tongue, to be desirous of affixing greater object of compassion than a fine boy, full of English significations to these various words, he has animal spirits, set down in a bright sunny day, with then, at the moderate rate of six meanings to every an heap of unknown words before him, to be turned Latin word, one hundred and two meanings to the into English, before supper, by the help of a ponderword Ballo; or if he is content with the Latin, he ous dictionary alone. The object in looking into a has then only seventeen.* dictionary can only be to exchange an unknown sound for one that is known. Now, it seems indisputable,that the sooner this exchange is made the better. The greater the number of such exchanges which can be made in a given time, the greater is the progress, the more abundant the copia verborum obtained by the scholar. Would it not be of advantage if the dictionary at once opened at the required page, and if a self-moving index at once pointed to the requisite word? Is any advantage gained to the world by the time employed first in finding the letter P, and then in finding the three guiding letters PRI? This appears to us to be pure loss of time, justifiable only if it is inevitable; and even after this is done, what an infinite multitude of difficulties are heaped at once upon the wretched beginner! Instead of being reserved for his greater skill and maturity in the language, he must employ himself in discovering in which of many senses which his dictionary presents the word is to be used; in considering the case of the substantive, and the syntaxical arrangement in which it is to be placed, and the relation it bears to other words. The loss of time in the merely mechanical part of the old plan is immense. We doubt very much, if an av. erage boy, between ten and fourteen, will look out or find more than sixty words in an hour; we say nothing at present of the time employed in thinking of the meaning of each word when he has found it, but of the mere naked discovery of the word in the lexicon or dictionary. It must be remembered, we say an average boy-not what Master Evans, the show boy, can do, nor what Master Macarthy, the boy who is whipt every day, can do, but some boy between Macarthy and Evans; and not what this medium boy can do, while his mastigophorous superior is frowning over him; but what he actually does, when left in the midst of noisy boys, and with a recollection, that, by sending to the neighbouring shop, he can obtain any quantity of unripe gooseberries upon credit. Now, if this statement be true, and if there are 10,000 words in the Gospel of St. John, here are 160 hours employed in the mere digital process of turning over leaves! But, in much less time than this, any boy of average quickness might learn, by the Hamiltonian method, to construe the whole four Gospels, with the greatest accuracy, and the most scrupulous correctness. The

Hamiltonian method.

The recurrence to a translation is treated in our schools, as a species of imbecility and meanness; just as if there was any other dignity here than utility,any other object in learning languages, than to turn something you do not understand, into something you do understand, and as if that was not the best method which effected this object in the shortest and simplest manner. Hear upon this point the judicious Locke :Latin, and being able to instruct your son in all these But if such a man cannot be got, who speaks good parts of knowledge, will undertake it by this method, the next best is to have him taught as near this way as may be-which is by taking some easy and pleasant book, such as Esop's Fables, and writing the

entailed upon children who are learning languages, their * In addition to the other needless difficulties and miseries Greek Lexicons give a Latin instead of an English translation; and a boy of twelve or thirteen years of age, whose attainments in Latin are of course but moderate, is expected to make it the vehicle of knowledge for other languages. This is setting the short-sighted and blear-eyed to lead the blind; and is one of those afflicting pieces of absurdity which escape animadversion, because they are, and have English and Greek Lexicon, which we recommend to the long been, of daily occurrence. Mr. Jones has published an notice of all persons engaged in education, and not sacramented against all improvement.

