The Grammar School, Chapter 4
CHAP. IIII.
How the Master may direct his Schollars to write verie faire, though himselfe be no good Pen-man.
Spoud.
TO come therfore vntounto writing,Faire writing a great benefit & ornament to Schooles. and the manner of teaching it; That which you affirm may be done herein, cannot but bee a very great benefit, and a notable grace to schooles, and also to all learning, if it can be so effected. That all Schollars in generall, may be directed to write cōmendably, and a great part of them which are more apt to write very faire; and that in the seuerall hands of the learned tongues, as they doe proceed in eueryevery one of them. For many of the best Schollars, hauehave beene wont to write very ill;It hath beene a receiued opinion a …ong many, that a good Schollar can not be a good writer. in so much, as it hath beene a receiued opinion, as you know, amongst very many, That a good Schollar can hardly be a good pen-man. Moreouer you shall finde very fewe good writers in Grammar Schooles; vnlesse eyther they hauehave been taught by Scriueners, or be themselues maruellous apt hereunto, and very rare, or where the Master doth apply himself chiefly to teach to write.
The want of this, hath bin another part of my griefe: for besides the complaint and grudging of the Parents;The trouble of Schoolemasters, for the want of this faculty to teach Schollars to write. I hauehave also seen, after they hauehave bin a great while with me, that they hauehave not bin able to write so, as to be fit for any trade; but they must after be set to learne of the Scriuener: much lesse hauehave they bin able to write a letter to their friends, or to perform any such business with their pen, in any commendable maner. You shall therefore do me no lesse a pleasure, then in the former, if you can direct me, how to help all these euils, and to attaine to that dexterity, whereof you speake.
Phil.
I hope to satisfie you herein also. But first relate vntounto me, what courses yourselfe hauehave taken, to teach your Schollars to write; whereof you hauehave found so little profit: and after I shall adde, as in the former, what I hauehave learned, to the better effecting hereof.
Spoud.
Surely I hauehave done this:The ordinary course in Schooles to teach to write. I hauehave daily set them copies, so well as I could; which hath bin no small toile vntounto me: or else I hauehave caused some of my Schollars, or some others to doe it. Also I hauehave made them now & then to write some copies; and it may be, I hauehave corrected them for writing so badly, or guided some of their hands, or shewed them how to amend their letters. This I take to be the most that is done in Schooles ordinarily; vnlesse any doe procure Scriueners, to teach in their townes: whereof we finde no small inconueniences.
Phil.
I take it to be as you say, that this is all which is done in most Schooles: and hence so many of vsus hauehave experience, of the like murmurings against vsus. Now I will let you see plainly and as familiarly as I can, how to helpe this euill, and to attaine this so great a benefit.
1. The Schollar should be set to write,1. When Schollars should begin to write. when he enters into his Accidence; so eueryevery day to spend an houre in writing, or very neere.
2. There must be speciall care,2. To hauehave all necessaries. that eueryevery one who is to write, hauehave all necessaries belonging thereunto; as penne, inke, paper, rular, plummet, ruling-pen, pen-knife, &c.
3. The like care must be,3. Inke and paper, of what sort. that their inke be thin, blacke, cleere; which wil not run abroad, nor blot: their paper good; that is, such as is white, smooth, and which will beare inke, & also that it be made in a book.Writing books kept faire. Their writing books would be kept faire strait ruled, & each to hauehave a blotting paper to keep their books for̄ soyling, or marring vnderunder their hands.
4. Cause eueryevery one of them to make his own pen; otherwise the making,4. EueryEvery one to learne to make his owne pen. and mending of pens, will be a very great hinderance, both to the Masters and to the Schollars. Besides that, when they are away from their Masters (if they hauehave not a good pen made before) they wil write naught; because they know not how to make their pens themselues.
