Chapter 1

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The book was originally (1550) printed together with Richard Sherry's _A Treatise of Schemes and Tropes_. Since the two texts have no connection except that Sherry is assumed to be the translator, they have been made into separate e-texts.]

¶ A treatise of Schemes & Tropes very profytable for the better vnderstanding of good authors, gathered out of the best Grammarians & Oratours by Rychard Sherry Lon doner.

Whervnto is added a declamacion, That chyldren euen strayt frõ their infancie should be well and gent- ly broughte vp in learnynge. Written fyrst in Latin by the most excel- lent and famous Clearke, Erasmus of Rotero- dame.

That chyldren oughte to be taught and brought vp g[en]tly in vertue and learnynge, and that euen forthwyth from theyr na tiuitie: A declamacion of a briefe theme, by E- rasmus of Rote- rodame.

If thou wilt harken vnto me, or rather to Chrisippus, the sharpeste witted of Philosophers, y^u shalte prouide y^t thyne infante and yonge babe be forthewyth instructed in good learnyng, whylest hys wyt is yet voyde from tares and vices, whilest his age is tender and tractable, and his mind flexible and ready to folowe euery thyng, and also wyl kepe fast good lessons and preceptes. For we rem[em]ber nothynge so well when we be olde, as those thynges y^t we learne in yonge yeres. [Sidenote: Diuision of y^t confutaciõ] Care not thou for those fooles wordes which chatter that thys age, partly is not hable inough to receiue discipline, & partlye vnmete to abyde the labours of studies. For fyrst, the beginninges of learning, stãd specially by memorie, which as I sayd, in yõg ones is very holdfast. Secondly because nature hath made vs to knowledge the study of y^t thynge can not be to hasty, wherof y^e author of al thyng her self hath graffed in vs y^e seedes. Beside this some thinges be necessary to be know[en] wh[en] we be s[um]what elder, which by a cert[en] peculier readines of nature, y^e tender age perceiueth both much more quickly, & also more esily th[en] doth y^e elder, as y^e first beginnings of letters, y^e knowledge of tõges, tales & fabels of poetes. Finallye, why shulde y^t age be thought vnmete to lerning, which is apt to lerne maners? Or what other thinge shuld chyldr[en] do rather wh[en] they be more able to speake, seyng nedes thei muste do sumwhat? How much more profite is it y^t age to sporte in letters, then in trifles? Thou wilt say y^t it is but of litle value y^t is done in those fyrste yeres. Why is it dispised as a smal thing, which is necessary to a very greate matter? And why is y^t lucre, be it neuer so litle, yet a lucre, dispised of purpose? Now if you oft[en] put a lytle to a litle, there riseth a greate heape. Herewith cõsider this also, if beyng an infant he lerne smaller thinges, he shalt lerne greter, growynge vpwardes in those yeres, in which those smaller shuld haue ben lerned. Finally whyle he doth these thinges, at y^e least he shal be kept frõ those fautes, wherw^t we se com[en]ly y^t age to be infected. For nothynge doth better occupy y^e whole mynd of man, th[en] studies. Verely this lucre ought not to be set light bi. But if we shuld gra[un]te that by these labours y^e strength of y^e body is sumwhat diminished; yet thinke I this losse well recõpensed by winnynge of wyt. For the minde by moderate labours is made more quicke, & lustye. And if ther be any ieopardy in this pointe, it may be auoyded by our dilig[en]ce. You must haue for this tender age a teacher to enter it by fayre meanes, & not discorage it by foule. And ther be also some things both plesa[un]t to be knowen, & as it wer sibbe to childr[en]s wittes, whiche to lerne is rather a play th[en] a labour. Howbeit childehod is not so weake which eu[en] for thys is y^e more mete to take paynes & labour, because they fele not what labour is. Therfore if thou wylte remember how far vnworthy he is to be counted a mã which is void of learning, and how stirring the life of man is, how slypper youth is to myschiefe, and mans age howe it desyreth to be occupied, how baren olde age is, and further how few come vnto it, thou wylt not suffer thy yong babe in the whych thou shalte lyue styll as it were borne agayne, to let go any parte of hys tyme vnoccupied, in the whych any thynge maye be gotten that eyther maye do muche good to all y^e whole lyfe afterwardes, or kepe it awaye from hurtes, and mischiefes.

The selfe same matter enlarged by copye.

