Ch. I]

FEMALE SERVANTS

95

Here Politian raised an objection. "Although," he said, "I quite understand how you, a chief citizen, can expend very large sums on the education of your children, and that they are quite able to profit by it, yet I think I am right in saying that it is not in the power of every

gifts and the proper way of bringing them out and improving them, he has as little to say as any one else. For girls, his view seems to be the education of a convent carried on at home. Mothers should see to it that nothing frivolous or worldly gained a hold at any time on their daughters' inclinations. They should not be allowed to consort with girls, even of their own class, who dyed or fringed their hair, or, as we say nowadays, "got themselves up" in any way. The accomplishments of dancing and singing were to be acquired under the strictest supervision, and were never to be indulged in to such excess or studied elegance as to suggest a professional. The Sempronia that Sallust tells us of is held up as an awful example of this. But most of all should mothers keep a watchful eye on the female servants of the house, and allow no familiarity between their maids and their daughters. Maphaeus Vegius would not trust the ordinary female servant, as far as her morals were concerned, for any consideration. Speaking in quite general terms of the ordinary female domestic of the day in Italy, he makes the serious charge that on Sundays and feast days they had the common habit of spending the spare time allowed them by going each one "ad suum amatorem ex satiandae libidinis causâ.” I have never heard this stated so broadly by any serious writer of that age; but if the "Sunday out" was really so employed, the less conversation the young girls of the house had with their maids the better.

This book of Vegius is an excellent early treatise on Education, and should be better known.

As to Milton's published tractate on Education of 1644, Johnson and others, including even Dr. Garnett, have considered it as too visionary and idealistic to be of much practical use. But we must not forget for what class of pupils Milton's remarks are intended. Their drift was not for the vulgar, the needy, or even the lower middle class, who would have to leave their studies and go to their work in the world at an early age. Milton had in view the upper classes of leisure and wealth, who had a stake in the country, and were afterwards to become, almost by virtue of their birth, county magnates, members of Parliament, judges, and leaders in battle for their native land.

This view is common both to Milton's tractate and to Nova Solyma, as will fully appear later on, and is a much weightier proof of authorship than the omission in each of the education of a gentlewoman.

parent so to educate his children, nor is it every child who could so well repay the time and trouble spent."

"But," proceeded Jacob, "this education of ours is open to all classes, and is the work our teachers and moralists have handed on to us. Our plan is to have prudent men of experience, who can be questioned and consulted-who are, so to speak, Inspectors and Directors of Education. And besides these, we have public discourses held frequently in all parts of the land,1 not only of a religious nature, but on ethics, the family life, and such topics. And so, you see, our education gains an entrance to the family circle; and although it cannot be equally successful everywhere, still, if any one is gifted with abilities out of the common, it looks after him and helps his career. Nor is any one with natural endowments of a higher order allowed to remain unnoticed and neglected from the obscurity of his birth, as is so often the case elsewhere."

"Nor are the less gifted despised on that account, and reckoned unworthy of much educational care; indeed, we use special endeavours in their case, that they may be able at least to rise to the full height of their capacity, and in due course fitly perform their duties to the State. In point of fact, when we, as teachers, look for the highest results and greatest pleasure from our work, we find that it is not so much the very talented that satisfy us, for these, by their shortcomings in other matters, often cause far more trouble and offence than do those pupils of less ability, but greater natural goodness of disposition.”

This foreshadows the University Extension movement. 'Here is Kidd's recent doctrine of equal opportunities; also the Board School scholarships and such-like helps to poverty-stricken genius which this present age has at last decided upon.

In these forecasts, and elsewhere in Nova Solyma, the author shows himself to be one of the most original and foreseeing of educators. How strange that not one of the numerous treatises on Education, ancient or modern, ever mention him!

Mulcaster alone took this view in the earlier Elizabethan days. It was not endorsed by educational authorities till much later.

CHAPTER II

THE YOUNG CAMBRIDGE studenTS

ACOB was intending to say yet more, when he noticed Joseph coming back to them, so he turned

JA

to him and began to ask news of his tutor, and then of all his wanderings, being uncertain as yet how they had resulted. So Joseph began his relation.

