The Scholemaster

by Roger Ascham

lacking a skilfull master, most commonlie, doth either, sinck it
selfe vpon sandes, or breake it selfe vpon rockes. And euen so,
Vaine plea- // how manie haue bene, either drowned in vaine
sure, and // pleasure, or ouerwhelmed by stout wilfulnesse,
stoute wil- // the histories of England be able to affourde ouer
fulnes, two // many examples vnto vs. Therfore, ye great and
greatest // noble mens children, if ye will haue rightfullie
enemies to // that praise, and enioie surelie that place, which
Nobilitie. // your fathers haue, and elders had, and left vnto
you, ye must kepe it, as they gat it, and that is, by the onelie
waie, of vertue, wisedome, and worthinesse.
For wisedom, and vertue, there be manie faire examples in
this Court, for yong Ientlemen to folow. But they be, like
faire markes in the feild, out of a mans reach, to far of, to shote
at well. The best and worthiest men, in deede, be somtimes
seen, but seldom taulked withall: A yong Ientleman, may
somtime knele to their person, smallie vse their companie, for
their better instruction.
But yong Ientlemen ar faïne commonlie to do in the Court,
as yong Archers do in the feild: that is take soch markes, as be
Ill compa- // nie them, although they be neuer so foule to
nie marreth // shote at. I meene, they be driuen to kepe
youth. // companie with the worste: and what force ill
companie hath, to corrupt good wittes, the wisest men know
best.
And not ill companie onelie, but the ill opinion also of the
The Court // most part, doth moch harme, and namelie of
iudgeth // those, which shold be wise in the trewe de-
worst of the // cyphring, of the good disposition of nature, of
best natures // cumlinesse in Courtlie maners, and all right
in youth. // doinges of men.
But error and phantasie, do commonlie occupie, the place
of troth and iudgement. For, if a yong ientleman, be demeure
and still of nature, they say, he is simple and lacketh witte: if
he be bashefull, and will soone blushe, they call him a babishe
Xen. in 1. // and ill brought vp thyng, when Xenophon doth
Cyr. Pæd. // preciselie note in Cyrus, that his bashfulnes in
youth, was y^e verie trewe signe of his vertue &
The Grace // stoutnes after: If he be innocent and ignorant of
in Courte. // ill, they say, he is rude, and hath no grace, so

the brynging vp of youth. 207

vngraciouslie do som gracelesse men, misuse the faire and godlie word GRACE. But if ye would know, what grace they meene, go, and looke, and learn emonges them, and ye shall see that it is: First, to blush at nothing. And blushyng in youth, sayth Aristotle is nothyng els, but feare to do ill: which feare beyng once lustely fraid away from youth, then foloweth, // Grace of to dare do any mischief, to contemne stoutly any // Courte. goodnesse, to be busie in euery matter, to be skilfull in euery thyng, to acknowledge no ignorance at all. To do thus in Court, is counted of some, the chief and greatest grace of all: and termed by the name of a // Cic. 3. de vertue, called Corage & boldnesse, whan Crassus // Or. in Cicero teacheth the cleane contrarie, and that most wittelie, saying thus: Audere, cum bonis // Boldnes etiam rebus coniunctum, per seipsum est magnopere // yea in a fugiendum. Which is to say, to be bold, yea // good mat- in a good matter, is for it self, greatlie to be // ter, not to exchewed. // be praised. Moreouer, where the swing goeth, there to follow, fawne, flatter, laugh and lie lustelie at other mens liking. // More To face, stand formest, shoue backe: and to the // Grace of meaner man, or vnknowne in the Court, to // Courte. seeme somwhat solume, coye, big, and dangerous of looke, taulk, and answere: To thinke well of him selfe, to be lustie in contemning of others, to haue some trim grace in a priuie mock. And in greater presens, to beare a braue looke: to be warlike, though he neuer looked enimie in the face in warre: yet som warlike signe must be vsed, either a slouinglie busking, or an ouerstaring frounced hed, as though out of euerie heeres toppe, should suddenlie start out a good big othe, when nede requireth, yet praised be God, England hath at // Men of this time, manie worthie Capitaines and good // warre, best souldiours, which be in deede, so honest of // of conditi- behauiour, so cumlie of conditions, so milde of // ons. maners, as they may be examples of good order, to a good sort of others, which neuer came in warre. But to retorne, where I left: In place also, to be able to raise taulke, and make discourse of euerie rishe: to haue a verie good // Palmistrie. will, to heare him selfe speake: To be seene

