The Grammar School, Chapter 29
CHAP. XXIX.
Of execution of iustice in schooles by punishments.
Phil.
FOr inflicting punishments,To punish vnwillingly. we ought to come thereunto vnwillingly, and euen inforced; and therefore to proceed by degrees: that who cannot bee moued by any of the former meanes of preferments, nor incouragements, nor any gentle exhortation nor admonition, may be brought into order and obedience by punishment.
And therefore,To proceed by degrees in punishing. first to beginne with the lesser kindes of punishments; and so by degrees to the highest and seuerest, after this manner obseruing carefully the natures of eueryevery one, as was sayd.
1. To vse reproofes;1. Reproofes. and those sometimes more sharpe according to the nature of the offender, and his falt.
2. To punish by losse of place to him who dooth better according to our discretion.2. Loss of place.
3. To punish by a note,3. Black Bill of principall vse & most auaileable which may be called, the black Bill. This I would hauehave the principall punishment, I meane most of vse: for you shall finde by experience, that it being rig…ly vsed, it is more auaileable then all other, to keepe … obedience; and specially for any notoriously idle or stubborne, or which are of euill behauiour any way.
The manner of it may be thus:
To keepe a note in writing:Manner of the blacke Bill to depriue them of the play-daies. or which may more easily be done; to keepe a remembrance of all whom you obserue very negligent, stubborne, lewd, or any waie disobedient, to restraine them from all liberty of play.
And therfore,To make them all to knowe what to looke for. to giuegive them all to know so much before hand, that whosoeuer asketh leaue to play, or vponupon what occasion soeuer, yet we intend alwaies to except all such; and that the liberty is granted only for the painfull and obedient, which are worthy to hauehave the priuiledges of schollars, and of the schoole, because they are such, and are an ornament to the schoole: not for them who are a disgrace vntounto it.
So alwaies at such playing times,To view the fourmes before play, and to separate all the disobedient and vnworthy to be left to their taskes. before the Exeatis, the Master and Vshers to view eueryevery fourm thorough; and then to cause all them to sit still, whom they remember to hauehave been negligent, or faulty in any speciall sort worthie that punishment, and to doe some exercises in writing besides; either those which they hauehave omitted before, or such as wherein they cannot be idle.
But herein there must be a speciall care,Care for their taskes to be performed faithfully in their restraint. when they are thus restrained from play, that either Master or Vsher, if it can be conueniently, hauehave an eye to them, that they cannot loyter; or some one specially appointed, to see that they do their taskes.
Also that they bee called to an account the next morning, whether they hauehave done the taskes inioined, vnderunder paine of sixe ierkes to be surely payed.
Moreouer,Notorious offenders to sit vntill they shew geod tokens of amendment. for all those who are notoriously stubborne, or negligent, or hauehave done any grosse fault, to cause them to sit thus, not only one day, but eueryevery play day cōtinually, vntill they shew themselues truly sory for their faults, and do amend; becomming as duetifull, and submisse as any other; and vntill they do declare by good signes, their desire and purpose to please and obey their Master. Vnlesse they be released at very great suite, or vponupon sufficient sureties of their fellowes, to incurre otherwise their penalty if they amend not.
This course straightly obserued,Benefit of this punishment strictly obserued, and why. partly thorough the shame of being noted in the ranke of disordered fellowes, and also lest their Parents should knowe it; and partly thorough depriuing them of play, and more also thorough this strict account to be giuen of their taskes, and seuerity of correction otherwise, will more tame the stubbornest and prowdest, thorough Gods blessing, then anie correction by rod: and this without danger to the schollar, or offence to their friends.
And therefore,To look to this strictly. when rod and all other meanes faile, let vsus looke carefully to this, not to leaue one stubborne boy, vntill hee be brought as submisse and dutifull as any of the rest. For, those beeing brought into obedience, the rest may easily bee kept in order, with very little correction: whereas one stubborne boy suffered, will spoile, or at leastwise indanger all the rest.
4. Sometimes in greater faults,4. Correction with rod more seldome, and chiefly for terrour. to giuegive three or fowre ierkes with a birch, or with a small redde willow where birch cannot be had. Or for terror in some notorious fault, halfe a dozen stripes or moe, soundly laied on, according to the discretion of the Master.
Some doe only keep a bill,Custome of some in the vse of the blacke Bill. and note carefully their seuerall principal disorders; and now and then, shew them their names and faults mildly, how oft they hauehave been admonished; and when they take them in hand pay them soundly, and by this policie keepe them in great obedience.
In this correction with the rod,C…ueats in correction. speciall prouision must be had for sundry things.
