To the use of tranflations, and to the varieus modes of facilitating puerile ftudies, I may venture to attribute the decline of folid learning, and of that just taste which the antient models tended to establish *. Together with

mihi auctorem fupplicemque effe, ut peftiferum illud confilium abjiciam, &c. To all tranflations from Greek into Latin, from either into English, ta which I think we owe the wonderful paucity of the truly learned, and the multitude of the half learned and of fciolifts, I am a declared enemy; and I have always been of opinion, that this ridiculous practice of adding Latin tranflations to Greek books, is the difgrace and deftruction of Grecian literature. But I was ob÷

liged to have a regard to the bookseller's profit; who affured me, that a Greek book, without a Latin tranflation, was of all bad commodities by far the most unfaleable; for which reafon he must earnestly begged and prayed me to lay afide that ruinous intention, as he called it.

THIRLBÆUS in Præfat. ad Juftin. Mart.

Should we ever, by idle prejudices against pedantry, verbal accuracies, and we know not what, come to flight their art (the critics art), and reject them from our favour, it is well if we do not also flight thofe claffics, with whom criticism converfes, becoming content to read them in TRANSLATIONS, or (what is ftill worfe) in tranflations of tranflations, or (what is worfe even than that) not ro READ THEM AT ALL; and I will be bold to affert, if that fhould ever happen, we fhall fpeedily return into thofe days of darkness, our of which we happily emerged upon the revival of ANIIENT LITE A

TURE."

F 2

HARRIS.

tranflations,

tranflations, I wish it were poffible to banifh thofe editions in which the order of conftruction is given on the fame page with the text. I am convinced, that to the order alone the boy's attention is ufually given; and that confequently all the beauty of an elegant difpofition of words, one of the most ftriking in the claffics, muft pafs unnoticed. It tends alfo to enervate the mind, by rendering exertion unneceffary. The most unexceptionable method of rendering the claffics eafy to the younger fcholars, is to fubjoin, as is fometimes practifed, a vocabulary at the end of the volume. Even the interpretation in the editions in Ufum Delphini, which are univerfally used, tends in my opinion to corrupt the ftyle, and to vitiate the tafte, by drawing off the attention from the elegant language of a Virgil, to the bad Latin of a modern commentator.

The young ftudent cannot too early be taught to exert his own powers, and to place a modeft confidence in their operation. This will increase their native vigour, and give him fpirit to extend them as far as they will go on every proper emergency. Accuftomed to depend upon himself, he will acquire a degree of courage neceflary to call forth that merit which is often diminished in value to its diffident poffeffor, and totally loft to mankind. The little fuperficial learning of him who has been used to the facilitating inventions, may be compared to a temporary edifice, built for a day; while the hard-earned knowledge of the other may be faid to refemble a building, whofe foundations

are

are deep and ftrong, and equally to be admired for dignity and duration *.

*Mr. Clarke's Differtation on the Ufefulness of Tranflations, affixed to his Introduction (a book defervedly and generally received), has probably induced many to ufe Tranflations; yet it appears, that mafters in his time difapproved the practice;

for, fays he, it is amazing, after fo much has been faid on the fubject, that a great many Masters fhould fhew fo ftrong an averfion for what is fo manifeftly calculated for their eafe. . . In order to open the eyes of fuch, if poffible, upon a matter fo much for their quiet, intereft, and credit, I have thought fit to prefent them with this Differtation gratis." I cannot compliment Mr. Clarke on his difintereftedness, when I fee, on a fubfequent page, an advertisement of nine fchool books with tranЛlations, all by the late Mr. C. of Hull.-I will here advife all who have refolved to have their idleness encouraged, and their hopes of improvement raised, by empirical promifes and pretenfions, to fhut my book. I will fay, in the words of Dr. Felton, "f do not mind what fome QUACKS in the art of teaching fay; they pretend to work wonders, and to make young gentlemen mafters of the languages, before they can be mafters of common fenfe." Let this be laid down as an axiom, that GREAT IM

PROVEMENT IS A WORK OF LONG TIME AND GREAT LABOUR.

Οὐδὲν τῶν μεγάλων άφνω γίνεται.
Nothing great is done on a fudden.

ARRIAN,

SECTION X.

ON LEARNING THE CLASSICS BY HEART.

Pueri, quorum tenaciffima memoria eft, QUAMPLURIMA EDISCANT. Let boys, fince their memory is ufually very tenacious, learn by heart as much as poffible. QUINTILIAN.

I

T is agreed on all hands, that no faculty of the mind is capable of more improvement than the memory, and none more in danger of decay by difufe. Every practice which tends to ftrengthen it, fhould be encouraged and continued; and it is therefore a very judicious inftitution in our grammar-fchools, obferved from the earliest times, which obliges the scholars to commit large portions of the best claffics to memory.

I am forry to observe, that in private education, and in fome fchools, this tafk is often neglected as too laborious. The decay of claffical knowledge, if it is decayed, muft in a great measure be attributed to this caufe. The neglect, indeed, originates from the general relaxation of difcipline, which pervades all orders in fome degree, and which militates against · learning no less than against virtue.

That

That the task is laborious, is no valid objection. Labour strengthens the mind. What is acquired by labour will not easily be loft. The impreffion it makes is deep and lafting. But, in truth, it is not fo laborious a task to a boy as it may appear to a parent, or to any other adult, who has had neither experience nor obfervation in this department. The boy who has been habituated to the task ‡, will learn thirty or forty lines, as an evening exercife, with great eafe, and with apparent pleafure. This is really done three or four nights in a week, in our beft fchools.

Even thofe among boys who apprehend quickly, are feldom difpofed to reflect much on what they have read, to review the fentiments and the language with attention, or to fix them deeply in their memory. They read a beautiful paffage, they understand it; they admire, and feel its beauties; but if they do not ftudiously commit it to memory, it paffes over their minds as a fhadow over the earth, and leaves no trace behind.

There are many paffages in the claffics which a polite scholar is expected to have by heart as perfectly as his alphabet. They naturally ob

* Chi bene mal non puo fuffrir, a grand honor non puo venir. He who cannot fubmit cannot arrive at great honour.

Neque ulla ætas minùs fatigatur.

well to evils Ital. Adag. There is no

QUINT.

Habits, in

time of life which is lefs eafily fatigued. See the Sections on Practice on Locke's Conduct of the Understanding; a far better book, in my opinion, than his Thoughts on Education.