If your childe after reasonable season proued be founde here vnapte and vnable to lernynge, than ye warned therof shal take hym awaye, that he occupye not here rowme in vayne. If he be apte to lerne, ye shal be content that he contynue here tyl he haue some competent literature. If he be absent vi dayes & in that mean season ye shewe not cause reasonable (reasonable cause is al onely sekenes) than his rowme to be voyde, without he be admytted agayne & paye iiij.d. Also after cause shewed yf he contynue so absent tyl the weke of admyssyon in the nexte quarter, & than ye shewe not the contynuaunce of his sekenes, than his rowme to be voyde and he none of the scole, tyl he be admytted agayne and paye iiii.d. for wrytinge of his name. Also yf he fall thryse in to absence, he shall be admytted no more. Your chylde shal on childermasse daie wayte upon the bysshop at Poules and offer there. Also ye shal fynde hym waxe in wynter. Also ye shal fynde hym convenient bokes to his lernynge. If the offerer be content with these artycles, than let his chylde be admytted. (c) The Course of Study As towchyng in this scole what shalby taught of the maisters and lernyd of the scolers, it passith my wit to devyse and determyn in particuler but in generall to speke and sum what to saye my mynde, I wolde they were taught all way in good litterature both laten and greke, and goode auctours suych as haue the veray Romayne eliquence joyned withe wisdome specially Cristyn auctours that wrote theyre wysdome with clene and chast laten other in verse or in prose, for my entent is by thys scole specially to incresse knowledge and worshipping of god and oure lorde Crist Jesu and good Cristen lyffe and maners in the Children. And for that entent I will the Chyldren lerne ffirst aboue all the Cathechyzon in Englysh and after the accidence that I made or sum other yf eny be better to the purpose to induce chyldren more spedely to laten spech And thanne Institutum Christiani homines which that leryned Erasmus made at my request and the boke called Copia of the same Erasmus And thenne other auctours Christian as lactancius prudentius and proba and sedulius and Juuencus and Baptista Mantuanus and suche other as shalby tought convenyent and moste to purpose vnto the true laten spech all barbary all corrupcion all laten adulterate which ignorant blynde folis brought into this worlde and with the same hath distayned and poysenyd the plde laten spech and the varay Romayne tong which in the tyme of Tully and Salust and Virgill and Terence was vsid, whiche also seint Jerome and seint ambrose and seint Austin and many hooly doctors lernyed in theyr tymes. I say that ffyl thynesse and all such abusyon which the later blynde worlde brought in which more ratheyr may be callid blotterature thenne litterature. I vtterly abbanysh and Exclude oute of this scole and charge the Maisters that they teche all way that is the best and instruct the chyldren in greke and Redyng vnto them suych auctours that hathe with wisdome joyned the pure chaste eloquence. 139. Ascham on Queen Elizabeth's Learning (Ascham, Roger, The Scholemaster. Arber ed., book II, p. 194. London, 1570) One of the enthusiastic teachers of the New Learning in England was Roger Ascham (1516-68), who had studied at Saint John's College, Cambridge - a center of the new learning under Sir John Cheke, one of the greatest teachers of teachers. His years there Ascham often referred to as "my swete tyme at Cambridge." Ascham in turn became a great teacher of reformed Latin and Greek, the tutor of Queen Elizabeth, and wrote The Scholemaster to show the advantages of a mild discipline and his method of double translation in teaching languages. Of Queen Elizabeth he wrote: ... And by theis authorities and reasons am I moued to thinke, this waie of double translating, either onelie or chieflie, to be fittest, for the spedy and perfit atteyning of any tong. And for spedy atteyning, I durst venture a good wager, if a scholer, in whom is aptnes, loue, diligence, and constancie, would but translate, after this sorte, one litle booke in Tullie, as de senectute, . . . that scholer, I say, should cum to a better knowledge in the Latin tong, than the most part do, that spend four or fiue yeares, in tossing all the rules of Grammer in common scholes. . . . And a better, and nerer example herein, may be, our most noble Queene Elizabeth, who neuer toke yet, Greeke nor Latin Grammer in her hand, after the first declining of a nowne and a verbe, but onely by this double translating of Demosthenes and Isocrates dailie without missing euerie forenone, for the space of a yeare or two, hath atteyned to soch a perfite vnderstanding in both the tonges, and to soch a readie vtterance of the latin, and that wyth soch a judgement, as they be fewe in nomber in both the vniuersities, or els where in England, that be, in both tonges, comparable with her Maiestie. 140. Colet's Introduction of Lily's Latin Grammar William Lily (1468-1522), one of the early English humanists, was appointed headmaster of the newly founded Saint Paul's School, in London, in 1512, shortly after his return from Italy. For this school he wrote Lily's Latin Grammar, a book which en tirely eclipsed his fame as a schoolmaster, and which was to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries what Donatus had been to the Middle Ages. For this book Colet wrote the following Introduction: I haue... made this lytel boke, not thynkynge that I coude say ony thynge beter than hath be sayd before, but I toke this besynes, hauynge grete pleasure to shewe the testymony of my good mynde vnto the schole. In whiche lytel warke yf ony newe thynges be of me, it is alonely that I haue put tese partes in a more clere ordre, and haue made them a lytel more easy to yonge wyttes than (methynketh) they were before. . . . Wherfore I praye you, all lytel babys, all lytel chyldren, lerne gladly this lytel treatyse, and commende it dylygently vnto your memoryes. Trustynge of this begynnynge that ye shal procede and growe to parfyt lyterature, and come at the last to be gret clarkes. And lyfte vp your lytel whyte handes for me, whiche prayeth for you to god. To