English translation (made as literal as it can be) in has read the Testament. When he has read the Epitome, it one line, and the Latin words which answer each of will be then time to give him the theory of the verbs and other them just over it in another. These let him read every words which change their terminations. He has already acday over and over again, till he perfectly understands quired a good practical knowledge of these things; the theory the Latin; and then go on to another fable, till he be then becomes very easy. A grammar containing the declenalso-perfect in that, not omitting what he is already then put into the pupil's hands, (not to be got by heart, nosions and conjugations, and printed specially for my classes, is perfect in, but sometimes reviewing that, to keep it thing is ever got by rote on this system,) but that he may comin his memory; and when he comes to write, let these preliend more readily his teacher who lectures on grammar be set him for copies, which, with the exercise of his generally, but especially on the verbs. From this time, that hand, will also advance him in Latin. This being a is, from the beginning of the third section, the pupil studies the more imperfect way than by talking Latin unto him, For this purpose he reads the ancient authors, beginning with theory and construction of the language as well as its practice. the formation of the verbs first, and afterwards the Cæsar, which, together with the Selecta e Profanis, fills usedeclensions of the nouns and pronouns perfectly learn- fully the third and fourth sections. When these with the preed by heart, may facilitate his acquaintance with the ceding books are well known, the pupil will find little diffigenius and manner of the Latin tongue, which varies culty in reading the authors usually read in schools. The the signification of verbs and nouns, not as the modern fifth and sixth sections consist of Virgil and Horace, enough of languages do, by particles prefixed, but by changing which is read to enable the pupil to read them with facility, the last syllables. More than this of grammar I think Five or six months, with mutual attention on the part of the and to give him correct ideas of Prosody and Versification. he need not have till he can read himself "Sanctii pupil and teacher, will be found sufficient to acquire a knowMinerva"-with Scioppius and Perigonius's notes.'-ledge of this language, which hitherto has rarely been the Locke on Education, p. 74, folio. result of as many years.'

Another recommendation which we have not mentioned in the Hamiltonian system is, that it can be combined, and is constantly combined, with the system of Lancaster. The Key is probably sufficient for those who have no access to classes and schools: but in an Hamiltonian school during the lesson, it is not left to the option of the child to trust to the Key alone. The master stands in the middle, translates accurately and literally the whole verse, and then asks the boys the English of separate words, or challenges them to join the words together, as he has done. A perpetual attention and activity is thus kept up. The master, or a scholar (turned into a temporary Lancastrian master), acts as a living lexicon; and, if the thing is well done, as a lively and animating lexicon. How is it possible to compare this with the solitary wretchedness of a poor lad of the desk and lexicon, suffocated with the nonsense of grammarians, overwhelmed with every species of difficulty disproportioned to his age, and driven by despair to peg top,

or marbles?

"Taking these principles as a basis, the teacher forms his class of eight, ten, twenty, or one hundred. The number is of little moment, it being as easy to teach a greater as a smaller one, and brings them at once to the language itself, by reciting, with a loud articulate voice the first verse thus: In in, principio beginning, Verbum Word, erat was, et and, Verbum Word, erat was, apud at, Deum God, et and, Verbum Word, erat was, Deus God. Having recited the word once or twice himself, it is then recited precisely in the same manner by any person of the class whom he may deem most capable; the person copying his manner and intonations as much as possible. When the verse has been thus recited, by six or eight persons of the class, the teacher recites the 2d verse in the same manner, which is recited as the former by any members of the class; and thus continues until he has recited from ten to

We have before said, that the Hamiltonian system must not depend upon Mr. Hamilton's method of carrying it into execution; for instance, he banishes from schools the effects of emulation. The boys do not take each other's places. This, we think, is a sad absurdity. A cook might as well resolve to make bread without fermentation, as a pedagogue to carry on a school without emulation. It must be a sad doughy lump without this vivifying principle. Why are boys to be shut out from a class of feelings to which society owes so much, and upon which their conduct in future life must (if they are worth anything) be so closely constructed? Poet A writes verses to outshine poet B. Philosopher C sets up roasting Titanium, and boiling Chromium, that he may be thought more of than philosopher D. Mr. Jackson strives to out-paint Sir Thomas; Sir Thomas Lethbridge to overspeak Mr. Canning; and so society gains good chemists, poets, painters, speakers, and orators; and why are not boys to be emulous as well as men?

