served, that men sometimes, upon the hour of their departure, do speak and reason above themselves; for then the soul, beginning to be freed from the ligaments of the body, begins to reason like her self, and to discourse in a strain above mortality. This is the dormative I take to bedward; I need no other laudanum than this to make me sleep; after which I close mine eyes in security, content to take my leave of the sun, 5 and sleep unto the Resurrection. The method I should use in distributive justice, I often observe in commutative; and keep a geometrical proportion in both, whereby becoming equable to others, I become unjust to my self, and supererogate in that common principle, Do unto others as thou wouldst be done unto thy self. I was not born unto riches, neither is it, I think, my star to be wealthy; or, if it were, the freedom We term sleep a death; and yet it is waking that kills us, and destroys those spirits that are the house of life. "T is indeed a part of life that best expresseth death; for every 10 man truly lives, so long as he acts his nature, or some way makes good the faculties of himself. Themistocles, therefore, that slew his soldier in his sleep, was a merciful executioner: 't is a kind of punishment the mild- 15 of my mind, and frankness of my disposition, ness of no laws hath invented: I wonder the fancy of Lucan and Seneca did not discover it. It is that death by which we may be literally said to die daily; a death which Adam died before his mortality; a death 20 whereby we live a middle and moderating point between life and death: in fine, so like death, I dare not trust it without my prayers, and an half adieu unto the world, and take my farewell in a colloquy with GOD. The night is come, like to the day, My course, as doth the nimble sun. O come that hour, when I shall never were able to contradict and cross my fates: for to me, avarice seems not so much a vice, as a deplorable piece of madness; to conceive ourselves pipkins, or be persuaded that we are dead, is not so ridiculous, nor so many degrees beyond the power of Hellebore, as this. The opinions of theory, and positions of men, are not so void of reason as their practised conclusions. Some have held that 25 snow is black, that the earth moves, that the soul is air, fire, water; but all this is philosophy, and there is no delirium, if we do but speculate the folly and indisputable dotage of avarice to that subterraneous idol, and 30 God of the earth. I do confess I am an atheist; I cannot persuade myself to honour that the world adores; whatsoever virtue its prepared substance may have in my body, it hath no influence nor operation without. 35 I would not entertain a base design, or an action that should call me villain, for the Indies; and for this only do I love and honour my own soul, and have methinks two arms too few to embrace myself. Aris40 totle is too severe, that will not allow us to be truly liberal without wealth, and the bountiful hand of fortune. If this be true, I must confess I am charitable only in my liberal intentions, and bountiful well-wishes; 45 but if the example of the mite be not only an act of wonder, but an example of the noblest charity, surely poor men may also build hospitals, and the rich alone have not erected cathedrals. I have a private method 50 which others observe not; I take the opportunity of my self to do good; I borrow occasion of charity from mine own necessities, and supply the wants of others, when that shall bear our image. This woman blessing us with children, our affection leaves the level it held before, and sinks from our bed where affection holds no steady mansion. They, growing up in years, desire our ends; or applying themselves to a woman, take a lawful way to love another better than our I am in most need my self: for it is an honest Himself; He loves us but for that part which stratagem to take advantage of our selves, is as it were Himself, and the traduction of and so to husband the acts of virtue, that, His Holy Spirit. Let us call to assize the where they are defective in one circum- loves of our parents, the affection of our stance, they may repay their want and 5 wives and children, and they are all dumb multiply their goodness in another. I have shows and dreams, without reality, truth, or not Peru in my desires, but a competence, constancy. For first there is a strong bond and ability to perform those good works to of affection between us and our parents; yet which He hath inclined my nature. He is how easily dissolved! We betake our rich, who hath enough to be charitable; and 10 selves to a woman, forget our mother in it is hard to be so poor, that a noble mind a wife, and the womb that bare us, in that may not find a way to this piece of goodness. He that giveth to the poor, lendeth to the Lord: there is more rhetoric in that one sentence, than in a library of sermons; and indeed, if 15 unto our issue and picture of posterity, those sentences were understood by the reader, with the same emphasis as they are delivered by the author, we needed not those volumes of instructions, but might be honest by an epitome. Upon this motive only I 20 selves. Thus I perceive a man may be buried cannot behold a beggar without relieving his necessities with my purse, or his soul with my prayers; these scenical and accidental differences between us, cannot make me forget that common and untouched part 25 in that repeated verity and burthen of all of us both: there is under these Centoes and miserable outsides, these mutilate and semibodies, a soul of the same alloy with our own, whose genealogy is God as well as ours, and in as fair a way to salvation as our selves. 