Page images
PDF
EPUB

in teaching him his Catechifm. But Cornelius looked upon this as a tedious way of Instruction, 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 Show, of the Creation of the world, where the Child with exceeding delight gained a notion of the Hiftory of the Bible. His firft rudiments in prophane history were acquired by feeing of Rareefbows, 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 lined with Indian Silk, his Gloves were Italian, and his Shoes were Spanish: He was made to obferve this, and daily catechis'd thereupon, which his Father was wont to call

66

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 much affifted by his Curiofity in Sign-Pofts, infomuch that he hath often confeffed he owed to them the knowledge of many Creatures which he

'never found fince in any Author, fuch as White Lions, Golden Dragons, &c. He once thought the fame of Green Men, but had fince found them mentioned by Kercherus, and verified in the Hiftory of William of Newbury'.

His difpofition to the Mathematicks was discovered very early, by his drawing m parallel lines on his bread and butter, and intersecting 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 seriously weighed the methods by which the famous Montagne was educated", and refolving in fome degree to exceed

1 Gul. Neubrig. Book i. ch. 27.

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

n Who was taught Latin in his nurse's arms, and not fuffered to hear a word of his mother tongue, till he could speak the other perfectly.

them, refolved he fhould fpeak and learn nothing but the learned Languages, and efpecially 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 observing, caused it to be ftampt 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 proficience therein, that Gronovius ingenuously confeffes he durft not confer with this Child in Greek at eight years old °, and at fourteen he compofed a Tragedy in the fame language, as the younger P Pliny had done before him.

pur

He learned the Oriental Languages of Erpenius, who refided fome time with his father for that pofe. He had fo early a Relish for the Eastern way of writing, that even at this time he composed (in imitation of it) the Thousand and One Arabian Tales, and alfo the Perfian Tales, which have been fince

• So Montaigne fays of his Latin. George Bucanan et Mark Antoine Muret, mes precepteurs domestiques, m'ont dit fouvent que j'avois ce langage en mon enfance fi preft et fi à main qu'ils craignoient à m'accofter.. -Somme, nous nous latinizames tant, qu'il en regorgea jusque à nos villages tout autour, ou il y a encores, et ont pris pied par l'ufage, plufieurs appellations Latines d'Artifans et d'outils.

p Plin. Epift. Lib. 7.

tranflated into feveral languages, and lately into our own with particular elegance, by Mr. Ambrofe Philips. In this work of his Childhood, he was not a little affifted by the historical Traditions of his Nurfe.

CHAP. V,

A Differtation upon Flay-things.

H

ERE follow the Inftructions of Cornelius Scriblerus concerning the Plays and Playthings to be ufed by his fon Martin,

[ocr errors]

"Play was invented by the Lydians as a remedy against Hunger. Sophocles fays of Palamedes. "that he invented Dice to serve sometimes inftead "of a Dinner. It is therefore wifely contrived by "Nature, that Children, as they have the keeneft

Appetites, are moft addicted to Plays. From the "fame caufe, and from the unprejudiced and incor"rupt fimplicity of their minds it proceeds, that the

[ocr errors]

Plays of the Ancient Children are preserved more "entire than any other of their Cuftoms. In this

9 Dr. Arbuthnot used to fay, that notwithstanding all the boafts of the fafe conveyance of Tradition; it was no where preferved pure and uncorrupt but amongst Children; whofe Games and Plays are delivered down invariably from one generation to another.

[blocks in formation]

matter I would recommend to all who have any ❝ concern in my Son's Education, that they deviate "not in the leaft from the primitive and fimple

[ocr errors]

Antiquity.

"To speak first of the While, as it is the firft "of all Play-things. I will have it exactly to cor"refpond with the ancient Fiftula, and accordingly "to be compofed feptem paribus disjuncta cicutis.

"I heartily wish a diligent fearch may be made "after the true Crepitaculum, or Rattle of the An"cients, for that (as Archytas Tarentinus was of opi"nion) kept the Children from breaking Earthen "Ware. The China cups in these days are not at "all the fafer for the modern Rattles; which is "an evident proof how far their Crepitacula ex"ceeded ours.

"

"I would not have Martin as yet to fcourge a

Top, till I am better informed whether the Tro"chus which was recommended by Cato be really "our prefent Top, or rather the Hoop which the

[ocr errors]

boys drive with a tick. Neither Cross and Pile, "nor Ducks and Drakes are quite fo ancient as "Handy-dandy, tho' Macrobius and St. Auguftine "take notice of the first, and Minutius Fœlix defcribes the latter; but Handy-dandy is mentioned by Ariftotle, Plato, and Ariftophanes.

[ocr errors]

The Play which the Italians call Cinque, and "the French Mourre, is extremely ancient; it was

« PreviousContinue »