soever, the prices have increased in proportion to the increase of wealth. To them only the stipend is the same as in the days of Henry VIH.

This necessarily obliges each master to make up in number what is deficient in weight; and he is compelled, even to obtain a competency, to take more boys under his care than it is possible for him to give a proper attention to.

Larger wages are given to the men who break and train their horses and dogs, than to those under whose direction their children are to be formed either to good or to evil, to happiness or misery, for the rest of their days.

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Pity it is," says the great Mr. Ascham, "that commonly niore care is had, yea, and that among very wise men, to find out rather a cunning man for their horse, than a cunning man for their children. They say nay in word, but they do so in deed; for to one they will gladly give a stipend of two hundred crowns by the year, and are loth to offer to the other two hundred shillings. God! that sitteth in heaven, laugheth their choice to scorn, and rewardeth their liberality as it should. For he suffereth them to have tame and well-ordered horses, but wild and unfortunate children; and therefore in the end they find more pleasure in their horse than comfort in their child."

EXAMPLES.

IN a family where I lately spent some days on a visit,

I observed a very remarkable instance of the untoward management of two children. Young master is a boy of strong, ungovernable passions, of no mean capacity, and an open, liberal temper; add to this, the disadvantage that he is brought up to the prospect of a great estate. The girl is of surprising natural parts; but pettish, sullen, and haughty, though not without a considerable fund of native goodness. Both of them are excessively indulged by their parents. The father, who jumped into the estate by means of his relation to a wealthy citizen, is a strange, ignorant, unpolished crea

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ture ; and having had no education himself, has little notion of the importance of one; and is neither anxious about theirs, nor meddles in it; but leaves them to the chances of life, and the ordinary track of training up children. The mother, a woman of great goodness, but who never had any of the improvements of education, is, you may very well believe, but little versed in the arts of forming young minds; yet she thinks herself qualified by her natural sagacity, of which, indeed, she has a considerable share, for directing and managing her own children. But though she were better qualified than she is, her immoderate fondness would baffle the nicest management. Her son is her favourite, in whom she sees no fault; or, if they are too glaring to be hid, she winks at them: and if any of the family or friends complain of them to her, she is ready to put the fairest colouring on them, and is ready to ascribe the complaints to some unreasonable partiality or prejudice against her darling boy. The young gentleman, finding himself so secure of mamma's favour, takes all advantages, and stretches his prerogative to the utmost, The servants of the family he disciplines with all the force his fists and feet are masters of; and uses strangers who come to visit the family with the most indecent familiarities some he calls names, others he salutes with a slap, or pulls off their wigs, or treads on their toes, with many such instances of rough courtesy. He is indulged, and (if I may use the expression) trained in the love of money. It is made the reward of doing his task, and the end of all his labours. His pockets are generally full; at least, money is never denied him when he either coaxes or cries for it; and indeed I have seen him do both with great dexterity. He is allowed to play as much as he pleases at cards, draughts, or any other game; and it is always for money. I have been diverted to see how the chances of the game have roused all his little passions. If he won, he triumphed over his adversary with immense eagerness and joy ; if he lost, he cried, stormed, and bullied, like a petty tyrant, and parted with his money with infinite regret. If the mother was provoked at any time to take notice of his irre

gularities, she did it with so little judgment, and so much heat, that it had little or no influence. Perhaps she frowned, and fired, and made a thundering noise for a while, but this was soon over; and master's tears, or sullen silence, soon brought on a perfect reconciliation. She showed no care and steady indignation, such as would have been sufficient to produce a lasting effect nor were her rebukes seconded with any substantial marks of displeasure, so as to make a deep impression on such a perverse child.

