Desiderius Erasmus

“ Because playe is fitte for that age, and they imagine it a playe and no labour. And in euerye thynge the gretest part of payne is imaginacion, whych somtyme maketh vs feele harme, when there is no harme at all. Therefore seynge that the prouidence of nature hath taken awaye imaginacion of laboure from chyldren, And howe muche they lacke in strengthe, so muche they be holpen in thys part, that is, that they feele not labour, It shal be the masters parte, as we sayde before, to put away the same by as many wayes as he can, and of purpose to make a playe of it. ”

“ For we fashion not a wrestler, but a philosopher, a gouernour of the common wealth, to whõ it is sufficient to be healthful, although he haue not the strengthe of Milo: yet do I cõfesse that somewhat we must tender the age, that it maye waxe the more lustye. But there be manye that foolyshely do feare leste their chyldren shulde catche harme by learnynge, whych yet feare not the much greater peryll that cometh of to muche meate, whereby the wyttes of the litle ons no lesse be hurted then bee theyr bodyes by kyndes of meates and drynkes that be not meete for || that age. ”

“ After the longe despayred fruitfulnes of thy wyfe, I hearsay thou art made a father, and that wyth a man chylde, whyche sheweth in it selfe a meruelous towardnes, and euen to be lyke the parentes: and that if so be we maye by such markes G.iii. and tokens pronosticate anye thyng, maye seeme to promise perfite vertue. And that therfore thou doest entend, to se thys chylde of so grete hope, assone as he shalbe somewhat of age to be begonne in good letters, and to be taught in very honest learnynge, to be instructed and fashioned with the very wholsome preceptes of philosophy. ”

“ And if there be none in oure house that is lerned, anon we shulde prouide for some cunnyng man, but tryed both in maners and lernyng. It is a folyshe thyng to make a profe in thy sone, as in a slaue of litle value, whether hys teacher be learned or not, and whether he bee a good man that thou haste gotten hym or not. In other thinges pardon may be geuen to negligence, but here thou muste haue as manye eyes as Argus had, and muste be as vigilant as is possible. They say: a man maye not twyse do a faute in war: || here it is not laweful to do once amisse. ”

“ I wyll answere to bothe these thinges in few wordes. How agreeth it that that age shulde bee counted vnmeete for learnynge, whych is nowe apte to learne good maners? But as there be rudimentes of verture, so be there also of sciences. Philosophy hath his infancie, hys youthe, and rype age. An horsecolt, which forthwyth sheweth his gentle kynd, is not straight way forced wyth the bytte to cary on his backe an armed manne, but wyth easy exercises he learneth the fashion of warre. ”

“ The Emets are not taughte to gather into their holes in somer, wherby they shulde lyue in wynter, but all these thynges be done by instruccion of nature. But man neyther can eate, nor go, nor speake, except he be taught. Then if the tree brynge forthe eyther no fruite or vnsauerye, without the diligence of graffing, if the dogge be vnmete to hunte, the horse vnapte to iuste, the oxe to the plowe, except oure diligence bee putte to, howe wylde and vnprofitable a creature wolde man become, except diligẽtlye, || and in dewe tyme he shulde be fashioned by good bryngynge vp. ”

“ Wherfore lernyng is called humanitie For what letteth that they shulde not lerne eyther a proper fable, arte of poets, or a sentence, or a notable prety hystorie, or a learned tale, as well as they lerne and can wythout boke a piuyshe songe, and oftẽtimes a baudy one to, & folishe old wiues tatlynges, & very trifles of triflyng womẽ? ”

“ What other thynge maye chyldren learne hereof, then to hate learnyng? When this hatered hath once setteled in the tender myndes, yea when they be old they abhorre studye. It is also muche || more foolyshe, that some men sende their lytle chyldren to a pyuyshe dronken woman to learne to reade and wryte. It is agaynste nature that women shulde haue rule vpon menne: besyde that, nothynge is more cruell then that kynde, if they bee moued with anger, as it wyll soone be, and wyll not cease tyll it be full reuenged. ”

“ I pray you what motherlye hertes haue those women, whiche dandle in their lap their chyldren tyl they be almost seuen yeres old, and in maner make thẽ fooles? If they be so much disposed to play why do they not rather get apes, and litle puppets to play wythall? O saye they: they be but chyldren. They be in deede: but it cã scant be told how muche those fyrste beginninges of our yong age do helpe vs to guide all our lyfe after, & howe hard & vntractable a wanton and dissolute bryngyng vp, maketh the chylde to the teacher, callynge the same gentlenes, when in deede it is a marring. ”

“ And as the dogge is borne to huntyng, the byrde to flyinge, the horse to runnyng, the oxe to plowynge, so man is borne to philosophy and honeste doinges: and as euery liuing thing lerneth very easly that, to the whiche he is borne, so man wyth verye lytle payne perceiueth the lernyng of vertue and honestye, to the whiche nature hath graffed certen vehemente seedes and principles: so that to the readinesse of nature, is ioyned the diligence of the teacher. ”

