A New Discovery of the Old Art of Teaching School, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
Of weekly Repetitions: Of Grammaticall Examinations, and Diſputations. Of collecting phraſes, and gathering into Common-place-Bookes. Of pro…ouncing Orations, and Declamations.
I Have not in either of the foregoing Treatiſes made mention of any thing to be done on Fridaies, becauſe that day is commonly ſpent in moſt Schooles, in repeating what hath been learned in the fore-going part of the week; which cuſtome, becauſe it is a mean to confim childrens memories in what they learn, I willingly conform thereunto.
After Chapter's therefore read in a morning, let them repeat their wonted Parts, and afterwards their Leſſons, all which they will be able to ſay together, out of their ſeveral Authours, ſo that ſome be made to repeat out of one book, and ſome out of another.
For if due care be but had aforehand, that Scholars be very ready and perfect in their daily taskes, it will take away all coyle and timerouſneſſe, which uſually attends theſe Repetitions, and make that this day will become the veryeſt play-day in all the week; when boyes ſhall ſee that they have nothing to do, but what they can do already, (at leaſt) with a little looking of it over on Thurſdaies towards evening at home, what they have tranſlated out of any Authour in Proſe, ſhould be read out of Engliſh into Latine, and what they learn in Poets, ſhould be ſaid (as well as can be) by heart, both for the verſe and the matters ſake, which will furniſh them with Authorities, and ſharpen their invention for verſifying.
After Repetitions ended, the Maſter ſhould note all the Phraſes and Sentences, and other things obſervable in their Leſſons, which they ſhould tranſcribe into Phraſe-bookes, and Common-place-Bookes, for their conſtant uſe in writing or ſpeaking, or making Exerciſes, as we have mentioned already before.
And becauſe the moſt leiſure is gained on Friday afternoones, it will not be amiſſe about three a clock to let every Form to diſpute ſide with ſide, one after another, after this manner.
1. Let every one propound to his oppoſite two or three queſtions, which he thinks moſt difficult out of his weeks work, which if the other cannot anſwer readily before he count ſix, or ten in Latine, let him be Captus, and the queſtions be propounded to his next fellow. The loweſt in the Form may begin the diſpute, and ſo go on to the higheſt on either ſide, who ſhould keep reckoning of thoſe that are capt, and how often.
2. Beſides their weeks works they may try, who can moſt perfectly repeat memoriter, a part of the Grammar, or any Authour which they read, or who can recite the moſt Vocabula's under one head, or who can vary a phraſe the beſt, or imitate any piece of an Oratour or Poet.
3. Some time would alſo be ſpent in Capping Latine verſes amongſt the lower Forms, and Greek verſes amongſt the higheſt; for which they may provide themſelves out of a Capping-book, which ſeems to be made on purpoſe by Bartholomaeus Schonborn or Gnomologicon Poeticum, made lately by Mr. Roſſe, beſides which, they may contrive a little Book of their own, wherein to write verſes Alphabetically out of the beſt Poets.
Let that ſide which appeareth to be the Victor have the upper ſeat in the Schoole, till a new choice be made, except the other can win it from them before, and bring them back with a hiſſing diſgrace.
Amid theſe diſputes, the Maſter muſt have a great care to ſuppreſſe noiſe and tumultuous clamour, and ſee that no boy ſtirre out of his appointed place. For they are apt to heighten their ſpirits heyond moderation, if the Maſters diſcretion doe not ſettle them.
Let it be now lawful for any lower boy in a Form, to diſpute with one above him for his place. Mr. Stockwoods Diſputations will be helpfull to the upper Scholars.
Now, that all your Scholars may be thorowly grounded in their Grammar, ſo as not to be apt to forget what they have learnt in it; let them all be exerciſed in the examination of a part of it every Saturday morning thus;
1. Let the fi…ſt and loweſt Form examine the two next above them out of the examination of the Accidents, asking them the Queſtions as they are in the Book, and cauſing them to anſwer without book, and according to the Accidents.
2. Then let all thoſe three Forms run over the Examples of the Declenſions and Conjugations, as I formerly ſhewed, & try, who can puſle one another in declining any hard Noun, or Conjugating and Forming any Verb, and give the Rule of the Genders of the one, or Preterperfect tenſe, or Supin of the other; when theſe have done,
3. Let the fourth Form examine the two higheſt Forms in Examinatio Latinae Grammaticae, and ſometimes in Elementa Rhetorices, and then
4. Let all theſe three Forms run over the Paradigmes of the Greek Declenſions and Conjugations.
5. Afterwards the two upper Forms may bicker with one another touching Grammar niceties, either Latine or Greek, which they have taken notice of, and collected into a Common-place-book, as I mentioned before. But a principal care muſt be had to bring all your Scholars to an habit of ſpeaking Latine, and therefore a ſtrict Law ſhould be made and obſerved, that every Scholar (eſpecially after he hath been one quarter of a year at Schoole) ſhould either learn to ſpeak in Latine, or be enforced to hold his tongue. And to help the little ones in ſo doing, beſides thoſe Phraſiuncula at the end of the Grounds of Grammar, they ſhould have Formulae loquendi quotidianae, ſuch expreſſions as are every day uſed (eſpecially about the Schoole) writ down in a little book, that they may get them by heart at by-times. As for the other boyes, they will be better guided how to ſpeak by the Rules of Grammar, and the conſtant uſe and imitation of approved Authours. I conceive, the penury of proper words and good phraſe, with many Teachers, is a main reaſon why children are not as well trained up to ſpeak Latine in England, as they are in many places beyond Seas, and the ready & frequent uſe of their Mother-tongue cauſeth, that they are hardly reclaimed from it to make uſe of another Language. Whereas, if whileſt they are at the Schoole, they might hear little or no Engliſh ſpoken, nor be ſuffered to ſpeak it, they would quickly conforme themſelves to diſcourſe in Latine. As I have known French boyes that underſtood not a word in Engliſh, to be able in two or three moneths to talk it as readily, as they that were Engliſh borne. OnelyOnly at the firſt, one muſt wink at their improprieties, and harſhneſſe in pronunciation of ſome words and phraſes, and take their meaning by what they ſpeak, and after a while by cuſtome and imitation of others, they will ſpeak in Latine, as properly as the beſt; eſpecially after they have gained the knowledge of Grammar, accuſtomed themſelves to obſerve the ſtyle of Latine Authours.
No day in the week ſhould paſſe on which ſome Declamation, Oration, or Theme ſhould not be pronounced, about a quarter of an hour before the Schoole be broken up, and after Leſſons are all ended in the forenoon. That by aſſiduity in theſe exerciſes, the Scholars may be emboldened to perform them with a grace before whomſoever, and upon occaſion of any ſolemnity, or coming of Friends into the Schoole. There ſhould be two ſtanding desks ſet oppoſite in the midſt of the Schoole, for boyes to ſtand a… when they pronounce.