Positions

by Richard Mulcaster

I entend my selfe by the grace of God to bestow some paines therein, if I may perceaue any hope to encourage my trauell. If any other will deale I am ready to staie, and behold his successe: if none other will, then must I be borne with, which in so necessarie a case do offer to my countrie all my duetifull seruice. Wherein if any vpon some repining humor shall seeme to stomacke me, bycause being one perhaps meaner then he is himselfe, I do thus boldly auaunce my doinges to the stage, and view of my countrie: yet still he step foorth and shew vs his cunning he hath no wrong offred him, if another do speake while he wilbe silent. And whosoeuer shall deale in generall argumentes, must be content to put vp those generall pinches, which repining people do vse then most, when they are best vsed, and esteeme it some benefit, when doing well he heareth ill: and thinke that he hath gotten a great victorie if he please the best, and profit the most, as he may profit all and yet displease many: either through ignorance bycause they cannot discerne: or through willfulnes being wedded to preiudice: or ells through disdaine bycause it spiteth some, to see other aboue spite. A disease proper to basest dispositions, and of meanest desert, to pinch the heele where they pricke at the head.

But such as meane to do well, how souer their power perfourme, so the height of their argument ouertop not their power to farre, and discouer great want of discretion in meddling with a matter to much surmounting their abilitie, they may comfort and encourage themselues with that meaning, if their doing do answere it in any resonable proportion, and thinke it a thing, (as it is in deede) naturally, and daily accompanying all potentates either in person, or propertie, and therefore no disgrace to any meaner creature to wrastle with repyning and sowre spirites euen verie then, when they worke them most good, which are readyest to repine. If the doinges be massiue they will beare a knocke: if they be but slender, and will streight way bruse, beware the warranting. As in this my labour I dare warrant nothing, but the warines of good will, which euen ill wil shall see: if it haue any sight to see that is right, as commonly that way it is starke blinde, and so much the more incurablely, bycause the blindnes comes either of vnwillingnes to see, or of an infected sight, that will misconsture and depraue the obiect. I craue the gentle and friendly construction of such as be learned, or that loue learning, and yet I neede not craue it, bycause learning that is sound in deede and needes no bolstering, and all her louers and fauorers, be verie liberall of friendly construction, and nothing partiall to speake the best, euen where it is not craued. I must pray, if prayer will procure it, the gentle and curteouse toleration of such, as shall mislike. For as I will not willingly do that, which may deserue misliking: so if I once know wherein, I will satisfie thoroughly. And therefore in one word, I must pray my louing countriemen, and friendly readers, this to thinke of me, that either I shall hit, as my hope is, and then they shall enioy it: or if I misse, I will amend, and my selfe shall not repent it.

Schoole orders publicke.

2. The second remedie to helpe schoole inconueniences was to set downe the schoole ordinaunces betwene the maister, and his scholers in a publicke place, where they may easily be seene and red: and to leaue as litle vncertaine or vntoucht, which the parent ought to know, and whereupon misliking may arise, as is possible. For if at the first entry the parent condiscend, to those orders, which he seeth, so that he cannot afterward plead eitheir ignorance, or disallowing, he is not to take offence, if his childe be forced vnto them when he will not follow, according to that fourme, which he himselfe did confirme by his owne consent. And yet when all is done the glosse will wring the text. Wherefore the maner of teaching, the ascent in fourmes, the times of admission, the preuention to haue fourmes equall, the bookes for learning, and all those thinges, which be incident vnto that vniformitie, wherof I spake, being already knowen to be ratified by authoritie, as I trust it shalbe: or if not, yet the same order in the same degrees being set downe, which the maister priuately according to his owne skill entendes to kepe: it shalbe very good to take away matter of iarre betwene the parentes and the maister, in the same table publickly to be seene, and shewed to the parentes, when they bring their child first to schoole, besides all that, which I haue generally touched to set downe also in plaine and flat termes, 1. what houres he will kepe, bycause there is great consideration in that, what to haue fixed and perpetuall, and wherein to giue place to particular occasions, as there be very many, why all children cannot kepe all houres, though the schoole houres must still be certaine: and discretion must be the determiner. 2. Againe what occasions he will vse to let them go to play, which be now very many, and very needefull, while ordinarie exercises be not as ordinarily admitted, as ordinarie schooling, is ordinarily allowed: 3. and such other thinges as the schoole shall seeme necessarily to require. For a certaintie resolueth, and preuentes douting.

Of curtesie and correction.

But he must cheifly touch what punishment he will vse, and how much, for euery kinde of fault that shall seeme punishable by the rod. For the rod may no more be spared in schooles, then the sworde may in the Princes hand. By the rod I meane correction, and awe: if that sceptre be thought to fearfull for boyes, which our time deuised not, but receiued it from auncientie, I will not striue with any man for it, so he leaue vs some meane which in a multitude may worke obedience. For the priuate, what soeuer parentes say, my ladie birchely will be a gest at home, or else parentes shall not haue their willes. And if in men great misses deserue and receiue great punishment, sure children may not escape in some qualitie of punishment, which in quantitie of vnhappinesse will match some men. And if parentes were as carefull to examine the causes of beating, as they are nothing curious to be offended without cause for beating, themselues might gaine a great deale more to their childrens good: and their children lease nothing, by their parentes assurance. But commonly in such cases rashnesse hath her recompence, the errour being then spied, when the harme is incurable, and repentance without redresse. Terme it as ye list, beate not you saye for learning but for lewdnesse. Sure to beate him for learning which is willing enough to learne, when his witte will not serue, were more then frantike: and vnder the name of not learning to hide and shrowd all faultes and offenses, were more then foolish: and what would that childe be without beating, which with it can hardly be reclaimed? in whom onely lewdnesse is the let, and capacitie is at will? The ende of our schooles is learning: if it faile by negligence, punish negligence: if by other voluntarie default, punish the default. Spare learning: so that still the refuge must be to the maisters discretion: both for manners, and for learning, whom I would wish to set downe as much in certaintie as he can, at the beginning, and to leaue as litle as he may to the childes report, who will alway leane and sway to much to his owne side, and beare away the bell, euen against the best maister, cheifly if his mother be either his counsellour, or his attourney: or the father vnconstant, and without iudgement.

