did. He directs the student to make out the meaning of the French first

by comparing it with the English column, and then to cover over the French version, and attempt to translate the English into French. "This I have learned by long experience to be the readiest way to attaine the knowledge of any language, that we of Englishmen make French, and not of French learn English." As to the theory of "Nature and Art," it seems to have been little more than the method, common at the time, of making practice the basis of the study of French, and confirming this by rules as need for them arose.

In addition to the _Ortho-Epia Gallica_,[446] Eliote also wrote a _Survey or topographical description of France_, collected from sundry approved authors. This was published in 1592, and dedicated to Sir John Pickering, Keeper of the Privy Seal. He also translated from French into English[447] a number of unimportant works, mostly of topical interest, one of them being dedicated to Robert, Earl of Essex. Little else is known of him, except that he was born in Warwickshire in 1562, and entered Brasenose College, Oxford, on the 12th of December 1580, at the age of eighteen years.[448] He tells us that he held the degree of Doctor of Divinity, but there is no record of his having taken any such degree there. Robert Greene was among his friends, and he wrote a sonnet in questionable French on Greene's _Perimedes or the Black Smith_, with which it was published in 1588. These are all the details we possess concerning this amusing and striking figure among the French teachers of the sixteenth century.

FOOTNOTES:

[410] The names of many have been lost, owing to the incompleteness of the records, or to the fact that no profession is indicated. A few are known from other sources to have been schoolmasters or private tutors; cp. Huguenot Society Publications, vol. x., _Returns of Aliens dwelling in London_; vols. viii., xviii., _Letters of Denization_.

[411] Evrard Erail, Onias Ganeur, Charles Bod, Robert Fontaine, Charles Darvil d'Arras, Jean Vaquerie, Baudouin Mason, and Adrian Tresol (Schickler, _Églises du Refuge_, i. p. 124). Of these names only that of Robert Fontaine is found in the _Returns of Aliens_. Charles Darvil and Adrian Tresol are again mentioned in connexion with the Church in 1564. Baudouin Mason received letters of denization in 1565, and Adrian Tresol, a Netherlander, in 1562. In 1571 there were three other schoolmasters connected with the Church: Adrian Tressel, John Preste of Rouen, and Nicolas Langlois or Inglish. All these, however, are mentioned in the _Returns of Aliens_.

[412] Schickler, _op. cit._ i. p. 182.

[413] _Returns of Aliens_, Hug. Soc. Pub. x. pt. ii. pp. 228, 335.

[414] Duc d'Alençon, who died in 1584.

[415] Printed by Henry Dizlie for Thomas Purfoote. Reprinted by T. Spiro in the _Neudrucke frühneuenglischer Grammatiken, herausgegeben von R. Brotanek_, Bd. 7, Halle, 1912. It contains 75 pages, 8vo.

[416] Bellot's name does not occur in the Registers (vol. i., Lymington, 1908).

[417] 16º, pp. 80.

[418] _Stationers' Register_, 19th February 1588.

[419] Hazlitt, _Handbook_, 1867, p. 36.

[420] Perhaps he was a member of the La Motte Fouqué family whose name became so closely connected with the Protestant cause in France. In 1551 René La Motte left Saintonge and went to Normandy, where he died, leaving two sons and three daughters. Cp. Crottet, _History of the Reformed Church in Saintonge_, quoted by T. F. Sanxay, _The Sanxay Family_, 1907.

[421] "Estant donc refugié a l'ombre favorable du Sceptre de sa serenissime majesté, qui est le vray port de retraicte et asyle asseuré de ceux qui faisans profession de l'Evangile souffrent ores persecution soubs la Tyrannie de l'Antichrist, j'ay tasché de tout mon pouvoir de faire en sorte par mes labeurs que ceste noble Nation qui maintenant nous sert de mere et de nourrice peust tirer quelque proffit d'iceux, afin que par ce moyen je peusse eviter le vice enorme de l'ingratitude. . . . Or entre toutes les belles et rares vertus dont la Noblesse angloise se rend tant renommée par tout le monde, admirée des estrangiers, et honorée en son pays, est l'Estude des bonnes lettres, et cognoissance des langues, qui leur sont si familieres et communes qu'il s'en trouve peu parmi eux, non seulement entre les Seigneurs et Gentilhommes, qui n'en parlent trois ou quatre pour le moins, mais aussi entre les Dames et Damoiselles, exercise veritablement louable, par lequel toute vertu s'honore et se rend immortelle et sans lequel nulle autre n'est parfait ni digne d'estre aucunement estimé. Or c'est ce qui, outre la singuliere affection que naturellement ils portent aux estrangers et la grande courtoisie dont ils ont a coustume de les traicter, leur faict faire tant d'estat des François, si bien qu'il y en a fort peu qui n'en ait un avec soy."

[422] Who first went to Oxford in 1587. Foster, _Alumni Oxonienses_, ad nom.

[423] _Containing the rarest Sentences, Proverbs, Parables, Similies, Apothegmes and Golden sayings of the most excellent French Authors as well Poets as Orators._

[424] Arber, _Register of the Company of Stationers_, ii. 614. Miss Farrer in her book on Holyband takes this entry, _l'Alphabet François avec le Tresor de la langue françoise_, to refer to another edition of Holyband's _Treasurie_, which, she assumes, was prevented and superseded by the publication of his dictionary in 1592.

[425] Field was born at Stratford in the same year as Shakespeare; cp. S. Lee, _Life of Shakespeare_, pp. 42 _et seq._

[426] _A Dictionary of Printers and Booksellers, 1557-1640_, Bibliog. Soc., 1910: Index of London Addresses.

