ordinary to the Joy of the Father and Credit of the Teacher be better grounded in real Learning and more capable to use it than we commonly see Young Scholars are after they have been several Years at School and not a few at the University In Truth the Scheme which He Proposes is Founded upon the certain Principles of Reason and Experience and not upon the sole Authority of any Great Name how Famous soever He freely inquires after the best Rules and Method of Instructing Youth not obliging himself to maintain the Systems and Practices of others farther than he finds them agreeable to the Dictates of Eternal Reason our Common Master and confirmed by his own particular Experience The Princes of Conte whose Studies he had the Honour to Direct as their Quality required a more Ingenuous and Liberal way of Education so I doubt not but when they came out of their Tutors Hands they found themselve furnished with a Morality and a sort of Learning answerable to their Birth that is Wise Generous and Active Built upon the solid Foundations of Reason and Experience As to the Translation I have observed as Faithfully as I could the Author 's own Rules P. 137. not scrupulously rendering one Word for another but the French Idiom into the English way of Speaking yet always as near as possibly preserving his Sense Excepting P. 50. where what He calls the Heresie I only Term the Doctrin of Luther Such Complements as these must be expected from one who professes himself to be of the Roman Catholick Communion We have some more of them P. 177 where he refers to the Vulgar Latin as the version which the Church hath made Authentick recommends the knowledge of the Hebrew Tongue if for no other Reason yet to silence the Hereticks and Advises his Priest to Read the Trent Catechism and Council and Romish Ritual These and such like Characteristicks of his Communion I thought once to have accommodated to the English Church as likewise the Honours he bestows on the French Nation to our own But upon second Thoughts I judged it more suitable with a Translation to let these Passages go unaltered Since the Weakest are in no danger of being harmed by them and the Wiser will only conclude from them that Custom and Education in some things are apt to prevail over the Judgments of the most Reasonable Men. To conclude since Translations out of the French have of late been so much encouraged and to so good purpose 't is hoped this will find some place amongst the Excellent Books we have already received and do still expect out of that Language Du Pin and Malbranch have been worthily looked upon as Originals in their respective Labours And when the Learned shall have Impartially considered Mr. Fleury's Writings they 'll find him to be one of those French Writers who abating their peculiar Roman Shibboleth have Written as if they design'd to serve the Interest of the Church of England that is of Primitive Christianity rather than that of Rome THE CONTENTS THe Design of the Treatise Pag. 1 The First Part. The History of Studies The Studies of the Greeks 2 Pag. 2 The Studies of the Romans Pag. 5 The Studies of the Christians Pag. 11 The Studies of the Franks Pag. 17 The Studies of the Arabians Pag. 22 The Studies of the School-Men Pag. 28 Vniversities and their four Faculties Pag. 33 The Faculty of the Arts Pag. 34 Medicks or Physick Pag. 41 Civil and Canon-Law Pag. 44 Divinity Pag. 45 The Restoration of Humanity Pag. 47 The Second Part. The Choice of Studies Pag. 54 The Way and Method to give Attention Pag. 62 The Division of Studies Pag. 71 Religion and Morality Pag. 73 Civility and Good Breeding Pag. 86 Logick and Metaphysicks Pag. 89 That Men ought to have a Care of their Bodies Pag. 100 Men ought not to Study purely for Interest Pag. 108 Grammar Pag. 111 Arithmetick Pag. 117 Oeconomick p. Pag. 117 Civil Law or Jurisprudence Pag. 123 Policy Pag. 132 Of Languages Latin c Pag. 136 History Pag. 140 Natural History Pag. 148 Geometry Pag. 150 Rhetorick Pag. 161 Poetry Pag. 157 Curious Studies Pag. 160 Vseless Studies Pag. 163 The Order of Studies according to the several Ages Pag. 167 The Studies of Women Pag. 171 The Studies of Clergy-men Pag. 175 The Studies of Sword men Pag. 181 The Studies of the Men of the Robe Pag. 184 THE HISTORY Choice and Method OF STUDIES ALthough at present I only intend to Treat of private Studies and to give Advice to those alone who Instruct Children in Houses and are at liberty to use what Method they shall think the Best I have nevertheless judg'd it necessary First to Consider the course of Studies which we find settled in the publick Schools to the end that we may conform our selves unto them as much as possible But to understand well the Order of our publick Studies it seems to me Adviseable to go to the Fountain-head that so we may see whence every part is deriv'd down to us and how the whole body of these Studies has been form'd in the Succession of many Ages Containing the History of Studies GRammar Rhetorick and Philosophy came from the Greeks even the Names themselves of these