The young lady's temper is a little softer, but not less imperious. She is brought up with a high opinion of the dignity of her rank, and contempt of the vulgar; therefore the little thing imagines herself already a very considerable personage, takes state upon her in all companies, swells with rage at every little imaginary affront, and never thinks she is treated with respect enough; the servants must pay her uncommon homage; she must be helped at table before strangers of an ordinary rank. Her pretty features must not be discomposed by crossing her in short, humoured she must be in all things; and when her ladyship is dressed in all her finery, she is admired, caressed, and exalted into a little queen. This makes her vain and insolent to a degree of extravagance. She and her brother have pretty nearly the same task set them. They read, write, dance, and play together; but will only read, or write, or do just as much as their little honours think proper. They go to learn as to some terrible task; are restless and impatient till it is over; and mind their tutor almost as much as the maid that puts them to bed: for his authority, not being duly supported by their parents, has no weight. In fine, they are so much humoured, so little restrained and kept under proper government, that he must have more than the patience of a man who can bear with their insolence, and almost the capacity of an angel to shape and improve them into any tolerable figure: though with the genius and temper they have, they might be taught any thing, or moulded into any form, were they under the influence of proper discipline and authority. Upon the whole, I could not help thinking them an instance of

the indiscreet conduct of parents in the management of their children, whom, by an ill-judged fondness, they expose to the contempt and derision of mankind, and perhaps to irretrievable calamities.

EUGENIO is just out of his minority, and in the twenty-second year of his age: he practises the man with all that virtue and decency that makes his father's acquaintance covet his company; and indeed they may learn by his discourse the art of good reasoning, as well as the precepts of religion from his example. He is an entertaining companion to the gay young gentlemen his equals and yet divine and philosophers take a pleasure to have Eugenio amongst them. He is caressed by his superiors in honour and years; and though he is released from the discipline of parental education, yet he treats the lady his mother with all the affectionate duty that could be desired or demanded of him ten years ago: his father is content to see his own youth outshone by his son, and confesses that Eugenio already promises greater things than Agathus did at thirty.

If you ask whence these happy qualities arise, I grant there was some foundation for them in his very nature, there was something of a complexional virtue mingled with his frame; but it is much more owing to the wise conduct of his parents from his very infancy, and the blessing of Divine Grace attending their labours, their prayers, and their hopes.

He was trained up from the very cradle to all the duties of infant virtue, by the allurements of love and reward, suited to his age; and never was driven to practise any thing by a frown or a hasty word, where it was possible for kinder affections to work the same effect by indulgence and delay.

As fast as his reasoning powers began to appear and exert themselves, they were conducted in an easy track of thought, to find out and observe the reasonableness of every part of his duty, and the lovely character of a child obedient to reason and to his parents' will; while every departure from duty was shown to be so contrary, to reason, as laid an early foundation for conscience to work upon conscience began here to assume its office,'

and to manifest its authority in dictates, and reproofs, and reflections of mind, peaceful or painful, according to his behaviour. When his parents observed this inward monitor to awake in his soul, they could better trust him out of their sight.

When he became capable of conceiving of an almighty and invisible Being, who made this world and every creature in it, he was taught to pay all due regard to this God his Maker; and from the authority and love of his father on earth, he was led to form right ideas (as far as childhood permitted) of the power, government, and goodness of the universal and supreme Father of all in heaven.

He was informed why punishment was due to an offence against God or his parents, that his fear might become an useful passion to awaken and guard his virtue; but he was instructed, at the same time, that where he heartily repented of a fault, and returned to his duty with new diligence, there was forgiveness to be obtained both of God and man.

When at any time a friend interceded for him to his father, after he had been guilty of a fault, he was hereby directed into the doctrine of Jesus, the mediator between God and man; and thus he knew him as an intercessor, before he could well understand the notion of his sacrifice and atonement.

In his younger years he passed but twice under the correction of the rod once for a fit of obstinacy and persisting in a falsehood; then he was given up to severe chastisement, and it dispelled and cured the sullen humour for ever and once for the contempt of his mother's authority he endured the scourge again, and he wanted it no more.

He was enticed sometimes to the love of letters, by making his lesson a reward of some domestic duty; and a permission to pursue some parts of learning was the appointed recompense of his diligence and improvement in others.

There was nothing required of his memory but what was first (as far as possible) let into his understanding; and by proper images and representations, suited to lis years, he was taught to form some conception of the