The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-05

had an hour allowed me to play, and then
would steal into some corner to read MY
father would have me learn Latin, and
was so apt that i outstrpped my brother
that were at school, although my father''
chaplain, that was my tutor, was pitifu
dull fellow. Az for music and dancing,
profited very little in them, and would never
practise my lutte or harpsichord but wher
my masters were with me. For my needle
i absolutely hated It..
| Another youthful bookworm whose
mother looked somewhat askance on her
! pursuits WAS Elizabeth Garfield, daughter
! Of Sir Lawrence Garfield, Lord Chief Baron
Her mother being herself an ignorant
woman who could scarcely indite decent
| letter, resented the scholarly tastes OF
! her little daughter and endeavored to whip
| them out of her. Elizabeth however, was,
taught to read very early, and at years
| old put to learn French, but after five
weeks, not prof|ting at all. gave over.
After, OF herself without teacher, whilst
! she was child, learned French. Spanish
| and Italian, also Latin, and understood
| II perfectly while she was young, and trans
lated Epistles OF Seneca; after having long
discontinued she was much more imperfect
in It, so as little before her death, translate
| ing some Blosius out of Latin, she was fain to
help herself somewhat with the Spanish
translation Hebrew she likewise at the
same ii me learned with very little teaching,
but for many years negleoting it. she lost
it much, vet not long before her death she
again beginning to use il, could in the Bible
u ", xu-l,t rl, hn WI
perfectly we'll read. She then learned
also of Transylvanian his language. but
never finding any use Of it. forgot 1t en-
tirely.' A knowledge Of Heorew seerns
TO have been by no means uncommon
among women In the Stuart period. Lady
Palington. who WAS reputed to be the
author Of "The Whole Duty OF Man. was an
excellent Hebrew scholar.
From the facts set forth in chapter
headed Giving In Marriage it il evident
that the girls Of the seventeenth century
enjoyed but brief springtime While they
were yet in the schoolroom. and, in some
cases, even in the nursery, Sar-seeinR par
ents We're already considering the choice
of husband. II WAS, Of course, excep-
tional for marriage to take place actually
in the nursery. as it did In the case OF little
Lady Mary Villiers. who was not only wife.
but widow, before she was o years old;
but il was quite common thing for child
to be married at 10. In that case she usu-
ally received an additional year or two
of education before she lived with her hus-
band, while he. il only about Is or 10, often
went to Oxford after his marriage or trav-
eIled abroad This was the case with lord
II erbert of Cherbury. who in the last years
Of the sixteenth century was married at
the age of IS to his cousin, Mary Herbert Of
st. Gillian's. woman much older than
himself. She had remained unmarried till
the age OF one and twenty, at that day
considered quite mature.
After the marriage Lord Herbert, with
his wife and mother, returned to Oxford
and pursued his studies-"f followed his
book more closely than ever" In his own
expressicn-till the age Of IS, when his
mother took house in London, whore for
a time the young couple lived with her.
The large family of the Earl of Cork af-
forded many examples of very early mar
riages, his great wealth causing his daugh-
ters to be eagerly sought after. Thus. his
eldest daughter, Alice, was married to
Lord Barrymore when she was only Is; the
second, Sara, when she was only 10 was con-
tracted to Sir Thomas Moore-indeed, the
negotiations were begun when she was
but 8. Being left widow at IA, she was
Quickly remarked to one Of the Digby
family.
What was the state Of things at Oxford
and Cambridge during the first half OF the
seventeenth century? The author essays
to answer the question in a chapter bear
ing the caption of The University" The
usual age for matriculation was from
Il to 10, but boys were frequently
sent as early as IL. Peacham, in his
"Compleat Gentleman" observes: MANY
fathers take them from school too early,
"a birds out of the nest before they be
fiidge. a"s These young things OF twelve
or thirteen have no more care than TO ex-
pect the carrier, and whore to say Fridays
or Hastings nights: no further thought
OF study than to trim up their studies with
pictures, and place the fairest books in OPEN
est view, which, poor lads, they scarce ever
open or understand" There is he goes
on, such disproportion between Aris-
totle's 'Categories' and their childish ca
pacities that they are caught up like young
lapwings by buzzard, by the sweetness
OF liberty and variety Of company, and
many kinds of recreation In town and fields
abroad, rather than attempt the difficult
ties OF 80 rough and terrible passage
Addressing himself more directly TO the
pupil. Peaoham tells him that with the
gown he has put on the man. The first
place, he urges, should be given to reli-
zion. in order that the foundation OF all
studies be the fear and service OF God by
oft-freauenting prayers and sermons. read
ing the Scriptures and other tractates OF
piety and devotion" Peacham. who is
writing OF Oxford, next considers the vari-
GUS studies In order, beginning with 1Stile
and the History Of Rhetorick" This COM
prises what we mean by classical educa-
ton, viz, grammar, syntax, rhetoric, the
whole art, in short, OF speaking and COM
posing in verse OF prose In Latin or Eng
lish Next comes "Cosmographie, in
which are comprised astronomy, astrology.
geography and chorography. and, after
that, mathematics. Poetry follows, Of which
he remarks 1T seemeth fallen from the
highest stage OF honor" Our author
suggests that this Lis singular dictum,
when we reflect that, when this statement
was published, in 1922. Shakespeare was
but six years dead, Ben Jonson was at
the top OF his vogue, every one was still
reading Sponsors -Faery Queene,' while