30 Statists that labour to contrive a commonwealth without poverty, take away the object of charity, not understanding only the commonwealth of a christian, but forgetting the prophesy of Christ. alive, and behold his grave in his own issue. I conclude therefore, and say, there is no happiness under (or, as Copernicus will have it, above) the sun, nor any Crambe the wisdom of Solomon, All is vanity and vexation of spirit. There is no felicity in that the world adores. Aristotle, whilst he labours to refute the ideas of Plato, falls upon one himself; for his summum bonum is a chimera, and there is no such thing as his felicity. That wherein God Himself is happy, the holy angels are happy, in whose defect the devils are unhappy, that dare I 35 call happiness: whatsoever conduceth unto this, may with an easy metaphor deserve that name; whatsoever else the world terms happiness, is to me a story out of Pliny, a tale of Boccaccio or Malizspini, an appari Now, there is another part of charity, which is the basis and pillar of this, and that is the love of God, for Whom we love our neighbour; for this I think charity, to love God for Himself, and our neighbour for 40 tion, or neat delusion, wherein there is no God. All that is truly amiable is God, or as it were a divided piece of Him, that retains a reflex or shadow of Himself. Nor is it strange that we should place affection on that which is invisible: all that we truly love is 45 thus; what we adore under affection of our senses, deserves not the honour of so pure a title. Thus we adore virtue, though to the eye of sense she be invisible: thus that part of our noble friends that we love, is not that 50 according to the wisdom of Thy pleas part that we embrace, but that insensible part that our arms cannot embrace. God, more of happiness than the name. Bless me in this life with but peace of my conscience, command of my affections, the love of Thy self and my dearest friends, and I shall be happy enough to pity Cæsar. These are, O Lord, the humble desires of my most reasonable ambition, and all I dare call happiness on earth; wherein I set no rule or limit to Thy hand or providence. Dispose of me ure: Thy will be done, though in my own undoing. being all goodness, can love nothing but (1642) 1643 John Milton (1608-1674) LETTER ON EDUCATION Master Hartlib, I am long since persuaded, Master Hartlib, that to say or do aught worth memory and imitation, no purpose or respect should sooner move us than simply the love of God, either of divine or human obligement, that you lay upon me; but will forthwith set down in writing, as you request me, that voluntary idea, which hath long, in silence, 5 presented itself to me, of a better education, in extent and comprehension far more large, and yet of time far shorter, and of attainment far more certain, than hath been yet in practice. Brief I shall endeavour to be; nation hath extreme need should be done sooner than spoken. To tell you, therefore, what I have benefited herein among old renowned authors, I shall spare; and to search what many modern Januas and Didactics, more than ever I shall read, have projected, my inclination leads me not. But if you can accept of these few observations which have flowered off, and are as it were the burnishing of many studious and contemplative years, altogether spent in the search of religious and civil knowledge, and such as pleased you so well in the relating, I here give you them to dispose of. and of mankind. Nevertheless to write now 10 for that which I have to say, assuredly this the reforming of education, though it be one of the greatest and noblest designs that can be thought on, and for the want whereof this nation perishes; I had not yet at this time been induced, but by your earnest entreaties 15 and serious conjurements; as having my mind for the present half diverted in the pursuance of some other assertions, the knowledge and the use of which cannot but be a great furtherance both to the enlarge- 20 ment of truth, and honest living with much more peace. Nor should the laws of any private friendship have prevailed with me to divide thus, or transpose my former thoughts, but that I see those aims, those actions, 25 which have won you with me the esteem of a person sent hither by some good providence from a far country to be the occasion and incitement of great good to this island. The end then of learning is to repair the ruins of our first parents by regaining to know God aright, and out of that knowledge to love him, to imitate him, to be like him, as we may the nearest by possessing to the heavenly grace of faith, makes up the highest perfection. But because our understanding cannot in this body found. itself but on sensible things, nor arrive so And, as I hear, you have obtained the 30 our souls of true virtue, which being united same repute with men of most approved wisdom, and some of the highest authority among us; not to mention the learned correspondence which