better by shutting himself up to read French books If a boy were in Paris, would he learn the language with a dictionary, or by conversing freely with all whom he met? and what is conversation but an Hamiltonian school? Every man you meet is a living lexicon and grammar-who is perpetually instructing you, in spite of yourself, in the terminations of French substantives and verbs. The analogy is still closer, if you converse with persons of whom you can ask questions, and who will be at the trouble of correcting you. What madness would it be to run away from these pleasing facilities, as too dangerously easy-to stop your ears, to double-lock the door, and to look Boyer's Dictionary-and then, by the help of Chamout chickens; taking a walk; and fine weather; in baud's Grammar, to construct a sentence which should signify, Come to my house, and eat some chickens, if it is fine? But there is in England almost a love of difficulty and needless labour. We are so resolute and industrious in raising up impediments which ought to be overcome, that there is a sort of suspicion against the removal of these impediments, and a notion that the advantage is not fairly come by without the previous toil. If the English were in a paradise of spontaneous productions, they would continue to dig and plough, though they were never a peach nor a pine-apple the better for it.

6

twelve verses, which usually constitute the first lesson of one hour. In three lessons, the first Chapter may be thus readily translated, the teacher gradually diminishing the number of repetitions of the same verse till the fourth lesson, when each member of the class translates his verse in turn from the mouth of the teacher; from which period fifty, sixty, or even seventy, verses may be translated in the time of a lesson, or one hour. At the seventh lesson, it is invariably found that the class can translate without the assistance of a teacher farther than for occasional correction, and for those words they may not have met in the preceding chapters. But, to accomplish this, it is absolutely necessary that every member of the class know every word of all the preceding lessons; which, is, howcver, an easy task, the words being always taught him in class, and the pupil besides being able to refer to the key whenever he is at a loss-the key translated in the very words which the teacher has used in the class, from which, as was before re-system, is the prodigious number of words and phrasA principal point to attend to in the Hamiltonian marked, he must never deviate. In ten lessons, it will be found those which are presented to him by the old plan. As es which pass through the boy's mind, compared with a talkative boy learns French sooner in France than a silent boy, so a translator of books learns sooner to construe, the more he translates. An Hamiltonian makes, in six or seven lessons, three or four hundred times as many exchanges of English for French or Latin, as a grammar schoolboy can do; and if he loses 50 per cent. of all he hears, his progress is still, beyond all possibility of comparison, more rapid.

that the class can readily translate the whole of the Gospel of St. John, which is the first section of the course. Should any delay, from any cause, prevent them, it is in my classes always for account of teacher, who gives the extra lesson or lessons always gratis. It cannot be too deeply impressed on the mind of the pupil, that a perfect knowledge of every word of his first section is most important to the ease and comfort of his future progress. At the end of ten lessons, or first section, the custom of my establishments is to give the pupil the Epitome Historia Sacra, which is provided with a key in the same manner. It was first used in our classes for the first and second sections; we now teach it in one section of ten lessons, which we find easier than to teach it in two sections before the pupil

As for pronunciation of living languages, we see no reason why that consideration should be introduced in

this place. We are decidedly of opinion, that all living languages are best learnt in the country where they are spoken, or by living with those who come from that country; but if that cannot be, Mr. Hamilton's method is better than the grammar and dictionary method. Cæteris paribus, Mr. Hamilton's method, as far as French is concerned, would be better in the hands of a Frenchman, and his Italian method in the hands of an Italian; but all this has nothing to do with the system.