Studies import as much From the Greeks they pass'd to the Romans and from the Romans to us Now the Greeks had great Reason to apply themselves to these Three Sorts of Studies as they understood them By Grammar they in the first place meant the Knowledge of Letters that is the Art to Read and Write and consequently Speak well It was of great moment to them to know how to Read Write and Speak correctly in their own Language with which they contented themselves for they Learnt none of Strangers Under the Name of Grammar they also comprehended the Knowledge of the Poets Historians and other good Authors whom their Grammarians profess'd to explain And 't is easie to see how useful this Study was to them At the First they had no other Books but their Poets and there they found all kind of Instructions All their Religion and all their History were contain'd in them For hitherto they had no more certain Traditions than these Fables which now seem so Ridiculous unto us And as for their Religion their Poets were their Prophets whom they looked upon as Friends of the Gods and Men inspir'd and for their works they had a Respect not much inferiour if I may make the Comparison to that which we have for the holy Scriptures Moreover they found in them Rules for the Government of themselves and Lively Representations of Humane Life And they had this Advantage that these Books so full of Instructions were perfectly well written Insomuch that they were a divertisement to the Reader and besides the Substance of things they learnt from them to Speak well and to express their Thoughts nobly In short all their verses were made to be Sung and
to be very well skill'd in Logick and Metaphysick such as I have represented them that he may be able to Demonstrate by Solid Reasons that every Man of Good Sense ought to submit himself to the Authority of the Catholick Church He should also be capable to defend Religion against the Hereticks and for this end to know the positive Proofs of our Belief drawn from the Scripture the Councils or the Fathers He should know Ecclesiastical History the Canon-Law not onely the Practical Beneficial and that which is curious in the ancient Canons but also the true Rules of Ecclesiastical Discipline upon which all that is Practical is founded and how that which is not practised has been abolished He should know Christian Morality in all its extent not contenting himself only with the Decisions of Modern Casuists concerning what is Sin and what is not But he should proceed further and see how the Fathers have judged thereof and also be acquainted with their Method of Teaching Vertue and guiding Souls to Perfection This is what we will find in Cassian and the Monastick Rules A great esteem ought to be had of these Works which are the Product of so many Holy Experiences Lastly He should know the Ceremonies of the Publick Office the Administration of the Sacraments the Practice of all Ecclesiastical Functions But this Study consists not so much in Reading of Books as in the observation of Living Tradition When once he has the Great Principles of Scripture and the Fathers he will be much instructed by seeing the Labours of others and by labouring himself together with them Seeing that a Clergyman is designed to instruct others it is not enough for him to know all that I have mentioned he must also know how to Speak and Perswade He therefore stands in need of that sort of Logick and that solid Eloquence I have spoken of For let us not deceive our selves a Man without Gifts is not proper for the Ministry of the Church A good Priest is not onely a Man who Prays unto God and leads an Innocent Life such an one at most is no more than a good Monk He is a Priest to assist others and as he is not accounted a good Physician who doth not heal a great many Diseases neither is he to be called a good Priest who doth not Convert a great many Sinners I do not say that none ought to be made Priests but such as have a florid Imagination an happy Memory a pleasant Voice and such like qualities which usually make Preachers Famous but I should desire that there were not any who have not a Solid Judgment and a right way of Reasoning who should not know how to Instruct both in Publick and in Private with all the Sweetness and Authority which the difference of Subjects and Persons do require In a word who should not have some Ray of that Apostolick Eloquence the perfect Model of which we have in St. Paul A Clergy-man unto whom so many Pieces of Knowledge are necessary should not lose his time in Prophane Studies or useless Curiosities He should also use great choice in the Studies appertaining to his Profession Let him not bestow too much time upon those Large Commentaries on Scripture the sight of which alone is enough to terrifie by the Bigness and Multitude of the Volumes and to make one despair of ever understanding the Text Let him not amuse himself with useless Speculations and the vain Wranglings of the School-men Let him not suffer himself to be Transported too far with the humour of Criticizing