you hold in foreign parts, and the extraordinary pains and diligence 35 clearly to the knowledge of God and things which you have used in this matter, both here and beyond the seas; either by the definite will of God so ruling, or the peculiar sway of nature, which also is God's working. Neither can I think that, so reputed and so 40 valued as you are, you would, to the forfeit of your own discerning ability, impose upon me an unfit and over-ponderous argument; but that the satisfaction which you profess to have received, from those incidental dis- 45 the instrument conveying to us things useful courses which we have wandered into, hath pressed and almost constrained you into a persuasion, that what you require from me in this point, I neither ought nor can in con invisible, as by orderly conning over the visible and inferior creature, the same method is necessarily to be followed in all discreet teaching. And seeing every nation affords not experience and tradition enough for all kinds of learning, therefore we are chiefly taught the languages of those people who have at any time been most industrious after wisdom; so that language is but to be known. And though a linguist should pride himself. to have all the tongues that Babel cleft the world into, yet if he have not studied the solid things in them, as well as science defer beyond this time both of so 50 the words and lexicons, he were nothing much need at once, and so much opportunity to try what God hath determined. so much to be esteemed a learned man, as any yeoman or tradesman competently wise in I will not resist, therefore, whatever it is, his mother dialect only ballasted wits in fathomless and unquiet deeps of controversy, do for the most part grow into hatred and contempt of learning, mocked and deluded all this while with rag5 ged notions and babblements, while they expected worthy and delightful knowledge; till poverty or youthful years call them importunately their several ways, and hasten them, with the sway of friends, either to an Hence appear the many mistakes which have made learning generally so unpleasing and so unsuccessful; first, we do amiss to spend seven or eight years merely in scraping together so much miserable Latin and Greek, as might be learned otherwise easily and delightfully in one year. And that which casts our proficiency therein so much behind, is our time lost partly in too oft idle vacancies given both to schools and univer- 10 ambitious and mercenary, or ignorantly sities; partly in a preposterous exaction, forcing the empty wits of children to compose themes, verses, and orations, which are the acts of ripest judgment, and the final work of a head filled by long reading and 15 them, but on the promising and pleasing observing, with elegant maxims and copious invention. These are not matters to be wrung from poor striplings, like blood out of the nose, or the plucking of untimely fruit. Besides the ill habit which they get of 20 flattery and court-shifts and tyrannous apho zealous divinity: some allured to the trade of law, grounding their purposes not on the prudent and heavenly contemplation of justice and equity, which was never taught thoughts of litigious terms, fat contentions, and flowing fees; others betake them to state affairs, with souls so unprincipled in virtue and true generous breeding, that risms appear to them the highest points of wisdom; instilling their barren hearts with a conscientious slavery; if, as I rather think, it be not feigned. Others, lastly, of a more delicious and airy spirit, retire themselves (knowing no better) to the enjoyments of ease and luxury, living out their days in feast and jollity; which indeed is the wisest and safest course of all these, unless they were wretched barbarising against the Latin and Greek idiom, with their untutored Anglicisms, odious to be read, yet not to be avoided without a well-continued and judicious conversing among pure authors digested, which 25 they scarce taste. Whereas, if after some preparatory grounds of speech by their certain forms got into memory, they were led to the praxis thereof in some chosen short book lessoned thoroughly to them, 30 with more integrity undertaken. And these they might then forthwith proceed to learn the substance of good things, and arts in due order, which would bring the whole language quickly into their power. This I take to be the most rational and most profitable way of 35 learning languages, and whereby we may best hope to give account to God of our youth spent herein. are the errors, and these are the fruits of misspending our prime youth at the schools and universities as we do, either in learning mere words, or such things chiefly as were better unlearned. I shall detain you now no longer in the demonstration of what we should not do, but straight conduct you to a hill-side, where And for the usual method of teaching arts, I will point you out the right path of a I deem it to be an old error of universities, 40 virtuous and noble education; laborious not yet well recovered from the scholastic indeed at the first ascent, but else so smooth, grossness of barbarous ages, that instead of so green, so full of goodly prospect, and beginning with arts most easy, (and those be melodious sounds on every side, that the such as are most obvious to the sense,) they