The best manner of making the pen,The manner of making the pen. is thus:
1. Choose the quil of the best and strongest of the wing, which is somewhat harder, and will cleaue.
2. Make it cleane with the backe of the pen-knife.
3. Cleaue it strait vp the backe; first with a cleft,Cleft of the penne. made with your pen-knife: after with another quill put into it, riue it further by little and little, till you see the cleft to be very cleane: so you may make your pen of the best of the quil, & where you see the cleft to be the cleanest, & without teeth. If it doe not cleaue without teeth, cleaue it with your pen-knife in another place, still neerer the backe: for if it be nor strait vp the backe, it will very seldome run right. After, make the nebbe and cleft both about one length, somewhat aboue a barley corne breadth, & small; so as it may let downe the inke,The neb of the pen. and write cleane. Cut the nebbe first slant downewards to make it thinne, and after strait ouerthwart. Make both sides of equall bignesse, vnlesse you bee conning to cut that side, which lieth vponupon the long finger, thinner and shorter; yet so little, as the difference can hardly be discerned. But both of equall length is accounted the surest.
The speediest and surest way to learne to make the pen,The surest way for making the pen. is this. When your Shollar shall naue a good pen fit for his hand, and well fashioned; then to viewe and mark that well, and to trie to make one in all things like vntounto it. It were good for the learner to procure such a penne made, and to keepe it for a patterne, to make others by vntill he be very perfect in it. A childe may soone learne to make his pen; yet, fewe of age do know how to make their owne pennes well, although they hauehave written long and very much: neither can any attaine to write faire without that skill.
Next vntounto this,How to holde the pen. cause your schollar to holde his penne right, as neere vntounto the nebbe as hee can, his thumbe and two fore-fingers, almost closed together, round about the neb, like vntounto a cats foote, as some of the Scriueners doe terme it.
Then let him learne to carry his pen as lightly as he can,To cary the pen so lightly as to glide on the paper. to glide or swimme vponupon the paper. So hee shall write the cleanest, fayrest, and fastest, and also his pen shall last the longe.
Insteede of setting of copies and to saue that endlesse toyle,Copies. In stead of setting copies to hauehave copie bookes fastened to the top of their books. let eueryevery one hauehave a little copie booke fastened to the top of his writing booke, with a strong thread of a spanne long, or thereabout; that alwaies when he writeth, he may lay his copie booke close before him, and that the side of the copie, may almost touch the line where he writeth, that his eye may be vponupon the copie, and vponupon his letter both together. And also, to the end that euer when he hath done writing, he may put his copie booke into his writing booke againe; so that the copie may neuer bee out of the waie, nor the Schollar write without it.
The fittest volume for their writing a booke is, to hauehave them in quarto.
Moreouer, the copie bookes would be made thus.Maner of the copie bookes. Not aboue two inches in bredth; fowre or six copies in a booke, halfe secretarie, halfe Roman. The copie bookes might be made thus most fitly as I take it.
1 One line of small letters, of each letter one, except in those which hauehave letters of diuers kinds, and therin both kinds to be set downe: as i. j. s. 8. u, v.
VnderUnder the line of small letters, would be set a line of great letters, after the same manner; and vnderunder them both a line or two of ioyning hand, containing all the letters in them.
Examples of both sorts for the present vntill better can bee found may be these. I meane copies both of Secretary and Roman, containing all the letters in them.
For Secretary thus:
Exercise thy selfe much in Gods booke,Examples of copyes contayning all the letters in one line of ioyning. with zealous and feruent prayers and requests.
For Roman thus:
Aequore cur gelido zephyrus fert xenia kymbis?
Respect not the verse, but the vse.
VnderUnder all these, may be fitly set in very little room those characters or letters, out of which all the rest of the letters may be framed: as in the small letters in Secretarie, m. i. t. v. z. s. In the great letters, …. So vnderunder the Roman copies after the same manner.
In the end of the copie bookes, in a page or two, might be set down all the hard syllables mentioned before.The hardest sylables and principall numbers to be set in the end of the copy bookes. That by oft writing them ouer they might be helped to spel, & to write true Orthographie. And after those, the numbers mentioned, to be able to write or totel any of them vpō the book without it. Then what schollar so euer were not able to tell any of them, after a little poasing,The copy books to bee printed & how, with the benefit of them. were well worthy to be corrected. If such copie books were finely printed, being grauen by som cunning workman, & those of the most perfect and plaine forms of letters, that could possibly be procured, in a strong and very white paper, one book or two of them would serue a schollar neere all his time, that hee should neuer need to change his hand.