for himself. This is just as wise as to say, that it is not the breeches which are made for a boy that can cover his nakedness, but the breeches he makes for himself. All this entirely depends upon a comparison of the time saved, by showing the boy how to do a thing. rather than by leaving him to do it himself. Let the object be, for example, a pair of shoes. The boy will effect this object much better if you show him how to make the shoes, than if you merely give him wax, thread, and leather, and leave him to find out all the 'Have I read through Lilly?-have I learnt by ingenious abridgements of labour which have been dis. heart that most atrocious monument of absurdity, the covered by experience. The object is to turn Latin Westminster Grammar?-have I been whipt for the into English. The scholar will do it much better and substantives?-whipt for the verbs?-and whipt for sooner if the word is found for him, than if he finds it and with the interjections?-have I picked the sense -much better and sooner if you point out the effect of slowly, and word by word, out of Hederick ?-and the terminations, and the nature of the syntax, than if shall my son Daniel be exempt from all this misery? you leave him to detect them for himself. The thing -Shall a little unknown person in Cecil Street, Strand, is at last done by the pupil himself-for he reads the No. 25, pretend to tell me that all this is unnecessary? language-which was the thing to be done. All the -Was it possible that I might have been spared all help he has received has only enabled him to make a this?-The whole system is nonsense, and the man more economical use of his time, and to gain his end an impostor. If there had been any truth in it, it sooner. Never be afraid of wanting difficulties for must have occurred to some one else before this peri- your pupil; if means are rendered more easy, more od.'-This is a very common style of observation upon will be expected, The animal will be compelled, or Mr. Hamilton's system, and by no means an uncom-induced to all that he can do. Macadam has made mon wish of the mouldering and decaying part of man- the roads better. Dr. Bell would have predicted, that kind, that the next generation should not enjoy any the horses would get too fat; but the actual result is, advantages from which they themselves have been that they are compelled to go ten miles an hour inprecluded. Ay, ay, it's all mighty well-but I went stead of eight. through this myself, and I am determined my children shall do the same. We are convinced that a great deal of opposition to improvement proceeds from this principle. Crabbe might make a good picture of an unbenevolent old man, slowly retiring from this sublunary scene, and lamenting that the coming race of men would be less bumped on the roads, better lighted in the streets, and less tormented with grammars and lexicons, than in the preceding age. A great deal of compliment to the wisdom of ancestors, and a great degree of alarm at the dreadful spirit of innovation, are soluble into mere jealousy and envy.

For teaching children, this, too, I think is to be observed, that, in most cases, where they stick, they are not to be farther puzzled, by putting them upon finding it out themselves; as by asking such questions as these, viz.-which is the nominative case in the sentence they are to construe? or demanding what "aufero" signifies, to lead them to the knowledge what "abstulere" signifies, &c., when they cannot readily tell. This wastes time only in disturbing them; for whilst they are learning, and apply themselves with attention, they are to be kept in good humour, and every thing made easy to them, and as pleasant as possible. Therefore, wherever they are at a stand, and are willing to go forwards, help them presently over the difficulty, without any rebuke or chiding; remembering that, where harsher ways are taken, they are the effect only of pride and peevishness in the teacher, who expects children should instantly be masters of as much as he knows; whereas he should rather consider, that his business is to settle in them habits, not angrily to inculcate rules.'Locke on Education, p. 74.

Suppose the first five books of Herodotus to be ac quired by a key, or literal translation after the method of Hamilton, so that the pupil could construe them with the greatest accuracy-we do not pretend, because the pupil could construe this book, that he could construe any other book equally easy; we mere