1. That when you are to correct any stubborne or vnbroken boy,1. Manner of correction of the stubborne and vnbroken. you make sure with him to hold him fast; as they are inforced to do, who are to shooe or to tame an vnbroken colt.
To this end to appoint 3. or 4 of your schollars,To hold them fast. whom you knowe to bee honest, and strong inough, or moe if need be, to lay hands vponupon him together, to hold him fast, ouer some fourme, so that he cannot stir hand nor foot; or else if no other remedy will serue, to hold him to some post (which is farre the safest and free from inconuenience) so as he cannot any way hurt himselfe or others, be he neuer so peeuish. Neither that he can hauehave hope by any deuise or turning, or by his apparell, or any other meanes to escape.☜ Nor yet that any one be left in his stubbornness to go away murmuring,Not to let any to goe awaie in their stubbornnesse. pou…ing, or blowing and puffing, vntill he shew as much submission as any, and that hee will lie still of himselfe without any holding; yet so as euer a wise moderation be kept. Although this must of necessitie bee locked vntounto; because besides the euill ensample to others, there is no hope to doe any good to count of, with any vntill their stomacks be first broken: and then they once thoroughly brought vnderunder, you may hauehave great hope to work all good according to their capacity; so that it may be, you shall hauehave little occasion to correct them after.
Moreouer, a very child suffered in his stubbornnesse, to scape for his strugling, will in a short time come to trouble two or three men to take him vp, and to correct him without danger of hurting himselfe, or others.
2. To be very wary for smiting them ouer the backes,To be wary to auoide all smiting or hurting the children. in any case, or in such sort as in any way to hurt or indanger them. To the end to preuent all mischiefes, for our owne comfort; and to cut off all occasions from quarrelling parents or euill reports of the schoole. And withall, to auoid for these causes, all smiting them vponupon the head, with hand, rod, or ferula.Caueat of threatning. Also to the end that we may auoid all danger and feare for desperate boyes hurting themselues, not to vse to threaten them afore, and when they hane done any notorious fault, nor to let them know when they shall be beaten; but when they commit a new fault, or that wee see the schoole most full or opportunity most fit to take them of a sodaine.
3. That the Master do not in any case abase himselfe,That the Master do not abase himselfe to struggle with any schollar. to striue or struggle with any boy to take him vp: but to appoint other … the strongest to do it, where such need is, in such sort as was shewed before; and the rather for feare of hurting them in his anger, & for the euils which may come therof, & which som Schoolemasters hauehave lamented after.
4. That the Masters and Vshers also, do by all meanes, auoide all furious anger,To auoide all furious anger. threatning, cha…ing, fretting, reuiling: for these things will diminish authoritie, and may do much hurt, and much indanger many waies.
And therefore of the contrary,How correction ought euer to be giuen. that all their correction be done with authority, and with a wise and sober moderation, in a demonstration of duety to God, and louelove to the children, for their amendment, and the reformation of their euill manners.
Finally,Sparing the rod where necessitie requireth is to vndoe the children. as God hath sanctified the rod and correction, to cure the euils of their conditions, to driue out that folly which is bound vp in their hearts, to saue their soules from hell, and to giuegive them wisdome; so it is to be vsed as Gods instrument to these purposes. To spare them in these cases is to hate them.Assurance of s…fety in correction when it is done …right, Such correctiō is no cruelty. To louelove them is to correct them betime. Do it vnderunder God, and for him to these ends and with these cautions, and you shall neuer hurt them: you hauehave the Lord for your warrant. Correction in such manner, for stubbornnesse, negligence and carelesnesse, is not to be accounted ouer-great seueritie, much lesse crueltie.
Spoud.
But how hard a matter is it to keepe this moderation in correcting, and thus to temper our anger! Surely, it must bee a greater worke then of flesh and blood: how may wee attaine vntounto it? It is a matter which hath often times troubled me, but I hauehave not been able to ouercome it.
Phil.
I doe not condemne all anger in vsus:☞ nay, anger in the Schoole-master is as necessary as in any other,Anger necessary in Schoolemasters, so it be tempered aright. to be angry at the negligence and other vices of the children; for God hath ordained this to be a meanes, to whet vsus on to do our duties, & for the reformation & good of our schollars, to keepe them euer in a holy awe by the feare of it. Yea, sometimes in more grieuous offenses, God is wonderfully pleased with it, though it be more vehement; as we may see in the anger of Moses & Phineas, so that we tēper it in such sort, as that we sin not in it. That it do not cause vsus to break out to reuiling, fretting, chafing, blowes on the head, or otherwise to any cruell or vnmercifull dealing with the children, to vse them worse, then wee would vse a dogge, as we say:
But that wee euer remember, that they are children, Gods children, heires of his kingdome; we are to nu…ture them onelyonly vnderunder him, to traine them vp for him, and for his Church; nor to correct nature but vice; to do all to the end to make them men.