“ For seyng the kynred of the body and mynde is very straytlye knytte, it can not be but that the one thynge eyther muste be holpen or hurte of the other. The nexte is, that when the husbande dothe hys duetye to get chyldren, he do it neither beyng moued wyth anger, nor yet drunken, for these affeccions go into the chylde by a secrete infeccion. A certen philosopher seemed to haue marked that thyng properly, whyche seynge a yonge man behauinge hym selfe not verye soberlie, it is meruell quod he, but if thy father begat the whẽ he was dronke. ”

“ This is doutles, that no age is so yonge but it is apte to be taught, inespecially those thynges vnto the whych nature hathe made vs, for as I sayd: for thys purpose she hath geuen a certen peculier desyre of folowyng, that what so euer they haue herde or seene, they desyre to do the lyke, and reioyse when they thynke they can do any thyng: a man wolde saye they wer apes. And of thys ryseth the fyrste coniecture of their wyt and aptnes to be taughte. Therefore assone as the man chyld is borne, anone he is apte to lerne maners. After whẽ he hath begon to speake, he is mete to be taught letters. ”

“ Nowe is thys theyr onlye care, to seeke for their chyld a wyfe wyth a good dowrye. That done, they thynke they haue done all that belongeth to a father. But as the world is alwayes redy to be worse and worse, dayntines hathe perswaded vs to comune this office to a tuter that is one of our householde, and a gentleman is put to be taught of a seruaunte. In whyche thynge in deede, if we wolde take heede whom we chose, the ieopardy were so muche the lesse, because the teacher liued not only in ye fathers syght, but also wer vnder hys power if he dyd amysse. ”

“ Wyth what businesse shall that age be better occupied as sone as he beginneth to speake, whiche in no wyse can be vnoccupied? Also how lytle soeuer it be that the former age doth bringe, yet shal the chylde lerne greater thynges, euen in the same yeres, when smaller shuld haue ben lerned, if he had not lerned them before. Thys sayth Fabius, euery yere furthered and increased profiteth to a great summe and as much tyme as is taken before in the infancie, is gotten to the elder age. ”

“ It is tiranny to oppresse citizens by feare, to keepe them in good order, by loue, moderacion and prudence, it is princely. Diogenes beynge taken out of the Agenites, and brought oute to be solde, the cryer axed hym by what title he wolde be set out to the byer. Axe quod he if any wyl bye a man that can rule chyldren. At this straunge prayse manye laughed. One that hadde chyldren at home communed wyth the philosopher, whether he could do in deede that he professed. ”

“ Nature hathe geuen into thy handes a newe falowed fielde, nothynge in it in deede, but of a fruitfull grounde: and thou thorow negligence sufferest it to be ouergrowen wyth bryers and thornes, whyche afterwardes can not be pulled vp wyth any diligence. In a lytell grayne, howe greate a tree is hyd, what fruite will it geue if it spring oute.
|| ¶ All thys profite is lost except thou caste seede into the forowe, excepte thou noryshe wyth thy labour this tender plant as it groweth, and as it were make it tame by graffyng. Thou awakest in tamyng thy plãt, and slepeste thou in thy sonne? ”

“ Marcus Tullius, also Virgil, and Horace in their lusty youth were so excellent in learninge and Eloquence, all bycause they were strayght waye in their tender age learned of their parentes & nourses the elegancy of the tonges, and of the beste maisters the liberal sciences: as Poetry, Rhetorique, Histories, the knowledge of antiquities, Arithmetique, Geographye, P.ii. Philosophye, moral and political. ”

“ As we haue read that Circes when she had enchaũted men wyth her wytchcraft, dyd turne them into Lions, beares and swyne, so that yet ther shuld be stil in them the mynde of a man, which thyng Apuleus wrote to haue happened to hym selfe, and Austin also hathe beleued that men haue bene turned into wolues. Who could abyde to be called the father of such a monster. But it is a more merueylous monster that a beastes mynde shulde be in a mans bodye, and yet do very many please them selues in suche chyldren, and bothe the fathers seme, and the common people thynke suche to be verye wise. ”

“ For there is none so vyle, so naughte, so wretched, whome the common people thynketh not sufficiente ynoughe to teache a grammer schole. And thei thynkyng they haue gotten a kingdome, it is marueyle to see howe they set vp the brystels because thei haue rule, not vpon beastes, as sayeth Terence, but vpõ that age whiche ought to be cheryshed wyth all gentlenes. You wolde saye it were not a schole, but a tormentynge place: nothynge is hearde there beside the flappynge vpon the hande, beside yorkynge of roddes, besyde howlynge and sobbinge and cruell threatnynges. ”