upon matters of Fact and Inquiring too Curiously into Ecclesiastical Antiquities for there are all these Rocks to be avoided even in the Studies which belong unto him He ought always to remember that the Christian Religion is not an Humane Art or Science wherein every one is permitted to seek and invent that his business is onely to Collect and faithfully preserve the Tradition of the Church He should Meditate Attentively upon those Rules which St. Paul gives to Timothy and Titus against Curious Questions that he may avoid Vain Disputes and referr all to Charity Thus he will fix his Mind on those Studies which are necessary and which relate the most to Practice For a Clergy-man should not be a professedly Learned Man who spends all his Life in his Closet in Studying and Composing Books He is to be a Man of Action and above all of Prayer These are the two parts of the Apostolick Life Prayer and Ministry of the Word He should therefore every day spend a considerable time in Conversing with God for the cleansing himself from those Spots which he has contracted by action and intercourse with Men for representing unto him his own needs and those of the whole Church We ought to give unto our Neighbour all that assistance which we owe unto him according to the Place we have in the Church and the particular occasions which Charity shall present Study is to be the business of our Youth and in the rest of our Lives only our Rest and Diversion usefully to fill up the Intervals of Action When you shall find your self Tired by Visiting the Sick or the Poor by the Administration of Sacraments or Instruction When you shall perceive you Voice weakened your Breast heated you 'll find a great pleasure in Reading some Good Passage of the Fathers or Ecclesiastical History in Meditating calmly upon some place of Scripture or in hearing the Conversation of a Learned and Pious Friend These are the Divertisements proper for Clergy-men WE now come to the Sword-men These are the Men who ordinarily Study the least and yet there are two Reasons of Studying which are peculiar to them A Man who is naturally brave fierce and inclin'd to courageous Actions whose Birth or Imploy heightens his Courage who has his Arms in his hand and Men under him ready to obey without asking a Reason This Man is in a capacity of exercising all sorts of Violence and if he be wicked or only Passionate and Humoursome he is insufferable to all the rest of Mankind He is a Lyon let loose he is an Armed Madman It is therefore of great moment that they whose Inclination and Profession do put them into so dangerous a Condition should have a great deal of Reason and Power over themselves to the end that they may use their Courage and Strength only for the Publick Good and against the Enemies of the State It would be better that the House should not be Guarded at all than that it should be kept by Dogs who without distinction should fall upon those who belong to the House as well as upon the Thieves The other Reason is the great Idleness which usually attends a Soldiers Life He knows not what to do when in Garrison in Winter Quarters in a place where he must stay any time when his Wounds are under Cure and oblige him to think of them
advantage of the State or to the Art of perswading but how to obey the Will of their Master So that there were no Books of the Ancients which were useful to them but those of Mathematicks of Physicians and Philosophers But seeing they neither sought after Policy nor Eloquence Plato was not for them besides to understand him the Knowledge of the Poets the Religion and History of the Greeks was necessary Aristotle with his Logick and Metaphysicks was more proper for them and accordingly they Study'd him with incredible earnestness and diligence They also apply'd themselves to his Physicks chiefly to Eight Books which contain nothing but Generals For natural Philosophy in particular which requires Observations and Experiments was not so suitable to them They did not omit to Study Medicks very closely but they founded it chiefly upon the general notions of the four Qualities and the four Humours and upon the Tradition of Medicines which they had not at all examin'd and which they mixed with an infinite number of Superstitions As to other parts of it they did not in the least improve Anatomy which they had received from the Greeks very imperfect 'T is true that we owe Chymistry to them which they have carry'd very far if not invented but they have mingled therewith all those corruptions which we can yet hardly separate therefrom vain Promises extravagant Reasonings superstitious Operations and all those fond things which have produced nothing but Montebanks and Impostors From Chymistry they passed easily to Magick and and all sorts of Divinations with which Men easily take up when they are ignorant of natural Philosophy History and true Religion as we have seen by the example of the ancient Greeks That which wonderfully assisted them in these Illusions was Astrology which was the chief aim of their