The Grammar School, Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII.
Of Grammaticall oppositions, how to dispute schollarlike of any Grammar question in good Latine.
Spoud.
IT seemeth to be very euident, that by these means they may be able to answere any necessarie question, meete for them; but for those schollar-like oppositions in Grammar questions, I heare you to say nothing, although it cannot but be a maruellous profitable exercise.
Phil.
It is indeed a profitable exercise: and I finde that it may be very easily attained thus;
1. About that time when they begin to reade Virgill or before,Two to dispute each day insteed of their Theam or Verses. as they are able, when they begin to make Theams, two of them may be appointed, insteed of their Theam, or Verses to be made for that mornings exercise, to dispute eueryevery day by course. The manner of it thus:
Let them take M. Stockwoods disputations,1. To follow M. Stockwood and to vse his very words. to direct them. And first for their greater ease and incouragement, to enter them; appoint them to dispute in the very words which M. Stockwood hath, and that of all the questions in order, about a side of a leafe at a time, or as they can well: so that following the words of the Author, there needeth no more labour, but committing it to memory and vttering; vnlesse they can meditate to doe it more shortly of themselues.
2. After this when they hauehave thus gone ouer the book or the greatest part of it,2. After to take only the substance of his disputations, & go thorough a whole question at a time. which they may doe in a short time, keeping a constant course: then cause them to practice to take a whole disputation at a time, or at least a whole question, and to bring only the substance of it as shortly as they can; yet st…l obseruing as much as may be▪ M. Stockwoods phrase, his order and witty conceits, which he vseth both in obiecting and answering.
For their better vnderstanding of their disputations,Helpe for the vnderstanding of the disputations amongst the enterers. do as in their Theams: vse at their entrance, to read them ouer vntounto them: shew them the plaine meaning of eueryevery thing; and by examining the sum of it all, first in English after in Latine, cause them to vnderstand so much as time will permit.
What they are not able to vtter in Latine, remember to cause them first to vtter in English, and then they wil easily do it in Latine, as we said.
When they hauehave beene well exercised in these that they are able thus to dispute with facility, and are acquainted well with Stockwoods phrase and order; they may hauehave other questions giuen to handle wholly of themselues, if you will.
By these means of continuall disputing they shall reape these benefits:Benefits of such scholastical oppositions.
1. They shall bee much helped for the perfect vnderstanding, and answering of any difficult Grammar question, as was sayd before.
2. They shall bee very much furthered for deliuering their minds easily in Latine.
3. They shal be notably fitted for disputations in the Vniuersity, or any like opposition, mooting, or pleading in the Innes of Court.
4. It shall bring audacity, help, gesture, pronuntiation, memory, and much prouoke them to an ingenuous e…ulation and contention.
Spoud.
But I hauehave seene in a schoole, where the schollars hauehave beene able to dispute ex tempore of any ordinarie morall question, which you should propound vntounto them: which me thought did exceedingly grace them, and was a very rare commendation vntounto the schoole.
Phil.
Though I doe grant with you that this deserued very great praise;Disputations of Morall Philosophy belong rather to the Vniuersitie. yet this seemes to me rather to belong to the Vniuersities, then to the Grammar schooles. For I take it not onelyonly meet, but also most equall and necessarie, that eueryevery place hauehave their owne Priuiledges reserued vntounto them; and that one in no case should incroach vponupon another.
Aboue all,The priuiledges & prerogatiues of the Vniuersities by al means to bee preserued. that there be a chiefe regard of the Vniuersities, as vntounto which the Grammar schooles are ordained principally, for training vp young schollars to furnish them; and that they hauehave all their honours and prerogatiues, reserued most carefully vntounto them. Of which sort these disputations in Logick and other Philosophie are.☜
Notwithstanding I shall shew you my iudgement,How these may be done and how farre. how this may be performed also; and as I take it in the most easie manner, and most surely, so farre as it may be.
1. I would hauehave my schollar well practiced in these Grammaticall disputations,1. By practice in the Grāmaticall disputations. to hauehave phrase & order of disputation in readinesse, and to keep themselues within the compasse of that kinde of reasoning; leauing logicall and strict concluding by Syllogisms, vntounto the Vniuersitie.
2. To hauehave read ouer Tullies Offices,2. To bee acquainted with Tullies Offices and the questions of it. with vnderstanding; which by the helpe of Master Brasbridges questions, and the Grammatical translations they may the more speedily by farre.
3. To choose out of the easiest of those questions,3. To oppose of som of those questiōs insteed of the Grammaticall. and to appoint the schollars insteede of their disputations in Grammar: when they hauehave gone thorough those, then to reply and answere an argument or two vponupon some of these questions daily. It were worthy the labor of some ingenuous and good Latinist,Som of Tullies Offices questions handled after the manner of M. Stockw▪ Grammaticall disputations worthy the labour▪ as M. Stockwood, to handle some of the questions of Tullies Offices after the manner of his Grammaticall disputations, to fit schollars the more for such witty and pleasant disputations, against that they should come to the Vniuersitie. But I speak this as the rest vnderunder better iudgement, and so farre as these may be meet for the Grammar schooles.
4. For inuenting reasons to replie,4. How to inuent reasons by the helpe of the places of Inuē tion. it may soone be performed, by the dullest capacitie, according to the manner of inuenting reasons for Theames or verses, following the chiefe heads of reasoning. If the replier do but only meditate what can be sayd against the question or position, from some one of those chiefe places of reasoning, discoursed in his mind in order; hauing the places euer in fresh memorie (as I shewed before) by the practice of the Art of Meditation, or the like: For then if one place will not presently afforde meete matter, another will. And commonly, the places from Causes, Effects, Contraries, Examples, Testimonies, are most pregnant to bring reasons to our minde.