After the longe despayred fruitfulnes of thy wyfe, I hearsay thou art made a father, and that wyth a man chylde, whyche sheweth in it selfe a meruelous towardnes, and euen to be lyke the parentes: and that if so be we maye by such markes and tokens pronosticate anye thyng, maye seeme to promise perfite vertue. And that therfore thou doest entend, to se thys chylde of so grete hope, assone as he shalbe somewhat of age to be begonne in good letters, and to be taught in very honest learnynge, to be instructed and fashioned with the very wholsome preceptes of philosophy. In deede you wyll be the whole father, and you wyll haue hym your very son, and to loke lyke you, not only in the fashion of hys face, and liniam[en]tes of hys bodye, but also in the giftes of hys wytte. Verely as I am hertelye glad for the good fortune of myne especiall friende, so I greatlye alowe your wyse entente. This one thynge I wolde warne you of boldlye in deede, but louinglye, not to suffer after the iudgemente and example of the cõmon people, that the fyrst age of your infante shulde flytte awaye without all fruite of good instrucciõ, and then at the last to set hym to learne hys fyrste letters, when bothe hys age wyll not so well be handled, and hys wytte shall be more readye to euyll, and peraduenture possessed alreadye w^t the fast holdyng bryers of vices. ¶ Yea rather eu[en] now loke about for some man, as of maners pure & vncorrupt, so also wel learned: & into his lap deliuer your litle chyld, as it wer to a nurse of hys t[en]der mind, that eu[en] w^t his milke he may sucke in swete lerning: & deuide the care of thy litle sõne to his nurses & teacher that they shuld suckun the litle body w^t very good iuyce, & so indue hys mynd w^t very wholsom opinions, & very honest lernynge. For I thinke it not conuenient that y^u one of al the best learned, & also wysest shuldest geue care to those piuyshe women, or vnto m[en] very lyke to th[em] the beard excepted, whych by a cruell pytie, & hateful loue, iudge that the chyldren euen vntyl they waxe springoldes, shuld be kept at home kyssyng theyr mothers, and among the sweete wordes of theyr nurses pastymes, and vnchaste trystynges of seruauntes and maydens. And thynke that they ought vtterlye to be kepte awaye from learnyng as from venome, saying that the fyrst age is so rude that it can receiue no discipline, and so tender that it is not mete for the labours of studies: and finally that the profite of that age is so lytle worth, that neyther anye coste shulde be made vpon it, neyther y^t the weakenes of the chyldr[en] shuld be vexed. Whyle I proue euery of these thynges false, I pray you a lytle whyle take hede, countyng as the truth is, fyrst that these thynges be writt[en] of him which loueth you as wel as any mã doth, & inespecially of y^t thing which so perteineth to you, y^t none can do more. For what is more derer to you th[en] your son, inespecial hauing but him alone, vpon whõ we wold be glad if we might bestowe yea our life, not only our substa[un]ce. Wherfore who mai not se y^t thei do leudly & also vntowardli which in tilling their lãd building their houses, keping their horse, vse y^e gretest dilig[en]ce thei cã, & take to counsell men y^t be wyse, & of great experience: in bringing vp and teachynge theyr chyldren, for whose sakes al other thinges ar gotten, take so litle regard that nether they once councel with theyr owne mynd, not seke for the iudgements of wyse men, but as thoughe there were a trifle in hande, geue care to folyshe women, and to euery rascal wretche, whych is no lesse shame to hear, then if a man taking thought for the shooe, wolde set naught by the foote, or wyth great study wold prouide that there shuld be no faut in the garmente, naught reckynge for the healthe of the bodye. Good syr, I wyl not here cause you to tarye wyth common places, howe muche the strength of nature, how much fatherly loue, the law of god, mens constitucions require the parentes to owe vnto the childr[en], thorowe whom asmuche as we maye wee escape to dye, and be made to lyue euer. But some thynke they haue gaylye done the office of a father, when they haue only begott[en] chyldren, where as thys is the least porcion of loue that the name of a father requyreth. What greate thought take the mothers comenlye leste the infant shulde loke a gogle or a squint, lest he shuld be puffe cheked, wrie necked, croke shuldred, croke legged, splaye footed, and lest that the proporcion of his bodye shuld not be trimme in euery point: whereunto besyde other thynges, they be wont to vse swadelbondes, and keepe in their chekes wyth lytle miters. They haue regard also to theyr mylke, their meate, theyr bathes, & their mouinges, by whyche thynges the phisicions in many bookes, and inespeciall Galene hath taught that the chyldren get good healthe of theyr bodye: neyther do they differ thys dilig[en]ce vnto the seuenth or tenth yere, but eu[en] assone as the chylde commeth oute of the mothers wombe, they take greate charge of thys. And they do well, for the infancie not regarded, oftentymes causeth men to haue a syckely and sore disseased olde age, if they happen to come to it. Yea moreouer or euer the chyld be born, yet dothe the mother take great heede: Thei eate not of euery meat when they be greate with chylde, they take heede that they moue not theyr bodie to hurte them: and if there happen any thyng to fall vpon their face, by and by they take it away wyth theyr hand, and laye it vpon the priuie part of theyr body. It hath ben proued by many experimentes, that by this remedie the deformitie whych wold haue bene on that part of y^e body that is sene, hathe lyen hyd in the secrete place. No mã calleth this to hasty a care whych is vsed for the worser parte of man. Why then is that parte of man, wherby we be properly called menne, neglected so many yeres? ¶ Shuld he not do all agaynste gods forbod which wold trim his cap, lettyng his head be vnkempt, and all scabbed? Yet much more vnreasonable is it that we shuld bestow iuste labours vpon the mortall bodye, and to haue no regarde of the immortal soule. Further, if a mã haue at home an horse colte, or a whelpe of a good kynd, wyl he not straight waye begynne to fashion hym to do sumwhat, and wyll do that so muche the more gladlye, the readyer the yonge age is to folow the teachers mynde? Wee wyl teache a popiniaye while time is, to speke as a manne dothe, knowynge well that the elder he waxeth, the lesse apte he wyll be to be taughte, yea the common prouerbe geuyng warnynge of thys thynge: That an old popiniaye careth not for the rod. ¶ And what a thynge is it to be diligente in a byrde, and slowe in teachynge thy sonne? What do the wytty husbandmen? Do they not teach euen straight way the plãtes whyle they be yet tender, to put awaye theyr wylde nature by graffynge, and wyll not tarye tyll they be waxen bygge and myghtye? ¶ And they do not onlye take heede that the litle tree grow not croked or haue any other faute, but if ther be anye, they make haste to amend it, whyle it wyll yet bowe, and folowe the hande of the fashioner. ¶ And what liuyng thynge, or what plante wyll bee as the owener or housebande manne wolde haue it to serue for, excepte oure dylygence helpe nature? The sooner it is donne, the better will it come to passe.

