frequently beaten, or to recommend attainments fo ardently purfued, and fo officiously directed.

That this general defire may not be fruftrated, our schools feem yet to want fome book, which may excite curiofity by its variety, encourage diligence by its facility, and reward application by its usefulnefs. In examining the treatifes hitherto offered to the youth of this nation, there appeared none that did not fail in one or other of these effential qualities; none that were not either unpleafing, or abftrufe, or crowded with learning, very rarely applicable to the purposes of common life.

Every man, who has been engaged in teaching, knows with how much difficulty youthful minds are confined to clofe application, and how readily they deviate to any thing, rather than attend to that which is impofed as a tafk. That this difpofition, when it becomes inconfiftent with the forms of education, is to be checked, will be readily granted; but fince, though it may be in fome degree obviated, it cannot wholly be fuppreffed, it is furely rational to turn it to advantage, by taking care that the mind fhall never want objects on which its faculties may be ufefully employed. It is not impoffible, that this reftlefs defire of novelty, which gives to much trouble to the teacher, may be often the truggle of the understanding starting from that to which it is not by nature adapted, and travelling in fearch of fomething on which it may fix with greateṛ fatisfaction. For without fuppofing each man par ticularly marked out by his genius for particular performances, it may be eafily conceived, that when a numerous clafs of boys is confined indifcriminately

THE

HE importance of education is a point fo generally understood and confeffed, that it would be of little ufe to attempt any new proof or illuftration of its neceffity and advantages.

At a time when fo many schemes of education have been projected, fo many proposals offered to the Publick, fo many schools opened for general knowledge, and fo many lectures in particular sciences attended; at a time when mankind seems intent rather upon familiarifing than enlarging the feveral arts; and every age, fex and profeffion, is invited to an acquaintance with those studies, which were formerly fuppofed acceffible only to fuch as had devoted themselves to literary leisure, and dedicated their powers to philofophical enquiries; it feems rather requifite that an apology fhould be made for any further attempt to smooth a path fo VOL. IX. frequently

D d

rations of reason, and engage the lefs active or forcible mind, by fupplying it with eafy knowledge, and obviating that defpondence, which quickly prevails, when nothing appears but a fucceffion of difficulties, and one labour only ceafes that another may be impofed.

A book intended thus to correfpond with all difpofitions, and afford entertainment for minds of different powers, is neceffarily to contain treatises on different fubjects. As it is defigned for fchools, though for the higher claffes, it is confined wholly to fuch parts of knowledge as young minds may comprehend; and as it is drawn up for Readers yet unexperienced in life, and unable to distinguish the ufeful from the oftentatious or unneceffary parts of fcience, it is requifite that a very nice diftinction fhould be made, that nothing unprofitable fhould be admitted for the fake of pleafure, nor any arts of attraction neglected, that might fix the attention upon more important fludies.

Thefe confiderations produced the book which is here offered to the Publick, as better adapted to the great defign of pleafing by inftruction, than any which has hitherto been admitted into our feminaries of literature. There are not indeed wanting in the world compendiums of fcience, but many were written at a time when philofophy was imperfect, as that of G. Valla; many contain only naked fchemes, or fynoptical tables, as that of Stierius; and others are too large and voluminous, as that of Apedius; and, what is not to be confidered as the leaft objection, they are generally in a language, which, to boys, is more difficult than the fubje&t;

and

criminately to the fame forms of compofition, the repetition of the fame words, or the explication of the fame fentiments, the employment muft, either by nature or accident, be lefs fuitable to fome than others; that the ideas to be contemplated may be too difficult for the apprehenfion of one, and too obvious for that of another: they may be such as fome understandings cannot reach, though others look down upon them as below their regard. Every mind in its progrefs through the different ftages of fcholaftick learning, must be often in one of these conditions, muft either flag with the labour, or grow wanton with the facility of the work affigned; and in either ftate it naturally turns afide from the track before it. Wearinefs looks out for relief, and leifure for employment, and furely it is rational to indulge the wanderings of both. For the faculties which are too lightly burdened with the business of the day, may with great propriety add to it fome other enquiry; and he that finds himself overwearied by a task, which perhaps, with all his efforts, he is not able to perform, is undoubtedly to be juftified in addicting himself rather to easier studies, and endeavouring to quit that which is above his attainment, for that which nature has not made him incapable of purfuing with advantage.

That therefore this roving curiofity may not be unsatisfied, it seems neceffary to fcatter in its way fuch allurements as may withhold it from an useless and unbounded diffipation; fuch as may regulate it without violence, and direct it without reftraint; fuch as may fuit every inclination, and fit every capacity; may employ the ftronger genius, by opeDd 2

rations

has been intended, that cenfure may not be incurred by the omiffion of that which the original plan did not comprehend; to declare more particularly who they are to whofe inftructions thefe treatifes pretend, that a charge of arrogance and prefumption may be obviated; to lay down the reafons which directed the choice of the feveral fubjects; and to explain more minutely the manner in which each particular part of thefe volumes is to be used.

The title has already declared, that these volumes are particularly intended for the use of schools, and therefore it has been the care of the authors to explain the feveral fciences, of which they have treated, in the moft familiar manner; for the mind ufed only to common expreffions, and inaccurate ideas, does not fuddenly conform itself to fcholaftick modes of reafoning, or conceive the nice diftinctions of a fubtile philofophy, and may be properly initiated in fpeculative ftudies by an introduction like this, in which the groffnefs of vulgar conception is avoided, without the obfervation of metaphyfical exactnefs. It is obferved, that in the courfe of the natural world no change is inftantaneous, but all its viciffitudes are gradual and flow; the motions of intellect proceed in the like imperceptible progreffion, and proper degrees of tranfition from one ftudy to another are therefore neceflary; but let it not be charged upon the writers of this book, that they intended to exhibit more than the dawn of knowledge, or pretended to raise in the mind any nobler product than the bloffoms of fcience, which more powerful inftitutions may ripen into fruit.

For