Positions

by Richard Mulcaster

Academicall.

For the tutour bycause he is in the vniuersitie, where his daily conuersation among a number of studentes, and the opinion of learning, which the vniuersitie hath of him: wil direct choice and assure desire: I haue nothing to saye, but leaue the parentes to those helpes, which the place doth promise.

Elementarie.

2. For the Elementarie bycause good scholers will not abase themselues to it, it is left to the meanest, and therfore to the worst. For that the first grounding would be handled by the best, and his reward would be greatest, bycause both his paines and his iudgement should be with the greatest. And it would easily allure sufficient men to come downe so lowe, if they might perceaue that reward would rise vp. No man of iudgement will contrarie this pointe, neither can any ignorant be blamed for the contrarie: the one seeth the thing to be but low in order, the other knoweth the ground to be great in laying, not onely for the matter which the child doth learne: which is very small in shew, though great for proces: but also for the manner of handling his witte, to harten him for afterward, which is of great moment.

Of the Elementary teachers entertainment.

But to say somwhat concerning the teachers reward, which is the encouragement to good teaching, what reason is it, though still pretended, and sometimes perfourmed, to encrease wages, as the child waxeth in learning? Is it to cause the maister to take more paines, and vpon such promise, to set his pupille more forward? Nay surely that cannot be. The present payment would set that more forward, then the hope in promise, bycause in such varietie and inconstancie of the parentes mindes, what assurance is there, that the child shall continue with the same maister: that he maye receiue greater allowance with lesse paines, which tooke greater paines, with lesse allowance? Besides this if the reward were good, he would hast to gaine more, which new and fresh repare of scholers would bring, vpon report of the furthering his olde, and his diligent trauell. What reason caryeth it, when the labour is lesse, then to enlarge the allowance? the latter maister to reape the benefit of the formers labour, bycause the child makes more shew with him? why? It is the foundacion well and soundly laid, which makes all the vpper building muster, with countenaunce and continuaunce. If I were to strike the stroke, as I am but to giue counsell, the first paines truely taken, should in good truth be most liberally recompensed: and lesse allowed still vpward, as the paines diminish, and the ease encreaseth. Wherat no maister hath cause to repine, so he maye haue his children well grounded in the Elementarie. Whose imperfection at this day doth marueilously trouble both maisters and scholers, so that we can hardly do any good, nay scantly tell how to place the too too raw boyes in any certaine forme, with hope to go forward orderly, the ground worke of their entrie being so rotten vnderneth. Which weaknes if the vpper maister do redresse, when the child commeth vnder his hand, he cannot but deserue triple wages, both for his owne making, and for mending that, which the Elementarie either marred with ignoraunce, or made not for haste, which is both the commonest, and the corruptest kinde of marring in my opinion. For the next maisters wages, I do conceiue, that the number in ripenesse vnder him, will requite the Elementarie allowance, be it neuer so great. For the first maister can deale but with a few, the next with moe, and so still vpward, as reason groweth on, and receiues without forcing. For the inequalitie of children, it were good a whole companie remoued still togither, and that there were no admission into schooles, but foure times in the yeare quarterly, that the children of foresight might be matched, and not hurled hand ouer head into one forme as now we are forced, not by substaunce, but by similitude and coniecture at the sudden, which thing the conference betwene the maisters in a resolued plat will helpe wonderfully well forward, when the one saith this haue I taught, and this can the child do: the other knoweth this ye should teach, and this your childe should do. Thus much for the elementarie maister, that he be sufficiently appointed in himselfe for abilitie, and sufficiently prouided for, by parentes for maintenaunce. Now whether one man, or moe shalbe able to perfourme all the elementarie pointes, at diuers houres, or of force there must be more teachers, that shalbe handled in the elementarie it selfe hereafter. Once fore all good entertainement by way of reward, will make very able men to leane this way, and one course of training will breed, a meruelous number of sufficient trainers, whose insufficiencie may now be obiected, that such cannot presently be had, though in short time they may. And if there must be moe executours, entertainement will worke that to, and conuenientnes of rowme will bring all togither.

Grammer maisters.

The Grammer maisters entertainement and his sufficiencie.

3. My greatest trauell must be about the grammer maister, as ech parent ought to be verie circumspect for his owne priuate that way. For he is to deale with those yeares, whereupon all the residew do build their likelyhoode to proue well or ill. Wherein by reason of the naturall agilitie of the soule and body, being both vnsettled, there is most stirre, and least stay: he perfiteth the Elementarie in course of learning: he offereth hope or despaire of perfection to the tutour and vniuersitie, in their proceeding further. For whom in consideration of sufficient abilitie, and faithfull trauell I must still pray for good entertainement, which will always procure most able persons. For it is a great daunting to the best able man, and a great cutting of his diligent paynes, when he shall finde his whole dayes trauell not able to furnish him of necessarie prouision: to do good with the best, and to gaine with the basest, nay much lesse than the lowest, who may entend to shift, when he must entend his charge: and enrich himselfe, nay hardly feede himselfe, with a pure, and poore conscience. But ye will perhaps say what shall this man be able to performe, for whom you are so carefull, to haue him so well entertained? to whose charge the youth of our country is to be committed? If there were no more said, euen this last point were enough to craue enough, for that charge is great: and if he do discharge it well, he must be well able to do it, and ought to be very well requited for doing it so well. Besides his maners and behauiour, which require testimonie and assurance: besides his skill in exercising and trayning of the body, he must be able to teach the three learned toungues, the latin, the greeke, the hebrew, if the place require so much, if not, so much as is required. Wherin assuredly a mediocritie in knowledge, will proue to meane, to emplant, that in another which he hath in himselfe. For he that meaneth to plant but some litle well: must himselfe farre exceede any degree of mediocrite. He must be able to vnderstand his writer, to maister false printes, vnskilfull dictionaries, simple coniectures of some smattering writers concerning the matter of his traine, and be so appointed ear he begine to teach, as he may execute readyly, and not make his owne imperfection, to be a torture to his scooler, and a schooling to him selfe. For it is an ill ground to grow vp from ignoraunce by teaching, in that place, where no ignorance of matter at least should be, at the very first: though time and experience do polish out the maner. He must haue the knowledge of all the best grammers, to giue notes by the way still, though he burden not the childes memorie of course, with any more then shalbe set downe. There are required in him besides these, and further pointes of learning to, as I will note hereafter, hardnes to take paines: constancie to continew and not to shrinke from his trade: discretion to iudge of circumstances: lightsomnes to delite in the successe of his labour: hartines to encourage a toward youth: regard to thinke ech childe an Alexander: courteous lowlines in himselfe, as if he were the meanest thoug he were knowne to be the best. For the verie least thing in learning, will not be well done, but onely by him, which knoweth the most, and doth that which he doth with pleasure and ease, by reason of his former store. These qualities deserue much, and in our scooles they be not generally found, bycause the rewardes for labour there be so base and simple, yet the most neare is best in choice, and many there be which would come neare, if entertainement were answerable. Let the parentes, and founders prouide for the one: and certainely they shall finde no default in the other.

A meane to haue excellent teachers and professours generally.