whom be al honour and imperyal maieste and glory. Amen. 141. Foundation Bequest for Sevenoaks Grammar School (Will of William Sevenoaks; trans. by A. F. Leach, Educational Charters, p. 399. Cambridge, 1911) The following bequest, under date of July 4, 1432, to provide for a grammar-school master who should be "by no means in holy orders," but be in connection with a parish church, is a type of a number of similar foundations for grammar schools made in England between 1200 and 1500. This foundation is particularly interesting as showing an effort to provide a school that should be taught by a university-trained teacher, instead of by a cleric. In God's name, Amen. Whereas among other works of piety which flow from the fountain of charity to think upon the needy and poor is before all called blessed: led by this consideration, I, William Sevenoaks, citizen and grocer of London, being of good understanding and perfect memory, on the fourth day of the month of July A.D. 1432, and in the year of the reign of King Henry the Sixth after the Conquest, the tenth, concerning all my lands and tenements with a wharf adjoining, and the buildings built thereon and all other the appurtances which I lately have had by the demise and feoffment of Margaret, who was the wife of Robert Walton, in Petty Wales street in the parish of All Saints Barking church, near the tower of London, do frame make and ordain my present testament in this manner. First, I bequeath and commend my soul to God Almighty, my Crea tor and saviour, to the Blessed Virgin Mary his mother and all saints, and my body to be buried where God has arranged. Also, I give and bequeath all my aforesaid lands and tenements with a wharf adjoining and with the buildings thereon built, and all other the appurtances, unto Mr John Charlton, Rector of Sevenoaks church in the county of Kent, to Master Vicar of the same church, and to the church-wardens of the same church and to other parishioners of that church, To Have and to Hold to them and their successors the Parsons, Vicars, Church-wardens, and Parishioners of the said Church hereafter for the time being all the said lands, tenements (etc.) of the chief Lord of the fees thereof by the services thereof due and of right accustomed, for ever; after the manner and form and under the conditions hereafter expressed, that is to say: First, (to pay an annuity of 20 marks to Margaret Walton for life, and after her death) do find and maintain forever one Master, an honest man, sufficiently advanced and expert in the science of grammar, B.A., by no means in holy orders, to keep a Grammar School in some convenient house within the said town of Sevenoaks with my goods, having obtained the license of the King or by other lawful means according to the discretion of my executors, and to teach and instruct all poor boys whatsoever coming there for the sake of learning, taking nothing of them or their parents or friends for the teaching and instructing them. For I will that the said rector (etc.) and their successors for the time being out of the issues and revenues of all the lands and tenements aforesaid with their appurtances, do pay yearly to the aforesaid Master of Grammer by way of salary or stipend for his service and labour to be done and exercised as aforesaid, 10 marks sterling at the four principal terms of the year by equal portions. Moreover I will and order that if any, and as often as it happens that any such master or teacher in grammar decease, depart or for the least time voluntarily cease from such determination, that then within at least the next quarter following another such master, if any such can conveniently be found, be newly elected and chosen by the said rector or vicar, wardens and parishioners and their successors to inhabit and keep school and determine in the same house in ways, manner and form aforesaid. 142. Foundation Bequest for a Chantry Grammar School (Document executed by John Percyvall, January 25, 1503. Reproduced by A. F. Leach, Educational Charters, p. 436. Cambridge, 1911) This document established a combined chantry and grammar school, instead of the usual elementary song-chantry, and is typical of many earlier as well as later mediæval foundations for the founding of an advanced type of school. Foundation of Free Grammar School by ex-Lord Mayor To all people to whome this present writyng indented shall come, John Percyvall, Knyght and late Maire of the city of London, sendith Gretyng in our Lord God euerlastyng. Where afore this tyme I, consideryng that in the countie of Chester, and specially aboute the towne of Maxfeld, fast by the which Towne I was borne, God of his habundant grace hath sent and daily sendeth to the Inhabitaunts there copyous plentie of children, to whose lernyng and bryngyng forth in conyng and vertue right fewe Techers and Scolemaisters ben in that contre, wherebye many children for lake of such techyng and draught in conyng fall to Idleness, and so consequently live disolutely all their dayes, whiche cause with the graciouse mocion of the most Reverende ffader in God and my singler good Lord Thomas, Archebyshop of Yorke, hath moch stered me of such litle good as God of his grace hath me sent to purvay a preist to syng and pray for me and my freends at Maxfeld aforesaid And there to kepe a Free Gramer Scole for children for euermore. . . . Wherefore and whereupon I, the said John Percyvall, by this present (After a woodcut printed in De Heteroclytis Nominibus. London, 1521) wrytyng indented, make and declare my wille, as to the disposicion of all the said londs and tenements, as well as x marcs by yere redy purveied as of the said other yerely v marcs, that is to wete of the said hole x li by yere in the maner and fourme hereafter ensuyng, that is to say ... the same londs and tenements by good and adequate conveyaunce shall be put in ffeoffement to [17 persons named]. To th' entent that they and their heirs of the issues and profects of all the said londes and tenements shall fynde and susteyne a vertues Preest conyng in Gramer and graduate. The same preest to synge and saye his deuyne seruice dayly, as his disposicion shall be, in the parisshe |