The often change & following of diuerse hands,Inconuenience of following diuers hands. doth asmuch hinder writing, as often change of schoolemasters doth hinder learning. Therfore, the best is to be chosen at the first, and euer to be stucke vntounto without alteration, if it may be.
In the meane time,The best written copies to be procured. vntill such copies can be had, some would be procured of the master, to be written by the best Scriuener who can be gotten, after the manner aforesayde, for each schollar to hauehave one to fasten to his booke, and to vse as before.
Otherwise when for lacke heereof,Inconuenience of the lacke of such bookes. the Master, or Vsher, or some other Schollar is compelled eueryevery day, to write each schollar a new copy; it is both an endlesse toile, and also an extreame losse of time: besides the inconuenience mentioned, of change of hands, and that few Masters or Vshers are fit pen men, to write such copies as were necessary.
Lastly, because thorough want of such copies, schollars do write ordinarily without direction or pattern, in all their exercises; whereby they either grow to very bad hands, or do profit in writing,Faire writing to be practiced by all the schollars once eueryevery day. little or not at all.
This exercise of writing faire, would be practiced by all the Schollars thorow the Schoole, at least once everie day, for an howres space or neere; and that about one of the clocke: for then commonly their hands are warmest and nimblest.
Now those that write exercises, may take the opportunitie of that time,General rule in writing; To make all like vntounto the copy. to write them so faire as they can.
In al writing this general rule would be obserued streightly, to cause them to striue to make euerie letter, as like to the copie letter in all proportion, as the one hand is to the other. And that they neuer thinke a letter good, vntill no difference can bee found betweene it and the copie letter;To keepe euen compasse. that it cannot be discerned whether is the better.
Great care would bee had withall, to make eueryevery writer to keepe euen compasse in the height, greatnesse, and breadth of his letters; that no one letter stand either too high or too lowe, be ouer long, or ouer short, nor anie way too bigge, or too little, too wide, or too narrow.
To the end,How to write of euen height. that they may write of euen height; cause them to rule their bookes with a ruling pen, and then that they make the body of each letter, to touch their rules on both sides, I meane both at the tops and bottomes of the letters; but not to go one hair bredth higher or lower. Thus by practice the schollar will in time attaine to write very faire of himselfe without any ruling pen.
That eueryevery one may rule their bookes thus,Each to hauehave his ruling pen, and what on…. cause them to hauehave each his ruling pen, made of a quill, somwhat like vntounto a pen; but onelyonly that it is to be made with a nocke in the neb or point of it, like the nocke of an arrow, the nebs of the nocke standing iust of the bredth of their copie letters asunder, that they may rule their rules meete of the same compasse with their copies.
The points of the nebs of the ruling pennes,The neb of the ruling pen, and how to rule with it. must not be made ouer sharpe, nor pressed downe ouer hard in ruling; because they wil then race the paper, and make it that it will not beare inke. They are moreouer to rule but a few lines at once: because the lines being drawen but lightly, will soone go out, and not be seene before that the learners come to write in them.
Also this care must be had in ruling, to cary the ruling pen so euen and straight forward,☜ that both the lines which are drawen by it, may be seene together; or els to drawe the lines so oft ouer with the same, vntil that both the lines may be well seene.Euen writing to be streightly looked to, by the help of a ruling pen. This would be obserued carefully, vntill that time that they can begin to write euen & streight of themselues: for the euen compasse doth especially grace a hand, and the faire shew of it will cause children to take a delight in writing faire.
EueryEvery schollar who writeth Latine should hauehave two of these ruling pens: one for Secretarie, and an other for Roman; or else to hauehave one made of iron or brass, the one end for the one, the other end for the other.
Moreouer, the bookes of all the new beginners or enterers, whilst they write letters, would be ruled wel with crosse lines, with the ruling pens on this manner: It is found to direct them very much.Ruling the bookes of the young beginners with crosse lines thus.
