"to have been occafioned by that diet, fince it was "recommended by the Divine Lycurgus. No, "Nurse, thou muft certainly have eaten fome meats "of ill digeftion the day before, and that was the "real caufe of his diforder. Confider, Woman, "the different Temperaments of different Nations : "What makes the English phlegmatick and me"lancholy, but Beef? what renders the Welsh fo "hot and cholerick, but Cheese 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 fhould be jealous and revengeful: The warm and folid diet "of Spain may be more beneficial, as it might in"due 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 requifite to deny you at pre"fent, not only Beef, but likewife whatsoever any "of those Nations eat." During this fpeech, the Nurse remained pouting and marking her plate with the knife, nor would the touch a bit during the whole dinner. This the old Gentleman obferving, ordered that the Child, to avoid the rifque of imbibing ill humours, fhould be kept from her breast all that day, and be fed with Butter, mixed with Honey, according to a Prescription he had met with fomewhere in Euftathius upon Homer. This indeed gave the Child a great loofenefs, 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 parti cular Diet to be obferved by the Nurfe; under which having been long uneafy, fhe at laft parted from the family, on his ordering her for dinner the Paps of a Sow with Pig; taking it as the highest

indignity,

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 Catechism. 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 firft rudiments in prophane hiftory were acquired by seeing 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 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 observe 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, such 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 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 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 ferioufly weighed the methods by which the famous Montaigne was educated ‡, and refolving in fome degree to exceed them, refolved he should fpeak and learn nothing but the learned Languages, and especially the Greek; in which he conftantly eat and drank, according to Homer. But what moft conduced to his eafy attainment of this Language, was his love of Ginger-bread; which his Father obferving, caufed 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 proficiency therein, that Gronovius ingenuously confeffes he

P.

P.There

* Gul. Neubrig. Book i. ch. 27. + Pafcal's Life-Locke of Educ, etc. 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.

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

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 composed (in imitation of it) the Thousand and One Arabian Tales, and also 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 affifted by the hiftorical Traditions of his Nurfe.

H

CHAP. V.

A Differtation upon Play-things.

ERE follow the Inftructions of Corneliu3 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 inftead "of a dinner. It is therefore wifely contrived by

*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 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.

"Nature,

"Nature, that Children, as they have the keenest

Appetites, are most addicted to Plays. From the "fame caufe, and from the unprejudiced and incor"rupt fimplicity of their minds it proceeds, that "the Plays of the Ancient Children are preserved "more entire than any other of their Cuftoms *, "In this manner 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 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 wish a diligent search may be made "after the true Crepitaculum, or Rattle of the An"tients, for that (as Archytus Tarentinus was of

(

opinion) kept the children from breaking Earth(C ern 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 fcourge a Top, till I am better informed whether the Tro"chus which was recommended by Cato be really our present Top, or rather the Hoop which the "boys drive with a ftick. 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 Fælix de"fcribes the latter; but Handy dandy is mentioned. by Ariftotle, Plato, and Ariftophanes.

66

* Dr. Arbuthnot ufed to fay, Men might talk what they pleased of the fafe conveyance of Tradition; but it was no where preserved pure and uncorrupt but amongst Children, whofe Customs and Plays, he observed, were delivered down invariably from one generation to another.