lines on his bread and butter, and interfecting them at equal Angles, fo as to form the whole Superficies into Squares. But in the midst of all thefe Improvements, a ftop was put to his learning the Alphabet, nor would he let him proceed to Letter D, till he could truly and diftinctly pronounce C in the ancient manner, at which the Child unhappily boggled for near three months. He was alfo obliged to delay his learning to write, having turned away the Writing-Mafter because he knew nothing of Fabius's Waxen Tables. Cornelius having read and seriously weighed the methods by which the famous Montaigne was educated, and refolving in fome degree to exceed them, refolved he should speak and learn nothing but the learned Languages, and especi ally the Greek; in which he conftantly eat and drank, according to Homer. But what most conduced to his eafy attainment of this Language, was his love of Ginger-bread; which his Father obferving, caused it to be stampt 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 reft, he attained so great a proficiency therein, that Gronovius ingenuously confeffes he durft not confer with this child in Greek at eight years directions given for the introduction to Knowledge in Mr. Locke's book of Education. 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, years old, 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 refided fome time with his father for that purpose. He had fo early relish for the Eastern way of writing, that even at this time he compofed (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 hiftorical Traditions of his Nurfe. CHAP. V. A DISSERTATION UPON PLAY-THINGS. H "Play was invented by the Lydians as a re"medy againft Hunger. Sophocles fays of Pa"lamedes, So Montaigne fays of his Latin-George Bucanan 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 à m'accofter.-Somme, nous nous latinizames tant, qu'il en regorgea jufque à nos villages tout autour, ou il y a encores, et ont pris pied par l'ufage, plufieurs appellations Latines d'Artifans et d'outils. e Plin. Epift. Lib. 7. P. "lamedes, that he invented Dice to ferve some"times inftead of a dinner. It is therefore "wifely contrived by Nature, that Children, 66 as they have the keenest Appetites, are moft "addicted to Plays. From the same cause, and "from the unprejudiced and incorrupt fimpli"city of their minds, it proceeds, that the Plays "of the Ancient Children are preferved more en"tire than any other of their Customs'. In this 66 matter I would recommend to all who have any concern in my Son's Education, that they "deviate not in the least from the primitive and "fimple Antiquity. "To speak first of the Whistle, as it is the "first of all Play-things. I will have it exactly to correspond with the ancient Fistula, and accordingly to be compofed feptem paribus difjuncta cicutis. "I heartily with a diligent fearch may be "made after the true Crepitaculum, or Rattle of "the Ancients, for that (as Archytas Tarentinus "was of opinion) kept the children from breaking Earthen Ware." The China Cups in thefe 66 days are not at all the fafer for the modern "Rattles; which is an evident proof how far "their Crepitacula exceeded ours. “I would not have Martin as yet to scourge a Top, till I am better informed whether the "Trochus f Dr. Arbuthnot used to fay, that notwithstanding all the Boafts of the fafe conveyance of Tradition; it was no where preferved pure and uncorrupt but amongst School-boys; whofe Games and Plays are delivered down invariably the fame, from one generation to another. "Trochus which was recommended by Cato be "really our prefent Top, or rather the Hoop "which the Boys drive with a stick. Neither "Crofs and Pile, nor Ducks and Drakes, are "quite fo ancient as Handy-dandy, though Ma"crobius and St. Auguftine take notice of the "firft, and Minutius Foelix describes the latter; "but Handy-dandy is mentioned by Ariftotle, "Plato, and Aristophanes. "The Play which the Italians call Cinque, " and the French Mourre, is extremely ancient; "it was played at by Hymen and Cupid at the "Marriage of Pfyché, 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 Aphe"tinda of the Ancients. He alfo mentions 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 ftriking; "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 #antique. "Building of Houfes, and Riding upon Sticks, "have been used by Children in all ages; Aedi ficare cafas, equitare in arundine longa. Yet I "much doubt whether the Riding upon Sticks "did not come into ufe after the age of the "Centaurs. "There is one Play which fhews the gravity "of ancient Education, called the Acinetinda, " in which children contended who could long"eft ftand fill. This we have fuffered to pé"rifh entirely; and, if I might be allowed to guefs, it was certainly firft loft among the "French. "I will permit my Son to play at Apodidaf"cinda, which can be no other than our Pufs " in a Corner. "Julius Pollux in his ninth book speaks of "the Melolonthe or the Kite; but I queftion "whether the Kite of Antiquity was the fame "with ours: And though the OpTufoxonía or Quail-fighting is what is moft taken notice of, "they had doubtlefs Cock-matches alfo, as is evi"dent from certain ancient Gems and Re"lievo's. "In a word, let my Son Martin difport him"felf at any Game truly Antique, except one, " which was invented by a people among the "Thracians, who hung up one of their Com"panions in a Rope, and gave him a Knife to cut himself down; which if he failed in, he was fuffered to hang till he was dead; and "this was only reckoned a fort of joke. I am "utterly against this, as barbarous and cruel. "I cannot conclude, without taking notice "of the beauty of the Greek names, whofe "Etymologies acquaint us with, the nature of "the fports; and how infinitely, both in fenfe "and 4 |