ner of exercise now and then amongst little scholars will make their lessons more familiar to them.

The greatest trouble at the first entrance of children is to teach them how to know their letters one from another when they see them in the book altogether. for the greatness of their number and variety of shape do puzzle young wits to difference them, and the sense can but be intent upon one single object at once, so as to take its impression and commit it to the imagination and memory. Some have therefore begun but with one single letter, and after they have showed it to the child in the alphabet, have made him to find the same any where else in the book till he knew that perfectly; and then they have proceeded to another in like manner, and so gone through the rest.

Some have contrived a piece of ivory with twenty-four flats or squares, in every one of which was engraven a several letter, and by playing with a child in throwing this upon a table, and showing him the letter only which lay uppermost, have in a few days taught him the whole alphabet.

Some have got twenty-four pieces of ivory cut in the shape of dice, with a letter engraven upon each of them, and with these they have played at vacant hours with a child till he hath known them all distinctly. They begin first with one, then with two, afterwards with more letters at once as the child got Knowledge of them. To teach him likewise to spell, they would place consonants before or after a vowel, and then join more letters together so as to make a word, and sometimes divide it into syllables, to be parted or put together. Now this kind of letter sport may be profitably permitted among beginners in a school, and instead of ivory, they may have white bits of board, or small shreds of paper or pasteboard, or parchment with a letter written upon each to play withal amongst themselves.

Some have made pictures in a little book, or upon a scroll of paper wrapped upon two sticks within a box of isinglass, and by each picture have made three sorts of that letter with which its name beginneth; but those being too many at once for a child to take notice of, have proved not so useful as was intended. Some likewise have had pictures and letters printed in this manner on the backside of a pack of cards to entice children, that naturally love that sport, to the love of learning their books.

Some have written a letter in a great character upon a card, or chalked it out upon a trencher, and by telling a child what it was, and letting him strive to make the like, have imprinted it quickly in his memory, and so the rest one after another.

One having a son of two years and a half old, that could but even go about the house, and utter some few gibberish words in a broken manner, observing him one day above the rest to be busied about shells and sticks, and such like toys, which himself had laid together in a chair, and to miss any one that was taken from him he saw not how, and to seek for it about the house, became very desirous to make experiment what that child might presently attain to in point of learning. Thereupon he devised a little wheel, with all the capital Roman letters made upon a paper to wrap round about it, and fitted it to turn in a little round box, which had a hole so made in the side of it, that only one letter might be seen to peep out at once. This he brought to the child, and showed him only the letter O, and told him what it was. The child being overjoyed with his new gambol, catcheth the box out of his father's hand, and runs with

it to his playfellow a year younger than himself, and in his broken language tells him there was "an O, an O." And when the other asked him where, he said, "In a hole, in a hole," and showed it him; which the lesser child then took such notice of, as to know it again ever after from all the other letters. And thus by playing with the box, and inquiring concerning any letter that appeared strange to him what was, the child learned all the letters of the alphabet in eleven days, being in this A B C character, and would take pleas ure to show them in any book to any of his acquaintance that came next. By this instance you may see what a propensity there is in nature betimes to learning, could but the teachers apply themselves to their young scholars' tenuity; and how by proceeding in a clear and facile method that all may apprehend, every one may benefit more or less by degrees. According to these contriv ances to forward children, I have published a New Primer; in the first leaf whereof I have set the Roman capitals, (because that character is now most in use, and those letters the most easy to be learned,) and have joined therewith the pictures or images of some things whose names begin with that letter, by which a child's memory may be helped to remember how to call his letters, as A for an ape, B for a bear, &c. This hieroglyphical device doth so affect children, (who are generally forward to communicate what they know,) that I have observed them to teach others, that could not so readily learn, to know all the letters in a few hours' space, by asking them what A stands for? and so concerning other letters backward and forward, or as they best liked.

Thus when a child hath got the names of his letters, and their several shapes withal in a playing manner, he may be easily taught to distinguish them in the following leaf, which containeth first the greater and then the small Roman characters, to be learned by five at once or more, as the child is able to remember them; other characters I would have forborne till one be well acquainted with these, because so much variety at the first doth but amaze young wits, and our English characters (for the most part) are very obscure, and more hard to be imprinted in the memory. And thus much for learning to know letters; we shall next (and according to order in teaching) proceed to an easy way of distinct spelling.

III.-How to teach a child to spell distinctly.

