This etext was prepared by Judy Boss, Omaha, NE
Note: I have omitted signature designations, have transcribed Greek characters but not italicized them, and have expanded the usual Renaissance contractions for “m” and “n” as well as the abbreviation for Latin terminal “que”; marginalia are separated from textual line by // and a curly bracket or vertical line vertically exending over more than one line is represented by a curly bracket on each successive line. I have also closed : and ? with the word preceding.
THE
SCHOLEMASTER
Or plaine and perfite way of tea-
chyng children, to vnderstand, write, and
speake, the Latin tong, but specially purposed
for the priuate brynging vp of youth in Ientle-
men and Noble mens houses, and commodious
also for all such, as haue forgot the Latin
tonge, and would, by themselues, with-
out a Scholemaster, in short tyme,
and with small paines, recouer a
sufficient habilitie, to vnder-
stand, write, and
speake Latin.
By Roger Ascham.
An. 1570.
AT LONDON.
Printed by Iohn Daye, dwelling
ouer Aldersgate.
Cum Gratia & Priuilegio Regiæ Maiestatis,
per Decennium.
[page intentionally blank]
To the honorable Sir William
Cecill Knight, principall Secretarie to
the Quenes most excellent Maiestie.
SOndry and reasonable be the causes why learned men haue vsed
to offer and dedicate such workes as they put abrode, to some
M. Aschams worke vnto you. Forsuch personage as they thinke fittest, either in respect of abilitie of
defense, or skill for iugement, or priuate regard of kindenesse and
dutie. Euery one of those considerations, Syr, moue me of right to
offer this my late husbands
well remembryng how much all good learnyng oweth vnto you for
defense therof, as the Vniuersitie of Cambrige, of which my said
late husband was a member, haue in chosing you their worthy
Chaunceller acknowledged, and how happily you haue spent your
time in such studies & caried the vse therof to the right ende, to
the good seruice of the Quenes Maiestie and your contrey to all our
benefites, thyrdly how much my sayd husband was many wayes
bound vnto you, and how gladly and comfortably he vsed in hys lyfe
to recognise and report your goodnesse toward hym, leauyng with me
then hys poore widow and a great sort of orphanes a good comfort in
the hope of your good continuance, which I haue truly found to me
and myne, and therfore do duely and dayly pray for you and
yours: I could not finde any man for whose name this booke was
more agreable for hope [of] protection, more mete for submission to
iudgement, nor more due for respect of worthynesse of your part and
thankefulnesse of my husbandes and myne. Good I trust it shall do,
as I am put in great hope by many very well learned that can well
iudge therof. Mete therefore I compt it that such good as my
husband was able to doe and leaue to the common weale, it should
174 Preface.
be receiued vnder your name, and that the world should owe thanke
therof to you, to whom my husband the authour of it was for good
M. Ascham and his, and dayly commen-receyued of you, most dutiefully bounden. And so besechyng you, to
take on you the defense of this booke, to auaunce the good that may
come of it by your allowance and furtherance to publike vse and
benefite, and to accept the thankefull recognition of me and my poore
children, trustyng of the continuance of your good me-
morie of
dyng the prosperous estate of you and yours to
God whom you serue and whoes you
are, I rest to trouble you.
Your humble Margaret
Ascham.
A Præface to the
Reader.
WHen the great plage was at London, the yeare 1563.
the Quenes Maiestie Queene Elizabeth, lay at her
Castle of Windsore: Where, vpon the 10. day of December,
it fortuned, that in Sir William Cicells chamber, hir Highnesse
Principall Secretarie, there dined togither these personages,
M. Secretarie him selfe, Syr William Peter, Syr J. Mason,
D. Wotton, Syr Richard Sackuille Treasurer of the Exchecker,
Syr Walter Mildmaye Chauncellor of the Exchecker, M.
Haddon Master of Requestes, M. John Astely Master of the
Iewell house, M. Bernard Hampton, M. Nicasius, and J.
Of which number, the most part were of hir Maiesties most
honourable priuie Counsell, and the reast seruing hir in verie
good place. I was glad than, and do reioice yet to remember,
that my chance was so happie, to be there that day, in the
companie of so manie wise & good men togither, as hardly
than could haue beene piked out againe, out of all England
beside.
M. Secretarie hath this accustomed maner, though his head
be neuer so full of most weightie affaires of the Realme, yet, at
diner time he doth seeme to lay them alwaies aside: and findeth
euer fitte occasion to taulke pleasantlie of other matters,
but most gladlie of some matter of learning: wherein, he will
curteslie heare the minde of the meanest at his Table.
Not long after our sitting doune, I haue strange newes
brought me, sayth M. Secretarie, this morning, that diuerse
Scholers of Eaton, be runne awaie from the
Schole, for feare of beating. Whereupon, M. //M. Secreta-
Secretarie tooke occasion, to wishe, that some //rie.
