"Touch of an ignorant Woman hath done away? The curious Prominence at the belly of that figure, which "fome taking for the Cufpis of a fword, denominated a "Roman Soldier; others accounting the Infignia Virilia "pronounced to be one of the Dii Termini; behold she hath cleaned it in like fhameful fort, and fhewn to "be the head of a Nail. O my Shield! my Shield! "well may I fay with Horace, non bene relicta Par"mula."

The Goffips not at all inquiring into the cause of his forrow, only asked if the Child had no hurt? and cried, "Come, come, all is well; what has the Woman done << but her duty? a tight cleanly wench I warrant her ; "what a ftir a man makes about a Bason, that an hour "ago, before this labour was bestowed upon it, a Coun66 try Barber would not have hung at his fhop-door." "A Bafon! (cried another) no fuch matter, 'tis nothing "but a paultry old Sconce, with the nozzle broke off." The learned Gentlemen, who till now had ftood fpeechlefs, hereupon looking narrowly on the Shield, declared their affent to this latter opinion; and defired Cornelius to be comforted, affuring him it was a Sconce and no other. But this, instead of comforting, threw the doctor into fuch a violent Fit of Paffion, that he was carried off groaning and speechless to bed; where being quite spent, he fell into a kind of flumber.

CHAP. IV.

Of the Suction and Nutrition of the Great Scriblerus in his Infancy, and of the first Rudiments of his Learning.

AS foon as Cornelius awaked, he raised himself on

his elbow, and cafting his eye on Mrs. Scriblerus, spoke as follows. "Wifely was it faid by Homer, that

" in the Cellar of Jupiter are two barrels, the one of "good, the other of evil, which he never bestows on "mortals separately, but conftantly mingles them to"gether. Thus at the fame time hath Heaven blessed 66 me with the birth of a Son, and afflicted me with the "fcouring of my Shield. Yet let us not repine at his "Difpenfations, who gives, and who takes away; but "rather join in prayer, that the Ruft of Antiquity which " he hath been pleased to take from my Shield, may be "added to my Son; and that so much of it, as it is my " purpose he shall contract in his Education, may never " be destroyed by any modern polishing."

He could no longer bear the fight of the Shield, but ordered it should be removed for ever from his eyes. It was not long after purchased by Dr. Woodward, who, by the affiftance of Mr. Kemp, incrufted it with a new Ruft, and is the fame whereof a Cut hath been engraved, and exhibited to the great Contentation of the learned.

Cornelius now began to regulate the Suction of his child. Seldom did there pass a day without difputes between him and the Mother, or the Nurfe, concerning the nature of Aliment. The poor Woman never dined but he denied her fome difh or other, which he judged prejudicial to her milk. One day she had a longing defire to a piece of beef, and as she stretched her hand towards it, the old gentleman drew it away, and spoke to this effect. "Hadft thou read the Ancients, O Nurse, "thou would'ft prefer the welfare of the Infant which "thou nourisheft, to the indulging of an irregular and ❝ voracious Appetite. Beef, it is true, may confer a "Robuftnefs on the limbs of my fon, but will hebetate "and clog his intellectuals." While he spoke this, the "Nurfe looked upon him with much anger, and now and "then caft a wifhful eye upon the beef." Paffion," (continued the Doctor, ftill holding the dish) "throws "the mind into too violent a fermentation; it is a kind ❝of fever of the foul, or, as Homer expreffes it, a fort "Madness Confider, Woman, that this day's Suction

"of my fon may cause him to imbibe many ungovern"able Paffions, and in a manner fpoil him for the tem"per of a Philofopher. Romulus by fucking a Wolf, "became of a fierce and favage difpofition: and were I "to breed fome Ottoman Emperor, or Founder of a "Military Commonwealth, perhaps I might indulge "thee in this carnivorous Appetite."-"What," inter"rupted the Nurfe, Beef spoil the understanding? that's fine indeed-how then could our Parfon preach as he does ❝upon Beef, and Pudding too, if you go to that? Don't "tell me of your Ancients, had not you almost killed the poor babe with a Dish of Dæmonial black Broth ?""Lacedæmonian black Broth, thou would'ft say (re

