The Scholemaster

by Roger Ascham

in teaching them what is good, as in keping them from that,
that is ill.
Therefore, if wise fathers, be not as well waare in weeding
Ignoratio // from their Children ill thinges, and ill companie,
mali. // as they were before, in graftinge in them
learninge, and prouiding for them good schole-
masters, what frute, they shall reape of all their coste & care,
common experience doth tell.
Here is the place, in yougthe is the time whan som
Some // ignorance is as necessarie, as moch knowledge,
ignorance, // and not in matters of our dewtie towardes God,
as good as // as som wilful wittes willinglie against their owne
knowledge. // knowledge, perniciouslie againste their owne
conscience, haue of late openlie taught. In deede S. Chryso-
Chrisost. de // stome, that noble and eloquent Doctor, in a
Fato. // sermon contra fatum, and the curious serchinge of
natiuities, doth wiselie saie, that ignorance therein,
is better than knowledge: But to wring this sentence, to
wreste thereby out of mens handes, the knowledge of Goddes
doctrine, is without all reason, against common sence, contrarie
to the iudgement also of them, which be the discretest men, and
Iulia. Apo- // best learned, on their own side. I know, Iulianus
stat. // Apostata did so, but I neuer hard or red, that any
auncyent father of the primitiue chirch, either
thought or wrote so.
But this ignorance in yougthe, which I spake on, or rather
Innocency // this simplicitie, or most trewlie, this innocencie,
in youth. // is that, which the noble Persians, as wise Xenophon
doth testifie, were so carefull, to breede vp their
yougth in. But Christian fathers commonlie do not so. And
I will tell you a tale, as moch to be misliked, as the Persians
example is to be folowed.
This last somer, I was in a Ientlemans house: where
A childe ill // a yong childe, somewhat past fower yeare olde,
brought // cold in no wise frame his tongue, to saie, a litle
vp. // shorte grace: and yet he could roundlie rap out,
so manie vgle othes, and those of the newest facion, as som
good man of fourescore yeare olde hath neuer hard named
Ill Pa- // before: and that which was most detestable of
rentes. // all, his father and mother wold laughe at it. I

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moche doubte, what comforte, an other daie, this childe shall bring vnto them. This Childe vsing moche the companie of seruinge men, and geuing good eare to their taulke, did easelie learne, which he shall hardlie forget, all daies of his life here- after: So likewise, in the Courte, if a yong Ientleman will ventur him self into the companie of Ruffians, it is ouer greate a ieopardie, lest, their facions, maners, thoughtes, taulke, and deedes, will verie sone, be euer like. The confounding of companies, breedeth confusion of good maners // Ill compa- both in the Courte, and euerie where else. // nie. And it maie be a great wonder, but a greater shame, to vs Christian men, to vnderstand, what a heithen writer, Isocrates, doth leaue in memorie of writing, concerning the // Isocrates. care, that the noble Citie of Athens had, to bring vp their yougthe, in honest companie, and vertuous discipline, whose taulke in Greke, is, to this effect, in Englishe. "The Citie, was not more carefull, to see their Children "well taughte, than to see their yong men well // In Orat. "gouerned: which they brought to passe, not so // Ariopag. "much by common lawe, as by priuate discipline. "For, they had more regard, that their yougthe, by good order "shold not offend, than how, by lawe, they might be punished: "And if offense were committed, there was, neither waie to "hide it, neither hope of pardon for it. Good natures, were "not so moche openlie praised as they were secretlie marked, "and watchfullie regarded, lest they should lease the goodnes "they had. Therefore in scholes of singing and dauncing, and "other honest exercises, gouernours were appointed, more "diligent to ouersee their good maners, than their masters were, "to teach them anie learning. It was som shame to a yong "man, to be seene in the open market: and if for businesse, he "passed throughe it, he did it, with a meruelous modestie, and "bashefull facion. To eate, or drinke in a Tauerne, was not "onelie a shame, but also punishable, in a yong man. To "contrarie, or to stand in termes with an old man, was more "heinous, than in som place, to rebuke and scolde with his "owne father: with manie other mo good orders, and faire disciplines, which I referre to their reading, that haue lust to looke vpon the description of such a worthie common welthe.

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And to know, what worthie frute, did spring of soch
Good sede, // worthie seade, I will tell yow the most meruell
worthie // of all, and yet soch a trothe, as no man shall
frute. // denie it, except such as be ignorant in knowledge
of the best stories.
Athens, by this discipline and good ordering of yougthe, did
Athenes. // breede vp, within the circute of that one Citie,
within the compas of one hondred yeare, within
the memorie of one mans life, so manie notable Capitaines in
warre, for worthinesse, wisdome and learning, as be scarse
Roma. // matchable no not in the state of Rome, in the
compas of those seauen hondred yeares, whan it
florished moste.
And bicause, I will not onelie saie it, but also proue it, the
The noble // names of them be these. Miltiades, Themistocles,
Capitaines // Xantippus, Pericles, Cymon, Alcybiades, Thrasybulus,
of Athens. // Conon, Iphicrates, Xenophon, Timotheus, Theopompus,
Demetrius, and diuers other mo: of which euerie one, maie
iustelie be spoken that worthie praise, which was geuen to
Scipio Africanus, who, Cicero douteth, whether he were, more
noble Capitaine in warre, or more eloquent and wise councelor
æmil. // in peace. And if ye beleue not me, read dili-
Probus. // gentlie, æmilius Probus in Latin, and Plutarche
Plutarchus. // in Greke, which two, had no cause either to
flatter or lie vpon anie of those which I haue
recited.
And beside nobilitie in warre, for excellent and matchles
The lear- // masters in all maner of learninge, in that one
ned of A- // Citie, in memorie of one aige, were mo learned
thenes. // men, and that in a maner altogether, than all
tyme doth remember, than all place doth affourde, than all other
tonges do conteine. And I do not meene of those Authors,
which, by iniurie of tyme, by negligence of men, by crueltie of
fier and sworde, be lost, but euen of those, which by Goddes
grace, are left yet vnto us: of which I thank God, euen my
poore studie lacketh not one. As, in Philosophie, Plato, Aris-
totle, Xenophon, Euclide and Theophrast: In eloquens and Ciuill
lawe, Demosthenes, æschines, Lycurgus, Dinarchus, Demades,
Isocrates, Isæus, Lysias, Antisthenes, Andocides: In histories, He-
rodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon: and which we lacke, to our