Thus their bookes shall be kept faire.Benefit of this ruling. The compasse or the space within the crosse lines, serues to keep & guide the body of each letter to make it of a iust proportion. The straight lines direct and guide the childe to make eueryevery stroke straight forward, or vp and downe, and also how to frame the head and taile of each letter.
Thus much for the compasse of the letters;The compasse in greatnesse or neernesse of the letters. chiefly in the tops and bottoms of the letters.
Now that the letters may not be ouer bigge or ouer little, set too neere one another or far off, this may bee one good direction;
Cause your schollar to drawe his lines, on which hee wil write his copies, of the very same length with the length of the line of his copie: and then if he write iust so much in his line as is in the copie, it is very like that he makes his letters of a good proportion, not too bigge nor too little, and the compasse euen, not one ouer neere, or far off from an other. But if hee write more in a shorter space, then is in like space in the copie, he either makes his letters too little, or sets them too neere one another; letters, or words, or both. And so on the other side, if he write lesse in a line, then is in his copie in the same space, and length, then hee makes his letters too bigge, or too wide asunder.
The letters would bee ioined in eueryevery word: yet so as no one be set ouer neere another, but iust as the copie, obseruing blacks and whites, as the Scriuener tearmeth them. And each word in a sentence, would be set about the bredth of an a, or an o, from one another.
For writing straight without lines (after that they hauehave practiced this a good while,Writing straight without lines. to write with double lines, ruled with the ruling pen, and after with single lines) this may helpe to guide them wel;☜ to cause them to hold their elbow so close to their side and so steadily, as they can conueniently: for the elbow so stayd, will guide the hand as a rule, especially in writing fast. Afterwards, looking at the end of the line, as we vse to trie the straightnes of an arrowe, they shal see easily where it is crooked. Practice wil bring facility
These also may bee speciall furtherances for the first enterers:Speciall furtherances for the first enterers in writing. When they cannot frame a letter. When the young schollar cannot frame his hand to fashion any letter; besides the guiding of his hand, and also the shewing where to begin each letter and how to draw it, some do vse to drawe before them the proportion of their letters, with a peece of chawke vponupon a board, or table, or with a peece of blacke lead vponupon a paper; and then let the childe trie how he himselfe can draw the like vponupon it; and after this to let him to do it with his pen, following the letter of his booke.
Or thus;To follow a letter with a dry pen. Let him take a drie pen, that cannot blot his booke, and therewith cause him to follow that letter in his copie, which he cannot make, drawing vponupon the copie letter very lightly, & a little turning the side of the pen, where the letter is smal; but leaning harder vponupon it where it is ful, and there also turning the broad part of the pen. OnelyOnly warne him to be carefull, that hee doe not hurt the letter in the copy, by his hard leaning vponupon his pen, or by the ouermuch sharpness of it▪ Thus let him follow his copie letter, drawing his pen so oft vponupon it, vntill he think his hand will goe like vntounto it. Then direct him, to trie with another pen with inke, whether he can make one like to that of his copie. If he cannot, let him goe to it with his drie pen again, vntill that he can fashion one like vntounto it.
This also is a speciall obseruation: That the more leasurely the childe draweth at the beginning,Leasurely drawing as the Painter. as the Painter doth, and the more lightly, the sooner a great deale he shall learne to frame his hand to write faire.
This likewise some good Scriueners obserue;To learne to make one letter wel first, then another. to suffer the child to learne to make but one kind of letter at once, vntill they can make that in some good sort, then another: as first a, then b. But especially to beginne with those letters, out of which all the rest may be framed, to make them perfectly, as m, c, t, v, z. For so all the rest will bee the easier.
To helpe to write cleane,To helpe to write cleane, fast and faire together. fast and faire together, call oft on your schollars to exercise their hands in making of f strokes, that is, dashes of f, and s thus …; and the stroake of the great C, and B, thus, …
Also some vse to cause the learners,Making florishes, gliding vponupon the paper. to practice their hands to run vponupon the paper, either with inke or without, vntill they be very nimble and cunning to glide vponupon the paper; and namely, to make certaine rude florishes.