Now the helpes of repressing this our anger,Meanes to represse furious and raging anger. are the wise consideration of those things which I hauehave mentioned, or the like. As to keep a continuall memory, whose the children are; what they are; for whom we bring them vp; vnderunder whom and in whose place; whether we would hauehave God angry at vsus, & to smite vsus, as we do the children, for eueryevery fault which wee do: how we would hauehave our owne children dealt withall: and also Gods iustice to measure to vsus or ours, with what measure we mete to others. Besides, to remember, that anger will blinde our mindes, that we cannot see to correct or vse any right moderation.
Moreouer, to hauehave euer in mind, the mischiefes that come of anger; how it will diminish our authority, and disgrace vsus extremelie in the eyes of the children, when it is immoderate, and without iust cause. Also that in our anger, we may do that euill in a moment, which we shall repent all our liues long. And the rather, because Sathan watcheth to get aduantage against vsus, to bring vsus to some notable euils in our anger. Into whose hand, it is iust with God to leaue vsus, because we would not watch ouer this passion to keepe it in temper; when we know that of all other our affections we mostly open to his malice in this, by reason of our continuall occasions of anger.
Therefore to conclude this point, as wee are to vse all wisdome to preuent these euills; so principally, a constant course in obseruing all orders, shall preuaile maruellously, by cutting off most occasions of anger.
And finally, when all other meanes faile of conquering this vnruly passion: let vsus call to mind the means, which the Lord hath sanctified to bring eueryevery thought into obedience;Places of scripture to be euer in our minds for repressing and moderating our anger. to wit, his heauenly word and praier. To this end it shall bee necessary, to hauehave euer in minde, some speciall places of holie scripture against anger; as these and the like:
Be angry but sin not,Eph. 4. 26. 27 let not the sunne goe downe vponupon your wrath: neyther giuegive place to the diuell.
Bee slowe to wrath:Iam. 1. 20 For, the wrath of man doth not accomplish the righteousnesse of God.
Cease from anger,Psal. 37. 8. leaue off wrath: fret not thy selfe also to do euill.
A foole in a day is knowne by his anger.
Be not of a hastie spirit, to be angrie: for anger resteth in the bosome of fooles.
The angry man is said to exalt folly, to set vp his folly to be seene of all.
A man of much anger shal suffer punishmēt:Pro. 19 19 and though thou deliuer him, yet wil his anger come againe.
In a word, that seuere denuntiation of our Sauior for this vndiscreete anger, breaking out into euill speeches, may humble vsus continually and make vsus afraide of this sinne:
That whosoeuer is angry with his brother vnaduisedly,Mat. 5. 22 shall be culpable of iudgement [or subiect to punishment.]Danger of rash anger when it exceedes. And whosoeuer shall say vntounto his brother Racha, shall bee worthy to be punished by the Councell; and whosoeuer shall say foole shal be worthy to be punished with hell fire.
By all which words it is most euident, that our vndiscreete and hastie anger which ouertakes vsus too oft in our places, making vsus to breake out (vnlesse wee bee more watchfull) not onelyonly into reuiling speeches, but also to blowes, and to great seueritie, is highly displeasing to the Lord; and it dooth exceedingly indaunger vsus for his wrath and vengeance, vnlesse we be daily humbled by vnfained repentance for it: and yet so, as that we cannot looke to escape some like measure from him, that we or ours shal surely feele his hand, vnlesse we preuent and amend it.
Spoud.
These are worthy places of holy Scriptures; and able to stay vsus, if we could keepe them in memory. But yet euen in the most moderate, the very desire to do good, and to answer our places, moued by the vntowardnes and carelesnesse of many of our children, doth cause vsus sometimes to forget our selues, and to breake out ouer-much.
Phil.
God hath left this to our calling,Occasions of anger left to our calling to humble and exercise vsus. as a meanes to trie vsus, and to humble vsus continually; and also to hauehave matter wherin to exercise vsus to striue against, and to make vsus more watchfull in our places. But if wee could learne but these three lessons,Three lessons for preuenting of anger. wee should wonderfully preuent Sathan in these occasions of our anger, wherein wee are so ouertaken;
1 So much as euer we are able,1 Constancy in obseruing order, and our eye euer on all. to hauehave our eye continually round about the Schoole vponupon eueryevery one; and namely the most vnruely, to keepe them in awe: and that we keepe order strictly in euerything at all times; as specially in all examinations and taskes, and our times for eueryevery thing most precisely, that they may looke for it: for omitting them somtimes, makes the best too carelesse, & some bolde to offend, in hope that they shall not be seene, or not called to an account: wheras by the contrary they grow into a habite of painefulnesse and obedience.
