rusticæ ve manus, ne status indecorus, ne qaa in proferendis pedibus inscitia, ne caput oculique ab aliâ corporis inclinatione dissideant. "That they should

66

carry their arms becomingly; that their hands "should be taught to avoid an air of rusticity, that "neither their gesture nor gait should be slovenly, nor "their eyes or their heads turned ungracefully awry." I have elsewhere spoken of politeness, which partly belongs to the body, and partly to the mind. For what is essential in this qualification lies in not being too fond of one's self, nor doing every thing for one's own sake; in avoiding to do or say any thing to offend others; in seeking opportunities of doing them a pleasure; and in preferring their convenience and inclinations to our own. This the masters should principally take care of; and when the boys are exercised in the practice of these maxims, they easily grow polite, and upon going abroad into the world will learn in three months all they want to know in this respect.

But the great and capital application of a principal, and in proportion of all the other masters, is to work upon the genius and humour of the boys, and in this. respect do them an infinite service. But herein he cannot make any great progress by public instructions, but may by private conversations, in which the boys may open themselves to him, speak to him with liberty, and tell him their grievances; and here they may be taught to know themselves, not to be displeased when they are told their faults, to discover them first and sincerely own them, to enquire after proper methods of amendment, to desire the master's directions upon this head, and to come and give an account to him from time to time of the benefit they have found by them.

Suppose, for instance, that the scholar is naturally addicted to pride and vanity, he talks often of himself, and always with self-esteem and complacency, he boasts upon every occasion of the nobility of his family, the high places of his parents, their wealth and the magnificence of their equipage, furniture, and table,

and

and expresses a contempt for every one besides. This fault is not uncommon among boys, and is sometimes found even in those whose parents have nothing to recommend them but the wealth they have heaped up.

If a principal takes a due care of his college, he cannot avoid being acquainted with this boy's disposition. When he makes him a visit, after some preliminary discourse, which may sometimes last the longer, in order to pave the way for something better and more serious, the conversation must be made to turn upon what relates to this young man. If upon the questions that are put to him, he owns his prevailing fault, and ingenuously confesses it, we should seem to be well satisfied with him, to commend his sincerity, and let him know that a fault acknowledged and confessed, is already half amended. If he does not allow of it, which may happen either designedly or not, we must endeavour insensibly to let him into it by urging particular facts, though without reproach or bitterness, by the opinion of his masters, and even the tes timony of his companions; and sometimes he must be allowed time to reflect more maturely upon it. When at last he begins to own his fault, we must endeavour to shew him the deformity and ridicule of it; how our own self-love, rightly considered, must give us an aversion for it; as instead of the esteem we propose to ourselves in such foolish boasting, we gain only contempt and hatred. We must lay before him the example of some one of his companions of great worth, and merit, that is humble and modest, and esteemed and beloved by all the world. After having thus pointed out to him his disease, we must next proceed to provide a remedy, by enjoining him to talk no more of himself or his family, of his parents, or their wealth and dignity; not to set himself above others in his own opinion, to despise nobody, and to speak advantageously of his companions. About a fortnight after he may be called for again, and after being informed by the masters of every thing relating to him, we gather it all from his own mouth, as though we

had

had heard nothing of the matter, and upon finding that he has made any progress or alteration, he is to be commended, encouraged and exhorted to grow better and better.

I suppose, for a second example, that a boy has been untractable and disrespectful towards his master, that he has refused to obey him, has even added some insolent expression, and persists in his obstinacy. The master, instead of punishing him immediately as he deserves, is prudently contented to let him know he is displeased, and remits the punishment to another time. In the mean while the scholar does not recollect himself, nor acknowledge his fault. The principal upon information sends for him, makes him repeat the matter as it passed, and examines whether he speaks true; he makes him both witness and judge in his own cause; he asks him if a scholar ought not to submit to his master; if he ought not to answer him with respect, even though he thought he was not to blame; how much more must he be in the wrong, if the master had reason entirely on his side? Could a college subsist if such an example was to be allowed? Is it in a master's or principal's power to leave him unpunished? or could he reasonably expect it from them? and thus by degrees a boy may be brought to condemn himself, to own he has deserved to be punished, to make satisfaction to his master, and to submit to whatever he shall think fit. But the master, then contented with the submission, is pleased to forgive the punishment. By such discreet management the fault of the scholar becomes beneficial to him, and concludes with making him love and respect his masters more than ever; whereas an immediate correction had created in him perhaps an aversion for them for ever.

Upon these occasions there is a certain address required in a master, which consists in knowing how to gain upon the mind,, to touch gently upon what is amiss, not to go too far, and to lead them by different questions to the point we should bring them to: this was the wonderful art of Socrates, as may be seen in

all the dialogues, wherein Plato introduces him as a speaker. We find also an admirable instance of it in the [2] Cyropædia of Xenophon, another disciple of Socrates, which may serve as a model to masters for the kind of conversation I am here speaking of. The king of Armenia rebelling against Astyages king of Media, Cyrus marched speedily against him and took him prisoner, and causing him to be brought before him with his wives and children, he began with requiring him above all things to answer according to the truth. Then the king of Armenia, led from proposition to proposition, owned with trembling that he had unjustly broken the treaty, and deserved to lose his kingdom and his life. But Cyrus, contrary to all expectation, having restored him to his dominions, made a friend of him, whose fidelity and gratitude af terwards became inviolable. The passage is very long, but very beautiful, and deserves to be read with care.

But to return to the principal, he may do infinite service by these familiar conversations, wherein the scholars may open themselves to him, and talk to him as to a good friend. One may sometimes employ the hours of recreation in this sort of conversation. When the scholars love and value their principal, they make no difficulty of disclosing themselves to him; but it must be done in such manner, that by his inviolable secrecy, he may never give them cause to repent of it. He should principally apply himself to such as are grown up, as they are better able to profit by his instructions, and stand most in need of them. The two years of philosophy, after which it is usual to chuse the kind of life they design to follow, seem naturally designed to examine their vocation. It is the most important action of life, upon which their temporal happiness and eternal salvation often depend, and is almost constantly left to an age incapable of conducting itself, and but little disposed to take advice.

Before I conclude this article, I must add, that principals are capable, and perhaps obliged too, to do [*] Cyrop. lib. iii, B b

VOL. III.

a part

a part of the same services to the scholars, that live out of the college, as they do to the pensioners For all the youth of the college are committed to their care. When a regent perceives that a scholar begins. to be irregular, he may inform the principal of it, who may send for him into his chamber, and give him such instructions as are necessary to reclaim him.

ARTICLE V.

OF RELIGION,

I HAVE no need to prove, that this article is the most momentous of all, and that the negligence of the masters upon this point would be very criminal, as it would be attended with very bad consequences. We may reduce what we have to say upon this matter to three points, Instructions, the Use of the Sacraments, and the Practice of certain Exercises of Piety.

1. Instructions.

It is easy to comprehend that such boys as leave the college without sufficient instruction in religion, run the risque of being ignorant of it all the rest of their lives; and it is but too plain, that this ignorance is the fatal source of the disorders and irreligion, which almost universally prevail in the world.

The remedy for so great an evil is to make the best advantage of the time, whilst the boys are yet tractable, and naturally inclined to hearken to all the truths. of religion. It should be laid down as a principle of Christian education, which concerns all masters in general, principals, regents and preceptors, that children are committed to their care by Christ himself, to see that they preserve the precious treasure of innocence, which he has renewed in them by baptism; to make them worthy of the divine adoption, and the glorious title of the children of God to which he has raised them; to instruct them in all the mysteries of his life and death, and in all the precepts upon the observation