years old, and at fourteen he composed 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 Relish for the Eastern way of writing, that even at this time he compofed (in imitation of it) the Thousand and One Arabian Tales, and alfo the Perfian Tales,

which have been fince tranflated into several languages, and lately into our own with particular elegance, by Mr. Ambrofe Philips. In this work of his Childhood, he was not a little affisted by the historical Traditions of his Nurse.

CHA P. V.

A Differtation upon Play-things.

H

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 Pa

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 prest et fi à 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.

"lamedes, that he invented Dice to ferve fome"times inftead of a dinner. It is therefore wifely contrived by Nature, that Children,

as they have the keenest Appetites, are most "addicted to Plays. From the fame caufe, and "from the unprejudiced and incorrupt fimpli

city of their minds it proceeds, that the Plays "of the Ancient Children are preferved more en"tire than any other of their Customs'. In this matter I would recommend to all who have any concern in my Son's Education, that they deviate not in the leaft from the primi"tive and fimple Antiquity.

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"To fpeak firit of the Whistle, as it is the "first of all Play-things. I will have it exactly "to correfpond with the ancient Fistula, and "accordingly to be compofed feptem paribus difjuncta cicutis.

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"I heartily with a diligent fearch may be "made after the true Crepi aculum, or Rattle of "the Ancients, for that (as Archytas Tarentinus "was of opinion) kept the children from

breaking Earthern Ware. The China cups in "these days are not at all the fafer for the mo"dern Rattles; which is an evident proof how "far their Crepitacula exceeded ours.

"I would not have Martin as yet to fcourge "a Top, till I am better informed whether the

f Dr. Arbuthnot ufed to fay, that notwithstanding all the Boafts of the fafe conveyance of Tradition; it was no where preferved pure and uncorrupt but amongst School-boys; whofe Games and Plays are delivered down invariably the fame from one generation to another.

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"Trochus which was recommended by Cato be really our prefent Top, or rather the Hoop "which the Boys drive with a stick. Neither Cross and Pile, nor Ducks and Drakes are quite fo ancient as Handy-dandy, tho' Macro"bius and St. Auguftine take notice of the firft, and Minutius Foelix defcribes the latter; "but Handy-dandy is mentioned by Aristotle, "Plato, and Ariftophanes.

"The Play which the Italians call Cinque, " and the French Mourre, is extremely ancient; "it was played at by Hymen and Cupid at the "Marriage of Pfyché, and termed by the Latins, digitis micare.

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Julius Pollux defcribes the Omilla, or Chuck-farthing; tho' fome will have our mo"dern Chuck-farthing to be nearer the Aphetinda "of the Ancients. He alfo mentions the Bafilinda, or King 1 am; and Myinda, or Hoop"ers-Hide.

"But the Chytrindra defcribed by the fame "Author is certainly not our Hot-cockle; for "that was by pinching and not by ftriking; "tho' there are good authors who affirm the Rathapygifmus to be yet nearer the modern "Hot-cockles. My fon Martin may use either "of them indifferently, they being equally. antique.

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Building of Houses, and Riding upon Sticks, "have been used by Children in all ages; Ædificare cafas, equitare in arundine longa. Yet I "much doubt whether the Riding upon Sticks

"did not come into use after the age of the "Centaurs.

"There is one Play which fhews the gravity "of ancient Education, called the Acinetinda, " in which children contended who could long"eft ftand ftill. This we have suffered to pe"rish entirely; and, if I might be allowed to guefs, it was certainly first lost among the "French.

"I will permit my Son to play at Apodidafcinda, which can be no other than our Pufs " in a Corner.

Julius Pollux in his ninth book speaks of "the Melolonthe or the Kite; but I question "whether the Kite of Antiquity was the fame "with ours: And though the Ogтuloxonix oг Quail-fighting is what is most taken notice of, they had doubtlefs Cock-matches also, as is evi"dent from certain ancient Gems and Re"lievo's.

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"In a word, let my Son Martin difport him"felf at any Game truly Antique, except one, "which was invented by a people among the

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Thracians, who hung up one of their Companions in a Rope, and gave him a Knife to "cut himself down; which if he failed in, he was fuffered to hang till he was dead; and "this was only reckoned a fort of joke. I am utterly against this, as barbarous and cruel. "I cannot conclude, without taking notice "of the beauty of the Greek names, whofe Etymologies acquaint us with the nature of the fports; and how infinitely, both in sense and

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found, they excel our barbarous names of Plays."

Notwithstanding the foregoing Injunctions of Dr. Cornelius, he yet condefcended to allow the Child the ufe of fome few modern Play-things; fuch as might prove of any benefit to his mind, by inftilling an early notion of the Sciences. For example, he found that Marbles taught him Percuffion and the Laws of Motion; Nut-crackers the use of the Leaver; Swinging on the ends of a Board, the Balance; Bottle-fcrews the Vice; Whirligigs the Axis and Peritrochia; Bird-cages the Pulley; and Tops the Centrifugal motion.

Others of his fports were carried further to improve his tender foul even in Virtue and Morality. We fhall only inftance one of the moft useful and inftructive, Bob-cherry, which teaches at once two noble Virtues, Patience and Conftancy; the firft in adhering to the pursuit of one end, the latter in bearing a difappointment.

Besides all these, he taught him as a diverfion, an odd and fecret manner of Stealing, according to the Custom of the Lacedæmonians; wherein he fucceeded fo well, that he practifed it to the day of his death.