2 Studying to put on a fatherly affection and to deale so with them as a good father amongst his children.2 Fatherly affections. This shall also bring them or many of them to the affections and dutifulnesse of louing children, to doe all of cons…ience.
3 Labouring to be Enocks,3 To walke i… our places with God as Enock. to walke in our places with God, as euer in his presence, his eye alwayes on vsus; that hee obserues all our wayes and will reward and blesse vsus, according to our conscience herein: thus to walke before him, vntill he translate vsus hence, being as little absent from our place and charge, as possible may be; cutting off wisely all vnnecessary occasions. Oft absence of the Master is a principall cause of the schollars negligence and not profiting, with the griefe and vexing of the Master, arising thereon; vnlesse he hauehave very good supply.
Spoud.
Happy men were we if we could attaine to this. But I pray you sir, what thinke you of this, to hauehave ever the rodde or ferula in our hand, at lesser faults to giuegive them a blow or a ierke on the hand; and so when wee see any of them idle?
Phil.
If we will striue earnestly, according to the former meanes, we shall by little and little attaine to that ability, to cut off those occasions, and come to this good gouernement, so farre as the Lord shall be well pleased with vsus; and that he will passe by our weakenesses. But for hauing the rodde or ferula alwayes in our hands, if we be of hastie natures,The danger of hauing the rod of ferula euer in our hand. I take it to be, as for a furious man to carie euer a naked sword in his hand. It will make vsus to strike many a time, when wee will bee sory for it after, if it fall not out worse. For these lighter faults, proceeding from lacke of time, yeares, capacity, discretion, or the like, would rather be corrected by words, and reformed louingly, then by this continuall whipping and striking: neyther will any good and wise father smite his childe for eueryevery fault.
I would therefore hauehave neyther of these to be continually holden vp;Rather a little twigge if any thing at all. but rather some little twigge, if you will needes: I meane a small twigge something more then a foote long; that if you a little rap them on the heads, you can no way hurt them, neyther their head, eyes nor face.
But I account this farre the best, for a Schoolemaster by his graue and wise carriage,For the surest, to hauehave nothing ordinarily, but grauity and authority. and his faithfulnesse in his place; and also by carefully obseruing, and surely and soundly correcting the negligent and disobedient, when other meanes faile; to striue to come to this, that his owne presence, or at least his eye & speech, may sufficiently preuaile to keepe all in a submisse obedience; and that he may vse the rodde very sparingly, but onelyonly in greater faults, and on the principall offenders for example and terrour. This shall be a fatherly and worthy gouernement indeede, when the children thus obey of conscience; striuing who shall be the best, and each way most dutifull. And thus in a short time, when your Schollars are so inured to your gouernement that they know what to looke for, you shall finde that very seldome correction will serue.
Spoud.
I like your aduice wonderfull well herein:The time of inflicting common punishments. but when would you hauehave the time, of common punishment to be inflicted; as namely that for their misdemeanours in the Church, or other grosse faults noted by the Monitours?
Phil.
I would hauehave this done commonly at the giuing vp of the Monitours Bils, some day before prayer; sometimes one day, sometimes another: and when the Master findes the greatest company present, then to call for the Monitours of that weeke; lest keeping a settime, any absent themselues by fained excuses or otherwise, or cry vntounto their parents, that they dare not go to the schoole, because they must be beaten. But for extreame negligence, or other faults in the Schoole, the very fittest time is immediately before the breaking vp, vponupon the play-dayes; then if need… so require, first to whip all the stubborne and notoriously negligent, as also those who hauehave done any grosse fault: and after to cause them to sit, and do some exercises, wherof they are to giuegive a strict account, as I said. This will surely by Gods blessing tame the proudest of them in time, & bring them to be as submisse as the least childe; as experience will manifest.
Spoud.
But what if you hauehave any,Such as of whom is no hope of reformation to be sent from Schoole in time. whom you cannot yet reforme of their vngratiousnesse or loyt…ring, and whom you can do no good with all, no not by … these meanes? As some there are euer in all schooles extreamly vntoward.
Phil.
These I would hauehave some way remoued from the schoole; at least by giuing the parents notice, and intreating them to imploy them some other way; that neyther other be hurt by their example, nor they be a reproach to the Schoole, nor yet we be inforced to vse that seuerity with them which they will deserue. But keepe these courses strictly, and you shall see that they will eyther amend, or get away of themselues, by one meanes or other; I meane, by some deuice to their parents, to leaue the Schoole, and to go to some other imployment.