But what is to become of a boy who has no difficulties to grapple with? How enervated will that understanding be, to which everything is made so clear, plain, and easy;-no hills to walk up, no chasms to step over; every thing graduated, soft, and smooth. All this, however, is an objection to the multiplication table, to Napier's bones, and to every invention for the abridgment of human labour. There is no dread of any lack of difficulties. Abridge intellectual labour by any process you please-multiply mechanical powers to any extent-there will be sufficient, and infinitely more than sufficient, of laborious occupation for the mind and body of man. Why is the boy to be idle? By and by comes the book without a key; by and by comes the lexicon. They do come at last though at a better period. But if they did not come if they were useless, if language could be attainedly say, that the pupil has acquired, by these means, without them-would any human being wish to retain a certain copia verborum, and a certain practical difficulties for their own sake, which led to nothing knowledge of grammar, which must materially dimiuseful, and by the annihilation of which our faculties nish the difficulty of reading the next book; that his were left to be exercised, by difficulties which do lead difficulties diminish in a compound ratio with every to something useful-by mathematics, natural philos- fresh book he reads with a key-till at last he reads ophy, and every branch of useful knowledge? Can any common book, without a key-and that he at any one be so anserous as to suppose, that the facultains his last point of perfection in a time incomparaties of young men cannot be exercised, and their industry and activity called into proper action, because Mr. Hamilton teaches, in three or four years, what has (in a more vicious system) demanded seven or eight? Besides, even in the Hamiltonian method it is very easy for one boy to outstrip another. Why may not a clever and ambitious boy employ three hours upon his key by himself, while another boy has only employed one? There is plenty of corn to thrash, and of chaff to be winnowed away, in Mr. Hamilton's system; the difference is, that every blow tells, because it is properly directed. In the old way, half their force was lost in air. There is a mighty foolish apophthegm of Dr. Bell's,* that it is not what is done for a boy that is of importance, but what a boy does

A very foolish old gentleman, seized on eagerly by the
Church of England to defraud Lancaster of his discovery.
L

bly less, and with difficulties incomparably smaller, than in the old method.

There are a certain number of French books, which when a boy can construe accurately, he may be said, for all purposes of reading, to be master of the French language. No matter how he has attained this power of construing the books. If you try him thoroughly, and are persuaded he is perfectly master of the books

then he possesses the power in question-he understands the language. Let these books, for the sake of the question, be Telemachus, the History of Louis XIV., the Henriade, the Plays of Racine, and the Revolutions of Vertot. We would have Hamiltonian keys to all these books, and the Lancasterian method of instruction. We believe these books would be mastered in one-sixth part of the time, by these means, that they would be by the old method of looking out the words in the dictionary, and then coming to say

the lesson to the master; and we believe that the boys, long before they came to the end of this series of books, would be able to do without their keys-to fling away their cork-jackets, and to swim alone. But boys who learn a language in four or five months, it is said, are apt to forget it again. Why, then, does not a young person, who has been five or six months in Paris, forget his French four or five years afterwards? It has been obtained without any of that labour, which the objectors to the Hamiltonian system deem to be so essential to memory. It has been obtained in the midst of tea and bread and butter, and yet is in a great

measure retained for a whole life. In the same manner, the pupils of this new school use a colloquial liv. ing dictionary, and, from every principle of youthful emulation, contend with each other in catching the interpretation, and in applying to the lesson before

them.

ture.

has afforded a conspicuous mark for the aim of his an tagonists.

undeviating meaning, assuming as an incontrovertible prinI have said that each word is translated by its one sole ciple in all languages that, with very few exceptions, each word has one meaning only, and can usually be rendered correctly into another by one word only, which one word should serve for its representative at all times and on all occasions.'

Now, it is probable that each word had one meaning only in its origin; but metaphor and association are so busy with human speech, that the same word comes to serve in a vast variety of senses, and continues to do so long after the metaphors and associations which called it into this state of activity are buried in oblivion. Why may not jubeo be translated order as well as command, or dolorem rendered grief as well as sorrow? Mr. Hamilton has expressed himself loosely; but he perhaps means no more than to say, that in school translations, the metaphysical meaning should never be adopted, when the word can be rendered by its primary signification. We shall allow him, however, to detail his own method of making the translation in question.