harp of Orpheus was not more charming. I present their young unmatriculated novices, 45 doubt not but ye shall have more ado to at first coming, with the most intellective drive our dullest and laziest youth, our stocks abstractions of logic and metaphysics; so and stubs, from the infinite desire of such a that they having but newly left those gram- happy nurture, than we have now to hale and matic flats and shallows, where they stuck drag our choicest and hopefullest wits to unreasonably to learn a few words with 50 that asinine feast of sow-thistles and bramlamentable construction, and now on the sudden transported under another climate, to be tossed and turmoiled with their un bles, which is commonly set before them as all the food and entertainment of their tenderest and most docible age. I call there fore a complete and generous education, that which fits a man to perform justly, skilfully, and magnanimously all the offices, both private and public, of peace and war. And how all this may be done between twelve and one and twenty, less time than is now bestowed in pure trifling at grammar and sophistry, is to be thus ordered. education would be read to them, whereof the Greeks have store, as Cebes, Plutarch, and other Socratic discourses. But in Latin we have none of classic authority extant, except 5 the two or three first books of Quintilian, and some select pieces elsewhere. But here the main skill and groundwork will be, to temper them such lectures and explanations, upon every opportunity, as enflamed with the study of learning and the admiration of virtue; stirred up with high hopes of living to be brave men, and worthy patriots, dear to God, and famous to all ages. childish and ill-taught qualities, to delight in manly and liberal exercises, which he who hath the art and proper eloquence to catch them with, what with mild and effec First, to find out a spacious house and ground about it fit for an academy, and big 10 may lead and draw them in willing obedience, enough to lodge a hundred and fifty persons, whereof twenty or thereabout may be attendants, all under the government of one, who shall be thought of desert sufficient, and ability either to do all, or wisely to 15 That they may despise and scorn all their direct and oversee it done. This place should be at once both school and university, not needing a remove to any other house of scholarship, except it be some peculiar college of law, or physic, where they mean to 20 tual persuasions, and that with the intimation be practitioners; but as for those general studies which take up all our time from Lily to commencing, as they term it, master of årt, it should be absolute. After this pattern, as many edifices may be converted to this 25 use as shall be needful in every city throughout this land, which would tend much to the increase of learning and civility everywhere. This number, less or more thus collected, to the convenience of a foot company, or inter- 30 changeably two troops of cavalry, should divide their day's work into three parts as it lies orderly: their studies, their exercise, and their diet. of some fear, if need be, but chiefly by his own example, might in a short space gain them to an incredible diligence and courage, infusing into their young breasts such an ingenuous and noble ardour, as would not fail to make many of them renowned and matchless men. At the same time, some other hour of the day, might be taught them the rules of arithmetic; and soon after the elements of geometry, even playing, as the old manner was. After evening repast, till bedtime, their thoughts would be best taken up in the easy grounds of religion, and the story of Scripture. For their studies: first, they should begin 35 The next step would be to the authors of with the chief and necessary rules of some agriculture, Cato, Varro, and Columella, good grammar, either that now used, or any for the matter is most easy; and, if the better; and while this is doing, their speech language be difficult, so much the better, it is to be fashioned to a distinct and clear is not a difficulty above their years. And pronunciation, as near as may be to the 40 here will be an occasion of inciting, and For we Italian, especially in the vowels. Englishmen being far northerly, do not open our mouths in the cold air wide enough to grace a southern tongue; but are observed enabling them hereafter to improve the tillage of their country, to recover the bad soil, and to remedy the waste that is made of good; for this was one of Hercules' praises. by all other nations to speak exceeding close 45 Ere half these authors be read (which will and inward; so that to smatter Latin with an English mouth, is as ill a hearing as law French. Next, to make them expert in the usefullest points of grammar, and withal to season them and win them early to the love of 50 virtue and true labour, ere any flattering seducement or vain principle seize them wandering, some easy and delightful book of soon be with plying hard and daily) they cannot choose but be masters of any ordinary prose. So that it will be then seasonable for them to learn in any modern author the use of the globes, and all the maps, first, with the old names, and then with the new; or they might be then capable to read any compendious method of natural philosophy. |