"When I and my tutor Apollos started for our travels to Europe, we first of all paid a visit to Sicily. Here we were waylaid by brigands, all our provisions and baggage were carried off, and, what was the greatest grief of all, my servant was slain, and, as Apollos was sent off to Italy, I was left alone in the greatest want."

He was very brief in the few things he said so far, either because he was ashamed and pained when recalling such wretched misfortune, or perhaps from a desire to tell his father as soon as possible the services of his present guests, and he said nothing more, except to excuse himself for not writing home by the plea that he was daily engaged in planning his return.

"At last," he added, "I was able to accomplish it, thanks to these our guests, who paid all the charges for my passage, and so our hospitality is by no means a gift or obligation, but rather some little return for a very great favour."

"Not at all," said Eugenius; "it is we who are indebted to you for being such a very pleasant companion and such a useful guide to us for next to nothing."

"Then," said Jacob to him, "pray tell me a little more plainly what really happened, so that, as the recipient of a great benefit, I may learn what it was, and thankfully acknowledge it."

VOL. I.

7

The youth's reply was:

"When we were students at Cambridge together, we heard of the fame of this Republic, and became possessed of a mighty desire to pay a visit to this city and its people, and to know more of your manner of life and of your institutions, for the fame of you had gone forth throughout the world.

"We therefore, without the knowledge of our parents, who would scarcely have consented to such a scheme, being over-apprehensive of danger in their love for us, started alone, without any attendants, without even a guide, and with only a little money that we had scraped together; and having arrived at Dover, we embarked thence without being discovered, a fortunate chance throwing in our way a vessel then weighing anchor, and bound for Joppa. We touched at Palermo on our passage, and took the opportunity of going ashore to buy certain necessaries which, through our hasty flight, had been overlooked. While returning on board, we came across your son, who was trying to arrange for his passagemoney in our ship with some of the sailors. They would not, however, take him, because he could not pay the money down, and although it was late in the day, as the wind was favourable, they were making ready to leave that very night. We happened to come on the scene at the right moment, and finding the youth to be a scholar, and acquainted with the customs of the Jews and their country, we thought he would be a good guide for us, and so we paid his passage for him, by no means a large sum."

At this Jacob could no longer restrain himself, and again embraced them both with the fervour of gratitude. Then, resuming his seat, with a grave countenance, though kindly and paternal withal, he thus addressed them:

"I can award the motive of your journey its due meed of praise, for it did not arise from an itching and empty curiosity, nor from any disgust at your own country were you eager to leave it; but your motive was rather that of the old philosophers, who went on their travels as

Ch. II]

JACOB'S REBUKE

99

merchants seeking the highest of all gain 1-wisdom. to do this without your parents' knowledge or advice, that I cannot praise. For consider the dealings of God and your parents with you, and how alike they are both confer the greatest benefits you possess, and yet seek nothing in exchange but your own happiness, while to them it matters but little if you had never existed, or had been annihilated and removed for ever from sight and knowledge. So great and so natural is the authority of parents over their children that no other human authority can be equal to it, not even the master over his servant, the king over his subjects, or the husband over his wife. For what can be more one's own than what a man creates, as it were, out of himself? Nor, by the law of Nature, has any one fuller rights that the man who can undoubtedly, as in this case, call the things in question his own. Nevertheless, a father must not kill his offspring as he may his cattle, though the distinction by no means rests on any difference of ownership or authority, but on the ruling principle of universal justice; for it is not agreeable to God's laws for a man to cut his own throat, nay, indeed, it is an exceeding great crime in His sight, neither are our children, who preserve the continuity of our mortal race, given to us by Nature to be done away with, but rather to fill up and increase the census of humanity, and to do their work in their generation. Indeed, in the earliest ages of the world, which were the most natural, a numerous family was considered the richest of all possessions, for both the children and all they could earn belonged to the head of the family. And this same law of Nature is still in force in our days, except so far as the people themselves have agreed to hand over such authority to the State; and still children are obliged to support their parents, although parents have no right to

1 Mercatura. Cf. Cicero, De Officiis, iii. 2.

'Miltonic. No man of literary mark held these views so strongly as is known to be the case with Milton.

Milton held the natural propagation of the soul as well as of the body.