176 A Præface to the Reader.
more discretion were in many Scholemasters, in vsing correction,
than commonlie there is. Who many times, punishe rather,
the weakenes of nature, than the fault of the Scholer. Whereby,
many Scholers, that might else proue well, be driuen to hate
learning, before they knowe, what learning meaneth: and so,
are made willing to forsake their booke, and be glad to be put
to any other kinde of liuing.
M. Peter, as one somewhat seuere of nature, said plainlie,
M. Peter. // that the Rodde onelie, was the sworde, that must
keepe, the Schole in obedience, and the Scholer
M. Wotton. // in good order. M. Wotton, á man milde of nature,
with soft voice, and fewe wordes, inclined to M. Secretaries
iudgement, and said, in mine opinion, the Schole-
Ludus li- // house should be in deede, as it is called by name,
terarum. // the house of playe and pleasure, and not of feare
Plato de // and bondage: and as I do remember, so saith
Rep. 7. // Socrates in one place of Plato. And therefore,
if a Rodde carie the feare of à Sworde, it is no maruell, if those
that be fearefull of nature, chose rather to forsake the Plaie,
than to stand alwaies within the feare of a Sworde in a fonde
mans handling. M. Mason, after his maner, was
M. Mason. // verie merie with both parties, pleasantlie playing,
both, with the shrewde touches of many courste boyes, and with
the small discretion of many leude Scholemasters. M. Haddon
was fullie of M. Peters opinion, and said, that
M. Haddon. // the best scholemaster of our time, was the
greatest beater, and named the Person. Though, quoth I, it
was his good fortune, to send from his Schole,
The Author of // vnto the Vniuersitie, one of the best Scholers in
this booke. // deede of all our time, yet wise men do thinke,
that that came so to passe, rather, by the great towardnes of the
Scholer, than by the great beating of the Master: and whether
this be true or no, you your selfe are best witnes. I said
somewhat farder in the matter, how, and whie, yong children,
were soner allured by loue, than driuen by beating, to atteyne
good learning: wherein I was the bolder to say my minde,
bicause M. Secretarie curteslie prouoked me thereunto: or else,
in such à companie, and namelie in his præsence, my wonte is,
to be more willing, to vse mine eares, than to occupie my
tonge.
A Præface to the Reader. 177
Syr Walter Mildmaye, M. Astley, and the rest, said verie
litle: onelie Syr Rich. Sackuill, said nothing at all. After dinner
I went vp to read with the Queenes Maiestie. We red than
togither in the Greke tongue, as I well remember. // Demost.
that noble Oration of Demosthenes against Æschines, // peri pa-
for his false dealing in his Ambassage to king // rapresb.
Philip of Macedonie. Syr Rich. Sackuile came vp sone after: and
finding me in hir Maiesties priuie chamber, he // Syr R.
tooke me by the hand, & carying me to à // Sackuiles
windoe, said, M. Ascham, I would not for à good // communi-
deale of monie, haue bene, this daie, absent from // cation with
diner. Where, though I said nothing, yet I gaue // the Author
as good eare, and do consider as well the taulke, // of this
that passed, as any one did there. M. Secretarie said very // booke.
wisely, and most truely, that many yong wittes be driuen to
hate learninge, before they know what learninge is. I can be
good witnes to this my selfe: For à fond Scholemaster, before
I was fullie fourtene yeare olde, draue me so, with feare of
beating, from all loue of learninge, as nowe, when I know, what
difference it is, to haue learninge, and to haue litle, or none at
all, I feele it my greatest greife, and finde it my greatest hurte,
that euer came to me, that it was my so ill chance, to light
vpon so lewde à Scholemaster. But seing it is but in vain, to
lament thinges paste, and also wisdome to looke to thinges to
cum, surely, God willinge, if God lend me life, I will make
this my mishap, some occasion of good hap, to litle Robert
Sackuile
my sonnes sonne. For whose bringinge vp, I would gladlie, if it so please you, vse speciallie your good aduice. I
heare saie, you haue à sonne, moch of his age: we wil deale thus
togither. Point you out à Scholemaster, who by your order,
shall teache my sonne and yours, and for all the rest, I will
prouide, yea though they three do cost me a couple of hundred
poundes by yeare: and beside, you shall finde me as fast à
Frend to you and yours, as perchance any you haue. Which
promise, the worthie Ientleman surelie kept with me, vntill his
dying daye.
We had than farther taulke togither, of bringing vp of
children: of the nature, of quicke, and hard wittes: // The cheife
of the right choice of à good witte: of Feare, and // pointes of
loue in teachinge children. We passed from // this booke.
