Correction in such manner, for stubbornness, negligence and carelessness, is not. to be accounted over-great severity, much less cruelty... Spoudeus. I like your advice wonderful well herein: but when would you have the time of common punishment to be inflicted; as namely that for their misdemeanors in the church, or other gross faults noted by the monitors? Philoponus. I would have this done commonly at the giving up of the monitors' bills, some day before prayer; sometimes one day sometimes another: and when the master finds the greatest company present, then to call for the monitors of that week; lest keeping a set time, any absent themselves by feigned excuses or otherwise, or cry unto their parents, that they dare not go to the school, because they must be beaten. But for extreme negligence, or other faults in the school, the very fittest time is immediately before the breaking up, upon the play-days; then if needs so require, first to whip all the stubborn and notoriously negligent, as also those who have done any gross fault: and after to cause them to sit, and do some exercises, whereof they are to give a strict account, as I said. This will surely by God's blessing tame the proudest of them in time and bring them to be as submiss as the least child; as experience will manifest. Spoudeus. But what if you have any, whom you cannot yet reform of their ungraciousness or loitering and whom you can do no good withal, no not by all these means? As some there are ever in all schools extremely untoward. Philoponus. These I would have some way removed from the school; at least by giving the parents notice and entreating them to employ them some other way; that neither other be hurt by their example, nor they be a reproach to the school, nor yet we be enforced to use that severity with them which they will deserve. But keep these courses strictly, and you shall see that they will either amend, or get away of themselves, by one means or other; I mean by some device to their parents to leave the school, and to go to some other employment. JOHN BRINSLEY, Ludus Literarius or the Grammar Schoole 1612 Country Schoolmasters · Sir, I praise the Lord for you, and so may my parishioners; for their sons are well tutored by you, and their daughters profit very greatly under you: you are a good member of the commonwealth. Love's Labour's Lost, IV. ii. 75-79 If they be well gowned and bearded, they have two good apologies ready made; but they are beholden to the tailor and barber for both: if they can provide for two pottles of wine against the next lecture-day, the school being void, there are great hopes of preferment: if he gets the place, his care next must be for the demeanour of his countenance: he looks over his scholars with as great and grave a countenance, as the emperor over his army. He will not at first be over busy to examine his usher, for fear he should prove, as many curates, better scholars than the chief master. As he sits in his seat, he must with a grace turn his mustachios up; his sceptre lies not far from him, the rod: he uses martial law most, and the day of execution ordinarily is the Friday: at six o'clock his army all begin to march; at eleven they keep rendezvous, and at five or six at night, they take up their quarters. There are many set in authority to teach youth, which never had much learning themselves; therefore if he cannot teach them, yet his looks and correction shall affright them. But there are some who deserve the place by their worth and wisdom, who stayed with their mother the university, until learning, discretion and judgment had ripened them for the well-managing of a school. These I love, respect, and wish that they may have good means either here, or somewhere else. These come from the sea of learning, well furnished with rich prizes of knowledge and excellent qualities, ballasted they are well with gravity and judgment, well steered by religion and a good conscience. And these abilities make them the only fit men to govern and instruct tender age; he learns the cradle to speak several languages and fits them for places of public note: being thus qualified, 'tis pity he should either want means or employment. Donald Lupton, London and the Countrey carbonadoed 1632 3. The University Some to the studious universities. The Two Gentlemen of Verona, 1. iii. 10 Study is like the heaven's glorious sun, That will not be deep-search'd with saucy looks; Save base authority from others' books. Love's Labour's Lost, 1. i. 84-87 The Universities of England In my time there are three noble universities in England, to wit, one at Oxford, the second at Cambridge and the third in London, of which the first two are the most famous, I mean Cambridge and Oxford, for that in them the use of the tongues, philosophy and the liberal sciences, beside the profound studies of the civil law, physic and theology are daily taught and had: whereas in the latter the laws of the realm are only read and learned by such as give their minds unto the knowledge of the same. In the first also there are not only divers goodly houses builded four square for the most part of hard freestone or brick, with great numbers of lodgings and chambers in the same for students, after a sumptuous manner, through the exceeding liberality of kings, queens, bishops, noblemen and ladies of the land; but also large livings and great revenues