If you wish boys to remember any language, make the acquisition of it very tedious and disgusting.' This seems to be an odd rule: but if it is good for language, it must be good also for every species of knowledge-music, mathematics, navigation, architecIn all these sciences aversion should be the parent of memory-impediment the cause of perfection. If difficulty is the cause of memory, the boy who learns with the greatest difficulty will remember with which this book is translated, must not be confounded with Translations on the Hamiltonian system, according to the greatest tenacity;-in other words, the acquisi- translations made according to Locke, Clarke, Sterling, or tions of a dunce will be greater and more important even according to Dumarsais, Fremont, and a number of than those of a clever boy. Where is the love of diffi- other Frenchmen, who have made what have been and are culty going to end? Why not leave a boy to compose yet sometimes called literal, and interlineal translations. his own dictionary and grammar? It is not what is The latter are, indeed, interlineal, but no literal translation done for a boy, but what he does for himself, that is had ever appeared in any language before those called Haof any importance. Are there difficulties enough in French, the Greek, and Latin Gospels, published in Lonmiltonian, that is, before my Gospel of St. John from the the old method of acquiring languages? Would it be don, and L'Hommond's Epitome of the Historia Sacra. better if the difficulties were doubled, and thirty years These and these only were and are truly literal; that is to given to languages, instead of fifteen? All these ar say, that every word is rendered in English by a correspondguments presume the difficulty to be got over, and ing part of speech; that the grammatical analysis of the then the memory to be improved. But what if the phrase is never departed from; and the mood, tense, and difficulty is shrunk from? What if it puts an end to person of every verb, are accurately pointed out by appropower, instead of increasing it; and extinguishes, in-priate and unchanging signs, so that a grammarian not understanding one word of Italian, would, on reading any stead of exciting, application? And when these ef- part of the translation here given, be instantly able to parse fects are produced, you not only preclude all hopes it. In the translations above alluded to, an attempt is made of learning, or language, but you put an end for ever to preserve the correctness of the language into which the to all literary habits, and to all improvements from different works are translated, but the wish to conciliate this study. The boy who is lexicon-struck in early youth barbarous and uncouth idiom, while it has in every case decorrectness with a literal translation, has only produced a looks upon all books afterwards with horror, and goes ceived the unlearned pupil by a translation altogether false over to the blockheads. Every boy would be pleased and incorrect. Such translations may, indeed, give an idea with books, and pleased with school, and be glad to of what is contained in the book translated, but they will forward the views of his parents, and obtain the not assist, or at least very little, in enabling the pupil to praise of his master, if he found it possible to make make out the exact meaning of each word, which is tolerable easy progress; but he is driven to absolute the principal object of Hamiltonian translations. despair by gerunds, and wishes himself dead! Proreader will understand this better by an illustration: A gress is pleasure-activity is pleasure. It is impossi-Ing to the plan of the above-mentioned authors, beginning gentleman has lately given a translation of Juvenal accordble for a boy not to make progress, and not to be ac tive in the Hamiltonian method; and this pleasing state of mind we contend to be more favourable to memory, than the languid jaded spirit which much commerce with lexicons never fails to produce.

Translations are objected to in schools justly en ough, when they are paraphrases and not translations. It is impossible, from a paraphrase or very loose translation, to make any useful progress-they retard rather than accelerate a knowledge of the language to be acquired, and are the principal causes of the discredit into which translations have been brought, as instruments of education.

The

with the words semper ego, which he joins and translates, "shall I always be"-if his intention were to teach Latin words, he might as well have said, "shall I always eat beefsteaks?"-True, there is nothing about beef-steaks in semper ego, but neither is there about "shall be:" the whole translation is on the same plan, that is to say, that there is not one line of it correct, I had almost said one word, on which the pupil can rely, as the exact equivalent in English of the Latin word above it.-Not so the translation here given.

'As the object of the author has been that the pupil should know every word as well as he knows it himself, he has uniformly given it the one sole, precise meaning which it has in our language, sacrificing everywhere the beauty, the idiom, and the correctness of the English language to the original, in order to show the perfect idiom, phraseology, and picture of that original as in a glass. So far is this carried, that where the English language can express the precise meaning of the Italian phrase only by a barbarism, this barbarism is employed without scruple-as thus ; " e le tenebre non l'hanno ammessa."

