Reading and Spelling English Made Easy, Title page – Publishers advertisement
Reading and Spelling ENGLISH MADE EASIE.
WHEREIN All the Words of our Engliſh BIBLE are ſet down in an Alphabetical order and divided into their diſtinct Syllabls.
Together with The Grounds of the Engliſh Tongue laid in Verſe, wherein are couch't many Moral Precepts.
By the Help whereof, with Gods bleſſing, Little Children, and others of ordinary Capacities, nay in few Months be enabled exactly to Read and Spell the whole Bible.
TOLLE, LEGE.
By THO. LYE, Philanglus.
LONDON, Printed by A. Maxwell for Tho. Parkhurſt, and are to be ſold at his Shops at the Bible and three Crowns in Cheapſide near Mercers-Chappel, and …
TO THE READER.
Courteous Reader,
THAT Parents generally throughout this whole' Kingdom, are at conſtant, vaſt expences, for the ingenious education of their dear Children, is a Truth written with a Sun-beam.
That, to this day, our Crop anſwers not our Seed; That our Childrens Attainments come not up to our just, and Rational Expectations, is ſo ſtabbing an Experience, that it ought not to be mentioned without a Flood of Tears. What Omers of Seed, both as to Coſt, and Time, and Pains, are daily ſown, and yet what poor Ephahs of Real Advantage reaped? Of thoſe many Thouſands in our Engliſh Iſrael (a fourth part of whoſe age is commonly given up to the Feſcue, and Ferula.) how few, how very few are there in compariſon, that, after all, can exactly Read, Spell, and Write True Engliſh, or indeed (infandum dolorem) but diſtinctly Read a Chapter?
For ſuch an Epidemical Diſeaſe as this, Is there no Balm in our Engliſh Gilead? No Phyſician there? Yes, without doubt, there have been and are, more than many; and thoſe as eminent for the cure of a weak Ʋnderſtanding, and ſtammering Tongue, as ever thoſe great Secretaries of Nature, Galen, Hippocrates, Paracelſus, were for the curing of any the Diſeaſes of the Body. What ſhould hinder then, but that the health of the Sons and Daughters of our People ſhould be obtained? I know nothing that can, except it be our wretched neglect, or careleſs uſe of Thoſe many excellent Means already preſcribed.
However, becauſe Variety is pleaſing, and New Diſhes are taking, at leaſt with ſqueamiſh ſtomacks, I have here preſented thee with ſomething that thou thy ſelf wilt ſay is New. Probably thou haſt heard of an Iliad in a Nutſhell, or ſeen the Ten Commandments cut on a ſmall Penny. But didſt ever yet behold the whole Bible, every word therein, diſtinctly ſet before thine eye in a few pages? If thou doubt the truth of this intimation, be pleaſed but to give thy ſelf the trouble of taking any Verſe whatſoever in the whole Bible, and ſee whether every particular word in that Verſe be not readily found in the Alphabetical Table. My judgment much fails me, if upon ſuch an Experiment, thou wilt not incline to be very much of my Opinion.
But who ſhould make uſe of this Book? and how? I anſwer,
Firſt, Perſons of riper Age; and thoſe
Such, as, from the very breaſt, have been ever learning, and never yet come to the knowledg of the true ſpelling of one Syllabl. Read, they hope, they can; but ſpell they cannot; and therefore to write either to Child, Friend, or Servant, they are aſhamed.
To theſe I give this advice.
1. Let them read over the whole Alphabetical Table once a month. By this means, the whole Bible will ſoon become, as to the word-part, more familiar to them, and they more ready to find any word they ſearch for.
2. When any word occurrs, that gravels them ſo, that they cannot ſpell it; Let them obſerve carefully, with what Letter, or with what two Letters it begins, and then look for thoſe two Letters in the head of the page, and under thoſe two Letters they will ſpeedily find the word, they deſire, if it be in the Bible.
2. Younger Ones; and that, as ſoon as they have learnt diſtinctly to know, and read their Letters.
Let no man object the Difficulty of this Book, and that it is ſo maſſy a weight, as will not only preſs, but cruſh ſuch tender ſhoulders. For do but conſider, that every word in this Table is drawn out into little easy ſyllabls (which is not done in any Primers, Pſalters, or other Books used by Children) and then judg which are moſt easy to be learned, This, or Thoſe.
But in what order and method ſhould Littl ones be taught this Book? Courteous Reader (ſpecially if thou art an Inſtructor of Children) be pleaſed to lend me thine ear, and patience.
1. As ſoon as your Children can truly read their Letters, caſt them all into diſtinct Formsar Companies: The grand reaſon, why you hear Children ſo much, and yet teach them ſo little, is becauſe you hear them ſo confusedly. Put therefore as many of them into one form, as you judg to be of an equal capacity, or at least no great difference between them.
2. Let all of one Form have but one and the ſame Leſſon; and let the ablest among them be exerciſed, and employed in teaching, and preparing the weakest, before they come to ſay their Leſſon.
3. When the whole Form comes to read their Leſſon, Let it be your chief Care to make them all Attentive. To that end, charge them All to look intently on their Books; To hearken diligently to Him, that reads. To quicken their Attention, ask those, whom you obſerve moſt heedleſs, What is the last word?
4. Let every word in every Leſſon be first distinctly ſpell'd, and then, and not till then, read; yea, let it be both ſpell'd, and read, again and again, and no new Leſſon given, till they are very perfect in that.
5. When the Child reads falſe, let not the Maſter correct his error, but bid one of his felliws correct him; which he, that can, and doth, three or four times, let him be rewarded with the Plaee of the Offendor.
6. Let an hour every day be ſolemnly ſpent, in ſounding, and ſpelling thoſe words, which you find in the Two last Chapters, which (if I am not greatly miſtaken) contain moſt, if not all the difficulties are uſually met with in the whole Engliſh Tongue.
For Exampl.
1. To the lowest, and weakeſt, that are only to tell you, what thoſe words ſound, which you are to ſpell before them: thus;
Qu. What ſounds a╌n?
Anſ. —an.
Qu. What ſounds g╌e╌l?
Anſ. —gel.
Qu. Put it together.
Anſ. —angel.
2. To the Ablest, and uppermost, that are to tell you, how thoſe very words are ſpeld, which have been before ſounded: Thus.
Qu. How do you ſpell Angel?
Anſ. — a╌n an.
—g╌e╌l gel
—angel.
And ſo through, both the 17, and 18 Chapters.
Reader, I have no more, but to commend Thee, our little ones, and this Book, to the bleſſing of the Moſt High, and to avow my ſelf
Thine and the Churches Servant, Tho. Lye, Philanglus.
ADVERTISEMENT.
THere is lately publiſhed two other Books of this Author's, viz. The Childs Delight: Together with an Engliſh Gramar.
A Plain and familiar Method of Inſtructing the younger ſort according to the Leſſer Catechiſm of the Aſſembly of Divines. Eſpecially intended for Governours of Families.
Both ſold by Tho. Parkhurſt at the Bible and Three Crowns at the lower end of Cheapſide: As alſo theſe Books following.
A Little Book for Little Children; wherein is ſet down ſeveral Directions for Little Children, and ſeveral, remarkable Stories both Ancient and Modern, of Little Children. By Tho. White.
The Young mans Remembrancer, and Old mans Monitor: From Eccleſ. 12.1. By Mr. John Magnard.
Chriſtian Monitor to the Performance of Perſonal and Relative Duties. Publiſhed for the benefit of the younger ſort. By Joſeph Church Miniſter of the Goſpel.