Mathematical Studies In truth this pretended Science has been so much cultivated under the Empire of the Musulmen that Princes took delight therein and upon this Foundation ordered their greatest Enterprizes The Calif Almamon did himself Calculate Astronomical Tables which were very famous and it must be confess'd that they were very serviceable for his Observations and other useful parts of Mathematicks as Geometry and Arithmetick We owe to them Algebra and the way of Cyphering by Multiplying by Ten which has render'd the Arithmetical Operations so easie As for Astronomy they had the same advantages which excited the ancient Egygtians and Chaldeans to apply themselves thereto seeing they Inhabited the same Country And moreover they had all the observations of the Ancients and all those which the Greeks had added unto them The Arabians who made it their business to Study their Religion were not only no Philosophers but their declared Enemies and decry'd them as an impious sort of Men and Enemies to their Religion Indeed it was no difficult matter for any who could but reason in any degree to destroy the foundation of a Religion which was built neither upon Reason nor any Evidence of a Divine Mission The Philosophers there fore being excluded from the Functions of Religion and other profitable Imployments sought the more after Reputation and they endeavour'd to get it either from the Names of the Masters under whom they had Studied or from their great Travels or from the singularity of their Opinions A Learned Man in Spain was always much more Learned in Persia or Corasan and there was a wondrous Emulation betwixt them each of them Zealously affecting to distinguish himself by some new Logical or Metaphysical subtilty And this same Humour run through all their Studies and all their Works They apply'd themselves only to that which seemed most wonderful most rare and most difficult for this end disreguarding Pleasure Convenience and even profit its self The Franks and other Latin Christians received from the Arabians only what the Arabians had taken from the Greeks that is the Philosophy of Aristotle Medicks and Mathematicks disregarding their Language their Poetry their Histories and their Religion as the Arabians had neglected those of the Greeks But what is most surprising is That our Learned Men did little less than the Arabians neglect the Greek Tongue so useful for the Study of Religion For it was not before the beginning of the Fourteenth Age that it was that the Languages might very much contribute to this end chiefly in order to the Conversion of Infidels and Schismaticks It was with this design that the Council of Vienna held in the Year 1315. ordered that Professours for the Greek Arabick and Hebrew should be Established which yet was not put into Execution till a long time afterwards Men did not begin to Study Greek before the end of the Fifteenth Age Hebrew in the beginning of the Sixteenth and Arabick in our Age. Hitherto there were but some few curious Persons who apply'd themselves thereto and they seldom bestow'd their pains upon Books of History which would have been most useful TO return to the Twelfth Age. They who Studied then were not at all concerned to be curious in Languages not so much as in Latin which they used for their Studies and in all Affairs of Moment But I cannot accuse them for this but the unhappiness of the Times The Incursions of the Normans and the particular Wars which yet continued had made Books so scarce and Studies so difficult that they were forc'd first to Labour in that which was of most importance There was as yet no Printing and there were scarce any but Monks who could Write and they were fully imploy'd in Writing Bibles Psalters and such-like Books for the use of Churches They Write also some Works of the Fathers as they fell into their Hands some Collections of Canons and some Formularies of Acts which were most ordinary in transacting business For 't was to them Application was made to cause them to be Written and 't was from amongst them or the Clergy that Princes had their Notaries and their Chancellours they had scarce any time to Transcribe the Prophane Histories and the Poets 'T is true that the Knowledge of Languages and Histories is necessary to understand the Fathers well and even Scripture it self but either they did not apprehend it to be so or else the extraordinary difficulty of attaining this Knowledge through the want of Dictionaries Glossaries Commentaries and the scarceness of the Text it self made them lose all hopes of it Hence it was that they who would superadd any thing to the meer reading of the Scripture and the Fathers did it only by Reasoning and Logick as St. John the Sophist the first Author of the Nominals who lived in the time of Hen. I. and his followers Arnold of Laon Roscelin of Compeign Master Abalard This way of Philosophizing upon Words and Thoughts without examining things in themselves was most certainly a good expedient to ease themselves of the Knowledge of Matter of Fact which is not to be attained but by reading and it was an easie way to confound the
