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deep. All the plays and diverfions of children should be directed towards good ufeful habits, or else they will introduce ill ones. Whatever they do, leaves fome impreffion on that tender age, and from thence they receive a tendency to good or evil: And whatever hath fuch an influence, ought not to be neglected.

S 131. Lying is fo ready and cheap a cover for any miscarriage, and fo much in fashion among all

Lying.

forts of people, that a child can hardly avoid obferving the ufes made of it on all occafions, and fo can fcarce be kept, without great care from getting into it. But it is fo ill a quality, and the mother of fo many ill ones that spawn from it, and take shelter under it, that a child fhould be brought up in the greatest abhorrence of it imaginable. It should be always (when occafionally it comes to be mentioned) spoke of before him with the utmoft deteftation, as a quality fo wholly inconfift ent with the name and character of a gentleman, that no body of any credit can bear the imputation of a lie; a mark that is judg ed the utmost disgrace, which debases a man to the lowest degree of a fhameful meanness, and ranks him with the moft contemptible part of mankind; and the abhored rafcality is not to to endured in any one who would converfe with people of condition, or have a

The

ny efteem or reputation in the world. first time he is found in a lie, it fhould rather be wondered at as a monftrous thing in him, than reproved as an ordinary fault. If that keeps him not from relapfing, the next time he most be sharply rebuked, and fall into the ftate of great displeasure of his father and mother, and all about him who take notice of it. And if this way work not the cure, you must come to blows; for after he has been thus warned, a premeditated lie muft always be looked upon as obstinacy, and never te permitted to escape unpunished.

$132. Children, afraid to have Excufs. their faults feen in their naked colours, will, like the reft of the fons

of Adam, be apt to make excufes. This is a fault ufually bordering upon, and leading to untruth, and is not to be indulged in them: but yet it ought to be cured rather with fhame than roughness. If therefore, when a child is queftioned for any thing, his firft anfwer must be an excufe, warn him foberly to tell the truth; and then if he perfifts to fhuffle it off with a fal hood, he must be chaftif.d: but if he directly confefs, you must com. mend his ingenuity, and pardon the fault, be it what it will; and pardon it fo, that you never fo much as reproach him with it, or mention it to him again: For if you would have him in love with ingenuity, and by a conftant

practice

practice make it habitual to him, you must take care that it never procure him the leaft inconvenience; but on the contrary, his own confeffion bringing always with it perfect impunity, fhould be befides encouraged by fome marks of approbation. If his excufe be fuch at any time that you cannot prove it to have any falfhood in it, let it pafs for true, and be fure not to shew any fufpicion of it. Let him keep up his reputation with you as high as is poffible; for when once he finds he has lost that, you have loft a great, and your best hold upon him. Therefore let him not think he has the character of a liar with you, as long as you can avoid it without flattering him in it. Thus fome flips in truth may be over-looked. But after he has once been corrected for a lie, you must be fure never after to pardon it in him, whenever you find, and take notice to him that he is guilty of it: For it being a fault which he hath been forbid, and may, unless he be wilful, avoid the repeating of it is perfect perverfenefs, and must have the chaftifement due to that offence.

§ 133. This is what I have thought concerning the general method of educating a young gentleman; which, though I am apt to fuppofe may have fome influence on the whole courfe of his education, yet I am far from imagining it contains all thofe particulars which his grow ing years or peculiar temper may require..

But this being premised in general, we shall in the next place, defcend to a more particu. lar confideration of the feveral parts of his education.

134. That which every gentleman (that takes any care of his education) defires for his fon, befides the eftate he leaves him, is contained (I fupppfe) in these four things, virture wifdom, breeding, and learning. I will not trouble myfelf whether thefe names do not fome of them fometimes ftand for the fame thing, or really include one another. It ferves my turn here to follow the popular ufe of these words, which, I prefume, is clear enough to make me be understood, and I hope there will be no difficulty to comprehend my meaning.

§ 135. I place virtue as the first and most neceflary of thofe endowments, that belong to a man or a gentleman; as abfolutely requifite to make him valued and beloved by others, acceptable or tolerable to himself. Without that, I think, he will be happy neither in this, nor the other world.

136. As the foundation of this, God. there ought very early to be imprinted on his mind a true notion of God, as of the independent fupreme being, author and maker of all things, from whom we receive all our good, who loves us, and gives us all things and confequent to this, inftill into him

love and reverence of this fupreme being. This is enough to begin with, without going to explain this matter any farther; for fear left by talking to early to him of spirits, and being unfeafonably forward to make him underftand the incomprehenfible nature of that infinite being; his head be either filled with falfe, or perplexed with unintelligible notionsof him. Let him only be told upon occafion, that God made and governs all things, hears and fees every thing, and does all manner of good to thofe that love and obey him; you will find, that being told of fuch a God, other thoughts will be apt to rife up fast enough in his mind about him; which, as you obferve them to have any mistakes, you must fet right. And I think it would be better if men generally refted in fuch an idea of God, without being too curious in their notions about a being, which all muft acknowledge incomprehenfible; whereby many who have not firength and clearness of thought to diftinguish between what they can, and what they cannot know, run themfelves into fuperftition or atheifin, making God like themselves, or (becaufe they cannot comprehend any thing elfe) none at all.

And I am apt to think, the keeping children conftantly morning and evening to acts of devotion to God, as to their maker, preferver and benefactor, in fome plain and fhort form of prayer, fuitable to their age

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