Call on them in all exercises,To obserue ornaments of writing. to bee carefull to obserue the graces of letters: as the keeping of great letters, accents, points, as comma, colon, period, parenthesis, and whatsoeuer may serue for the adorning of writing; and euermore to take a delight in writing faire: which delight is in each art the one halfe of the skill;☞ but to flie all long tailes of letters, and to make all their letters so plaine as they can:To make the letters most plaine. the plainer the better. Beware that you suffer no one to learne a bad hand,☞ or to make any bad letter, so neere as you are able to preuent it.Mischiefs of getting a bad hand. For it will be found much harder to teach such to forget their bad letters and hands, then to teach other which neuer learned, to write the good.
So that if you teach such, a better hand, after that they hauehave learned and been long inured to the worse; although they seeme to hauehave learned to write well, yet vnlesse they be holden continually to practice their good hand each day a little, they will fall vntounto their bad hand againe: so great force hath any euill custome.
This therefore must be our wisedome,☜ to procure from the beginning the most excellent copies,To procure the most excellent copies from the beginning. for our schollars, whatsoeuer they cost; and to keepe them constantly to them: they will soone quite the cost both to Master and Schollar.
To the end that any Master may bee the better able to teach thus;That the Master may teach his Schollars to write faire, what to be don. let him eyther trie to attaine this faculty of writing faire (which much commends a Master) or at least, let him labour to be well acquainted with these directions, or the like: and also let him cause his Schollars to obserue them constantly; or so many of them, as neede shall require.
And to this end,☜ let him vse to walke amongst his Schollars as they write all together;To walke amongst the schollars, to see they obserue these directions▪ and see that they do practice these things duely: but chiefly that eueryevery one hauehave his copie booke layed close before him; and to marke well wherin any one of them misseth in any letter or stroke, that it is not like to the copie, there to point him to the copie, and to shew him where they differ, or to cause him to compare them himselfe: so to appoint them to bee mending their faults, vntill their letters be in all things like the copie letters. And what letters they make the worst,To obserue all the bad letters and faults in writing. to make them so oft ouer, in some voyde place of their booke, or some waste paper, vntill those be as good as any of the rest, and like the copie, as was said. Amongst others, to look specially to these three letters together, f. g. h. and to m. which being well made, do grace all the rest, & yet are commonly made the worst of all.
Thus any one of the schollars,Any Schollar may helpe the Master. chiefly one of them who write the best, may helpe the Master to direct the rest.
By these meanes the Schoole-master may bring many of his Schollars to be very good pen-men,The meanest writers may bring many of their schollars to be good pen-men. and all generally to some competent sufficiencie, to the credite of the Schoole, the good contentment of the parents, and the great benefit of the Schollars, though he cannot write well himselfe, if hee can but onelyonly thus farre forth direct, as to cause his Schollars to follow these obseruations.
Hereby the Schooles also may be freed from hauing any need of the Scriueners, which go about the country; at least, which go vnderunder the names of Scriueners,To auoyde the euils by wandring Scriueners. and take vponupon them to teach to write; & do ofttimes very much hurt in the places where they come. For they draw away the mindes of many of the Schollars from their bookes; euen of all such as cannot indure to take paines, nor hauehave any great louelove of learning and cause many, of good hope to leaue the school vtterly. Besides that, very often, so soone as euer these Scriueners are gone, the Schollars whom they hauehave taught, doe forget what they seemed to hauehave gotten by them, vnlesse they be kept to practice their writing daily.
So that all that cost and time is commonly lost; besides the former inconueniences, that sundry by them lose all the learning which they had gotten. Also most of the younger sort, who seeme to write faire, and so leaue the Schoole in a conceit of that which they hauehave gotten by the Scriuener; yet doe write so false Orthography, as is loathsome to see, and ridiculous to reade.
For these properties should be ioyned together in eueryevery pen-man,Things necessarily required in commendable writing. who would hauehave any approbation; to be able as well to write a good stile (I meane to indite, and to expresse his mind in some good forme of words, and true Orthographie) as to write faire.
