being (as I have faid) exempt from the difcipline of the rod, there will not be fo much need of beating children, as is generally made use of. To which if we add learning to read, write, dance, foreign language, &c. as under the fame privilege, there will be but very rarely an occafion for blows or force in an ingenious education. The right way to teach them thofe things, is, to give them a liking and inclination to what you propose to them to be learned, and that will engage their induftry and application. This I think no hard matter to do, if children be handled as they fhould be, and the rewards and punishments above-mentioned be carefully applied, and with them thefe few rules obferved in the method of inftructing them.

as a task.

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$73. 1. None of the things they Task. are to learn, fhould ever be made a burden to them, or impofed on them Whatever is fo propofed, prefently becomes irkfome; the mind takes an averfion to it, though before it were a thing of delight or indifference. Let a child be or

dered to whip his top at a certain time every day, whether he has or has not a mind to it; let this be but required of him as a duty, wherein he muft fpend fo many hours morning and afternoon, and fee whether he will not foon be weary of any play at this rate. It is not fo with grown men? What they do chearfully

chearfully of themselves, do they not prefently grow fick of, and can no more endure, as foon as they find it is expected of them as a duty? Children have as much a mind to fhew that they are free, that their own good actions, come from them felves, that they are abfolute and independent, as any of the proudest of you, grown men; think of them as you please.

Difpofition.

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$74. 2. As a confequence of this, they should feldom be put about doing even thofe things you have got an inclination in them. to, but when they have a mind and difpofition to it. that loves reading, writing, mufick, &'c. finds yet in himself certain feafons wherein those things have no relish to him; and if at that time he forces himfelf to it, he only pothers and wearies himself to no purpofe. So it is with children. This change of temper fhould be carefully obferved in them, and the favourable feafons of aptitude and inclination be heedfully laid hold of. And if they are not often enough forward of themselves, a good difpofition fhould be talked into them, before they be fet upon any thing. This I think no hard matter for a difcreet tutor to do, who has ftudied his pupil's temper, and will be at a little pains to fill his head with fuitable ideas, fuch as may make him in love with the prefent bufinefs. By this means a

great deal of time and tiring would be faved; for a child will learn three times as much when he is in tune, as he will with double the time and pains when he goes aukwardly, oris dragged unwillingly to it. If this were minded as it fhould, children might be permitted to weary themselves with play, and yet have time enough to learn what is fuited to the capacity of each age. But no fuch thing is confidered in the ordinary way of educati on; nor can it well be. The rough difcipline of the rod is built upon other principles, has no attraction in it, regards not what humour children are in, nor looks after favourable feafons of inclination. And indeed it would be ridiculous, when compulfion and blows have raised an averfion in a child to his task, to expect he should freely of his own accord leave his play, and with pleasure court the occafions of learning; whereas, were mat. ters ordered right, learning any thing they should be taught, might be made as much a recreation to their play, as their play is to their learning. The pains are equal on both fides. Nor is it that which troubles them; for they love to be bufy, and the change and variety is that which naturally delights them. The only odds is, in that which we call play, they act at liberty, and employ their pains (where. of you may obferve them never fparing) freely; but what they are to learn, is forced up.

on

on them, they are called, compelled, and driven to it. This is that, that at firft entrance balks and cools them; they want their liberty. Get them but to ask their tutor to teach them, as they do often their play-fellows, inftead of his calling upon them to learn, and they being fatisfied that they act as freely in this, as they do in other things, they will go on with as much pleasure in it, and it will not differ from their other fports and play. By thefe ways, carefully purfued, a child may be brought to defire to be taught any thing you have a mind he should learn. The hardest part, I confefs, is with the first or cldeft; but when once he is fet right, it is eafy by him to lead the reft whether one will.

§ 75. Though it be paft doubt, that the fittest time for children, to learn any thing, is when their minds are in tune, and well dif pofed to it; when neither flagging of fpirit, nor intenfenefs of thought upon fomething elfe, makes them aukward and averfe; yet two things are to be taken care of. 1. That these feafons either not being warily obferved, and laid hold on, as often as they return, or elfe not returning as often as they should, the improvement of the child be not thereby neglected, and fo he be let grow into an habitual idleness, and confirmed in this in difpofition. 2. That though other things are ill learned, when the mind is either indifpof ed,

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ed, or otherwife taken up; yet it is of great moment, and worth our endeavours, to teach the mind to get the maftery over itself, and to be able, upon choice, to take itself off from the hot pursuit of one thing, and fet itself upon another with facility and delight, or at any time to fake off its fluggifknefs, and vigoroufly employ itself about what reafon, or the advice of another fhall direct. This is to be done in children, by trying them fometimes, when they are by lazinefs unbent, or by avocation bent another way, and endeavouring to make them buckle to the thing propofed. If by this means the mind can get an habitual dominion over itfelf, lay by ideas or business as occafion requires, and betake itself to new and lefs acceptable employments, without reluctancy or difcompofure, it will be an advantage of more confequence than Latin or Logick, or moft of thofe things children are ufually required to learn.

$76. Children being more active Compulfion. and bufy in that age, than in any other part of their life, and being

indifferent to any thing they can do, fo they may be but doing, Dancing and Scotch-hoppers would be the fame thing to them, were the encouragements and difcouragements equal. But to things we would have them learn, the great and only difcouragement 1 can obferve, is, that they are called to it, 'tis made their bu

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