plied Cornelius) but I cannot allow the furfeit to "have been occafioned by that diet, fince it was recom"mended by the Divine Lycurgus. No, Nurfse, thou "must certainly have eaten fome meats of ill digestion "the day before, and that was the real caufe of his dif<< order. Confider, Woman, the different Tempera"ments of different Nations: What makes the English "phlegmatick and melancholy, but Beef? What ren"ders the Welsh fo hot and cholerick, but Cheess and "Leeks? The French derive their levity from their "Soups, Frogs, and Mushrooms: I would not let my "Son dine like an Italian, left like an Italian he should "be jealous and revengeful: The warm and folid diet of "Spain may be more beneficial, as it might endow him "with a profound Gravity, but, at the fame time, he "might fuck in with their food their intolerable Vice "of Pride. Therefore, Nurfe, in fhort, I hold it re"quifite to deny you, at prefent, not only beef, but "likewife whatsoever any of thofe Nations eat." During this fpeech, the Nurfe remained pouting and marking her plate with the knife, nor would fhe touch a bit during the whole dinner. This the old Gentleman observing, ordered that the Child, to avoid the risque of imbibing ill-humours, fhould be kept from her breaft all that day, and be fed with Butter mixed with Honey, according to

a Pre

a Prescription he had met with fomewhere in Euftathius. upon Homer. This indeed gave the Child a great loosenefs, but he was not concerned at it, in the opinion that whatever harm it might do his body, would be amply recompenfed by the improvements of his understanding. But from thenceforth he infifted every day upon a particular Diet to be observed by the Nurfe; under which having been long uneafy, fhe at last parted from the family, on his ordering her for dinner the Paps of a Sow with Pig; taking it as the higheft indignity, and a direct infult upon her Sex and Calling.

Four years of young Martin's life paffed away in fquabbles of this nature. Mrs. Scriblerus confidered it was now time to inftru&t him in the fundamentals of Religion, and to that end took no small pains in teaching him his Catechifm. But Cornelius looked upon this as a tedious way of Inftruction, and therefore employed his head to find out more pleafing methods, the better to induce him to be fond of learning. He would frequently carry him to the Puppet-how of the Creation of the world, where the Child, with exceeding delight, gained a notion of the Hiftory of the Bible. His first rudiments in prophane hiftory were acquired by feeing of Raree-shows, where he was brought acquainted with all the Princes of Europe. In fhort, the old Gentleman fo contrived it, to make every thing contribute to the improvement of his knowledge, even to his very Drefs. He invented for him a Geographical fuit of cloaths, which might give him fome hints of that Science, and likewife fome knowledge of the Commerce of different Nations. He had a French Hat with an African Feather, Holland Shirts and Flanders Lace, English Cloth Jined with Indian Silk, his Gloves were Italian, and his Shoes were Spanish: He was made to obferve this, and daily catechifed thereupon, which his Father was wont to call "Travelling at home." He never gave him a Fig or an Orange, but he obliged him to give an account from what Country it came. In Natural History he was VOL. III, M much

much affifted by his Curiosity in Sign-Posts, in so much that he hath often confeffed he owed to them the knowledge of many Creatures which he never found fince in any Author, such as White Lions, Golden Dragons, etc. He once thought the fame of Green Men, but had fince found them mentioned by Kercherus, and verified in the the Hiftory of William of Newbury*.

His difpofition to the Mathematicks was difcovered very early, by his drawing + parallel lines on his bread and butter, and interfecting them at equal Angles, fo as to form the whole Superficies into Squares. But in the midft of all these improvements, a ftop was put to his learning the Alphabet, nor would he let him proceed to Letter D, till he could truly and diftinctly pronounce C in the ancient manner, at which the Child unhappily boggled for near three months. He was alfo obliged to delay his learning to write, having turned away the Writing-mafter because he knew nothing of Fabius's Waxen Tables.

Cornelius having read, and feriously weighed the methods by which the famous Montagne was educated, and refolving in fome degree to exceed them, refolved he fhould fpeak and learn nothing but the learned Languages, and especially the Greek; in which he conftantly eat and drank, according to Homer. But what most conduced to his eafy attainment of this Language, was his Love of Gingerbread; which his Father obferving caused it to be ftamped with the Letters of the Greek Alphabet; and the Child the very first day eat as far as Iota. By his particular application to this language above the reft, he attained fo great a proficiency therein, that Grenovius ingenuously confeffes he durft not confer with

Gul. Neubrig. Book i. ch. 27.

↑ Pafcal's Life-Locke of Educ. etc —There are some extravagant lies told of the excellent Pasèal's amazing genius for Mathematics in his carly youth ; and fome trifling directions given for the introduction to the elements of Science, in Mr. Locke's book of Education.

Who was taught Latin in his nurse's arms, and pot fuffered to hear a Word of his mother-tongue, till he could fpeak the other perfectly.