The common way of teaching a child to spell is, after he knows the letters in his alphabet, to initiate him in those few syllables, which consist of one vowel before a consonant, as ab, eb, ib, ob, ub, &c., or of one vowel after a consonant, as ba, be, bi, bo, bu, &c., in the hornbook, and thence to proceed with him by little and little to the bottom of the book, hearing him twice or thrice over till he can say his lesson, and then putting him to a new one.

In which course I have known some more apt children to have profited pretty well, but scarce one of ten, when they have gone through the book, to be able to spell a word that is not in it. And some have been certain years daily exercised saying lessons therein, who, after much endeavor spent, have been ac counted mere blockheads, and rejected altogether as incapable to learn any thing; whereas, some teachers that have assayed a more familiar way, have professed that they have not met with any such thing as a dunce amid a great multitude of little scholars.

Indeed, it is Tully's observation of old, and Erasmus' assertion of later years,

that it is as natural for a child to learn, as it is for a beast to go, a bird to fly, or a fish to swim, and I verily believe it; for the nature of man is restlessly desirous to know things, and were discouragements taken out of the way, and meet help afforded young learners, they would doubtless go on with a great deal more cheerfulness, and make more proficiency at their books than usually they do. And could the master have the discretion to make their lessons familiar to them, children would as much delight in being busied about them, as in any other sport, if too long continuance at them might not make them tedious. Amongst those that have gone a readier way to reading, I shall only mention Mr. Roe and Mr. Robinson, the latter of whom I have known to have taught little children not much above four years old to read distinctly in the Bible, in six weeks' time or under; their books are to be had in print, but every one hath not the art to use them. And Mr. Coote's English Schoolmaster seems rather to be fitted for one that is a master indeed than for a scholar.

Besides the way then which is usual, you may (if you think good) make use of that which I have set down in the New Primer to help little ones to spell readily, and it is this:

1. Let a child be well acquainted with his vowels, and made to pronounce them fully by themselves, because they are able to make a perfect sound alone.

2. Teach him to give the true value or force of the consonants, and to take notice how imperfectly they sound, except a vowel be joined with them. Both these are set apart by themselves.

3. Proceed to syllables made of one consonant set before a vowel, (section 5,) and let him join the true force of the consonant with the perfect sound of the vowel, as to say ba, be, bi, bo, bu, &c. Yet it were good to leave ca, ce, ci, co, cu, and ga, ge, gi, go, gu, to the last, because the value of the consonant in the second and third syllables doth differ from that in the rest.

4. Then exercise him in syllables made of one vowel set before one consonant, (section 6,) as to say ab, eb, ib, ob, ub, &c., till he can spell any syllable of two letters backward or forward, as ba, be, bi, bo, bu; ab, eb, ib, ob, ub; ba, ab; be, eb; bi, ib; bo, ob; bu, ub; and so in all the rest, comparing one with another.

5. And if to any one of these syllables you add a letter, and teach him how to join it in sound with the rest, you will make him more ready in spelling; as if before ab you put b, and teach him to say bab; if after ba you put d, and let him pronounce it bad, he will quickly be able to join a letter with any of the rest, as nip, pin, but, tub, &c.

To inure your young scholar to any, even the hardest syllable, in an easy way,

1. Practice him in the joining of consonants that begin syllables (section 7) so that he may give their joint forces at once; thus

Having showed him to sound bl or br together, make him pronounce them, and a vowel with them, bla, bra, ble, bre, and so in any of the rest.

2. Then practice him likewise in consonants that end syllables, (section 8;) make him first to give the force of the joined consonants, and then to put the vowels before them; as ble with the vowels before them sound able, eble, ible, oble, uble, to all of which you may prefix other consonants and change them into words of one syllable, as fable, peble, bible, noble, bubble, with a b inserted or the like. Where observe that e in the end of many syllables, being silent, doth qualify the sound of the foregoing vowel, so as to make words different from

those that have not e; as you may see made differeth quite from mad, bete from bet, pipe from pip, sope from sop, and cube from cub. Whereby I think them in an error that leave out e in the end of words, and them that in pronouncing it make two syllables of one, in stable, bible, people, &c., which judicious Mr. Mulcaster will not allow.

In this exercise of spelling you may do well sometimes to make all the young beginners stand together, and pose them one by one in all sorts of syllables, till they be perfect in any; and to make them delight therein,

1. Let them spell many syllables together which differ only in one letter, as and, band, hand, land, sand.

2. Teach them to frame any word of one syllable, by joining any of the consonants which go before vowels, with those that are used to follow vowels, and putting in vowels betwixt them, as black, block; clack, clock.