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great losse, Theopompus and Eph[orus]: In Poetrie æschylus,
Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and somwhat of Menander,
Demosthenes sister sonne.
Now, let Italian, and Latin it self, Spanishe, French,
Douch, and Englishe bring forth their lerning, // Learnyng,
and recite their Authors, Cicero onelie excepted, // chiefly con-
and one or two moe in Latin, they be all patched // teined in
cloutes and ragges, in comparison of faire wouen // the Greke,
broade clothes. And trewelie, if there be any // and in no o-
good in them, it is either lerned, borowed, or // ther tong.
stolne, from some one of those worthie wittes of Athens.
The remembrance of soch a common welthe, vsing soch
discipline and order for yougthe, and thereby bringing forth to
their praise, and leauing to vs for our example, such Capitaines
for warre, soch Councelors for peace, and matcheles masters,
for all kinde of learninge, is pleasant for me to recite, and not
irksum, I trust, for other to heare, except it be soch, as make
neither counte of vertue nor learninge.
And whether, there be anie soch or no, I can not well tell:
yet I hear saie, some yong Ientlemen of oures, // Contem-
count it their shame to be counted learned: and // ners of
perchance, they count it their shame, to be // learnyng.
counted honest also, for I heare saie, they medle as litle with the
one, as with the other. A meruelous case, that Ientlemen
shold so be ashamed of good learning, and neuer a whit ashamed
of ill maners: soch do saie for them, that the
Ientlemen of France do so: which is a lie, as // Ientlemen
God will haue it. Langæus, and Bellæus that be // of France.
dead, & the noble Vidam of Chartres, that is aliue, and infinite
mo in France, which I heare tell of, proue this to be most false.
And though som, in France, which will nedes be Ientlemen,
whether men will or no, and haue more ientleshipe in their hat,
than in their hed, be at deedlie feude, with both learning and
honestie, yet I beleue, if that noble Prince, king Francis the
first were aliue, they shold haue, neither place in // Franciscus
his Courte, nor pension in his warres, if he had // I. Nobilis.
knowledge of them. This opinion is not French, // Francorum
but plaine Turckishe: from whens, some Frenche // Rex.
fetche moe faultes, than this: which, I praie God, kepe out of

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England, and send also those of oures better mindes, which
bend them selues againste vertue and learninge, to the con-
tempte of God, dishonor of their contrie to the hurt of manie
others, and at length, to the greatest harme, and vtter destruction
of themselues.
Som other, hauing better nature, but lesse witte, (for ill
commonlie, haue ouer moch witte) do not vtterlie dispraise
Experience // learning, but they saie, that without learning,
without // common experience, knowledge of all facions, and
learnyng. // haunting all companies, shall worke in yougthe,
both wisdome, and habilitie, to execute anie weightie affaire.
Surelie long experience doth proffet moch, but moste, and
almost onelie to him (if we meene honest affaires) that is dili-
gentlie before instructed with preceptes of well doinge. For
good precepts of learning, be the eyes of the minde, to looke
wiselie before a man, which waie to go right, and which not.
Learning teacheth more in one yeare than experience in
Learnyng. // twentie: And learning teacheth safelie. when
experience maketh mo miserable then wise. He
Experience. // hasardeth sore, that waxeth wise by experience.
An vnhappie Master he is, that is made cunning by manie
shippewrakes: A miserable merchant, that is neither riche or
wise, but after som bankroutes. It is costlie wisdom, that is
bought by experience. We know by experience it selfe, that it
is a meruelous paine, to finde oute but a short waie, by long
wandering. And surelie, he that wold proue wise by
experience, he maie be wittie in deede, but euen like a swift
runner, that runneth fast out of his waie, and vpon the night,
he knoweth not whither. And verilie they be fewest of
number, that be happie or wise by vnlearned experience. And
looke well vpon the former life of those fewe, whether your
example be old or yonge, who without learning haue gathered,
by long experience, a litle wisdom, and som happines: and
whan you do consider, what mischiefe they haue committed,
what dangers they haue escaped (and yet xx. for one, do
perishe in the aduenture) than thinke well with your selfe,
whether ye wold, that your owne son, should cum to wisdom
and happines, by the waie of soch experience or no.
It is a notable tale, that old Syr Roger Chamloe, somtime

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