Moreouer,☞ to helpe to answere the subtilties or …allacies; besides the perfect vnderstanding of the question,Helps for the answerer. and the matter of it, by reading or meditating of it diligently, the wise obseruing by the aunswerer from what place of reasoning the argument seemes to be taken, will vsually answere the reason. For, the most ordinary fallacies or deceits in reasoning, are from a bare shew of Causes, Effects, Contraries, Testimonies, and the rest, mistaken or misalledged; yet vrged as if they were true Causes Effects &c. when they are but fained or bare shewes: Or else in wra…gling about words, not disputing to the purpose, and to the point; but in some other sense mistaking the question.
For those common places or heads of Inuention,☞ all schollars who come to any ripeness,All the chiefe schollars are necessarily to be acquainted with the heads of Inuention. are necessarily to be acquainted with them, as was touched before. These wil euer stand them insteed for making of all Epistles Theams, Verses, Declamations, Oppositions.
Also to helpe them to resolue whatsoeuer they reade or heare in any continued speech;For Inuenting, Resoluing, Remembring. and to remember it, by gathering all the matter vntounto the seuerall heads of Inuention. Thus to be able to remember, and confute a Position, or an Oration, ex tempore, with much admiration.
Without these helps they shall neuer be able to do these things; or at least not with that facilitie, and in so commendable a manner, though they hauehave otherwise very singular gifts, of nature and learning.
But aboue all,Continuall exercise all in all. as in all other exercises so in this chieflie, continuall practice of disputing is all in all; when once you hauehave directed them how to attaine good order, or method, phrase, and matter.
If you desire any more,Goclenius Problemes. cōcerning the difficult questions of Grammar, reade Goclenius his Problems in the end of his Obseruations of the Latine tongue.
Spoud.
I much approoue of all that you hauehave sayde in this matter; and principally that the Vniuersities should be honoured by all means▪ and their dignities reserued inuiolable; yet giuegive me leaue to tell you of one thing, which here may seeme to bee blame-worthy,Ob. That this may seem to make them truants to dispute out of the words of the booke. which is this: That you would hauehave your enterers into this kinde of opposing, to bring the whole disputations of M. Stockw▪ to dispute in his very words; this may helpe to make them truants, to trust only to their books and memory, and not to stirre vp their owne wits and inuentions.
Phil.
Nothing less: for you see how after that they hauehave bin exercised this way for a time, then I would hauehave them to trie their owne wits & inuentions also; first abbridging their Author,Necessity of being well acquainted with the best examples. then bringing their owne: But▪ for following this course, both experience and reason do shew it to be the surest; as in all other learning, so in this (like as we obserued in generall before) to let them hauehave first the most excellent patterns, & neuer to rest vntil they hauehave the very patterns in their heads, and as it were euer before their eies; for then they wil be able to go forwards of themselues with delight & cōmendations.The euils of in forcing schollars to exercises, wherof they are not acquainted with the examples first. Wheras, otherwise to inforce them by feare, to vndertake such exercises, wherwith they are not acquainted, nor see the reason of them, it is a matter of ouer great rigor▪ that I say no more of it, & which must needs worke a maruellous distast in the schollar, as I hauehave noted. Besides, to cause such young ones to dispute without hearing or seeing such presidents, is al one, as to teach them to write only by precepts or some direction without copie. For euen as therin they shal both write very il fauouredly if any thing at all, and learn so bad a hand, as they shal be much troubled to forget, which they must doe before they can come to a good hand▪ so is it here. 1. They shall dispute very weakly & childishly, both forwords & matter▪ if any thing at all, & 2. they shal get barbarous phrase, to make them to be skorned, and which they shall hardly forget againe.
But of the otherside,Benefits of the contrary; viz of hauing the best patternes. they being trained vp thus, shall make not onelyonly the matter of their learned Authour their owne, but also his phrase; and be so furnished, that any man wil take delight to heare them. And that which I say of this, the same I affirm of all excellent patterns, whether for making Theames, Verses or whatsoeuer; that the more absolute their Presidents are, and the more cunning they are in them, the more singular they shall vndoubtedly proue.
This is the very maine reason, why all would hauehave the children to learne each Author so perfectly, as to say eueryevery worde without booke, as much as is possible, that the verie phrase and matter of their Author may bee their owne to vse perpetually.
To conclude this point,Triall by experience. triall and experience may teach vsus. Let two children be taken, one of a more pregnant and sharpe wit, the other of a slower and duller capacity: cause him of the sharpe wit, to do all only by precept and his own Inuention in making Epistles, Theames, Verses, disputing; but let the other of the duller capacitie be trained vp, not only by precept and his own inuention; but principally by being kept strictly to imitate the most excellent patternes in all things: then make the triall, whether he of the duller wit shall not expresse the sharpnesse, learning, grauitie, of the most learned and wise men, with certaine assurance to iustifie what hee hath done: whereas in the other; shall be found by a learned and a iudicious examiner, nothing but froth, childishnesse and vncertaintie, in the greatest ouerweening of wit and learning; and whether the duller and harder wit shall not do it with farre lesse labour.
Sp.
I must needs yeeld vntounto that which you say,Following cō stantly … excellent patterns doth … eueryevery calling. for that euidēce of truth which cannot be gainsaid. For this indeed all men doe see by common experience, that in all trades and sciences, they who get themselues most excellent patternes to follow, and are the curiousest in expressing them most liu…ly, are euer found the most excellent workemen. And therefore I do content my selfe, as fully answered, intreating that we may still proceed.