And this they may do afterward amongst themselves, having several loose letters made and given them to compose or divide in a sporting manner, which I may rightly term the letter sport.

When a child has become expert in joining consonants with the vowels, then take him to the diphthongs, (section 9,) and there

1. Teach him the natural force of a diphthong, (which consists of two vowels joined together,) and make him sound it distinctly by itself, as ai, ei, &c.

2. Let him see how it is joined with other letters, and learn to give its pronunciation with them, minding him how the same diphthong differs from itself sometimes in its sound, and which of the two vowels in it hath the greatest power in pronunciation, as in people, e seemeth to drown the o.

And besides those words in the book, you may add others of your own, till by many examples the child doth well apprehend your meaning, so that he can boldly adventure to imitate you, and practice himself.

Thus after a child is thoroughly exercised in the true sounding of the vowels and consonants together, let him proceed to the spelling of words, first of one syllable, (section 10,) then of two, (section 11,) then of three, (section 12,) then of four. (section 13,) in all of which let him be taught how to utter every syllable by itself truly and fully, and be sure to speak out the last. But in words of more syllables, let him learn and part them according to these profitable rules:

1. An English syllable may sometimes consist of eight letters, but never of more, as strength.

2. In words that have many syllables, the consonant between two vowels belongeth to the latter of them, as hu-mi-li-tie.

3. Consonants which are joined in the beginning of words are not to be parted in the middle of them, as my-ste-ry.

4. Consonants which are not joined in the beginning of words are to be parted in the middle of them, as for-get-ful-ness.

5. If a consonant be doubled in the middle of a word, the first belongs to the foregoing syllable, and the latter to the following, as pos-ses-si-on.

6. In compound words, every part which belongeth to the single words must be set by itself, as in-a-bi-li-ty.

And these rules have I here set down to inform the less skillful teacher how he is to guide his learner, than to puzzle a child about them, who is not yet so well able to comprehend them.

I have also divided those words in the book, to let children see how they ought to divide other polysyllable words, in which they must always be very careful (as I said) to sound out the last syllable very fully.

To enable a child the better to pronounce any word he meets withal in read. ing, I have set down some, more hard for pronunciation, (section 14,) in often reading over which he may be exercised to help his utterance; and the master may add more at his own discretion, till he see that his willing scholar doth not stick in spelling any, be it never so hard.

And that the child may not be amused with any thing in his book when he cometh to read, I would have him made acquainted with the pauses, (section 15,) with the figures, (section 16,) numeral letters, (section 17,) quotations (section 18) and abbreviations, (section 19,) which being but a work of a few hours' space, may easily be performed after he can readily spell, which when he can do, he may profitably be put to reading, but not before; for I observed it a great defect in some of Mr. Robinson's scholars, (whose way was to teach to read presently without any spelling at all,) that when they were at a loss about a word, they made an imperfect confused sound in giving the force of the consonants, which if they once missed, they knew not which way to help them. selves to find what the word was; whereas, if after a child know his letters, he be taught to gather them into just syllables, and by the joining of syllables together to frame a word, (which as it is the most ancient, so certainly it is the most natural method of teaching,) he will soon be able, if he stick at any word in reading, by the naming of its letters and pronouncing of its syllables, to say what it is, and then he may boldly venture to read without spelling at all, touching the gaining of a habit whereof I shall proceed to say somewhat in the next chapter.

IV.-How a child may be taught to read any English book perfectly.

The ordinary way to teach children to read is, after they have got some knowledge of their letters, and a smattering of some syllables and words in the hornbook, to turn them into the A B C or Primer, and therein to make them name the letters and spell the words, till by often use they can pronounce (at least) the shortest words at the first sight.

This method takes with those of prompter wits; but many of more slow capacities, not finding any thing to affect and so make them heed what they learn, go on remissly from lesson to lesson, and are not much more able to read when they have ended their book than when they begun it. Besides, the A B C being now (I may say) generally thrown aside, and the ordinary Primer not printed, and the very fundamentals of Christian religion (which were wont to be contained in those books, and were commonly taught children at home by heart before they went to school) with sundry people (almost in all places) slighted, the matter which is taught in most books now in use is not so familiar to them, and therefore not so easy for children to learn.

But to hold still to the sure foundation, I have caused the Lord's Prayer, (section 20,) the Creed, (section 21,) and the Ten Commandments (section 23) to be printed in the Roman character, that a child having learned already to know his letters and how to spell, may also be initiated to read by them, which he will do the more cheerfully if he be also instructed at home to say them by heart.