to be Admired by the Ignorant they easily perswaded them that the Catholick Doctors were no better Skill'd in Religion than they were in good Learning But they had not this weak advantage very long The Catholicks soon ingag'd them with their own Weapons and used successfully against them the Original Languages and the Ancient Authors according to their own Editions Then Men began again to Study the Greek and Latin Fathers very little known in the Foregoing Ages They Studied Ecclesiastical History the Councils the Ancient Canons They ascended to the original of Tradition and took the Doctrin from the Fountain-Head The literal sense of Scripture was sought after by the help of Languages and Criticism I well know that many even of the Catholicks have driven these inquiries to vain Curiosities and that several also continued too much Wedded to the old Style of the Schools So difficult a thing it is for Men to keep themselves in a true Mediocrity The Language of the Scholastick Philosophy which came to us from the Arabians is not in it self worthy of any particular respect it is like the Architecture of our ancient Churches This Architecture which we call Gothick and which truly is Arabick is neither more Venerable nor more Holy for having been apply'd unto Holy uses in times when Men knew no better It would be a ridiculous delicacy to resolve never to enter into any Churches built after this manner as it would be also a vain scrupulosity not to dare to build any of a better Model It is by chance that these Idea's come to be joyned to those of Religion and that which comes from the Customs and Institutions of Men ought to be distinguished from what things are in themselves If on the one Hand this Restoration of Humanity has render'd Studies more solid and agreeable than before on the other they have made them more difficult for they have been rather augmented than changed and Men were desirous to retain all Thus by little and little and by a long Tradition that course of Studies which is at present observed in the publick Schools has been Formed First of all Grammar with the Latin Tongue Poetry that is the making of Latin Verses Rhetorick and upon occasion History and Geography then Philosophy and afterwards Divinity Law and Medicks according to Men's different Professions I leave it to those who have pass'd through them to judge whether nothing is taught in the Schools but what is useful and whether all that is necessary be taught therein My design as I said at first is only to speak of private Studies And this is the Reason why I have thought that I may be permitted to set aside the Authority of Custom and to reason freely concerning the matter of Studies as Philosophers who are the most obedient to the Laws of their Country nevertheless take the liberty to reason upon Politicks I shall speak of Studies in general though my principal purpose is to restrain my self to those which are most useful to Youth instructed in private and I shall only propose my Reflections which are founded upon Experience THE SECOND PART OF THE Choice and Method OF STUDIES WE ought in my Opinion first to inquire what Study is and what end Men should propound to themselves in Studying To heap together an abundance of Knowledge though it be with great Labour and to distinguish ones self from the common sort by knowing that which others are ignorant of is not sufficient to denominate a Man a Student For if so then to count all the Letters of a Book or all the Leaves of a Tree would be to Study since this would be a very difficult task and would end in a very singular sort of Knowledge But why would this Pains taking be ridiculous but because it would be neither a profitable nor a grateful Work That therefore ought not to be called Studying which hath not for its end at least the Pleasure of Knowledge but yet Pleasure cannot justifie those Studies which prejudice others that are better or such imployments as are more useful We should pity that Sick Person who should be sollicitous about nothing but to dress himself according to the Mode and Eat every thing that is grateful to his Palate instead of seriously seeking after the means of a Cure A young Artisan would deserve to be Laugh'd at who in the time of his Apprenticeship should entertain himself with drawing of Pictures and playing upon Instruments instead of learning his Trade He might think it a fine Apology to say that he takes Pleasure therein and that Painting and Musick are more noble Employments than those of the Carpenter or the Smith But nevertheless his Father or his Master would read him another Lesson Leave these things would they say to Musicians and Painters the time which you shall spend in their Trades will hinder you from learning your own You are wholly to apply your self to that and are permitted only to spend the Holy-Days in your Innocent Diversions instead of Debauchery Much after the same manner young Scholars may be accosted Your Education must be the Apprenticeship