bestowed upon them (the like whereof is not to be seen in any other region, as Peter Martyr did oft affirm) to the maintainance only of such convenient numbers of poor men's sons as the several stipends bestowed upon the said houses are able to support.... The manner to live in these universities is not as in some other of foreign countries we see daily to happen, where the students are enforced for want of such houses to dwell in common inns and taverns, without all order or discipline. But in these our colleges we live in such exact order, and under so precise rules of government, as that the famous learned man Erasmus of Rotterdam, being here among us fifty years past, did not let to compare the trades in living of students in these two places even with the very rules and orders of the ancient monks, affirming moreover, in flat words, our orders to be such as not only came near unto, but rather far exceeded, all the monastical institutions that ever were devised. In most of our colleges there are also great numbers of students, of which many are found by the revenues of the houses and other by the purveyances and help of their rich friends, whereby in some one college you shall have two hundred scholars, in others an hundred and fifty, in divers a hundred and forty, and in the rest less numbers, as the capacity of the said houses is able to receive: so that at this present, of one sort and other, there are about three thousand students nourished in them both (as by a late survey it manifestly appeared). They were erected by their founders at the first only for poor men's sons, whose parents were not able to bring them up unto learning; but now they have the least benefit of them, by reason the rich do so encroach upon them. And so far hath this inconvenience spread itself that it is in my time an hard matter for a poor man's child to come by a fellowship (though he be never so good a scholar and worthy of that room). Such packing also is used at elections that not he which best deserveth, but he that hath most friends, though he be the worst scholar, is always surest to speed; which will turn in the end to the overthrow of learning. That some gentlemen also, whose friends have been in times past benefactors to certain of those houses, do intrude into the disposition of their estates without all respect of order or statutes devised by the founders, only thereby to place whom they think good (and not without some hope of gain), the case is too too evident: and their attempt would soon take place if their superiors did not provide to bridle their endeavours. In some grammar schools likewise which send scholars to these universities, it is lamentable to see what bribery is used; for, ere the scholar can be preferred, such bribage is made that poor men's children are commonly shut out, and the richer sort received (who in time past thought it dishonour to live as it were upon alms), and yet, being placed, most of them study little other than histories, tables, dice, and trifles, as men that make not living by their study the end of their purposes, which is a lamentable hearing. Beside this, being for the most part either gentlemen or rich men's sons, they oft bring the universities into much esim slander. For, standing upon their reputation and liberty, they ruffle and roist it out, exceeding in apparel and haunting riotous company (which draweth them from their books unto another trade); and for excuse, when they are charged with breach of all good order, think it sufficient to say that they be gentlemen, which grieveth many not a little. WILLIAM HARRISON, Description of England 1587 (2nd ed.) The life at Oxford The students lead a life almost monastic; for as the monks had nothing in the world to do but, when they had said their prayers at stated hours, to employ themselves in instructive studies, no more have these. They are divided into three tables. The first is called the fellows' table, to which are admitted earls, barons, gentlemen, doctors and masters of arts, but very few of the latter; this is more plentifully and expensively served than the others. The second is for masters of arts, bachelors, some gentlemen, and eminent citizens. The third for people of low condition. While the rest are at dinner or supper in a great hall, where they are all assembled, one of the students reads aloud the Bible, which is placed on a desk in the middle of the hall, and this office everyone of them takes upon himself in his turn. As soon as grace is said after each meal, everyone is at liberty, either to retire to his own chambers, or to walk in the college garden, there being none that has not a delightful one. Their habit is almost the same as that of the Jesuits, their gowns reaching down to their ankles, sometimes lined with fur; they wear square caps; the doctors, masters of arts and professors have another kind of gown that distinguishes them every student of any considerable standing has a key to the college library, for no college is without one. PAUL HENTZNER, Travels in England 1598 [Rye] A young gentleman of the University Sir Andrew Aguecheek. I would I had bestowed that time in the tongues that I have in fencing, dancing and bear-baiting. O! had I but followed the arts! Twelfth Night, 1. iii. 99—101 A young gentleman of the university is one that comes there to wear a gown, and to say hereafter he has been at |