III. It is not sufficient that instructors be completely skilful in those sciences which they profess and teach: but they should have skill also in the art or method of teaching, and patience in the practice of it.

It is a great unhappiness indeed when persons by a spirit of party, or faction, or interest, or by purchase, are set up for tutors, who have neither dae knowledge of science, nor skill in the way of communication. And alas, there are others who, with all their ignorance and insufficiency, have self-admiration and effrontery enough to set up themselves: and the poor pupils fare accordingly, and grow lean in their understandings.

And let it be observed also, there are some very learned men who know much themselves, but have not the talent of communicating their own knowledge; or else they are lazy and will take no pains at it. Either they have an obscure and perplexed way of talking, or they shew their learning uselessly, and make a long periphrasis on every word of the book they explain, or they cannot condescend to young beginners, or they run presently into the elevated parts of the science, because it gives themselves greater pleasure, or they are soon angry and impatient, and cannot bear with a few impertinent questions of a young, inquisitive and sprightly genius; or else they skim over a science in a very slight and superficial survey, and never lead their disciples into the depths of it.

IV. A good tutor should have characters and qualifications very different from all these. He is such a one as both can and will apply himself with diligence and

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concern, and indefatigable patience to effect what he undertakes, to teach his disciples and see that they learn, to adapt his way and method as near as may be to the various dispositions, as well as to the capacities of those whom he instructs, and to enquire often into their progress and improvement.

And he should take particular care of his own temper and conduct, that there be nothing in him or about him which may be of ill example; nothing that may savour of a haughty temper, a mean and sordid spirit; nothing that may expose him to the aversion or to the contempt of his scholars, or create a prejudice in their minds against him and his instructions: but if possible he should have so much of a natural candor and sweetness mixed with all the improvements of learning, as might convey knowledge into the minds of his disciples with a sort of gentle insinuation and sovereign delight, and may tempt them into the highest improvements of their reason by a resistless and insensible force. But I shall have occasion to say more on this subject, when I come to speak more directly of the methods of the communication of knowledge.

V. The learner should attend with constancy and care on all the instructions of his tutor; and if he happens to be at any time unavoidably hindered, he must endeavour to retrieve the loss by double industry for time to come. He should always recollect and review his lectures, read over some other author or authors upon the same subject, confer upon it with his instructor, or with his associates, and write down the clearest result of his present thoughts, reasonings and enquiries, which he may have

recourse to hereafter, either to re-examine them and to apply them to proper use, or to improve them further to his own advantage.

VI. A student should never satisfy himself with bare attendance on the lectures of his tutor, unless he clearly takes up his sense and meaning, and understands the things which he teaches. A young disciple should behave himself so well as to gain the affection and the ear of his instructor, that upon every occasion he may with the utmost freedom ask questions, and talk over his own sentiments, his doubts and difficulties with him, and in a humble and modest manner desire the solution of them.

VII. Let the learner endeavour to maintain an honourable opinion of his instructor, and heedfully listen to his instructions, as one willing to be led by a more experienced guide: and though he is not bound to fall in with every sentiment of his tutor, yet he should so far comply with him, as to resolve upon a just consideration of the matter, and try and examine it thoroughly with an honest heart, before he presume to determine against him and then it should be done with great modesty, with a humble jealousy of himself, and apparent unwillingness to differ from his tutor, if the force of argument and truth did not constrain him.

VIII. It is a frequent and a growing folly in our age, that pert young disciples soon fancy themselves wiser than those who teach them at the first yiew, or upon a very little thought, they can discern the insignificancy, weakness and mistake of what their teacher asserts. The

youth of our day by an early petulency, and pretended liberty of thinking for themselves, dare reject at once, and that with a sort of scorn, all those sentiments and doctrines which their teachers have determined, perhaps after long and repeated consideration, after years of mature study, careful observation, and much prudent experience.

IX. It is true, teachers and masters are not infallible, nor are they always in the right; and it must be acknowledged, it is a matter of some difficulty for younger minds to maintain a just and solemn veneration for the authority and advice of their parents and the instructions of their tutors, and yet at the same time to secure to themselves a just freedom in their own thoughts. We are sometimes too ready to imbibe all their sentiments without examination, if we reverence and love them; or, on the other hand, if we take all freedom to contest their opinions, we are sometimes tempted to cast off that love and reverence to their persons, which God and nature dictate. Youth is ever in danger of these two extremes.

X. But I think I may safely conclude thus; though the authority of a teacher must not absolutely determine the judgment of his pupil, yet young and raw and unexperienced learners should pay all proper deference that can be to the instructions of their parents and teachers, short of absolute submission to their dietates. Yet still we must maintain this, that they should never receive any opinion into their assent, whether it be conformable ar contrary to the tutor's mind, without sufficient evi, dence of it first given to their own reasoning powers,

THE first thing required in reading an author, or in hearing lectures of a tutor is, that you well understand the language in which they write or speak. Living languages, or such as are the native tongue of any nation in the present age, are more easily learnt and taught by a few rules, and much familiar converse, joined to the reading some proper authors. The dead languages are such as cease to be spoken in any nation ; and even these are more easy to be taught (as far as may be) in that method wherein living languages are best learnt i. e. partly by rule, and partly by rote or custom. And it may not be improper in this place to mention a very few directions for that purpose.

I. Begin with the most necessary and most general observations and rules which belong to that language, compiled in the form of a grammar; and these are but few in most languages. The regular declensions and variations of nouns and verbs should be early and thoroughly learnt by heart, together with twenty or thirty of the plainest and most necessary rules of syntax.

But let it be observed, that in almost all languages some of the very commonest nouns and verbs have many irregularities in them; such are the common auxiliary verbs to be and to have, to do and to be done, &c. The