208 The first booke teachyng

in Palmestrie, wherby to conueie to chast eares, som fond or
filthie taulke:
And if som Smithfeild Ruffian take vp, som strange
going: som new mowing with the mouth: som wrinchyng
with the shoulder, som braue prouerbe: som fresh new othe,
that is not stale, but will rin round in the mouth: som new
disguised garment, or desperate hat, fond in facion, or gaurish
in colour, what soeuer it cost, how small soeuer his liuing be,
by what shift soeuer it be gotten, gotten must it be, and vsed
with the first, or els the grace of it, is stale and gone: som
part of this gracelesse grace, was discribed by me, in a little
rude verse long ago.

{To laughe, to lie, to flatter, to face:
{Foure waies in Court to win men grace.
{If thou be thrall to none of thiese,
{Away good Peek goos, hens Iohn Cheese:
{Marke well my word, and marke their dede,
{And thinke this verse part of thy Crede.

Would to God, this taulke were not trewe, and that som mens doinges were not thus: I write not to hurte any, but to {Councell. | // proffit som: to accuse none, but to monish Ill{ | // soch, who, allured by ill counsell, and folowing { | // ill example, contrarie to their good bringyng vp, {Company. | // and against their owne good nature, yeld ouer- moch to thies folies and faultes: I know many seruing men, Seruinge // of good order, and well staide: And againe, I men. // heare saie, there be som seruing men do but ill Terentius. // seruice to their yong masters. Yea, rede Terence Plautus. // and Plaut. aduisedlie ouer, and ye shall finde in those two wise writers, almost in euery commedie, no vn- Serui cor- // thriftie yong man, that is not brought there vnto, ruptelæ // by the sotle inticement of som lewd seruant. iuuenum. // And euen now in our dayes Getæ and Daui, Gnatos and manie bold bawdie Phormios to, be preasing in, Multi Ge- // to pratle on euerie stage, to medle in euerie tæ pauci // matter, whan honest Parmenos shall not be hard, Parmeno- // but beare small swing with their masters. Their nes. // companie, their taulke, their ouer great experience

the brynging vp of youth. 209

in mischief, doth easelie corrupt the best natures, and best
brought vp wittes.
But I meruell the lesse, that thies misorders be emonges
som in the Court, for commonlie in the contrie // Misorders
also euerie where, innocencie is gone: Bashful- // in the coun-
nesse is banished: moch presumption in yougthe: // trey.
small authoritie in aige: Reuerence is neglected: dewties be
confounded: and to be shorte, disobedience doth ouerflowe the
bankes of good order, almoste in euerie place, almoste in euerie
degree of man.
Meane men haue eies to see, and cause to lament, and
occasion to complaine of thies miseries: but other haue
authoritie to remedie them, and will do so to, whan God shall
think time fitte. For, all thies misorders, be Goddes iuste
plages, by his sufferance, brought iustelie vpon vs, for our
sinnes, which be infinite in nomber, and horrible in deede, but
namelie, for the greate abhominable sin of vn- // Contempt
kindnesse: but what vnkindnesse? euen such // of Gods
vnkindnesse as was in the Iewes, in contemninge // trewe Re-
Goddes voice, in shrinking from his woorde, in // ligion.
wishing backe againe for ægypt, in committing aduoultrie and
hordom, not with the women, but with the doctrine of Babylon,
did bring all the plages, destructions, and Captiuities, that fell
so ofte and horriblie, vpon Israell.
We haue cause also in England to beware of vnkindnesse,
who haue had, in so fewe yeares, the Candel of Goddes
worde, so oft lightned, so oft put out, and yet // Doctrina
will venture by our vnthankfulnesse in doctrine // Mores.
and sinfull life, to leese againe, lighte, Candle,
Candlesticke and all.
God kepe vs in his feare, God grafte in vs the trewe
knowledge of his woorde, with a forward will to folowe it, and
so to bring forth the sweete fruites of it, & then shall he
preserue vs by his Grace, from all maner of terrible dayes.
The remedie of this, doth not stand onelie, // Publicæ
in making good common lawes for the hole // Leges.
Realme, but also, (and perchance cheiflie) // Domestica
in obseruing priuate discipline euerie man care- // disciplina.
fullie in his own house: and namelie, if speciall // Cognitio
regard be had to yougth: and that, not so moch, // boni.

210 The first booke teachyng