The Burning of London, Part 3 · Meditation 12
MEDITATION XII. Of the Burning of Publick Schools, as Pauls School, and others.
IS Learning taking it's leave of England? Is that Sun about to ſet in our Horizon? that Schollars have received two ſuch terrible blows? Young ones have loſt their Schools; and, both young and old have loſt their Books: Nevertheleſs, for ever Renowned be Reverend Doctor Colet, and the reſt of the Founders and Benefactors of all thoſe noble Free-Schools that now lie in the duſt: I ſay, Let their Memory be ever precious, though their Gift hath not continued ſo long, as they and we did hope it might. Yet, the youngeſt of the three Publick Schools, that are now demoliſhed (viz. that which was founded by the Merchant-Taylers) had laſted above a hundred years; and the eldeſt of the three. (viz. Paul's) half as long again, and many Centuries more they might have ſtood, had not this fire brought them to an untimely end. I cannot but muſe to what a plunge Parents are now put, to get good Schools for their Children, (eſpecially thoſe, who cannot endure their Children ſhould live at a diſtance from them) conſidering, that honeſt and able School-maſters are but here and there to be found. A good School-maſter muſt, in the firſt place, be a good man: It is to a wonder what notice Children will take of their Maſter's Religion, and what a laſting impreſſion that will make upon them; and how apt they are to take after them, becauſe of the veneration they have for them. If their Maſters be profane, they think they have leave to be ſo, and ſhould not take upon them to be more religious than they. A Maſter muſt conſider, that his Scholars have ſouls to ſave, as well as minds to inform; and he is not to be truſted with Youth that will not conſider it. Nextly, A good Maſter muſt be a good Scholar, (at leaſt wiſe for ſome kind of Learning) a good Grammarian, a good Linguiſt; and one, that is not only ſo himſelf, but alſo able to make others ſuch, that is, one that knows how, in an eaſie and familiar way, to communicate Knowledge to Children, to make hard things plain, &c. He muſt be foreign (as the Apoſtle ſaith, a Miniſter ſhould be) that is, Apt to teach.
Again, A good Maſter muſt be a wiſe man, no antick, no mimmick (as too many are, which hath made the word Pedant and Pedantical to ſound very ridiculouſly, though the work of a good School-maſter be very honourable). Wiſe he ought to be, that he may ſet his Scholars the Example of a wiſe behavior, and teach Children to carry themſelves like Men; whereas, ſome ſeem to learn of their Scholars to carry themſelves like Children, that is, Conceiptedly, Humorſomely, Phantaſtically. It requires no ſmall Wiſedom, to judge of the different parts and tempers of Children, where their excellency lies, whether in Memory, or Invention, or otherwiſe, that they may put them upon thoſe pieces of Learning, in which they are like moſt of all to excell: and whileſt they find them to have an excellency in one kind, work upon that, and bear with their defects in another kind. He may have a great Memory, that hath but mean Fancy; he may be long in retaining, who is ſlow in getting things into his memory; one can make his exerciſe of a ſudden, as well as if he had more time; another can do nothing of a ſudden, but, give him time enough, and he will perform it excellently, and better than he that was quick at it.
How many Maſters commit great errors, for want of being able to judge of theſe things, like unskilful Riders, that either think a horſe good for nothing becauſe he cannot amble well, though he have an excellent and an eaſie tro…; or keep him wholly to his pace, though he do but ſhuſſle at it, and can never be made to do otherwiſe: whereas he would trot as faſt as could be deſired, and as well as any horſe can do, if they would but give him leave. The Scholar's Scholar-craft, (as I may call it) in humoring his humorſome Maſter: the Parent's great bounty to the Maſter, and his great affection to ſuch his Scholars, upon thoſe two accounts, makes too many partial and injudicious Maſters, Cry up the pregnancy of thoſe Scholars that little deſerve it, and ſo vice verſ…. And ought not Maſters to be wiſe therefore alſo, that they may be able to judge of the diſpoſition of their Scholars, whether fair means or fowl is like to do moſt good upon them, whether fear or ſhame will moſt prevail with them, whether emulation or correction will moſt ſpur them on. A word or two will do more with ſome Children, than many blows with others; where Balſomes will ſerve the turn, it is folly to apply Cauſticks and Corroſives, which, it is to be feared, ſome Maſters do for want of judgment. Moreover, wiſe and ſage Admonitions are of great uſe to Children; and therefore, it is needful, their Maſter ſhould be a wiſe man, that he may be able to diſpenſe them Let me add, A Maſter had need be furniſhed with Wiſedom, to govern and conceal his own weak humors and paſſions (as there are many that abound with ſuch) for that the diſcovery thereof, is like Noah's uncovering his nakedneſs, in the ſight of his Children, which expoſed him to their contempt, and made ſome of them to ſin: And Maſters that give way to ſuch humors, are like unſound Nurſes that give ſuck, who make the Children that draw their Breaſts as unwholſome as themſelves; and fill them, as they ſay, with evil humours. I might add, That a Maſter ſhould be no conceited man, not one that thinks himſelf a good Philoſopher, becauſe he is a good Philologer; or the wiſeſt man in the Nation, becauſe he is the wiſeſt perſon in the School: He that is a Man amongſt Children, may be but a Child amongſt Men. I had not mentioned this, but that I have obſerved ſome School-maſters, to have brought an ill report, both upon themſelves and their Profeſſion, by ſeeming as wiſe in their own eyes, as they could be in the eyes of their boyes, who oftimes think, that no man knows ſo much as doth their Maſter, as if they were proud of that high opinion, which their Scholars have of them, and did reſt in the judgment of Children (who ſcarce know the right hand from the left,) as if it were infallible.