178 A Præface to the Reader.
children and came to yonge men, namely, Ientlemen: we
taulked of their to moch libertie, to liue as they lust: of their
letting louse to sone, to ouer moch experience of ill, contrarie to
the good order of many good olde common welthes of the
Persians and Grekes: of witte gathered, and good fortune
gotten, by some, onely by experience, without learning. And
lastlie, he required of me verie earnestlie, to shewe, what I
thought of the common goinge of Englishe men into Italie.
But, sayth he, bicause this place, and this tyme, will not suffer
so long taulke, as these good matters require, therefore I pray
you, at my request, and at your leysure, put in some order of
writing, the cheife pointes of this our taulke, concerning the
right order of teachinge, and honestie of liuing, for the good
bringing vp of children & yong men. And surelie, beside
contentinge me, you shall both please and profit verie many
others. I made some excuse by lacke of habilitie, and weakenes
of bodie: well, sayth he, I am not now to learne, what you can
do. Our deare frende, good M. Goodricke, whose iudgement I
could well beleue, did once for all, satisfye me fullie therein.
Againe, I heard you say, not long agoe, that you may thanke
Syr John Cheke, for all the learninge you haue: And I know
verie well my selfe, that you did teach the Quene. And
therefore seing God did so blesse you, to make you the Scholer
of the best Master, and also the Scholemaster of the best
Scholer, that euer were in our tyme, surelie, you should please
God, benefite your countrie, & honest your owne name, if you
would take the paines, to impart to others, what you learned
of soch à Master, and how ye taught such à scholer. And, in
vttering the stuffe ye receiued of the one, in declaring the
order ye tooke with the other, ye shall neuer lacke, neither
matter, nor maner, what to write, nor how to write in this
kinde of Argument.
I beginning some farther excuse, sodeinlie was called to
cum to the Queene. The night following, I slept litle, my
head was so full of this our former taulke, and I so mindefull,
somewhat to satisfie the honest request of so deare à frend,
I thought to præpare some litle treatise for a New yeares gift
that Christmas. But, as it chanceth to busie builders, so, in
building thys my poore Scholehouse (the rather bicause the forme
of it is somewhat new, and differing from others) the worke
A Præf ace to the Reader. 179
rose dailie higher and wider, than I thought it would at the
beginninge.
And though it appeare now, and be in verie deede, but a
small cotage, poore for the stuffe, and rude for the workemanship,
yet in going forward, I found the site so good, as I was lothe to
giue it ouer, but the making so costlie, outreaching my habilitie,
as many tymes I wished, that some one of those three, my deare
frendes, with full pursses, Syr Tho. Smithe, M. // {Smith.
Haddon, or M. Watson, had had the doing of it. // M. {Haddon.
Yet, neuerthelesse, I my selfe, spending gladlie // {Watson.
that litle, that I gatte at home by good Syr Iohn // Syr I.
Cheke, and that that I borrowed abroad of my // Cheke.
frend Sturmius, beside somewhat that was left me // I. Sturmius.
in Reuersion by my olde Masters, Plato, Aristotle, // Plato.
and Cicero, I haue at last patched it vp, as I could, // Aristotle.
and as you see. If the matter be meane, and meanly handled, // Cicero.
I pray you beare, both with me, and it: for neuer worke went
vp in worse wether, with mo lettes and stoppes, than this poore
Scholehouse of mine. Westminster Hall can beare some
witnesse, beside moch weakenes of bodie, but more trouble of
minde, by some such sores, as greue me to toche them my
selfe, and therefore I purpose not to open them to others.
And, in middes of outward iniuries, and inward cares, to
encrease them withall, good Syr Rich. Sackuile
dieth, that worthie Ientleman: That earnest // Syr R.
fauorer and furtherer of Gods true Religion: // Sackuill.
That faithfull Seruitor to his Prince and Countrie: A louer of
learning, & all learned men: Wise in all doinges: Curtesse to
all persons: shewing spite to none: doing good to many: and as
I well found, to me so fast à frend, as I neuer lost the like
before. Whan he was gone, my hart was dead. There was
not one, that woare à blacke gowne for him, who caried à
heuier hart for him, than I. Whan he was gone, I cast this
booke àwaie: I could not looke vpon it, but with weping eyes,
in remembring him, who was the onelie setter on, to do it, and
would haue bene, not onelie à glad commender of it, but also
à sure and certaine comfort, to me and mine, for it. Almost
two yeares togither, this booke lay scattered, and neglected,
and had bene quite giuen ouer of me, if the goodnesse of one
had not giuen me some life and spirite againe. God, the
180 A Præface to the Reader.
mouer of goodnesse, prosper alwaies him & his, as he hath
many times comforted me and mine, and, I trust to God, shall
comfort more and more. Of whom, most iustlie I may saie,