a youth might not appear fo bright, or fo talkative, as those who had learned the real principles and causes of some of the fciences, yet he would make a wifer man, and would retain a more lafting paffion for letters, than he who was early burdened with the disagreeable inftitution of effect and caufe.

In hiftory, fuch ftories alone fhould be laid before them as might catch the imagination; instead of this, they are too frequently obliged to toil through the four empires, as they are called, where their memories are burdened by a number of disgufting names, that deftroy all their future relish for our beft hiftorians, who may be termed the trueft teachers of wifdom.

Every species of flattery fhould be carefully avoided; a boy, who happens to fay a fprightly thing, is generally applauded fo much, that he happens to continue a coxcomb fometimes all his life after. He is reputed a wit at fourteen, and becomes a blockhead at twenty. Nurfes, footmen and fuch, fhould therefore be driven away as much as poffible. I was even going to add, that the mother herself fhould ftifle her pleasure, or her vanity, when little mafter happens to fay a good or a fmart thing. Thofe modeft lubberly boys, who feem to want fpirit, generally go through their bufinefs with more eafe to themfelves, and more fatisfaction to their inftructors.

There has of late a gentleman appeared, who thinks the study of rhetoric effential to a perfect education. That bold male eloquence, which often without pleafing convinces, is generally destroyed by fuch inftitutions. Convincing eloquence, however, is infinitely more ferviceable to its poffeffor than the most florid harangue or the moft pathetic tones that can be imagined; and the man who is thoroughly convinced himfelf, who underftands his fubject, and the language he fpeaks in, will be more

apt to filence oppofition, than he who studies the force of his periods, and fills our ears with founds, while our minds are deftitute of conviction.

It was reckoned the fault of the orators at the decline of the Roman empire, when they had been long inftructed by rhetoricians, that their periods were fo harmonious, as that they could be fung as well as spoken. What a ridiculous figure must one of these gentlemen cut thus measuring fyllables, and weighing words, when he should plead the cause of his client! Two architects were once candidates for the building a certain temple at Athens; the first harangued the crowd very learnedly upon the different orders of architecture, and fhewed them in what manner the temple fhould be built; the other who got up to speak after him, only observed, that what his brother had spoken he could do; and thus he at once gained his caufe.

To teach men to be orators is little less than to teach them to be poets; and for my part, I fhould have too great a regard for my child, to with him a manor only in a bookfeller's fhop.

Another paffion which the prefent age is apt to run into, is to make children learn all things; the languages, the sciences, mufic, the exercifes, and painting. Thus the child foon becomes a talker in all, but a master in none. He thus acquires a fuperficial fondness for every thing, and only fhews his ignorance when he attempts to exhibit his skill.

As I deliver my thoughts without method or con nection, fo the reader muft not be furprized to find me once more addreffing schoolmafters on the prefent method of teaching the learned languages, which is commonly by literal tranflations. I would afk fuch if they were to travel a journey, whether those parts of the road in which they found the greateft difficulties would not be moft ftrongly remembered?

Boys who, if I may continue the allufion, gallop through one of the ancients with the affiftance of a tranflation, can have but a very flight acquaintance either with the author or his language. It is by the exercise of the mind alone that a language is learned; but a literal tranflation on the oppofite page leaves no exercise for the memory at all. The boy will not be at the fatigue of remembering, when his doubts are at once fatisfied by a glance of the eye; whereas were every word to be fought from a dictionary, the learner would attempt to remember in order to save him the trouble of looking out for it for the future.

To continue in the fame pedantic ftrain, though no school-mafter, of all the various grammars nów taught in the fchools about town, I would recommend only the old common one; Ï have forgot whether Lily's, or an emendation of him. The others may be improvements; but fuch improvements feem to me only mere grammatical niceties, no way influencing the learner, but perhaps loading him with trifling fubtilties, which at a proper age he must be at fome pains to forget.

Whatever pains a mafter may take to make the learning of the languages agreeable to his pupil, he may depend upon it, it will be at firft extremely unpleafant. The rudiments of every language, therefore, muft be given as a tafk, not as an amufement. Attempting to deceive children into inftruction of this kind, is only deceiving ourselves; and I know no paffion capable of conquering a child's natural lazinefs but fear. Solomon has faid it before me; nor is there any more certain, though perhaps more difagreeable truth, than the proverb in verfe, too well known to repeat on the prefent occafion. It is very probable that parents are told of fome mafters who never use the rod, and confequently are thought the propereft inftructors for their children; but

though

though tenderness is a requifite quality in an inftructor, yet there is too often the trueft tenderness in well-timed correction.

Some have juftly observed, that all paffion should be banished on this terrible occafion; but I know not how; there is a frailty attending human nature, that few masters are able to keep their temper whilft they correct. I knew a good-natured man, who was fenfible of his own weakness in this refpect, and confequently had recourfe to the following expedient to prevent his paffions from being engaged, yet at the fame time adminifter juftice with impartiality. Whenever any of his pupils committed a fault, he fummoned a jury of his peers, I mean of the boys of his own or the next claffes to him; his accufers stood forth; he had a liberty of pleading in his own defence, and one or two more had a liberty of pleading against him: when found guilty by the pannel, he was configned to the footman, who attended in the houfe, who had previous orders to punish, but with lenity. By this means the mafter took off the odium of punishment from himfelf; and the footman, between whom and the boys there could not be even the flighteft intimacy, was placed in such a light as to be fhunned by every boy in the school *.

And now I have gone thus far, perhaps you will think me fome pedagogue, willing by a well-timed puff, to increase the reputation of his own fchool; but fuch is not the cafe. The regard I have for fociety, for those tender minds who are the objects

*This differtation was thus far introduced into the volume of effays, afterwards published by Dr. Goldsmith, with the following obfervation:

This treatise was published before Rouffeau's Emilius: if there be a fimilitude in any one inftance, it is hoped the author of the prefent effay will not be termed a plagiarist.

of the prefent effay, is the only motive I have for offering those thoughts, calculated not to furprize by their novelty, or the elegance of compofition, but merely to remedy fome defects which have crept into the present fyftem of school education. If this letter fhould be inferted, perhaps I may trouble you in my next with fome thoughts upon an univerfity education, not with an intent to exhauft the fubject, but to amend fome few abuses. I am, &c.

ON THE INSTABILITY

OF WORLDLY GRANDEUR.

AN alehouse-keeper near Islington, who had long lived at the fign of the French king, upon the commencement of the laft war with France, pulled down his old fign, and put up the queen of Hungary. Under the influence of her red face and golden fceptre, he continued to fell ale till fhe was no longer the favourite of his cuftomers; he changed her therefore fome time ago for the king of Pruffia, who may probably be changed in turn for the next great man that fhall be fet up for vulgar admiration.

Our publican in this imitates the great exactly, who deal out their figures one after the other to the gazing crowd beneath them. When we have fufficiently wondered at one, that is taken in, and another exhibited in its room, which feldom holds its ftation long; for the mob are ever pleased with variety.

I muft own I have fuch an indifferent opinion of the vulgar, that I am ever led to fufpect that merit which raises their fhout; at least I am certain to find

thofe