[1090]Ezerel Tong, D.D.:—Mr. Cadnam, bookeseller, New Exchange, hath his papers, among which is a MS. (folio) of chymistrie: quaere title. Respondet quod non: Captain Tonge (his brother) gave all his papers to my lord Culpepper[1091], when he went to Virginia. I spake to Sir R. Reding to quaere <about them>, and my lord heeded not such things. So there is a precious collection of other men's labours lost.
[1092]Ezerel Tong, D.D., invented (among other things) the way of teaching children to write a good hand in twenty dayes' time, by writing over, with black inke, copies printed from copper-plates in red inke:—viz., the children (scilicet, about 8 or 9 aetatis) were to do it four howers in the day; i.e. 2 howers or 2 halfe-howers in the morning at a time (as the boyes' temper could endure it, without tyring him); and then to play as long; and then to it again, to keep up the idea in the child fresh. Since his death, Mr. Robert Moray (projector[1093] of the Penney Post) haz engraven severall plates printed-off in red letters, by which meanes boyes learne (to admiration) as aforesayd—quod N.B.
His funerall sermon was preached in the church of St. Michael, Wood-street; the church of St. Mary Stayning being burn't, and never to be re-edified, but both parishes putt together.
Notes.
[CC] Aubrey gives in trick the coat, 'azure, a bend or cottised argent, between six martlets or,' and notes 'this is the same coat that is borne by Delabere.'
[CD] MS. Aubr. 22 is a collection of short treatises, chiefly on Latin grammar. Of this Aubrey says:—'Memorandum:—this collection of grammatical learning (and another in 8vo) is in relation to my idea of the education of the noblesse,' i.e. is in preparation for MS. Aubr. 10 infra.—In this volume is a treatise 'by Dr. Tonge, Brampton Castle, Dec. 23, 1672,' entitled 'Dr. Tonge de punctis,' 3 pp., dealing with Wasmuth's rules for punctuation.
Also, An epitome of Grammar, by Ezerel Tonge, D.D., being 18 memorial verses, beginning
'Eight parts, two numbers, six cases, these.'
Also, a prospectus of Tong's school, 'At Islington in or near Sir Richard Fisher's house, next the church, having a prospect into Canbury fields'; and on the back of it a scheme of the terminations in the declension of Latin nouns. Also, 4 pp. of memorial verses (Latin), and (in MS.) a scheme for the conjugation of verbs.
MS. Aubr. 10 is Aubrey's 'The idea of education of a young gentleman.' In this, chapter 3 (i.e. foll. 13-20) is 'An introduction to the Latin tongue, by Ezerel Tong, D.D.'