¶ In dede to manye dumme beastes, nature the mother of all thynges, hath geuen more helpe to do theyr natural offices, but because the prouid[en]ce of God hath of al creatures vnto men onlye geuen the strength of reason, she hath left the greatest parte to educacion, in so much that one hath written very wel the first poynte, the middle, and the thirde, that is the chyefe of all mans felicitye, to be good instruccion, & ryght bryngynge vp. Whych prayse Demosthenes gaue to ryght pronunciacion, and that in deede not falsely, but ryghte bryngynge vp helpeth muche more to wysedome, then pronunciation to eloquence. For diligente and holy bringing vp, is the founteyne of al vertue. As to folye and myschief, the fyrst, seconde, and thyrde poynte, is vndiligente and corrupte educacion. Thys is the thynge that is chiefelye lefte vnto vs. That is the cause why vnto other beastes nature hathe geuen swyftnes, flyght, sharpnes of sight, greatnes, and strengthe of bodye, scales, flyshes, heares, hornes, nayles, venome, wherby they may both defende their healthe, and prouide for theyr liuynge, and brynge vp their yonge: and bryngeth forthe man onlye softe, naked, and vnfensed: but in stede of all thys, hath geuen hym a mynde hable to receiue all discipline, because in this onlye are all thynges, if a man wyll exercise it. And euerye liuynge thynge, the lesse mete it is to teachynge, so muche the more it hathe of natiue prudence. Bees learne not to make their celles, to gather iuce, and to make honye. The Emets are not taughte to gather into their holes in somer, wherby they shulde lyue in wynter, but all these thynges be done by instruccion of nature. But man neyther can eate, nor go, nor speake, except he be taught. Then if the tree brynge forthe eyther no fruite or vnsauerye, without the diligence of graffing, if the dogge be vnmete to hunte, the horse vnapte to iuste, the oxe to the plowe, except oure diligence bee putte to, howe wylde and vnprofitable a creature wolde man become, except dilig[en]tlye, and in dewe tyme he shulde be fashioned by good bryngynge vp. ¶ I wyll not here rehearse vnto you the example of Lycurgus knowen of euerye man, whyche bryngynge oute two whelpes, one of a gentle kynde, but euyll taughte, that ran to the meate, that other of sluggyshe syres, but diligently brought vp, that leafte the meate and leapt vpon the beast. Nature is an effectuall thynge, but educacion more effectuall, ouercommeth it. Menne take heede that they maye haue a good dog to hunte, to haue a good horse to iournei with, and here thei thynke no diligence to be to hastie, but to haue a sonne that shulde be both worship and profite to the parentes, vpon whome they myghte laye a good part of the charges of their houshold, whose loue mighte noryshe and beare vp their vnweldy age, and y^t shuld shew hym self a trustye and healpynge sonne in a lawe, a good husbande to his wife, a valiaunte and profitable citizen to the common wealthe, I saye to haue suche one, eyther they take no care, or else they care to late. For whõ do they plant? for whõ do they plowe? for whõ do they buylde? for whõ do they hunt for riches both by land & by sea? not for theyr chyldr[en]? But what profite or worshyp is in these thinges, if he y^t shal be heire of th[em] can not vse th[em]? With vnmesurable studye be possessions gotten, but of the possessor we take no kepe Who prepareth an harpe for the vnskylfull of musycke? Who garnysheth a librarie for hym that can skyl of no bookes? And are so great ryches gotten for hym whyche can not tell howe to vse them? If thou gettest these thynges to hym that is well broughte vp, thou geueste hym instrumentes of vertue: but if thou get them for a rude and rusticall wytte, what other thynge doest thou then minister a matter of wantonnesse and mischiefe? What canne bee thoughte more folyshe then thys kynde of fathers? They prouide that the bodie of the sonne maye be wythout faute, and shulde bee made apte to do all manner thynges comelye, but the