Cornelius having read and seriously weighed the methods by which the famous Montaigue was educated *, and refolving, in fome degree, to exceed them, refolved he fhould speak and learn nothing but the learned lan guages, and especially the Greek; in which he conftantly eat and drank, according to Homer. But what molt conduced to his eafy attainment of this language, was his love of ginger-bread; which his father observing, caused it to be stamped with the letters of the Greek alphabet ; and the child, the very first day, eat as far as Iota. By his particular application to this language above the rest, he attained fo great a proficiency therein, that Gronovi us ingenuously confeffes he durft not confer with this child: in Greek at eight years old t; and at fourteen he compofed a tragedy in the fame language, as the younger Pliny had done before him.

He learned the oriental languages of Erpenius, who re fided fome time with his father for that purpofe. He had fo early a relish for the eastern way of writing, that even at this time he composed (in imitation of it) the thousand and one Arabian tales, and alfo the Perfian tales, which have been fince tranflated into feveral languages, and lately into our own, with particular elegance, by Mr. Ambrofe Philips. In this work of his childhood, he was not a little affifted by the historical traditions of his nurfe.

* Who was taught Latin in his nurfe's arms, and not fuffered to hear a word of his mother-tongue, till he could speak the other perfectly. Warburton.

So Montaigne fays of his Latin-George Buchanan et Mark Antoine Muret, mes precepteurs domeftiques, m'ont dit fouvent, que j'avois ce langage en mon enfance fi preft et fi à main qu'ils craignoient a m'accofter.-Somme, nous nous latinizames tant, qu'il en regorgea jufque nos villages tout autour, ou il y a encores, et ont pris pied par l'usage, plusieurs appellations Latines d' Artisans et d'outils. Warburton.

Plin. Epift. lib. 7. Pope.

СНАР.

CHAP. V.

A differtation upon play-things.

TERE follow the inftructions of Cornelius Scriblerus

H concerning the plays and play-things to be used by

his fon Martin.

"Play was invented by the Lydians as a remedy a "gainst hunger. Sophocles fays of Palamedes, that he "invented dice to ferve fometimes inftead of a din

ner. It is therefore wifely contrived by nature, that "children, as they have the keenest appetites, are most "addicted to plays. From the fame cause, and from the "unprejudiced and incorrupt fimplicity of their minds, "it proceeds, that the plays of the antient children are "preferved more entire than any other of their cuftoms *. "In this matter I would recommend to all who have 66 any concern in my fon's education, that they deviate "not in the leaft from the primitive and fimple antiquity.

"To speak first of the while, as it is the first of all play-things I will have it exactly to correfpond with "the ancient fiftula, and accordingly to be compofed "feptem paribus disjuncta cicutis.

"I heartily with a diligent fearch may be made after "the true crepitaculum or rattle of the antients, for that "(as Archytas Tarentinus was of opinion) kept the "children from breaking earthen ware, The China cups "in thefe days are not at all the fafer for the modern "rattles; which is an evident proof how far their crepi"tacula exceeded ours.

"I would not have Martin as yet to fcourge a top, till "I am better informed whether the trochus, which was "recommended by Cato, be really our prefent top, or " rather the hoop which the boys drive with a stick. Nei "ther cross and pile, nor ducks and drakes, are quite fo

* Dr Arbuthnot used to fay, that, notwithstanding all the boasts of the safe conveyance of tradition, it was no where preferved pure and uncorrupt but amongst children; whofe games and plays are delivered down invariably from one generation to another. Warburton.

"antient

"ancient as handy-dandy, though Macrobius and St Au. guftine take notice of the firft, and Minutius Felix de. "fcribes the latter; but handy-dandy is mentioned by "Ariftotle, Plato, and Ariftophanes.

"The play which the Italians call cinque, and the "French mourre, is extremely antient; it was played at "by Hymen and Cupid at the marriage of Pfyche, and "termed by the Latins, digitis micare.

"Julius Pollux defcribes the omilla or chuck-farthing; "though fome will have our modern chuck-farthing to "be nearer the aphetinda of the antients. He alfo men"tions the bafilinda, or king I am and myinda, or "hoopers-hide.

"But the chytrindra described by the fame author, is certainly not our hot-cockle; for that was by pinching, "and not by striking; though there are good authors "who affirm the rathapygifmus to be yet nearer the "modern hot-cockles. My fon Martin may use either of "them indifferently, they being equally antic.

Building of houfes, and riding upon sticks, have been "ufed by children in all ages, Edificare cafas, equitare "in arundine longa. Yet I much doubt whether the "riding upon fticks did not come into ufe after the age "of the centaurs.