of your Life you are to learn how to become an Honest Man and skilful in the Profession which you shall undertake apply therefore your self altogether to that which may make you so But Grammar Poetry and Logick he 'll say divert me I find great pleasure in the Knowledge of the Tongues in drawing Etymologies and making different Reflections upon the Language of Men I love to judge of Styles and to examine the Rules of Poetry I love these Learned Speculations upon the nature of Reasoning and these exact Enumerations of all those things which may Form a Conclusion You have reason to do so all these pieces of Knowledge are pleasant They also are praise-worthy and you may use them to such a Degree But beware least Pleasure carry you too far and that you do not bestow too much time upon them Natural Philosophy also has great Charms if you give your self up too much to Mathematicks you have Work enough in them for your Life Some have thought it too short for the Study of History and others have spent it in mere Curiosities of Travel of understanding the pleasant Arts as Painting and Musick of inquiring after things that are Rare In the mean time when will you begin to learn to provide for your subsistance When will you instruct your self in the things which are proper to your Profession You ought wholly to renounce these Pleasures if you cannot tell how to moderate them but if you would pursue them in a reasonable degree and seasonably bestow upon them that time which others squander away in Eating and Drinking in Play and unprofitable Visits But nevertheless observe your times of Exercising your Body and unbending your Mind for Health and Liberty of Mind is to be preferr'd to all Curiosity Besides Pleasure there is still another great Temptation to be avoided which
good also to Exercise them without Books upon the subjects of which they can talk as upon the occurrences of Life chiefly upon their little differences if several of them be brought up together the Matter will more affect them and they will better understand the Maxims For here we ought not to deceive our selves as if Study consisted only in reading of Books All that is useful to know has not yet been Written and 't is impossible to Read all that has been Written We should account Reflexion and Conversation to be a great part of our Study There are a great many things not to be learn'd but by Tradition and Viva voce and also there are some which every one apprehends by observing what others do and Reflecting upon himself But 't is chiefly Morality which is thus learn'd Every one Forms his Maxims much less from that which he reads than from that which he hears spoken especially in familiar Conversation which he thinks more sincere than publick Discourses and from that which he sees those do whom he accounts most rational Hence it is that Example and Authority have so great an effect upon Manners For seeing there are but few Persons who have Strength and Patience enough for Reasoning especially amongst Youth and yet none would willingly be deceived It follows that they will believe the Wisest yet not so much what they say as what they do because Actions are surer Proofs of their Sentiments than Words And here behold the great difficulty we meet with in Teaching Morality I mean ill Example and the Corruption of Manners not only in publick but often also in private For you do well to tell a young Person what you know to be the best and to convince him by strong Reasons But he has always in the bottom of his Soul a violent Prejudice which renders all your Reasonings Suspicious and this is the common Opinion It seems to him that common sense requires he should prefer it to yours and that 't is more reasonable to suppose that you are deceived than that all the rest of Mankind are so And if by chance the Master shall discover any Weakness as where is the Man who doth not betray something of it sometimes If he be peevish if his Manners be ungrateful or singular in a word if he comes through his own fault or otherwise to be hated or despised Presumption presently becomes a Conviction and his Remonstrances have no further effect unless it be to prejudice the Truth and to render good Maxims odious or ridiculous to the Scholar all the rest of his Life Men much rather follow the Maxims of those whom they Esteem and Love and seeing Men Act by imagination especially in their younger Years they esteem or love those who are grateful to them or seem to be happy as Persons of Quality the Rich those who have a good Mien who Speak well who are Straight and handsom Men. Now these shining Qualities are much more ordinarily to be met with in those who have less Vertue and more rarely in those who Teach than in others Besides there are some Men by general Prescription are supposed to be Wise and Vertuous and yet are not so in effect as some Fathers old Men Magistrates and perhaps also Clergymen and Religious Insomuch that young Persons though never so well inclin'd are very hard put to it how to chuse those whom they ought to follow In the