A Light to Grammar and All Other Arts and Sciences, Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
Of Grammar, the practiſe thereupon through the ſeverall parts thereof.
ANd now I ſuppoſe this Art is attained, (for we muſt proceed gradually, making cleane riddance all along) and then we muſt grant alſo, that the Child cannot complaine of difficulty afterwards, who can read and write perfectly (as may ſerve his turne) now. For as Plato ſaid of Arithmetick, and Geometry, they were his two wings, whereby hee could flye up to Heaven, ſo ſetting free the impriſoned ignorant: The ſame may bee ſaid of reading and writing, if the child hath purchaſed theſe two, he hath excellent faire wings, which (as his Maſter is able to help him) will cauſe him to towre up to the top of all learning. And yet for all our haſt wee muſt not skip nor leape, wee may attaine to the top in due ſeaſon; but we muſt remember our ſeaſon now, and begin at the bottome ſtaire; ſo wee are upon the Grammar, where our practiſe ſhall be very eaſie, and familiar to the Child, (for the labour is prevented already) and ſpeedy too, for wee muſt remember he hath two wings, therefore hee can flie. But withal we muſt grant this, that the Reader, if he have forgot his grammar, (as certainly he hath, though in his younger yeares hee could ſay it over, and over, as perfectly, as count his fingers: A ſhort time and other imployments will quickly ſpoyle the memory of all that; but what were conveyed to the underſtanding by an orderly and naturall way, ſo much remaines and no more) ſuch an one I ſay, cannot goe along with the Child one foot of the way worth his labour: And the Scholar that doth underſtand may thinke it a dull way, but my little Judgement upon it. It is the onelyonly quick, and ſure way; And let him take my word yet further, That hee ſhall read no more ſpoken here, but what is really done: So we begin out practiſe, with haſt enough, and yet good ſpeed, for wee have our Preparatories at our fingers ends: and ſtumble wee cannot, for the Lampe is in our hands. It appeareth thus (the rules will make it more plaine anon) not by explaining the Grammar to him, for it is already done; If I were to doe it now, and ſo begin, I ſhould ſpeake Greeke to him, and what uſe of that? I muſt recall what he already knowes, and that will doe the thing, and then we have the uſe indeed, if wee pleaſe to obſerve what followes.
Of Etymologie: or the Accidents of ſimple words, all contained under eight notions or parts of ſpeech.
MOre then a yeare ſince the Child (Nomen)could call unto his Mother, the maid and the man, John and Joane both; hee hath ſet his Mother a ſtoole, or ſome ſuch thing: he hath pickt an Apple and a Nut, Cherries alſo out of her lap and pocket; All this he hath done; then hee told us what part of ſpeech theſe are, how proper ſome, how common other ſome; what Gender they are too, what Gender hee, what ſhee, and that the ſtoole was neither of both. We will obſerve his skill in his Adjective alſo.
Tell him of ſharpe, and ſweet, he will not be ſatisfied, till he have the thing, be it Grapes, Vineger, Apples, Honey, Sugar, &c. Now he knowes his Adjective, no man better: he reliſhes it on his tongues end: his little judgement is ſo ſteeped in his ſenſe, that hee can compare through all degrees alſo; This is ſharpe, that ſharper or more ſharpe; the other ſharpeſt, or moſt ſharp of all; That ſweet, this ſweeter, &c. So he hath the ſignes and terminations, all theſe by the ſenſe, which never failes when the child is well. When hee doth ill, or amiſſe, if the Mother will reach him a rap, two, or three, he will underſtand all theſe perhaps better by his feeling, a ſenſe that never failes till the man dies ſo eaſie is all this: And in the Latine it is as eaſie: ſo is the Gender as eaſily found in his place as 1. 2. 3. if ſo many endings: if but one ending, then one is 3. if two endings, then the firſt is two; and the laſt ſtill neither of both.
We goe in order ſtill; and have concluded, that the Child can adde aNumbers., and ſubſtract, can chop and change, then he can his numbers very well, and diſtinguiſh them as well.bHand. Hands. Man Men.
He can find out a houſe by his ſigne, well-fare all good tokens, there is the Fathers houſe, for there-out hangs Caſes as they fall in an Author.ſuch a ſigne: as eaſie it is to know his caſes, the order of them too: as for his Declenſions they are pat at his fingers ends, juſt ſo many and as perfect with him.
The Child can ſay now, hee is come, Pronoun inſtead of a Noune.and ſhe alſo, for you (it is moſt proper to ſay thou) commanded, and I called them, who are theſe? there are no ſuch names in the world, they ſtand in ſtead of others; then the Child will tell us what they are, Pronounes and how many parſons there.
The child doth play and nothing elſe; hee did ſcratch his brother even now; The Mother hath heard of it, and he ſhall be ſmitten by and by; Then he can his A Verb. Adverb. Participle.verbe, Active and Paſſive, and knowes his Conjugations all foure, and will remember the times very well; feeling what is aking ſtill; and put in minde, That he was warned yeſterday, and twice before; therefore he was juſtly to be puniſhed to day.