“ Menne take heede that they maye haue a good dog to hunte, to haue a good horse to iournei with, and here thei thynke no diligence to be to hastie, but to haue a sonne that shulde be both worship and profite to the parentes, vpon whome they myghte laye a good part of the charges of their houshold, whose loue mighte noryshe and beare vp their vnweldy age, and yt shuld shew hym self a trustye and healpynge sonne in a lawe, a good husbande to his wife, a valiaunte and profitable citizen to the common wealthe, I saye to haue suche one, eyther they take no || care, or else they care to late. ”

“ Albeit in my iudgemente there is scante anye discipline, but that the wyt of man is apt to lerne it, if we continue in preceptes and exercise. For what may not a man learne, when an Eliphant maye be taught to walke vpõ a corde, a bear to daunse, and an asse to playe the foole. As nature therefore is in no mannes owne hande, so wee haue taught wherin by some meanes we maye helpe nature. ”

“ But there is no kynde of puttynge them awaye more cruell, then to geue vp that to beastlye affeccions, whych nature hath geuen to be fashioned by very good waies. If ther wer ani witch could wyth euyl craftes, and wold go about to turne thy sonne into a swyne or a wolfe, woldest thou not thynke that ther were no punyshemente to sore for her myscheuouse deede? But that whych thou abhorrest in her, thou of purpose doest it thy selfe. How huge a beaste is lechery? how rauenous and insaciable is ryot? howe wylde a beast is dronkenshyp? how hurtfull a thing is anger? how horrible is ambicion? ”

“ Beside this some thinges be necessary to be knowẽ whẽ we be sũwhat elder, which by a certẽ peculier readines of nature, ye tender age perceiueth both much more quickly, & also more esily thẽ doth ye elder, as ye first beginnings of letters, ye knowledge of tõges, tales & fabels of poetes. Finallye, why shulde yt age be thought vnmete to lerning, which is apt to lerne maners? Or what other thinge shuld chyldrẽ do rather whẽ they be more able to speake, seyng nedes thei muste do sumwhat? How much more profite is it yt age to sporte in letters, then in trifles? ”

“ Man I.iiii. whych is deuided from brute beastes by prerogatiue of reason, not to know what he oweth to nature, what to vertue, and what to God? And yet no kynde of brute beastes looketh for anye rewarde of theyre yong for their noursynge and teachynge, excepte we luste to beleue that the Storkes noryshe agayne they dãmes forworne wyth age, and bear them vpon their backes. But among men, because no continuance of time taketh awaye the thanke of naturall loue: what comfort, what worshyp, what succoure doth he prepare for hym selfe, that seeth hys childe to be well brought vp? ”

“ That is the cause why vnto other beastes nature hathe geuen swyftnes, flyght, sharpnes of sight, greatnes, and strengthe of bodye, scales, flyshes, heares, hornes, nayles, || venome, wherby they may both defende their healthe, and prouide for theyr liuynge, and brynge vp their yonge: and bryngeth forthe man onlye softe, naked, and vnfensed: but in stede of all thys, hath geuen hym a mynde hable to receiue all discipline, because in this onlye are all thynges, if a man wyll exercise it. And euerye liuynge thynge, the lesse mete it is to teachynge, so muche the more it hathe of natiue prudence. ”

“ To these beastes dothe he set ouer hys sonne, whosoeuer from his tender youthe doth not accustume hym to loue that, that is honeste: to abhorre synne: yea rather not onlye || he casteth hym to wyld beastes, whych the most cruel casters away are wonte to do, but also whych is more greuouese, he norisheth this greate and perilous beaste, euen to hys owne destruccion. It is a kind of men most to be abhorred, which hurteth the body of infantes wyth bewitchyng: and what shal we say of those parentes whiche thorowe their negligence and euyll educacion bewitch the mynd? ”

“ I call exercyse the vse of that perfitenes which nature hath graffed in vs, and that reason hath furthered. Nature requyreth good order and fashionynge: exercyse, except it be gouerned by reason, is in daunger to manye perylles and erroures. They be greatly therefore deceiued, whych thynke it sufficiẽt to be borne, & no lesse do they erre whyche beleue that wysedome is got by handelynge matters and greate affayres wythoute the preceptes of philosophye. ”

“ But we here meruelous complantes of the common people, howe readye the nature of chyldrẽ is to fal to vyce, & how hard it is to drawe them to the loue of honesty. They accuse nature wrongfullye. The greatest parte of thys euyll is thorowe oure owne faute, whyche mar the wittes wt vyces, before we teache them vertues. And it is no maruell if we haue them not verye apte to learne honestye, seyng they are nowe already taught to myschiefe. ”

“ For they thynke they haue begottẽ not a man, but a monster, and excepte feare of the lawe dyd let them, they wolde kyll that that is borne. Thou blameste nature whych hath denied the minde of a man to thy chylde, & thou causest by thyne own negligence, that thy sonne shulde be wythoute the mynde of a man. But thou wylte saye: Better it is to be of a brutishe rather thẽ of an vngracious mind. Naye better it is to be a swyne, thẽ an vnlearned and euyll man. Nature, when she geueth the a sonne, || she geueth nothyng else, thẽ a rude lumpe of fleshe. ”