Infandum Regina jubes renovare dolorem, Regina, jubes renovare dolorem infandum. Oh! Queen, thou orderest to renew grief not to be spoken of. Oh! Queen, in pursuance of your commands, I enter upon the narrative of misfortunes almost too great for ut--Here the word tenebre being plural, if you translate it darkterance.

The first of these translations leads us directly to the explication of a foreign language, as the latter insures a perfect ignorance of it.

It is difficult enough to introduce any useful novelty in education without enhancing its perils by needless and untenable paradox. Mr. Hamilton has made an assertion in his Preface to the Key of the Italian Gospel, which has no kind of foundation in fact, and which

ness, you not only give a false translation of the word itself, which is used by the Italians in the plural number, but what is much more important, you lead the pupil into an error about its government, it being the nominative case to hanno, which is the third person plural; it is therefore translated not darkness, but darknesses.'

To make these keys perfect, we rather think there should be a free translation added to the literal one. Not a paraphrase, but only so free as to avoid any awkward or barbarous expression. The comparison

between the free and the literal translation would im-
mediately show to young people the peculiarities of
the language in which they were engaged.
Literal translation or key-Oh! Queen, thou orderest
me to renew grief not to be spoken of.

Free Oh! Queen, thou orderest me to renew my grief, too great for utterance.'

The want of this accompanying free translation is not felt in keys of the Scriptures, because, in fact, the English Bible is a free translation, great part of which the scholar remembers. But in a work entirely unknown, of which a key was given, as full of awkward and barbarous expressions as a key certainly ought to be, a scholar might be sometimes puzzled to arrive at the real sense. We say as full of awkward and barbarous expressions as it ought to be, because we thoroughly approve of Mr. Hamilton's plan, of always sacrificing English and elegance to sense, when they cannot be united in the key. We are rather sorry Mr. Hamilton's first essay has been in a translation of the Scriptures, because every child is so familiar with them, that it may be difficult to determine whether the apparent progress is ancient recollection or recent attainment; and because the Scriptures are so full of Hebraisms and Syriacisms, and the language so different from that of Greek authors, that it does not secure a knowledge of the language equivalent to the time employed upon it.

desire to put strictly to the test the efficacy of the Hamiltonian system. The experiment was begun the middle of May, 1825, and concluded on the day of November in the same year mentioned in the extract, exactly six months after. The Latin books set before them were the Gospel of St. John, and parts of Cæsar's Commentaries. Somé Italian book or books (what we know not), and a selection of French histories. The visitors put the boys on where they pleased, and the translation was (as the reporter says) executed with an ease which it would be vain to expect in any of the boys who attend our common schools, even in their third or fourth year.*

From experiments and observations which have fallen under our own notice, we do not scruple to make the following assertions. If there were keys to the four Gospels, as there is to that of St. John, any boy or girl of thirteen years of age, and of moderate capacity, studying four hours a day, and beginning with an utter ignorance even of the Greek character, would learn to construe the four Gospels with the most perfect and scrupulous accuracy, in six weeks. Some children, utterly ignorant of French or Italian, would learn to construe the four Gospels, in either of these languages, in three weeks; the Latin in four weeks; the German in five weeks. We believe they would do it in a class, but not to run any risks, we will presume a master to attend upon one student alone for these periods. We assign a master principally, be cause the application of a solitary boy at that age could not be depended upon; but if the sedulity of the child were certain, he would do it nearly as well alone. A greater time is allowed for German and Greek, on account of the novelty of the character. A person of mature habits, eager and energetic in his pursuits, and reading seven or eight hours per day, might, though utterly ignorant of a letter of Greek, learn to construe the four Gospels, with the most punctilious accuracy in three weeks, by the key alone. These assertions Extract from the Morning Chronicle of Wednesday, No-ably easy book of the same extent. We mean to be we make, not of the Gospels alone, but of any tolervember 16th, 1825.-Hamiltonian System.-We yesterday were present at an examination of eight lads who have been under Mr. Hamilton since some time in the month of May last, with a view to ascertain the efficacy of his system in communicating a knowledge of languages. These eight lads, all of them between the ages of twelve and fourteen, are the children of poor people, who, when they were first placed under Mr. Hamilton, possessed no other instruction than common reading and writing. They were obtained from a common country school, through the interposition of a member of Parliament, who takes an active part in promoting charity schools throughout the country; and the choice was determined by the consent of the parents, and not by the cleverness of the boys.