As for the vse of Scriueners in the common schooles, it would be this (if any);The vse of Scriueners in the Grammar Schooles, what. eyther to make eueryevery schollar his booke of copies, to vse after the manner prescribed, vntill such printed ones can be had: or else to set all the schollars in a good way of writing for right framing their letters, and the like. To do it onelyonly at such times as the Master shall appoint; that it may be without any great hinderance to the schollars for their learning, & warily preuenting al the former inconueniences. For schooles and good learning being such a singular benefit, and so great a gift of God to Church & Common-wealth, all hinderances would be wisely foreseene, and heedfully preuented.
These are the speciall helps, which hitherto I hauehave learned, for the direction of schollars in writing: and by these I am assured vponupon triall, that what is promised in this behalfe, may bee effected through Gods blessing.
Spoud.
Sir, these must needs be very profitable: yet my memory being weake, and they many, I shall hardly thinke of them to put them in practice. I pray you therfore repeat vntounto me againe in a word or two, which of them you take to be the principall and of most continuall vse.
Phil.
These I take to be the principall,☜ & almost the sum of all;The sum of the principall and most necessary directions for writing, to be euer remembred: and therefore here shortly repeated that we may hauehave a briefe notion of them. & which would euer be had in memory: that the schollars hauehave good pens, thin inke, faire & good copie books; & those made fast to their bookes, to hauehave them euer laid close before thē when they are to write fair; which wold be once eueryevery day; & then all of them together. That they hauehave their books ruled strait & lightly, & that with ruling pens amongst al the yonger sort: and that therein a care be had, that they euer touch both the lines of the ruling pen with the bodies of their letters. Also that they hauehave their faults shewed them, by pointing them to the copie letters; and where their letters are vnlike to the copie, thereto cause them to be amending them continually, vntill they attain to write as faire as it. To call on them euer to hauehave an eye to the copie, & to hauehave the fashions of the letters in their minds. To take a delight in writing; striuing who shall do the best: to this end, to let their hands glide lightly on the paper; to striue to write very clean; to make minimes, and such like letters sharp at tops & bottoms, or iust to the proportiō of their copies: to hold their pens very low: their elbow somthing neer their side: to keep their copies & books fair, vnblotted & vnscrauled: to hauehave void places or waste papers for assaies, &c.
Most shortly, these three are almost all in all; good copies, continual eying them wel, a delight in writing: although I thinke it very necessary, that you bee acquainted with all the former directions, as they are set downe at large, to vse them as neede shall require. You may soone attaine the knowledge of them, when you hauehave them written downe: the labour of learning them will be nothing to you in regard of the benefit; and much lesse in regard of the long search and obseruation, which I hauehave vsed to finde them out.
Spoud.
It is true indeede; and I am the more beholden vntounto you: but giuegive me leaue this one word; that which you said euen now, may seeme to make very much against the Scriueners.
Phil.
Not at all;This maketh nothing against the honest Scriueners, but to preuent the abuse of shifters, and hurt to Schooles. it onlely helpeth to redresse the great abuse by som shifters, who go vnderunder the name of Scriueners: for all good Scriueners hauehave their callings and imployments, wherein to serue to the profite and good of the Common-wealth, and not vntounto the hurt thereof. This onelyonly may teach vsus to preuent and auoyde those intollerable abuses, & hurts to schooles mentioned; whereof there hath beene, and is daily, so much experience.
Spoud.
Sir, I cannot but like of your answer; I my selfe hauehave had some experience of the truth of the complaint: it is very necessary that such euils should be preuented. Now therefore that you hauehave thus shewed me how to make my schollars good pen-men, and that they may grow therein, as in their schoole learning; and thus prepared the way to our Grammar schoole: let vsus at length come to that which hath beene the speciall end of my iourney, and wherin our chiefe trauell and imployment lieth. A first let vsus begin with the rudiments of the Grammar, I meane the Accedence; wherein our first entrance is.
Phil.
Very willingly: but first let me acquaint you with certaine generall obseruations, which concerne our whole course of teaching, and whereof we shall hauehave almost continuall vse; lest we be troubled with repeating them often after.
Spoud.
It is well aduised, that wee may doe all things the most shortly, and in the best and easiest order that wee can: I pray you therefore shew vntounto me what those generall obseruations be.