Laſtly, To ſay nothing of that diligence and laboriouſneſs that ought to be in School-maſters, I ſhall only add, that they ought not to be either too milde or ſevere, neither like that Beam, which Jupiter (as it is in the Fable) gave to the Frogs for their King: Which alwayes lying ſtill, when they were uſed to it a while, they leapt and plaid upon it: Nor yet like that Stork, which was afterwards ſent amongſt them, when they deſired a more active Prince, whoſe cruelty made them wiſh for their Beam again. He, that is over-mild, is like to do little good upon ſome children; but, he that is over-harſh, may do a great deal of hurt. I read, Acts 19.9. of the School of one Tyrannus: I wiſh there were no more Schools that did deſerve the ſame name. We hear but of one Tyrannical Emperor that became a School-maſter before he died; but, Are there not many School-maſters that domineer, and exerciſe ſeverity like Tyrannical Emperors, or Imperial Tyrants? Now, if the character I have given of a good School-maſter be a Digreſsion; yet, it may prove a uſeful one, if duplicate page duplicate page Parents will thereby be directed in the choice of Maſters for their Children, or Maſters that are guilty of any of the forementioned faults, would thereby be prevailed with to amend.
But poſſibly, what I have ſaid about School-maſters, is no Digreſſion, conſidering, that if thoſe Maſters that were fired out of London, were men of ſuch a good Character, as I have given of a good School-maſter, it informeth us what cauſe we have to bewail the loſſe of them, and of thoſe Schools which might have invited and incouraged a ſucceſſion of ſuch worthy Maſters as themſelves. This poor Lads little lay to heart (as being ignorant of what is for their good); yea posſibly, what through dread of their Maſters, disaffection to their Books, and love of their Play, they are even glad their Schools are burnt; ſo incident it is to humane nature, to rejoyce in any little good to it's ſelf: yea, to wiſh for it, though it be brought to paſſe by unſpeakably more hurt and prejudice to others; being glad, when their own eggs are roaſted, though it be by that fire, that conſumes the houſes of other men. Yet I wonder not, at the evil that proceeds from degenerate men, much leſſe from Children: but, O Lord, I rather wonder at Thy ſelf, Why thou didſt ſuffer the Foxes to ſpoil thoſe Vines (the Fire, I mean, which came like Sampſon's Foxes, with fire-brands in their Tails, conſuming thoſe Noble Schools, as they did the Philiſtim's Corn,) conſidering, that thoſe Vines had tender Grapes, Cant. 2.15. But I would anſwer my ſelf with this: Schools had their ſins as well as other places, which were more and greater than a Maſter's rod could puniſh. Yea, Maſters themſelves had deſerved Correction, and who but Th… ſelf ſhould give it them? But oh that theſe uſeful Structures might not alwayes lie in the duſt, but that Piety and Charity might rebuild what Sin hath pull'd down. Doubtleſſe, this Age hath many men in it, as able to build Free-Schools, as Reverend Colet, and ſome other Founders were; and why ſhould they not be as willing. If Parents want good Schools for their Children, they will hardly come to any thing whilſt they live: (For, the errors of the firſt Concoction, as Phyſicians obſerve, cannot be corrected by the ſecond or third). Schools, like Stomachs, make the firſt Digeſtion, which if naught, will ſpoil all the reſt. Let me conjure men of Eſtates, eſpecially thoſe that have no Children, or if Children ſuch as are unworthy, I ſay, let me conjure you, by the regard you have to the honour of God, to the renown of the Engliſh Nation, to the increaſe of Knowledge, to the happineſſe of Church and State, (the chief Officers and Miniſters whereof, uſe to receive their firſt rudiments and ſeaſoning in publick Schools) liberally to contribute to the re-building of thoſe noble Schools, which the late ſire hath deprived us of; yea, do it yourſelves, as ſome have done before you, if you have wherewithall: And when that is done, ſet up your Statues by thoſe of the ancient Founders, and appear together like Caſtor and Pollux at Sea, which is accounted an Omen of good. Take your choice of four ſorts of good works, which may beſt ſuit with your tempers. If you are ſevere Cato's, help to re-build Pridewell, where naughty Perſons may receive Correction, and be made to work: If you are devoted to the Service of God, help to re-edifie Churches: If to works of Mercy, contribute towards the raiſing up of demoliſhed Hoſpitals: But, if you are friends to Learning, and to all the other three, do what in you lieth, to reſtore Publick-ſchools to their former glory; in which, Vice may be corrected, Mercy ſhewed to poor mens Children, and Religion promoted, by preparing Youth, to be, in time, ſerviceable to the Church.