[427] 1625, 1631, 1633, 1639, 1647.

[428] In 1626 the work was made over to Miller by Field's widow. Arber, _Transcript_, iv. 157.

[429] How closely, may be judged by comparing the following selection with the description of Holyband's rules on p. 142, _supra_.

How do you pronounce g before n? Comment prononcez vous g devant n? Gn is hardly pronounced by Gn se prononce difficilement par Englishmen. les Anglois. Notwithstanding if they will take Toutesfois s'ils veulent prendre heed garde how they do pronounce _minion_ ... comment ils prononcent minion, onion, companion, it will be more easy for them to il leur sera plus aisé de pronounce it: for though we le prononcer: car encore que nous do write the selfesame words escrivions ces mesmes mots with gn, par gn, neverthelesse there is small neantmoins il y a peu de difference between difference de their pronunciation and ours: leur prononciation a la nostre: let them take heed only seulement qu'ils prennent garde à to sound g mettre g in the same syllable that n is, en la mesme syllable que n, and then they et ils shall not finde any hardnesse ne trouveront aucune difficulté in his pronunciation, en sa prononciation, as mignon ... mi-gnon. comme mi-gnon. . . .

[430] "Et pourroit a bon droict estre comparé a quelques vieilles masures d'un bastiment où il a tant creu de ronces et espines, qu'à grand peine il apert que jamais il y ait eu de maisons. Car devant qu'on eust trouvé l'imprimerie, on l'a tant de fois coppié, et chaque écrivain l'escrivant à la fantaisie et ne retenant l'orthographe françoise, que maintenant il semble qu'il n'y ait presque langage plus esloigné du vray François que ce François de vos loix."

[431] Bellot frequently refers to the _gent hargneuse_ and the "aiguillons envenimez des langues qui se plaisent à detracter les oeuvres d'autruy et qui deprisent tout ce qui n'est tiré de leurs boutiques, iaçoit que souvente fois leur estofe ne soit que biffes et hapelourdes."

[432] _Returns of Aliens_, Hug. Soc. Pub. x. pt. i. pp. xii, xiv.

[433] And again: "Or vous noterés qu'en tous les noms terminés en _ent_, _t_ n'est pas exprimé en la fin: quant aux verbes, il est prononcé, mais bien doucement: donnés vous donc garde d'ensuivre en ceci les Bourgignons qui expriment leur _t_ si fort que de deux syllabes ilz en font trois: comme quand nous disons _ils mangent_ . . . le Walon dira; _ilz mangete_." And yet again: "Sounde _ch_ as _sh_ in English: you shall not follow in this the Picard or Bourgignions, for they doo pronounce _ch_ like _k_, say _kien_ for _chien_."

[434] French was widely used in the Spanish Netherlands, and there was hardly any opening for the teaching of any of the Germanic languages in England at this early time, when they were only learnt in exceptional cases. There were no doubt a few such teachers, here and there. We are told that in London "there be also teachers and professors of the Holy or Hebrew language, of the Caldean, Syriack or Arabicke or Tartary Languages, of the Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch and Polish Tongues. And here be they which can speake the Persian and the Morisco, and the Turkish and the Muscovian Language, and also the Sclavonian tongue, which passeth through seventeen nations. And in divers other languages fit for Ambassadors and Orators, and Agents for Merchants, and for Travaylors and necessarie for all commerce or Negociation whatsoever." Buck, _The Third Universitie of England_, 1619, ch. xxxvii. "Of Languages." The earliest work for teaching Dutch to Englishmen was probably the _Dutch Tutor_ of 1660; cp. F. Watson, _Modern Subjects_, ch. xv. John Minsheu taught a number of languages in London, and wrote a _Ductor in Linguas_ (1617), in eleven languages.

[435] Hug. Soc. Pub. x. pt. ii. p. 81.

[436] _Returns of Aliens_, Hug. Soc. Pub. x. pt. i. p. xi.

[437] Moens, _The Walloons and their Church at Norwich_, Hug. Soc. Pub. i. p. 90.

[438] _Cal. State Papers, Dom., Addenda, 1580-1625_, p. 294.

[439] _Victoria County Histories: Suffolk_, ii. p. 317.

[440] _Apologie for Schoolmasters._

[441] Sm. 4to, pp. 1-60, and 17-173. Printed by J. Wolfe. Licence dated 18 Dec. 1592. Preface dated 18 April 1593.

[442] Born 1574; at Oxford in 1588.

[443] Bellot, in his quality of "gentleman," compares his labours to those of Diogenes rolling his tub up and down a hill, in order not to be idle while the Corinthians were busy preparing to defend their city against Philip of Macedon. Eliote takes up the theme and turns it to ridicule.

[444] The first part is paged from 1 to 60, and has signatures A-L in fours. In _Eliote's first booke_ the pagination begins afresh at p. 17 and continues to p. 175 at the end of the work: it has signatures _c-y_ in fours.

[445] Palsgrave had accompanied his French quotations with similar indications:

"Au diziesme an de mon doulant exil Avdiziemavndemoundoulauntezil."

[446] He announces his intention of producing a book called _De Natura et Arte Linguae Gallicae_.

[447] _Advice given by a Catholike gentleman to the Nobilitie & Commons of France_, Lond., 1589; _Newes sent unto the Lady Princesse of Orange_, 1589; _Discourses of Warre and single combat ..._ from the French of B. de Loque, 1591.

[448] Foster, _Alumni Oxon._, ad nom.