The keys hitherto published by Mr. Hamilton are the Greek, Latin, French, Italian, and German keys to the Gospel of St. John, Perrin's Fables, Latin Historia Sacra, Latin, French, and Italian Grammar, and Studia Metrica. One of the difficulties under which the system is labouring, is a want of more keys. Some of the best Greek and Roman classics should be immediately published, with keys, and by very good scholars. We shall now lay before our readers an extract from one of the public papers respecting the progress made in the Hamiltonian schools.

They have been employed in learning Latin, French, and latterly Italian; and yesterday they were examined by several distinguished individuals, among whom we recognized John Smith, Esq. M. P.; G. Smith, Esq. M. P.; Mr. J. Mill, the historian of British India; Major Camac; Major Thompson; Mr. Cowell, &c. &c. They first read different portions of the Gospel of St. John in Latin, and of Cæsar's Commentaries, selected by the visitors. The translation was executed with an ease which it would be in vain to expect in any of the boys who attend our common schools, even in their third or fourth year; and proved, that the principle of exciting the attention of boys to the utmost, during the process by which the meaning of the words is fixed in their memory, had given them a great familiarity with so much of the language as is contained in the books above alluded to. Their knowledge of the parts of speech was respectable, but not so remarkable; as the Hamiltonian system follows the natural mode of acquiring language, and only employs the boys in analyzing, when they have already attained a certain familiarity with any language.

'The same experiments were repeated in French and Italian with the same success, and, upon the whole, we cannot but think the success has been complete. It is impossible to conceive a more impartial mode of putting any system to the test, than to make such an experiment on the children of our peasantry.'

Into the truth of this statement we have personally inquired, and it seems to us to have fallen short of the facts, from the laudable fear of overstating them. The lads selected for the experiment were parish boys of the most ordinary description, reading English worse than Cumberland curates, and totally ignorant of the rudiments of any other language. They were purposely selected for the experiment by a gentleman who defrayed its expense, and who had the strongest

very accurate; but suppose we are wrong-add 10, 20, 30 per cent. to the time, an average boy of thirteen, in an average school, cannot construe the four Gospels in two years from the time of his beginning the language.

All persons would be glad to read a foreign language, but all persons do not want the same scrupulous and comprehensive knowledge of grammar which a great Latin scholar possesses. Many persons may, and do, derive great pleasure and instruction from French, German, and Italian books, who can neither speak nor write these languages-who know that certain terminations when they see them, signify present or past time, but who, if they wished to signify present or past time, could not recall these terminations. For many purposes and objects, therefore, very little grammar is wanting.

The Hamiltonian method begins with what all perscholar to become afterwards as profound in grammar sons want, a facility of construing, and leaves every as he (or those who educate him) may choose; whereas the old method aims at making all more profound grammarians than three-fourths wish to be, or than nineteen-twentieths can be. One of the enor mous follies of the enormously foolish education in England, is, that all young men-dukes, fox-hunters, and merchants-are educated as if they were to keep a school, and serve a curacy; while scarcely an hour in the Hamiltonian education is lost for any variety of life. A grocer may learn enough of Latin to taste the sweets of Virgil; a cavalry officer may read and understand Homer, without knowing that comes from ε with a smooth breathing, and that it is formed by an improper reduplication. In the mean time, there is nothing in that education which prevents a scholar from knowing (if he wishes to know) what

We have left with the bookseller the names of two gentlemen who have verified this account to us, and who were present at the experiment. Their names will at once put an end to all scepticism as to the fact. Two more candid and enlightened judges could not be found.