NOtwithstanding that this Nation abounds with Schools well endowed, and Schoolmasters excel­lently qualified, yet hundreds continually go to School divers years to no purpose at all; The Reason whereof is, because the method in most places is bad, and the discipline in many places far worse. In former times children learnt Latine by way of Recreation, and as they did their Mother Tongue, least poring on hard Rules should crack their brains, impair their health, and make them to nauseate all kind of knowledg: And he that taught did not also correct them (the Parents reserving that power to themselves) least passion, malice, or somthing worse should cause extravagancy in inflicting the punish­ment. Now though it cannot be thus in these dayes, yet an easier and speedier way would save them a great deal of time and trouble and smart, and such a way is here proposed.

First, Let the Grammar be reduc't into one sheet; which may be done by setting down the Paradigmes of the Nouns, Pronouns, Verbs, &c. and artificially couching the Rules in the very English, Situation, Repeti­tion, Character, Mark, and Alteration of some principal word; as for example,

1. By Englishing Sui of himself, and Suus his own, is saved that Rule, Sui et Suus reciproca sunt, h. e. semper reflectuntur, &c. By Englishing the Cases thus, Campus, a field; i, of; o, to; um, I buy, I sell, I see a field, is sa­ved that Rule, Nom. praecedit, Accus. sequitur verbum: Also, by Englishing Ille that and Quis what, many diffi­culties are avoided which naturally follow upon the Englishing the one he, and the other who.

2. By placing the Nounes thus in their Scheme,

are saved all the Rules of Propria quae maribus; such as vary from the Scheme being better noted elswhere, and those in us, er, a, es, of the middle Declension being suf­ficiently distinguished from such as end so of the other Declensions, by having the Gen. case in is alwayes set down with them: Also by placing the Verbs thus in their Scheme.

are implyed those many Rules about the derivation of some Tenses from others.

3. By repeating the Voc. Case, e, er, a, um, &c. and the Accus. Neuter of the Middle Declension a, ar, al, &c. is implyed that Rule, Voc, idem est cum Nom: Item Accus. in Neutro genere: By repeating Sui, Sibi, Se, is shewn that the Plural number thereof is the same as the Singu­lar: Also, by repeating the Terminations of the Sub­stantives together is shewn the formation of Adjectives, us, er, — a, — um.

4. By setting down obsolete words in the old black Letter, is implyed that they are out of use: and by Ad­verbs, Conjunctions, &c. having the first Letter a small one is signified their being such; that so they may not be taken for Substantives or Adjectives.

5. By thus marking ...quo{que} ...autem, ...quidem, &c. -{que} -ne, -ve, is signified that the former are used only after some other word, and the latter joyned to some other word. By thus marking —demno, —lecto, -hibeo; [Page 3]—liteo, —igo, —imo, —culco, -sulto, is shewn that those Verbs are used only in Composition; and by Conse­quence all the Rules about divers Verbs changing their first Vowel into e, i, u, are saved. By thus marking co- col- con- di- dif- dis- is shewn that those and the like Prepositions are used only in Composition. Also, by marking a Verb thus o* it is distinguished from a Verb of the First Conjugation, and shewn to be of the Third; that so the very Termination of the Verb may shew its Conjugation, as that of the Noun did its Declension: If any in o, eo, o*, io, vary from the common Scheme; they likewise (as was said of the Nouns) are better noted else-where; as are also such as are irregular in their Per­fect or Supine.

6. By changing the Gerund to a kind of Substantive, thus, Gen. Aman-di of loving, Abl. -do, in with, by lov­ing, &c. are implyed all the Rules about them: Also, by changing the signification of Obedio, Impero, Noceo, and the like, so as to make them signifie, I yield obedience. I give command, I do hurt, are saved all the Rules about such kind of Verbs governing a Dat. Case.

In like manner all the Rules whatsoever, saving three or four, may be cryptically infused into the Learner; and thousands there are who can understand a notion as put to them in such a practical manner, who can never comprehend it as set down by way of Rule: Rules, toge­ther with Definitions, Divisions, and critical Observati­ons, wherein consists the Art of Grammar (invented long after Language was spoken, and therefore not absolute­ly necessary to the attaining thereof) may better be learnt afterwards out of Lilly a little altered; who for many weighty reasons is not to be laid aside.

The Grammar thus reduc't to a Sheet children must thoroughly and perfectly get by heart, by degrees, and one thing after another, viz. First, the first sort of Nouns [Page 4]and Verbs, together with short Sentences drawn up on purpose, and consisting only of easie words of that first sort, as Stomachus, Rosa, Affirmo; then the next sort of Nouns and Verbs, together with Sentences fitted to them; and so the rest in order.

