cotage, poore for the stuffe, and rude for the workemanship, yet in going forward, I found the site so good, as I was lothe to giue it ouer, but the making so costlie, outreaching my habilitie, as many tymes I wished, that some one of those three, my deare frendes, with full pursses, Syr Tho. Smithe, M. // {Smith. Haddon, or M. Watson, had had the doing of it. // M. {Haddon. Yet, neuerthelesse, I my selfe, spending gladlie // {Watson. that litle, that I gatte at home by good Syr Iohn // Syr_ I._ Cheke, and that that I borrowed abroad of my // Cheke. frend Sturmius, beside somewhat that was left me // I. Sturmius. in Reuersion by my olde Masters, Plato, Aristotle, // Plato. and Cicero, I haue at last patched it vp, as I could, // Aristotle. and as you see. If the matter be meane, and meanly handled, // Cicero. I pray you beare, both with me, and it: for neuer worke went vp in worse wether, with mo lettes and stoppes, than this poore Scholehouse of mine. Westminster Hall can beare some witnesse, beside moch weakenes of bodie, but more trouble of minde, by some such sores, as greue me to toche them my selfe, and therefore I purpose not to open them to others. And, in middes of outward iniuries, and inward cares, to encrease them withall, good Syr Rich. Sackuile dieth, that worthie Ientleman: That earnest // Syr R. fauorer and furtherer of Gods true Religion: // Sackuill. That faithfull Seruitor to his Prince and Countrie: A louer of learning, & all learned men: Wise in all doinges: Curtesse to all persons: shewing spite to none: doing good to many: and as I well found, to me so fast à frend, as I neuer lost the like before. Whan he was gone, my hart was dead. There was not one, that woare à blacke gowne for him, who caried à heuier hart for him, than I. Whan he was gone, I cast this booke àwaie: I could not looke vpon it, but with weping eyes, in remembring him, who was the onelie setter on, to do it, and would haue bene, not onelie à glad commender of it, but also à sure and certaine comfort, to me and mine, for it. Almost two yeares togither, this booke lay scattered, and neglected, and had bene quite giuen ouer of me, if the goodnesse of one had not giuen me some life and spirite againe. God, the

180 A Præface to the Reader.

mouer of goodnesse, prosper alwaies him & his, as he hath many times comforted me and mine, and, I trust to God, shall comfort more and more. Of whom, most iustlie I may saie, and verie oft, and alwaies gladlie, I am wont to say, that sweete verse of Sophocles, spoken by Oedipus to worthie Theseus.

    Soph. in // echo [gar] acho dia se, kouk allon broton.
    Oed. Col. //

Thys hope hath helped me to end this booke: which, if he allowe, I shall thinke my labours well imployed, and shall not moch æsteme the misliking of any others. And I trust, he shall thinke the better of it, bicause he shall finde the best part thereof, to cum out of his Schole, whom he, of all men loued and liked best. Yet some men, frendly enough of nature, but of small iudgement in learninge, do thinke, I take to moch paines, and Plato in // spend to moch time, in settinge forth these initio // childrens affaires. But those good men were Theagis. // neuer brought vp in Socrates Schole, who saith ou gar esti // plainlie, that no man goeth àbout à more godlie peri otou // purpose, than he that is mindfull of the good theioterou // bringing vp, both of hys owne, and other mens anthropos // children. an bouleu- // saito, e // Therfore, I trust, good and wise men, will peri pai- // thinke well of this my doing. And of other, that deias, kai // thinke otherwise, I will thinke my selfe, they are ton auton, // but men, to be pardoned for their follie, and kai ton // pitied for their ignoraunce. oikeion. // In writing this booke, I haue had earnest respecte to three speciall pointes, trothe of Religion, honestie in liuing, right order in learning. In which three waies, I praie God, my poore children may diligently waulke: for whose sake, as nature moued, and reason required, and necessitie also somewhat compelled, I was the willinger to take these paines. For, seing at my death, I am not like to leaue them any great store of liuing, therefore in my life time, I thought good to bequeath vnto them, in this litle booke, as in my Will and Testament, the right waie to good learning: which if they followe, with the feare of God, they shall verie well cum to sufficiencie of liuinge. I wishe also, with all my hart, that yong M. Rob. Sackuille,

A Præface to the Reader. 181

    may take that fructe of this labor, that his worthie Grauntfather
    purposed he should haue done: And if any other do take, either
    proffet, or pleasure hereby, they haue cause to thanke M.
    Robert Sackuille, for whom speciallie this my Scholemaster was
    prouided.
         And one thing I would haue the Reader consider in
    readinge this booke, that bicause, no Scholemaster hath charge
    of any childe, before he enter into hys Schole, therefore I
    leauing all former care, of their good bringing vp, to wise and
    good Parentes, as à matter not belonging to the Scholemaster,
    I do appoynt thys my Scholemaster, than, and there to begin,
    where his office and charge beginneth. Which charge lasteth
    not long, but vntill the Scholer be made hable to go to the
    Vniuersitie, to procede in Logike, Rhetoricke, and other kindes
    of learning.
         Yet if my Scholemaster, for loue he beareth to hys
    Scholer, shall teach hym somewhat for hys furtherance,
    and better iudgement in learning, that may serue
    him seuen yeare after in the Vniuersitie, he
    doth hys Scholer no more wrong, nor de-
    serueth no worse name therby, than he
    doth in London, who sellinge silke
    or cloth vnto his frend, doth
    giue hym better measure,
    than either hys pro-
    mise or bargaine
    was.

Farewell in Christ.

The first booke for the youth.

    AFter the childe hath learned perfitlie the eight partes of
    speach, let him then learne the right ioyning togither of
    substantiues with adiectiues, the nowne with the verbe, the
    relatiue with the antecedent. And in learninge farther hys
    Syntaxis, by mine aduice, he shall not vse the common order
    in common scholes, for making of latines: wherby, the childe
    Cic. de // commonlie learneth, first, an euill choice of wordes,
    Cla. or. // (and right choice of wordes, saith Cæsar, is the
    foundation of eloquence) than, a wrong placing
    of wordes: and lastlie, an ill framing of the sentence, with
    a peruerse iudgement, both of wordes and sentences. These
    Making of // faultes, taking once roote in yougthe, be neuer, or
    Lattines // hardlie, pluckt away in age. Moreouer, there is
    marreth // no one thing, that hath