"There is one play which fhews the gravity of antient "education, called the acinetinda, in which children " contend who could longest ftand still. This we have "fuffered to perifh entirely; and, if I might be allowed "to guefs, it was certainly first loft among the French. "I will permit my fon to play at apodidafcinda, which can be no other than our pufs in a corner.

Julius Pollux, in his ninth book, fpeaks of the me"lolonthe, or the kite; but I question whether the kite "of antiquity was the fame with ours: and though the "Ogτugoxo@ia, or quail fighting, is what is most taken "notice of, they had doubtless cock-matches also, as is e"vident from certain antient gems and relievos.

66

"In a word, let my fon Martin difport himself at any "6 game truly antic, except one, which was invented by a people among the Thracians, who hung up one of "their companions in a rope, and gave him a knife to cut himself down; which if he failed in, he was fuf

"fered

"fered to hang till he was dead; and this was only rec "koned a fort of joke. I am utterly against this, as "barbarous and cruel.

"I cannot conclude, without taking notice of the beau66 ty of the Greek names, whofe etymologies acquaint us with the nature of the sports; and how infinitely, both "in fenfe and found, they excel our barbarous names of "plays."

Notwithstanding the foregoing injunctions of Dr Cornelius, he yet condefcended to allow the child the use of fome few modern play-things; fuch as might prove of any benefit to his mind, by inftilling an early notion of the fciences. For example, he found that marbles taught him percuffion and the laws of motion; nut crackers the ufe of the leaver; fwinging on the ends of a board, the ba lance: bottle-fcrews, the vice; whirligiggs, the axis and peritrochia: bird-cages, the pully; and tops, the centrifugal motion.

Others of his fports were further carried to improve his tender foul even in virtue and morality. We shall only inftance one of the most useful and instructive, bobcherry, which teaches at once two noble virtues, patience and conftancy; the firft in adhering to the purfuit of one end, the latter in bearing a difappointment.

Befides all thele, he taught him as a diversion, an odd and fecret manner of fiealing, according to the custom of the Lacedæmonians; wherein he fucceeded so well, that he practifed it to the day of his death.

С НА Р. VI.

Of the gymnaflics, in what exercises Martinus was eduated; fomething concerning musick, and what fort of a man his uncle was,

N

OR was Cornelius lef careful in adhering to the rules of the pureft antiquity, in relation to the exercifes of his fon. He was ftript, powdered, and anoint. ed, but not conftantly bathed, which occafioned many heavy complaints of the laundrefs about dirtying his linen. When he played at quoits, he was allowed his breeches

and.

and stockings; because the difcoboli (as Cornelius well knew) were naked to the middle only. The mother often contended for modern sports and common cuftoms: but this was his conftant reply, "Let a daughter be the care of her mother, but the education of a fon fhould "be the delight of his father."

66

It was about this time, he heard, to his exceeding content, that the harpaflus of the antients was yet in ufe in Cornwall, and known there by the name of hurling. He was fenfible the common foot-ball was a very imperfect imitation of that exercise; and thought it neceflary to fend Martin into the weft, to be initiated in that truly antient and manly part of the gymnafiics. The poor boy was fo unfortunate as to return with a broken leg. This Cornelius looked upon but as a flight ailment, and promised his mother he would inftantly cure it. He flit a green reed, and caft the knife upward, then tying the two parts of the reed to the disjointed place, pronounced thefe words, Daries, daries, aftataries, diffunapiter; huat, hanat, huat, ifta, pifia, fijta, domi abo, damnauftra. But finding, to his no fmail aftonishment, that this had no effect, in five days he condescended to have it fet by a modern furgeon.

Mrs Scriblerus, to prevent him from expofing her fon to the like dangerous exercises for the future, proposed to fend for a dancing-mafter, and to have him taught the minuet and rigadoon. "Dancing" (quoth Cornelius) "I much approve, for Socrates faid the beft dancers were "the best warriors; but not thofe fpecies of dancing "which you mention; they are certainly corruptions of "the comic and fatyric dance, which were utterly dislik"ed by the founder antients. Martin fhall learn the tra"gic dance only, and I will fend all over Europe, till I "find an antiquary able to inftruct him in the faltatio "Pyrrhica. Scaliger †, from whom my fon is lineally "defcenced,

*Plin. Hift. Nat. lib. xvii. in fine, Carmen contra luxata membra, cujus verba inferere non equidem ferio aufim, quanquam a Catone prodita. Vid. Caton. de re ruft. c. 160. Popc.

Scalig. Poetic. lib. i. c. 9. Hanc faltationem Pyrrhicam, nos Saepe et diu, juffu Bonifacii patrui, coram Divo Maximiliano, non fine

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