us the hopes of fruits, to reward our pains in its feafon.

§ 85. This course, if obferved, will spare both father and child the trouble of repeated injunctions, and multiplied rules of doing and forbearing. For I am of opinion, that of thefe actions which tend to vicious habits, (which are thofe alone that a father fhould interpofe his authority and commands in) none fhould be forbiden children till they are found guilty of them. For fuch untime. ly prohibitions, if they do nothing worfe, do at least so much towards teaching and allowing them, that they fuppofe that children may be guilty of them, who would poffibly be fafer in the ignorance of any fuch faults. And the best remedy to ftop them, is, as I have faid, to fhew wonder and amazement at any fuch action, as hath a vicious tendency, when it is first taken notice of in a child. For example when he is firft found in a lie, or any ill-natured trick, the firft remedy fhould be, to talk to him of it as a strange monstrous matter, that it could not be imagined he would have done, fo and hame him out of it.

§ 86. It will be ('tis like) objected, that whatfoever I fancy of the tractableness of children, and the prevalency of thofe fofter ways of fhame and commendation; yet there are many who will never apply themselves to

their books, and to what they ought to learn, unless they are fcourged to it. This, I fear,

Chil

is nothing but the language of ordinary schools and fashion, which have never fuffered the other to be tried as it fhould be, in places where it could be taken notice of. Why, elfe, do:s the learning of Latin and Greek need the rod, when French and Italian need it not? dren learn to dance and fence without whipping; nay, arithmetick, drawing, &c. they apply themselves well enough to without beating: which would make one fufpect, that there is fomething ftrange, unnatural, and difagreeable to that age, in the things required in grammar-fchools, or in the methods ufed there, that children cannot be brought to, without the feverity of the lafh, and hardly with that too; or elfe, that it is a mistake, that thofe tongues could not be taught them without beating.

$87. But let us fuppofe fome fo negligent or. idle, that they will not be brought to learn by the gentle ways propofed, for we must grant, that there will be children found of all tem pers; yet it does not thence follow, that the rough difcipline of the cudgel is to be used at all. Nor can any one be concluded unmanageable by the milder methods of government, till they have been thoroughly tried upon him, and if they will not prevail with him to ufe his endeavours, and do what is in his pow

er

nate.

er to do, we make no excuses for the obstiBlows are the proper remedies for thofe; but blows laid on in a way different from the ordinary. He that wilfully neglects his book, and ftubbornly refufes any thing he can do, required of him by his father, expreffing himself in a pofitive ferious command, fhould not be corrected with two or three angry lashes, for not performing his talk, and the fame punishment repeated again and again upon every the like default; but when it is brought to that pafs, that wilfulnefs evidently fhews itfelf, and makes blows neceffa

ry, I think, the chaftisement should be a little more fedate, and a little more fevere, and the whipping (mingled with admonition between) fo continued till the impreffions of it on the mind were found legible in the face, voice, and fubmiflion of the child not fo fenfible of the fmart, as of the fault he has been guilty of, and melting in true forrow under it. If fuch a correction as this, tried fome few times at fit diftances, and carried to the utmost severity, with the vifible difpleasure of the father all the while, will not work the effect, turn the mind, and produce a future compliance, what can be hoped from blows, and to what purpose thould they be any more ufed? Beating, when you can expect no good from it will look more like the fury of an enraged enemy, than the good will of a coinpaffionate

paffionate friend; and fuch chaftifement carries with it only provocation, without any prospect of amendment. If it be any father's misfortune to have a fon thus perverfe and untractable, I know not what more he can do, but pray for him. But I imagine, if a right course be taken with children from the beginning, very few will be found to be fuch; and when there are any fuch inftances, they are not to be the rule for the education of those who are better natured, and may be managed with better ufage.

§ 88. If a tutor can be got, that, thinking himself in the father's place, Tutor. charged with his care, and relishing

thefe things, will at the beginning apply him. felf to put them in practice, he will afterwards find his work very cafy; and you will, I guess, have your fon in a little time a greater proficient in both learning and breeding, than perhaps you imagine. But let him by no means beat him at any time, without your content and direction; at least till you have experience of his difcretion and temper. But yet, to keep up his authority with his pupil, befides concealing that he has not the power of the rod, you must be fure to ufe him with great refpect yourself, and cause all your family to do fo too: for you cannot expect your fon fhould have any regard for one, whom he fees you, or his mother, or o

thers

thers flight. If you think him worthy of contempt, you have chofen amifs; and if you fhew any contempt of him, he will hardly escape it from your fon: and whenever that happens, whatever worth he may have in himself, and abilities for this employment, they are all loft to your child, and can afterwards never be made ufeful to him.

§ 89. As the fathers example must teach the child refpect for his tutor, fo the tutor's example muft lead the child into thofe actions he would have him do. His practice must by no means crofs his precepts, unlets he intend to fet him wrong. It will be to no purpose

for the tutor to talk of the restraint of the paffions, whilft any of his own are let loofe; and he will in vain endeavour to reform any vice or indecency in his pupil, which he allows in himself. Il paterns are fure to be followed more than good rules, and therefore he must always carefully preferve him from the influence of ill precedents, especially the most dangerous of all, the examples of the fervants; from whofe company he is to be kept, not by prohibitions, for that will but give him an itch after it, but by the other ways I nave mentioned..

$ 90. In all the whole bufi. Governor. nefs of education, there is no thing like to be lefs hearkened

to, or harder to be well obferved, than what