How long the childe is to continue in the elementarie ear he passe to the toungues, and grammer. The incurable infirmities which posting hast worketh in the whole course of studie. How necessarie a thing sufficient time is for a scholer.

Hastie preasing onward is the greatest enemie, which any thing can haue whose best is to ripe at leasure. For if ripenes be the vertue, before it is greene, after it is rotten: and yet the excesse is the lesse harme: bycause it may ioyne, and be compounded with the vertue, and be called rotten ripe: and at the least be cast away, without any more losse, then of the thing it selfe, as it appeareth in frutes. The defect to plucke before ripenes, breedes ill in the partie which tasteth therof, and causeth the thing after a bite or two to be cast away to: vnlesse it be in longing wymen, whose distemperate delite vpon a cause not common, doth giue vs to iudge, that too timely taking, is but for some disordered humours. This plucking before ripenes in my position tendeth to this ende. I haue appointed in my elementarie traine, reading, writing, drawing, singing, playing: now if either all these be vnperfitly gotten, where all be attempted, or some, where some: when the childe is remoued to the grammer schoole, what an error is committed? The thinges being not perfit, to serue the consequence, either die quite if they be not seuearly called on: or come forward with paine, where the furtherance is in feare. How many small infantes haue we set to grammer, which can scarecely reade? how many to learne latin, which neuer wrate letter? And yet though some litle one could doe much better then all his fellowes, it were no harme for him to be captaine a good while in his elementarie schoole, rather then to be a meane souldier in a captaine schoole. The displeasoures be beyond all proportion pernicious, beyond all multitude many, which this posting pulles after it. And if moning could amend them, I would not onely mone them, that they be so many, but also mourne for them, that they be so helpeles. It is a world to see the weakenes of children, and the fondnes of friendes in that behalfe. It is to much, that may be vnderstood, where so much is said: the fault is generall, and the onely cause, which both makes children loth to learne, and the maisters seeme to be tormenters in their teaching. For the maister hasting on to the effect of his profession, and the scholer drawing backe, as not able to beare the burden: there riseth a conflict in the maister, with passion, if it conquere him: against passion if he conquere it. If the maister be verie sharp witted in deliuering, and the boy slowheaded in receiuing, then the passion will lightly conquer. Which it cannot doe, where wisedome and consideration in the maister be armed aforehand with pacience, or where experience, and wearines of extremitie haue wrought a calmenes. And as in the maister passion breedes heat, so in the childe infirmitie breedes feare, and so much the more, if he finde his maister somwhat to fierce. Whereupon neither the one nor the other can do much good at all, and all through this hastie imperfection being the matter of heat in the one, and of feare in the other. Whereof if the boy were not in daunger how peart would he be, and what a pleasure would the maister take in such a perfit perteling? but when the childe is so weake, as both he himselfe feeles it in his learning, and the maister findes it in his teaching, tell the parent so he will not beleeue it. So blynde is affection in the parent which cannot see: and in stoore of teachers, he shall finde some which will vndertake, and condemne the misliker. Whereby chaunge feedes his humour for the time, and repentance his follie long after, when the default proues vncurable, and the first maister is admitted among the prophetes. Such a thing it is to preuent illes in time, and when warning is giuen not to mocke the intelligence, nor to blame the watchman.

If the imperfections which come more of haste then of ignoraunce from the Elementary schoole would take vp their Inne there, and raunge no further, the moane were not so much, bycause there were some meane to redresse: but now as one billow driueth on an other: so hast beginning there makes the other successions in learning trowle on too too headlong. Be young children set to soone to their Grammer onely? be none sent to the Vniuersitie, which when they come thence from yeares after, might well with good gaine returne to the Grammer schoole againe? I will not saye that they were not ready when they went, but peraduenture they were not ready, and forgat that they were so. Do not some good honest wittes in the middest of their studie finde the festering of haste, and wishe though in vaine that they had bene more aduised in their passage? and if they recouer that which they misse and wish for, do they not finde the learned conclusion trew: that such thinges be extreme painful to setled memories, which were very pleasaunt passages to the youngest boyes? He that beginnes his Grammer in any language, when he is a Graduate, may perhaps wish for some way without Grammer, and couet a Compendium. The Vniuersities can best iudge of the infirmities in our Grammer schooles, when they finde the want in those yonglinges, whom they haue from vs, but not sent by vs: we our selues see them, but we cannot salue them. Priuate affection ouerrules all reason: straungenesse betwene the parent and maister cuttes of conference in the remouing: and in some places multitude of schooles marres the whole market: where store is the sore, and oportunitie to alter an allurement to the worse. So that by degrees the Elementarie feebleth the Grammarian: and the Grammarian transporteth his weaknesse from his schoolemaister to his Vniuersitie tutour. Such a matter it is to stay hast at the first, which distempereth till the last. I would not haue the Vniuersities, but to thinke freindly of me, bycause though I finde fault, I seeke it not: neither blase I it with discredit to them, but wish it healed with the profit of my countrey, as I well know the most, and best of them there do.