The maister therfore must haue in his table a catalogue of schoole faultes, beginning at the commandementes, for swearing, for disobedience, for lying, for false witnesse, for picking, and so thorough out: then to the meaner heresies, trewantry, absence, tardies, and so forth. Such a thing Xenophon[75] seemes to meane in rekening vp the faultes, which the Persian vsed to punish, though he limit not the penaltie, what, nor how much. Which in all these I wish our maister to set downe with the number of stripes also, immutable though not many. Wherin the maister is to take good heed, that the fault may be confessed, if it may be, without force, and the boye conuicted by verdit of his fellowes, and that very euidently. For otherwise children will wrangle amaine, and affection at home hath credulitie beyond crye, which makes the boy dare, what reason dare not. If any of their fellowes be appointed monitours, (as such helpes of Lieutenauncie must be had, where the maister cannot alwaye be present himselfe) and take them napping, they wil pretend spite, or some priuate displeasure in most manifest knauerie. And if ye correcte, as your Lieutenant must haue credit, if you meane to keepe state, that must go home to proue beating without cause. If the maister differre execution, that delaie will enstruct them to deuise some starting hole, and that also if it be not heard in schoole wilbe heard at home.

To tell tales out of schoole, is now as commonly vsed to the worst, as in the old world it was high treason to do it at all. There be as many prety stratagemes and deuises, which boyes will vse to saue themselues, and as pleasaunt to heare as any apopthegme in either Plutarch, Ælianus, or Erasmus. The maister therefore must be very circumspecte, and leaue no shew, or countenaunce of impunitie deserued, where desert biddes pay. It were some losse of time in learning, to spend any in beating, if it did not seeme a gaine that soundeth towardes good, and seekes amendement of manners. It is passing hard, to reclaime a boye, in whom long impunitie hath graffed a carelesse securitie, or rather some deepe insolencie: and yet freindes will haue it so, and beating may not be for discouraging the boye, though repentaunce be in rearward. It is also not good after any correction to let children grate somwhat to long of their late greife, for feare of to greate stomaking, onlesse the parentes be wise and stedfast, with whom if a cunning, and a discrete maister ioyne, that childe is most fortunate which hath such parentes, and that scholer most happie which hath light on such a maister. “But certainly it is most true, let plausibilitie in speach vse all her excusing and blanching colours that she can, that the round maister, which can vse the rod discretely, though he displease some, which thinke all punishment vndiscrete, if it tuch their owne, doth perfourme his duetie best, and still shall bring vp the best scholers: As no maister of any stuffe shall do but well, where the parentes like that at home, which the maister doth at schoole: and if they do mislike any thing, will rather impart their greife and displeasure with the maister priuately, to amend it, then moane their child openly, to marre that way more then they shall make any way. The same faultes must be faultes at home, which be faultes at schoole, and receiue the like reward in both the places, to worke the childes good by both meanes, correction as the cause shall offer, commendacion as neede shall require.”

They that write most for gentlenesse in traine reserue place for the rod, and we that vse the terme of seueritie recommend curtesie to the maisters discretion. Here is the oddes: they will seeme to be curteous in termes, and yet the force of the matter makes them confesse the neede of the rod: we vse sharp termes, and yet yeilde to curtesie more, then euen the verie patrones of curtesie do, for all their curifauour.

Wherin we haue more reason to harp on the harder stringe for the trueth of the matter, then they to touch but the softer, so to please the person: seeing they conspire with vs in the last conclusion, that both correction and curtesie be referred to discretion. Curtesie goeth before, and ought to guide the discourse, when reason is obeyed which is very seldome: but the corruptnesse in nature, the penalties in lawe, courage to enflame, desire to entice, and so many euilles assailing one good do enforce me to build my discourse vpon feare, and leaue curtesie to consideration: as the bare one reason of reason obeyed, a thing still wished, but seldome wel willed, doth cause some curteous conceit, not much acquainted with the kinde of gouernment, vpon some plausible liking, to make curtesie the outside, and keepe canuase for the lyning: but euer still for the last staffe to make discretion the refuge. Wherin we agree, though I priuately chide him, and saye why dissemble ye? Vnder hand he aunswereth me, I lend the world some wordes, but I will witnesse with you, I do not speake against discrete correction, but against hastinesse, and crueltie. Sir I know none, that will either set correction or curtesie at to much libertie, but with distinction, vpon whom they be both to be exercised: neither yet any, that will praise cruelty: and all those, that write of this argument, whether Philosophers or others allow of punishment, though they differ in the kinde.