mynde, by whose moderacion all honeste wyrkes do stand, that they care not for. It nedeth me not here to rehearse that riches, dignitie, authoritie, and also healthfulnes of body, whych menne so desirouslye wyshe to theyr chyldren, nothynge doth more get them vnto man, th[en] vertue and learninge. They wyshe vnto them a praye, but they wyll not geue th[em] a nette to take it with all. That thing which is of al most excellent, thou canst not geue thy sonne, but thou mayest store hym wyth those good sciences, wherby the best thynges be gotten. Now is this a great inconuenience, but it is yet a greater, that they leaue at home their dogge wel taught, their horse well broken and taught, and theyr son enstructed wyth no learnyng. They haue land well tylled, and theyr sonne shamefull rude. ¶ They haue their house goodly trimmed, and theyr sonne voyde of all garnyshyng. Further, they whych after the peoples estimacion seme to be meruelouse wyse, do prolong the diligence to garnyshe the mind eyther in to an age vnapte to bee taughte, or else take no care at all for it, and are meruelouse thoughtfull of externall goodes of fortune, yea or euer he be borne, whom they haue appoynted to be lorde of th[em] all. For what se we not them to do? When their wyfe is greate with chylde, then call they for a searcher of natiuities, the parentes axe whether it shall be a man or a woman kynde. They searche oute the destenye. If the astrologer by the byrth houre haue sayde that the chylde shulde be fortunate in warre: wee wyll, saye they, dedicate this chyld to the kynges courte. If he shal promyse ecclesiasticall dygnitie, wee wyll, saye they, hunte for hym by some meanes, a Byshoprycke, or a fatte Abbotshyp. Thys chylde wyl we make a president or a deane. ¶ Thys semeth not to them to hasty a care when they preuente euen the wery byrth: and semeth it to hastye that is vsed in fashioning your childrens myndes? So quyclye you prouide to haue your sonne a capteine or an officer, and therewyth wylte thou not prouide that he maie be a profitable captayn or officer of the common wealth? Before the tyme come you go aboute this, to haue your sonne a byshop, or an abbot, and wylt thou not fashion hym to this well, to beare the office of a byshop, or an abbot? Thou setteste hym to a chariot, and shewest hym not the manner to guyde it. Thou puttest hym to the sterne, and passest not that he shulde learne those thynges that becommeth a shypmaster to know. Finally in all thy possessions thou regardest nothing lesse then that, that is moste precious, & for whose sake al other thynges be gotten. Thi corne fieldes be goodly, thy houses be fayre, thy vessel is bright, thy garmentes, and al thy housholde stuffe, thy horses bee wel kept, thi serua[un]tes wel taught, only thy sonnes wyt is foule, filthy & all sluttishe. Thou hast percha[un]ce bought by the dr[um]me a bond slaue, vyle, and barbarous, if he be rude and ignoraunt, y^u markest to what vse he is good, & trimly thou bryngest hym vp to some craft, either of the kytchen, physicke, husbandrye, or stewardshyp: only thy sõne thou settest lyght by, as an idle thynge. Thei wyl say: He shal haue inough to lyue on, but he shall not haue to lyue well on. Comonly the rycher that men be, the lesse they care for the bryngyng vp of their chyldren. What neede is it, say they, of anye learnyng, they shall haue inoughe? Yea the more nede haue they of the helpe of phylosophy and learnyng. The greater the shyp is, & the more marchandyse it carieth aboute, the more neede it hathe of a connynge shyppe master. Howe greatlye do Prynces go about this, to leaue vnto their sonnes as large a dominion as they cã, and yet do none care lesse that they shuld be brought vp in those good wayes, wythoute the whych, principalitie can not wel be ordred. How muche more dothe he geue, that geueth vs to lyue well, then to lyue? Verye lytel do chyldren owe vnto theyre fathers of whome they be no more but begotten, and not also broughte vp to lyue verteouslye.