mean time their Passions grow become stronger and hold Intelligence with those many Enemies which attack them from without Yet all these difficulties should not discourage us and though we ought to hope for nothing but by the Power of the Divine Grace yet it is not sufficient only to implore this Assistance by continual Prayer all Human means should also be imploy'd The Success which doth not depend upon us shall not be reckoned to us neither shall we be Reproached for it and whatsoever shall become of the Scholar the Master shall be punished for his negligence or rewarded for his pains Admonish therefore your Charge that to do well he must draw himself out of the Crowd and not follow the greatest number Prove it to him both by the Authority of the Gospel and by Reason since whatsoever Principle of Morality you ground him in all that you can account good in the World will be very little in Comparison of the contrary Evil. There are few Rich Men a great many Poor few that enjoy Pleasure and Honours few Learned few Wise Men abundance of Sots and ignorant Persons very little Vertue in what sense soever you understand it Make him observe that there is scarce any one whose actions are all of a piece and who follows the same Principle whether it be good or bad Make him sensible how Ridiculous these Contradictions so ordinary in common Life appear The same Father who Preaches to his Son in general Wisdom and a Regular Life at other times unwarily uses before him Licentious Discourses with Pleasure relates the Follies of his Youth and thus teaches him to be a good Companion and a Spark amongst the Ladies The Mother who carries her Daughter often to Prayers carries her also to a Ball and to a Play and holding the Catechism in one Hand which she makes her repeat with the other she puts on her Ribbons and Patches to make her fine It cannot be avoided but that Men will fall into these absurdities unless they stick to one only Principle with an immovable firmness In truth it is not Morality if it be not perfectly one and built upon one only Principle You ought not therefore to speak to your Scholar of Human Morality of Worldly Wisdom of Politicks or the Prudence of this World Nothing of this should enter into his Mind but it ought presently to be balanced with the Maxims of the Gospel by making him comprehend well that we must be Christians altogether or not at all that it avails nothing to be so by halves least being abandoned of God we should renounce our Baptism It is to belye our selves not to follow the Law without reserve which we have owned as Divine But to establish a young Man in this Doctrine it will not be unuseful to remove certain gross Calumnies which are often Form'd against Christian Piety There are some so little acquainted with it that they think it allows or at least excuses Sottishness and meanness of Spirit and that bravery and greatness of Mind are Vertues only to be found in the Men of the World Nevertheless Prudence and Magnanimity are Vertues recommended in the Scripture as well as Temperance and Justice and the contrary Vices render us no less culpable before God than before Men. The difference is that Men often are not reasonable enough to excuse Defects which are purely involuntary Besides Devotion is accused for making Men sad and if they durst say it Unhappy because a great many of those who pass for Devout Persons are ill Humour'd
those to them which make the greatest Figure in the History of the World Sesostris Ninus Nabucodonosor Cyrus Hercules Achilles Homer Lycurgus and the Romans proportionably But I would joyn thereto the Names of Modern History which yet are usually much less spoken of to Children William the Conquerour Godfrey of Boüillon Sancho the Great King of Navarre and all the other who have been most Famous these Six hundred years Neither would I altogether omit even the Orientals I would have a Child to have heard some talk of the Cailiffs of Bagdad and Cairo of the great Power of the Turks and that of the Moguls their Names would not appear to them so Barbarous afterwards if they were accustomed to them betimes They should also make use of Geographical Maps for the Names of Places which also they might learn according to the difference of all Times and all Languages as far as may be In the beginning of these Instructions I would not confine my self to any order of Dates or Chronology but follow the Curiosity of Children as occasion should be given to recount to them all these Names and Actions The Matter of History being thus prepared I would begin to put it into order as soon as my Scholar should be Ten or Twelve years old I would then make him observe the Epochs which are used in the reckoning of time The Olympiades the Foundation of Rome Alexander the Incarnation the Mahometan Hegira But I would not Embarass him with an Exact Chronology nor oblige him to Retain the meer Simple Dates for this requires a great Effort of Memory I would also carefully abstain from speaking to him of the Julian Period and I would not use even the years of the