Now, I ſay, the childe knowes his Verbs, their Kindes, Tenſes, Moods, Conjugations, as eaſie as is the repetition of Vowels, a, e, i, or his Horn-book, the as, avi, es, ui. is, ivi, um. bo, bi. co, ci. do, di.order of the letters there, ſo the forming of them: he hath his Adverb alſo, his Participles all three together, for they are very neare of kin, true friends, all is common betwixt them.
The Prepoſition he met with in the A Prepoſition.ſixt caſe, and it never left him ſince; for he hath it in his hand, now he is driving his top, before his Father, with his other brother.
The child hath played many pranks, A Conjunction. An Interjection.and made many complaints, ſo have his fellowes with him: ſometimes laughing, ſometimes crying out and alas. Then he can his Conjunction, and Interjections both together; For ſuch changes there are, and ſtill will be amongſt children. So we have gone through the practice of Etymologie. The Figures thereof (they interveine through all the parts) the childe underſtands very well: So much skill he gained by his pen, for that taught him how to judge of formes, figures, faſhions; Beſides, it is granted as an addition to his little skill, That he can both Adde, and Subſtract.
Of Conſtruction, or Syntax.
And now what a brave fellow have we here? he could long ſince comprehend all words which range ſuch a large compaſſe, within his little Horn-booke, if he had them there. But ſee how he is improved now, for he hath all things about himſelfe, his Fathers houſe; nay in the worlds, under eight notions; to one of the eight he can reduce them all; But the Nownes, and Verbs, which have the greateſt range, and are moſt comprehenſive, for they contain almoſt all the Grammar, and in learning them we rid all, ſo making cleare work, all theſe he cons as eaſily, and are as familiar with him, as 4. and 5.
And now that he hath theſe materialls, what ſhall he doe with them? Nohurt I hope; he can, like a good builder, with his plummet and line, having his ſtone, and timber already fitted, make his materialls agree each thing with other, ſo as he may ſee order, and rationall dependance; good Concord, and the very frame of Government in all.
It is with the child now, as it is with a man that hath Timber and Stones ready ſquared, and fitted every parcell to its place, but lieth all about the Court, that you cannot ſtirre without circumſpection, and not breake your ſhins. Come again the next morning, and all is cleare; every thing in its place, and the houſe reared: juſt ſo it is with the childe, amongſt this variety of words: There is a ſeeming confuſion, but he comes with his Rule, and makes clean work; makes them all agree; or well to govern each other: And this he learnes, by the framing of his Fathers houſe; or yet more fully by obſervation of the creatures about it.
He ſees in his Fathers houſe, ſtones upon ſtones; timber ſhut into timber, &c. hence he learns Concord, or Agreement: ſo by obſervation of the creatures about the houſe; he obſerves his Note, That the practiſe of the Mother-tongue, is the beſt pr…cognition for concord; (and for Government too) The childe will not ſay him did reade; no, bee did reade: we are; not, wee art; not he whom ſerveth God, but who ſerveth God: not the man who God loveth, but whom God loveth.Parents geeſe, ducks, ſheep, in flocks together; boyes ſitting with boyes, girles with girles; birds of a feather; there is concord, or agreement too. And if the old folk be in the Hall, the younger will be in the Kitchen, ſo naturall the agreement is: And now they are where they would be, (let them alone a little, we ſhall never know them elſe) from under the Parents eye, they will haply bee ſcratching anon tooth and naile; then comes in the Parent, as there is cauſe enough: what? not play but ſcratch and bite too? then they are taught what diſcord is, what to diſagree by the moſt intellectuall ſenſe with them, for, poore ignorants! they muſt in ſuch caſes feele firſt before they learne, they will be taught with paine. They muſt learne good by a bad Method.
And this falls out very well, and in ſeaſon. Will muſt not have his will. By this meanes children know what government meaneth alſo, which is the beſt leſſon taught within doores, or without; elſe in a little Commonwealth, there will be no little confuſion: ſo gracefull, and comely a thing Government is, which makes the childe gentle, maniable, pliant. Now that the childe ſees indeed, that his Parents will be, and bee acknowledged, the great Centurions in their houſe, for it is no more, then the Cook will be in his Kitchen, he will now obſerve the Parents rules for government alſo, the very ſame which are in the Schoole; for he hath ſeen, and felt both, that order muſt be kept, as in other things, ſo in going before, and following after. And now obſerve him what he ſaith at home very naturally, for uſe hath made it ſo: Me pray you Mother? No, I doe pray you. I is in a fault? No, I am. Pardon I goo… Mother? No, Pardon me. Juſt ſo i… the Schoole: and ſo we are concluded that he underſtands Government, for a… the leaves thereof goe along in the order of the parts of Speech, and of the Caſes.