Positions

by Richard Mulcaster

The rule of discretion.

But for the best waie of their good speede, that witte maie conceiue and learne well, memorie retaine and hold fast, discretion chuse and discerne best, the cheife and chariest point is, so to plie them all, as they may proceede voluntarily, and not with violence, that will may be a good boye, ready to do well, and lothe to do ill, neuer fearing the rod, which he will not deserue. For wheresoeuer will in effecting, doth ioyne with abilitie to conceiue, and memorie to retaine, there industrie will finde frute, yea in the frowne of fortune. By discretion to cause them take to that, which is best, and to forsake that, which is worst, in common dealinges is common to all men, that haue interest in children, parentes by nature, maisters by charge, neighbours of curtesie, all men of all humanitie: whom either priuate care by custome, or publike cure by commaundement of magistrate and lawe, doth compell in conscience to helpe their well doing, and to fray them from ill, wheresoeuer they meete them, or when so euer they see them do that, which is naught. And therfore that duetie to helpe them in this kinde for their manners, is incident to maisters but among others, though somwhat more then some others, as to whom it is most seemely, bycause of their authoritie, and most proper, bycause of their charge, whom knowledge best enfourmeth to embrew them with the best: and power best assisteth, to cause them embrace the best: euen perforce at the first, till acquaintaunce in time breede liking of it selfe.

But this mannering of them is not for teachers alone, because they communicate therin, as I haue said already, both with naturall parentes, to whom that point appertaineth nearest, as of most authoritie with them, and with all honest persons, which seing a child doing euill, are bid in conscience, to terrifie and check him as the quality of the childes offence, and the circunstance of their owne person doth seeme best to require.

Wherfore reseruing for the teacher so much as is for his office, to enstruct the child what is best for him in matter of manners, and to see to it, so much as in him lyeth: to set good orders in his gouvernment, to see them alwaye well, and one waye still executed and perfourmed, I referre the rest to those, whom either any vertuous consideration of them selues, or any particular duetie, enioyned by lawe, doth charge with the rest, either by priuate discipline at home, or by publike ordinaunce abroade, to see youth well brought vp that waye: to learne to discern that which is well from ill, good from bad, religious from prophane, honest from dishonest, commendable from blame worthy, seemely from vnseemely, that they may honour God, serue their countrey, comfort their freindes, and aide one an other, as good countreymen are bound to do. But how to handle their conceit in taking, and their memorie, in holding, bycause that appertaineth to teachers wholly: (for all that the parentes and freindes, wilbe medlers somtime, to further their young impes:) I will deale in that, and shew wherin children ought to be trained, till they be found fit for Grammer: wherin neuerthelesse, both the matters, which they learne: and the manners, which they are made to, serue for ground to vertue, and encrease of discretion.

As I might verie well be esteemed inconsiderate, if I should force any farre fet diuises into these my principles, which neither my countrey knew, nor her custome cared for, so dealing but with those, and resting content with those, which my countrey hath seuered to her priuate vse, and her custome is acquainted with of long continuaunce, I maye hope for consent, where my countrey commendeth, and looke for successe, where custome leades my hand, and feare no note of noueltie, where nothing is but auncient.

Reading.

Amongst these my countreys most familiar principles, reading offereth herselfe first in the entrie, chosen vpon good ground continued vpon great proofe, enrowled among the best, and the verie formost of the best, by her owne effectes, as verie many so verie profitable. For whether you marke the nature of the thing, while it is in getting, or the goodnesse therof when it is gotten, it must needs be the first, and the most frutefull principle, in training of the minde. For the letter is the first and simplest impression in the trade of teaching, and nothing before it. The knitting and iointing wherof groweth on verie infinitely, as it appeareth most plainely by daily spelling, and continuall reading, till partely by vse, and partely by argument, the child get the habit, and cunning to read well, which being once gotten, what a cluster of commodities doth it bring with all? what so euer any other, for either profit or pleasure, of force or freewill, hath published to the world, by penne or printe, for any ende, or to any vse, it is by reading all made to serue vs: in religion to loue and feare God, in law to obey and please men: in skill to entertaine knowledge, in will to expell ignorance, to do all in all, as hauing by it all helpes to do all thinges well. Wherfore I make reading, my first and fairest principle of all other, as being simply the first in substaunce, and leaning to none, but leading all other, and growing after so great, as it raungeth ouer all, being somwhat without other, other nothing without it: and a thing of such moment, as it is vainely begon, if it be not soundly goten, and being once sound it selfe: it deliuereth the next maister from manifest toile, and the childe himselfe from maruellous trouble, from feare where he failes not, from staggering, where he stops not, with comfort where he knowes, with courage, where he dare, a securitie to the parent, a safty to eche partie. I wishe the childe to haue his reading thus perfect, and ready, in both the English and the Latin tongue verie long before he dreame of his Grammar.

The reading of English first.

Of the which two, at whether it were better to begin, by some accident of late it did seeme somwhat doubtful: but by nature of the tongues, the verdit is giuen vp. For while our religion was restrained to the Latin, it was either the onely, or the onelyest principle in learning, to learne to read Latin: as most appropriate to that effect, which the Church then esteemed on most.

But now that we are returned home to our English abce, as most naturall to our soile, and most propter to our faith, the restraint being repealed, and we restored to libertie, we are to be directed by nature, and propertie, to read that first, which we speake first, and to care for that most, which we euer vse most: bycause we neede it most: and to begin our first learning there, where we haue most helpes, to learne it best, by familiaritie of our ordinarie language, by vnderstanding all usuall argumentes, by continuall company of our owne countreymen, all about vs speaking English and none vttering any wordes but those, which we our selues are well acquainted with, both in our learning and living.