Positions

by Richard Mulcaster

There be two speciall, whether ye will call them rules, or notes, to be obserued in teaching, wherof the first is: That thinges be so taught, as that which goeth before, may induce that, which followeth by naturall consequence of the thing it selfe, not by erronious missorting of the deceiued chuser, who like vnto an vnskilfull hoste oftimes misplaceth euen the best of his guestes, by not knowing their degrees.

The second is, that those thinges be put vnto children, which being confessed to be most necessarie, and most proper to be learned in those yeares, haue lest sense, to their feeling, and most labour, without fainting. For can any growne man so moile him selfe, without to much cumber, with either the principles of Grammer, or cunning without booke, as a child will, the ones memorie being empty, the other being distracte with diuersitie of thoughtes? Reason directes yeares, and roate rules in youth, reason calls in sense and feeling of paine, roate runnes on apase and mindeth nothing else but either play in the ende, or a litle praise for a great deale of paines. Now praise neuer wearies, nor paine euer but wearies, and play pleaseth children with any, yea the greatest iniquitie of circunstance, whether the weather lowre, or the maister frowne, so he will giue them leaue to go. Though the Latin tongue be already discharged of all superfluities, exempt from custome, to chaunge it, and laid vp for knowledge, to cherish it: and of long time hath bene smoothed both to the eye, and to the eare: yet in course of teaching it doth not naturally draw on the English, which yet remaineth in her lees vnrackt and not fined, though it grow on verie faire. Our spelling is harder, our pronouncing harsher, our syllabe hath commonly as many letters, as the whole Latin word hath. So that both consequence, and hardnesse preferre the English. Euen here must memorie begin her first traine, and store her selfe with such stuffe, as shall laie the best foundation to religion and obedience, which beginning in these yeares, will crepe on very strongly and no lesse soundly: so that the child cannot but proue very good in age, which was so consideratly entred in his youth. What the thinges shall be, wherin both reading must trauell, and memorie must make choice, I will shew in mine Elementarie wherin the whole education before Grammer shalbe comprised.

Writing.

Next to reading followeth writing, in some reasonable distance after, bycause it requireth some strength of the hand, which is not so soone staied nor so stiffe to write, as the tongue is stirring and redy to read. And though writing in order of traine do succede reading, yet in nature and time it must needes be elder. For the penne or some other penlike instrument did carue and counterfeat the letter or some letterlike deuise first rawly and rudely, neither all at once: then finely and fully, when all was at once: and therby did let the eye beholde that in charact, which the voice deliuered to the eare in sounde, which being so set downe to vtter the power and knitting of the articulate voice, and afterward obserued to expresse them in deede, caused writing be much vsed as interpreter to the minde, and reading be embrased as expounder to the penne, and expressing that in force, which the penne set downe in fourme. Wherby it must needes follow, that raw and rude charactes, were the primitiue writing, which being expressed what they did signifie brought forth reading: and that experience vpon triall of their vertues made so much of them both, as she recommended them to profit, to haue them appointed for principles in the training vp of youth. So that reading being but the expresser of the written charactes must needes acknowledge and confesse her puniship to writing, of whom she tooke both her being and her beginning.

To limite any one cause how writing began, or to runne ouer the inuentours of thinges to finde out who deuised it first, were to gesse at some vncertaine, though probable coniecture, without any assuraunce, to build on, as the thing it selfe is of small importaunce, for any to tarie on. It is more then likely, wherof so euer the first charact came, that necessitie caught hold of it, to serue her owne tourne, and so enlarged it still, till it came to that perfection which we see it now in. I will neither paint out reading with such ornamentes, as it needes not, neither praise writing with such argumentes, as it craues not. For it is praise enough to a good thing to be confessed good, and what so euer is said more, is doubtfully to ground that, which is determinatly graunted, and to seeke for defence when the forte is surrendred. After that reading was reduced into forme, and brought to her best, she fined her foundresse, and is therfore aboue all praise, bycause she makes the eye, the paragon sense, by benefit of that obiect. And writing it selfe hath profited so much, since it hath bene perfited, as it now proues the proppe to remembraunce, the executour of most affaires, the deliuerer of secretes, the messager of meaninges, the enheritance of posteritie, whereby they receiue whatsoeuer is left them, in lawe to liue by, in letters to learne, in euidence to enioye. To come by this thing so much commended, so, as it may bring foorth all her effectes redily, and roundly, these notes must be kept.