Next, let all the common words, and after that the common Phrases, especially such wherein there is any difficulty (viz. words of an unusual derivation or chang­ing their signification in composition, and Phrases groun­ded on some History, Custome, &c.) be reduced into certain Sentences, after this or the like manner.

Ubi ignavi equicessant trahere aut traxisse plaustra, ibi sedulus auriga adhibet stimulos.

Where | the lazy | horses | do cease | to draw | or | to have drawn | the Carts, | there | the diligent | Car|man | applyeth | pricks.

Meus filius exercet se benè, bis per-oravit, ter disputa|vit tanquam praeditus (1.) ratione; et dum monui ut redderet (2.) rationem disputationis, reddidit;

My | Son | doth exercise | himself | well, | twice | he hath declaimed, | thrice | he hath disputed | as | indu|ed | with Reason; | and | when | I admonished [him] that | he should render | an account | of the Disputa|tion, | he hath rendered [it.]

Xenocrates caseolus ad Graecas Calendas placebit hel­luoni; Schollars Commons will never please a Glutton.

Portasti litteras Bellerophontis, proinde abiturus es ad corvos; You have made a Rod for your own Back, and so you are like to be ruined.

By the first sort of these Sentences, especially if there be joyned a little Dictionary drawn up on purpose, the Learner shall at once know the Root and Head of each word, and (not only the Gender, Declension, and Con­jugation [Page 5]from the Termination, as was said, but also) the quantity of each Syllable, and the irregularities of it, and also its divers significations; For, Equi, and Stimu­los must be Substantives in us, Cessant and Per-oravit must be Verbs in o; Adhibet, Exercet, and Monui, must be Verbs in eo, they cannot be otherwise: Again, the middle Syl­lable of trahere and redderet must be short, because they come from Verbs that are noted in the Dictionary to be of the Third Conjugation, [traho *, reddo *] and the middle Syllable of Sedulus, Ad-hibet, and Stimulos, must be short, because they are so noted in the Dictionary, se­dŭlus, —hĭbeo, stimŭlus; As for long Syllables they need no noting, for if a Syllable be not short it must be long: Again, Traho must make Traxi, and Reddo Reddidi; be­cause [traxisse] is to have drawn, and [reddidit] he hath rendered. Lastly, Ratio is plainly shew'n to signifie somtimes Reason, and somtimes an account: as for quâ ra­tione, it is a Phrase, so is hâc, illâ and nullâ-ratione; all the significations of that word (as indeed of any word in the Latine Tongue except seaven) may be reduced to two: [To make out every particular at large, and prevent or answer all Objections is not the business of this Paper.]

By the latter sort of Sentences the Learner will under­stand any Phrase whatsoever; and so be able to go thorough the Authors: which Authors now are easie to him, the two grand obstacles being by this time removed; viz. the meeting with all the difficulties of the Latine Tongue at once in every line, and the not knowing what to make of a word or Phrase, as it occurs: When he hath read and digested all or most of the usual Authors, he will be able to turn any Latine into English, and also any English into Latine; because being well seen in both Languages, he knows the proprieties of each, and will not render [Quid tibi vis?] What wilt thou to thee? but What wouldst thou have? [Nihil moror quid objicis,] [Page 6] I do tarry nothing, but I do not matter what thou objectest; nor He saw but three, [ille serra sed tres,] but [vidit tantum tres;] I do as well as thou, [Facis ut puteus ut tu] but [tam bene valeo ac tu.] And thus may be avoyded the Learning of almost infinite and unintelligi­ble Rules, the continual turning over Dictionaries, the tedious using of Smetius, the endless conning of a thou­sand Particles, the getting by heart whole Volumns of Phrases, the daily blundering over and piercing of Les­sons, the difficult and irksome making of Latine for ma­ny years together; And so with the good leave of that stupendous Vertuoso and Gyant in knowledg, the Latine Tongue is not altogether so unfit to be the universal Language, as he is pleased to reckon it.

By this method for some years Gentlemen have been di­rected how by their own industry to gain or recover the La­tine Tongue in the space of few months; it is now (with due submission to the Judgments of the Ingenious Clergy and Gentry) proposed as a means of unspeakable ease both to Schoolmasters and Schollars; and in some Cases 'tis a­bundant satisfaction to the Inventors, to have only proposed a matter, however prejudice, Custome, or Ignorance may for some time hinder its reception.

The like short course may also be taken for the Greek Tongue, and for divers Arts and Sciences; whereof more may be said hereafter, when this proposal already made is encouraged.