he sets his Mind on, in the intervals be- Sauntring tween his hours of Business, that he is not of himself inclin'd to laziness, but only want of relish of his Book makes him negligent and sluggish in his application to it. The first step is to try by talking to him kindly of the folly and inconvenience of it, whereby he loses a good part of his time which he might have for his diversion; But be sure to talk calmly and kindly, and not much at first, but only these plain Reasons in short. If this prevails you have gain'd the point by the most defirable Remedy, which is Reason and Kindness. If it prevails not, try to shame him out of it, by laughing at him for it, asking every day, if there be no Strangers there, when he comes to Table, how long he was that Day about his Business, and if he has not done it in the time he might be well supposed to have dispatch'd it, expose and turn him into ridicule for it, but mix no chiding, only put on a pretty cold Brow towards him, and keep it till he reform and let his Mother, Tutor and all about him do so too. If this work not the effect you desire,

then

Saamring, then tell him, he shall be no longer troubled with a Tutor, to take care of his Education, you will not be at the Charge to have him spend his time idly with him; But since he preferrs this or that [ whatever Play he delights in] to his Book, that only he shall do, and so in earnest set him on work on his beloved play, and keep him steadily and in earnest to it Morning and Afternoon, till he be fully surfeited, and would at any rate change it for some hours at his Book again. But when you thus set him a Task of his Play, you must be sure to look after him your self, or get some-body else to do it, that may constantly see him employ'd in it, and that he be not permitted to be idle at that too. I say, your self look after him, for it is worth the Father's while, whatever Business he has, to bestow Two or Three Days upon his Son, to cure so great a Mischief as is Sauntring at his Business.

§. 118. This is what I propose, if it be Idleness not from his general Temper, but a peculiar or acquir'd aversion to Learning, which you must be

careful

careful to examine and distinguish, Sauntring which you shall certainly know by the way above propos'd. But though you have your Eyes upon him, to watch what he does, with the time he has at his own disposal, yet you must not let him perceive, that you,or any body else do so. For that may restrain him from following his own Inclination, and that being the thing his Head or Heart is upon, and not daring to prosecute it for fear of you, he may forbear doing other things, and so seem to be idle and negligent; when in truth it is nothing, but being intent on that, which the fear of your Eye or Knowledge keeps him from executing. Yon must therefore, when you would try him, give full Liberty: But let some body, whom you can trust, observe what he does, and it will be best he should have his Play-day of Liberty, when you, and all, that he may suspect to have an Eye upon him, are abroad, that so he may without any check follow his natural Inclination. Thus by his employing of such times of Liberty, you will easily discern, whether it be listlesness in his Temper, or aver

Sauntring.

fion to his Book, that makes him saunter away his time of Study.

§. 119. If listlesness and dreaming be his natural Disposition. This unpromising Temper is one of the hardest to be dealt with, because it generally carrying with it an indifferency for future things, may be attributed to want of fore-sight and want of desire: and how to plant or increase either of these, where Nature has given a cold or contrary Temper, is not I think very easie. As soon as it is perceived, the first thing to be done, is to find out his most predominate Passion, and carefully examine, what it is, to which the greatest bent of his Mind has the most steady and earnest Tendency: And when you have found that, you must set that on work to excite his Industry to any thing else. If he loves Praise or Play or fine Cloths, &c. or, on the other side, dreads Shame and Disgrace, your Displeasure, &c. whatever it be that he loves most, except it be Sloth (for that will never set him on work) let that be made use of to excite him to activity. For in this list less Temper, you are not to fear an excess of Appe

tite (as in all other cases) by cherish. Sauntring. ing it 'Tis that which you want, and therefore must labour to stir up and increase. For where there is no Desire, there will be no industry..

§. 120. If you have not hold enough upon him this way to stir up Vigor and Activity in him, you must imploy him in some constant bodily Labour, whereby he may get an habit of doing something. The keeping him hard to some Study were the better way to get him an habit of exercising and applying his Mind: But because this is an invisible Attention, and no body can I tell, when he is, or is not idle at it, you must find bodily imployments for him, which he must be constantly bufied in, and kept to: And if they have some little hardship and shame in them, it may not be the worse, to make them the sooner weary him, and defire to return to his Book. But be sure, when you exchange his Book for his 1 other Labour, set him such a Task, to be done in such a time, as may allow him no opportunity to be idle: Only after you have by this way brought him to be Attentive and Industrious