That the maister learne himselfe and teach his scholer a faire letter and a fast, for plainesse and speede: That the matter of his example be pithie, and proper, to enrich the memorie with profitable prouision: and that the learning to write be not left of, vntil it be verie perfit: bycause writing being ones perfectly goten doth make a wonderful riddance in the rest of our learning. For the master may be bould to charge his child with writing of his geare, when he findes him able, to dispatch that with ease, what so euer is enioyned him. Neither shall that child euer complaine of difficultie after, which can read and write perfectly before. For first he hath purchased those two excellent faire winges, which will cause him towre vp to the top of all learning, as Plato in the like case of knowledge, termeth Arithmetick and Geometrie[2] his two wings wherwith to flie vp to heauen, from whence he doth fetch the true direction of his imprisoned ignorant. Secondly he hath declared eare he came to that cunning, that his wit would serue him, to proceede on further, as his winges will helpe him, to flie on faster. For in deede during the time, of writing and reading, his witte will bewraie it selfe, whether it may venture further vpon greater learning, or were best to stay at some smaller skil, vpon defect in nature. But if the child can not do that redily, which he hath rather looked on, then learned, before he remoue from his Elementarie, while his maister conceiues quickly, and he perceiues slowly, there is verie much matter offered vnto passion, wheron to worke. Which commonly brusteth out into much beating, to the dulling of the childe, and discouraging of the maister: and bycause of the to timely onset, to litle is done in to long a time, and the schoole is made a torture, which as it bringes forth delite in the ende, when learning is helde fast, so should it passe on verie pleasantly by the waye, while it is in learning: And generally this I do thinke of perfiting, and making vp, as children go on: (seing the argument it selfe doth draw my penne so forcibly forward,) that it must needes be most perfectly good. For what if oportunitie either to go any further at all, or at least to go so on, as their freindes did set them in, be suddenly cut of, either by losse of freindes, or lacke in freindes, or some other misfortune? were it not good that they had so much perfectly, as they are practised in? which being vnperfectly had, will either stand them in very small steede, or in none at all. To write and read wel which may be iointly gotten is a prety stocke for a poore boye to begin the world with all.

Writing the English hand first.

The same reasons which moued me to haue the child read English before Latin, do moue me also, to wishe him to write English before Latin, as a thing of more hardnesse, and redier in vse to aunswere all occasions. Thus farre I do thinke that all my countreymen will ioyne with me, and allow their children the vse, of their letter and penne. For those that can write and read may not gainsaie, least I aske of them why they learned themselues? If they that cannot, do mislike that they haue not, I will aske of them, why they wishe so oft for them?

Drawing.

Some controuersie before the thing be consideratly thought on, but none after, may arise about this next, which is to draw with penne or pencill, a cosen germain to faire writing, and of the selfe same charge. For penne and penknife, incke and paper, compasse and ruler, a deske and a dustboxe will set them both vp, and in these young yeares, while the finger is flexible, and the hand fit for frame, it will be fashioned easely. And commonly they that haue any naturall towardnesse to write well, haue aknacke of drawing to, and declare some euident conceit in nature bending that waye. And as iudgement by vnderstanding is a rule to the minde to discern what is honest, seemly, and sutable in matters of the minde, and such argumentes as fall within compasse of generall reason exempt from sense: so this qualitie by drawing with penne or pencill, is an assured rule for the sense to iudge by, of the proportion and seemelines of all aspectable thinges. As he that knoweth best, how to kepe that himselfe, which is comely in fashion, can also best iudge, when comelinesse of fashion is kept by any other. And why is it not good to haue euery parte of the body: and euery power of the soule to be fined to his best? And seing that must be looked vnto long afore, which must serue vs best alwaye after, why ought we not to ground that thoroughly in youth, which must requite vs againe with grace in our age? If I or any else should seeme to contemne that principle, which brought forth Apelles, and that so knowen a crew of excellent painters, so many in number, so marueilous in cunning, so many statuaries, so many architectes: nay whose vse all modelling, all mathematikes, all manuaries do finde and confesse to be to so notorious and so needefull: both I and that any else might well be supposed to see very litle, not seing the use of that, which is laboured for sight, and most delitefull to see. Neither is the deuise mine, as if it were, repentance hath repulse. For what so euer I do allow in others, which for the deuise do deserue wel, I deserued not ill, in mine opinion, if I were my selfe the first deuiser therof. That great philosopher Aristotle in the eight booke and third chapter of his Politikes, and not there onely, as not he alone, ioyneth writing and reading, which he compriseth vnder this worde, γραμματικὴ, with drawing by penne or pencill, which I translate his γραφικὴ, both the two of one parentage and petigree, as thinges peculiarly chosen to bring vp youth, both for quantitie in profit, and for qualitie in vse. There he sayeth, that as writing and reading do minister much helpe to trafficque, to householdrie, to learning, and all publicke dealinges: so drawing by penne or pencill, is verie requisite to make a man able to iudge, what that is which he byeth of artificers and craftes men, for substaunce, forme, and fashion, durable and handsome or no: and such other necessarie seruices, besides the delitefull and pleasant.