Doth not want of sufficient time (I meane not for taking degrees, bycause that time may be complete from the proceeders first ariuall into the Vniuersitie) but for want of age and yeares: and therwithall for the want of that, which yeares do bring, oftimes send abroad youthes, whose degrees deserue place, but their depth deserues none? That prentice is to hastely out of his yeares, which being at one and twentie free from his maister, is eare foure and twentie free from his thrift both reft of goodnesse, and left goodlesse. If men abroad had not a sensible iudgement in yeares, that young ware cannot be but greene, how sprooting faire so euer it doth shew: youth might deceiue them with titles, as it deceiues it selfe with opinions. Yeares without stuffe maye beguile before triall: yeares with stuffe will abide the stampe: Stuffe without yeares is wounderous for a while, but it is subiecte to quicke withering, and to fade of wonder. Neither stuffe nor yeares, is extreme pitifull, and the very ground of my complaint, bycause neither few yeares can prouide great stuffe, yea to the best witte: nor many yeares to any witte, without great studie, which is a death there, where the defecte is great. How fortuneth it then, that either freindes be so foolish, or studentes so vnstayed, to haste so with so much waste? The causes be: impacience, which can abide no tarying, where a restlesse conceit is full frawght: libertie, to liue as he listeth, bycause he listeth not to liue as he should: brauerie, to seeme to be some body, and to cary a countenaunce: hope of preferment, to desire dignities before abilitie to discharge. In the meane while: the common weale becomes priuate: the generall weapeth, while the particular winneth: and yet the winning is no soundnesse, but shew. What notable men haue dealt with, and against the forestaulling of sound time in professions? Among many if onely Viues the learned Spaniard, were called to be witnesse, he would craue pardon for his owne person, as not able to come for the goute, but he would substitute for his deputie his whole twentie bookes of disciplines, wherin he entreateth, how they come to spoile, and how they may be recouered. Lacke of time not onely in his opinion, but also in whose not? bringes lacke of learning, which is a sore lacke, where it ought not to be lacking. The cankar that consumeth all, and causeth all this euill is haste, an vnaduised, rashe, hedlong counsellour, and then most pernicious when it hath either some apparence in reason that the child is ripe: or the hartning of some maister, which either is disposed to follow where he seeth replying past cure: or that cannot discern colours, bycause he is that in his degree, which the childe is in his: both vnripe: the one to teach, the other to remoue.

But what if hope of exhibition make an Vniuersitie man straine? and either perswade abilitie, or promise to supplie, where abilitie wantes? Nay what if exhibitours of some litle, seeke recompence to soone, and halfe force some poore scholer to toile with imperfection?

When the vnripe boye findeth any such meane to go to the Vniuersitie, the maister shall neuer know, till he be booted, if he do know then: for feare of stopping his iourney by contrarie counsell: that is by reason to stay him, which runnes to his owne harme.

Time of it selfe, as it is the noblest circunstance wherwith we haue to deale: so it hath a bredth in it selfe capeable of to much, to litle, and enough.

To much time is seldome found fault with iustly, though some time pretended, bycause it is seldome taryed for in this kinde wherwith I deale.

To litle time is that wheron I complaine, and so much the more harmefull, bycause hast to attaine vnto the desired ende makes it seeme no fault till the blow be giuen.

Time enough is that meane which perfiteth all, the Elementarie in his kinde, the Grammarian in his, the Graduate in his, and so profiteth the common weale by perfiting all: the prerogatiue to thought: the mother to truth: the tuchestone to ripenesse: the enemy to errour: mans only stay, and helpe to aduice.

For the Grammarians time, though it be not within this argument, as many other thinges which the affinitie drew in, yet thus much may I say. That his perfitnesse hath a pitche, and his yeares yeilde his good, as it shall appeare in his owne place, whose time must needes be limited, bycause he is so placed after the Elementarie, and before the Uniuersitie, as the well appointing of his time shall disapoint neither of them. For the times, and yeares of studie before degrees in the Vniuersitie, Plato himselfe in his exquisite republike cannot, nor doth not appoint them better then they be there already, if the Grammar, and Elementarie haste marred not, and made them that come to soone seeke also to proceede to soone, yet euen so fulfilling statutes, which appoint the continuing yeares, though smallie for their benefit, which are not appointed in yeares, and lesse then not appointed in substaunce. The distances betwene degrees orderly employed, and the midle learninges being caryed before them, as it is imported by their stiles: might worke in the most very reasonable knowledge, for methode and ground in habite, though not for particulars, which be alwayes endlesse, still without art, though most within experience, for their most needfull number. Now if that helpe of readers, which I wished for, were put in execution, me thinke, the world should see, a marueilous number of excellent professours in euery degree. I am to long in talking of to litle: but the times hanging one vpon another haue led me thus onward: wherfore it is now time for me to determine that time, which I do take to be enough for the Elementarie. When the child can read so readily, and roundly, as the length of his lesson shal nothing trouble him for his reading: when he can write so faire and so fast, as no kinde of exercise shalbe tedious vnto him for the writing: when his penne or pencill shall delite him with bragge: when his Musicke both for voice, and hand is so farre forward, as a litle voluntarie will both maintaine, and encrease it: all which thinges the second maister must haue an eye vnto: then hath the Elementarie had time enough. If the parent account not of all, yet perfitnesse in his choice must be his cheife account. The childes ordinarie exercises, will continue his writing, and reading, himselfe will alwaye be drawing, bycause it deliteth his eye, and busieth not his braine. But for Musicke, the maister and the parentes delite must further it. For that in those yeares, children be Musicall rather for other then for them selues. Once in, this is a certaine ground, and most infallible, that in tarying long, and perfiting well, there is no losse of time, specially seeing those qualities euen alone, be a pretie furniture of houshold if they be well gotten. The hasting on to fast to see the frute too soone, when circunstances perswade tarying, is to winne an houre in the morning, and to lease the day after. Thus much concerning the Elementarie time, determinable not by yeares, but by sufficiencie. If yeares could be limittes to knowledge, as they be very good leaders, the rule were more certaine: but where witte goeth not by yeares, nor learning without, sufficiencie is the surest bounder, to set out, wherin enough is. Howbeit in the Elementarie, and so forth I will limit the time somwhat nearer, with all the considerations, both for varietie of the matters which are to be learned, and the men which are to teach, and such thinges as seeme not so proper to be set downe here.