a Sow with Pig; taking it as the highest 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 inftruct 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 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-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 history were acquired by feeing of Raree-fhows, 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 Dress. He invented for him a Geographical fuit of cloaths, which might give him fome hints of that Science, and likewise some 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 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 History 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 midst of all these Improvements, a stop was put to his learning the Alphabet, nor would he let him proceed to Letter D, till he could truly and diftinétly pronounce C in the ancient manner, at which the Child unhappily boggled for near three months. He was also obliged to delay his learning to write, having turn'd 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 Montaigne was

Gul. Neubrig. Book i ch. 27. P.

Pafcal's Life--Locke of Educ. etc. P.---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 intr duction to the elements of Science, in Mr. Locke's book of Education.

educated, and refolving in fome degree to exceed them, resolved he should speak and learn nothing but the learned Languages, and especially the Greek; in which he constantly eat and drank, according to Homer. But what most conduced to his eafy attainment of this Language, was his love of Ginger-bread; which his Father obferving, 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 Pliny had done before him.

He learned the Oriental Languages of Erpenius, who refided fome time with his father for that purpose. He had fo early a Relish for the Eaftern way of writing, that even at this time he compofed (in imitation of it) the Thousand and

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

So Montaigne fays of his Latin.---George Bucanan et Mark Antoine Muret, mes precepteurs domeftiques, m'ont dit fouvent que j'avois ce langage en mon enfance fi preft et fi a main qu'ils craignoient à m'accofter.---Somme, nous nous latinizames tant, qu'il en regorgea jufque 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.

Plin. Epift. Lib. 7. P.

One Arabian Tales, and alfo the Perfian Tales, which have been fince 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 hiftorical Traditions of his Nurfe.

CHAP. V.

A Differtation upon Play-things.

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

Play was invented by the Lydians as a remedy against Hunger. Sophocles fays of Palamedes, "that he invented Dice to ferve fometimes instead "of a dinner. It is therefore wifely contrived by

Nature, that Children, as they have the "keeneft Appetites, are most addicted to Plays. "From the fame caufe, and from the unprejudic'd "and incorrupt fimplicity of their minds it pro"ceeds, that the Plays of the Ancient Children

are preferved more entire than any other of their "Cuftoms. In this matter I would recommend

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 amongft Children; whofe Games and Plays are delivered down invariably from one generation to another.

" to all who have any concern in my Son's Edu"cation, that they deviate not in the least from "the primitive and fimple Antiquity..

"To speak first of the Whistle, as it is the first "of all Play-things. I will have it exactly to correspond with the ancient Fistula, and accordingly to be compofed feptem paribus disjuncta

"cicutis.

*

"I heartily with a diligent fearch may be made "after the true Crepitaculum, or Rattle of the An"cients, for that (as Archytas Tarentinus was of " opinion) kept the children from breaking Earth"en Ware. The China cups in thefe 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 scourge 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 "boys drive with a ftick. Neither Cross and Pile, "nor Ducks and Drakes are quite fo ancient aś

Handy-dandy, tho' Macrobius and St. Auguftine "take notice of the first, and Minutius Fœlix de" scribes the latter; but Handy-dandy is mention'd " by Aristotle, Plato, and Aristophanes.

"The Play which the Italians call Cinque, and "the French Mourre, is extremely ancient; it " was played at by Hymen and Cupid at the Már