Creation of the World for 't is very Difficult not to say Impossible to fix them and besides they are not of great Use since to the Times of the Foundation of Rome and the Olympiades which are the same almost there scarce is any History but the Sacred The Succession of which I should be satisfied if he knew well according to the ordinary Epochs of the Flood of Abraham Moses and Solomon without concerning himself much about the Total Sum of Years which cannot without much difficulty be drawn into a Sum And unto those Persons and Occurrencies which are most known to us I would have him to refer that little of Prophane History which there is in these times Danaus and Cecrops to Moses Cadmus to Joshua Homer to the Prophet Elias leaving the Care of Computing the years of the World to those who have Leisure and Curiosity to Study Chronology more profoundly Moreover I would often Repeat unto him certain General Observations which render the Study of History more short more easie and more useful You must know would I say to him that we have not the Histories of all Times nor of all Countries There have always been a great many ignorant Nations and of those who have Written there are very few whose Books we know All the Histories of the Ancient Orientals of the Egyptians Syrians Chaldeans and Persians are perished and the most Ancient which we have except that of God's People is the History of Herodotus which was not Written till about Two thousand years after the Flood and Twelve hundred after Moses To the Time of JESVS CHRIST we have scarce any Books but those of the Greeks and Romans wherein are Recorded any Histories which are certain and worthy of Belief more Ancient than the Foundation of Rome For Five hundred years after JESVS CHRIST you have onely one History to follow which is the Roman But after the Ruin of the Western Empire Spain France Italy and England Composed each of them their particular History To which must be added those of Germany Hungary Poland Sweedland and Denmark proportionably according to the time when they began Nevertheless all these Histories may be referr'd to that of France because the Empire of Charlemaign Comprehended the Greatest part of these Countries and in others he was so Respected that the People accounted it their honour to imitate the Manners of his Subjects Whence it is that the Levantines comprise all the Nations I have mentioned under the Name of Franks This is the Succession of the History which is most known to us except you will add thereunto the Byzantine History which we have for Two hundred years As for that of the Musulmen which contains all that hath passed for a Thousand years in Egypt Syria Persia Africa and all the other Countries where the Mahometan Religion is spread we are ignorant of it to this day The Reason of this is not as is commonly believed because the Mahometans have Written nothing or because their Books are lost for there is as much of their History alone as would make a whole Library but their Books are neither Printed nor Translated excepting two or three which go about in the hands of the Curious We know also that the Chinese have a Long Succession of History whereof we have had in Latin an Abridgment about Thirty years since We know that the Indians have very Ancient Traditions Written in a particular Language We know something of the History of Mexico and the Incaes which yet doth not rise very high And within these Two hundred years we have had an infinite number of Relations of several Voyages This is all that we know of Histories We see how little it is in comparison with the whole Compass of the Earth and all Successions of Ages yet nevertheless as little as it is 't is too much for one single Man So that it is in this Study especially we should chuse carefully and limit our selves First we ought to know what to hold to as to the beginnings of each History that we may not give credit to Fables which affect to advance too high The surest Rule is to look upon all that as Suspicious which precedes the time when each Nation received the use of Letters Besides the Quality and the Times of the Historians should be diligently observ'd It may be said in general that no Histories deserve credit but of those who have Written of their own Times or of those who have Collected out of such Historians whose Books by a Successive Tradition may have been delivered down to us But when there are Interruptions in an History and large obscure Vacuities all that went before ought to be suspected I should content my self with this Order and these General Rules for Universal History and oblige my Scholar to have a more special insight into the particular History of his own Country Furthermore This Study should be very differently extended or contracted according to the Quality of Persons A Man of indifferent condition needs but a very little History He who is likely to have some share in Publick Affairs should know a great deal more thereof and a Prince cannot know too much The History of his own Country makes him see his own