see young virgins so nowzled and trained in the study of letters, that they willingly set al vain pastymes at naught for learning's sake." Considerable attention was given to penmanship. Edward VI. and his sisters wrote legibly and well. Among the interesting relics of those times, is the copy book of queen Elizabeth when a child: in it is a loose paper on which she tried her pens; she seems usually to have done so by writing the name of her beloved brother Edward. After receiving the first rudiments of their education, young females, as well as young men, were often placed in some noble family, where they received further instruction; and while acting as dependents, they were trained in the manners of the age. Literary acquirements did not unfit the females of that day from being generally useful. It was said of the court ladies, "there was in a manner none of them, but when they be at home can help to supply the ordinary want of the kitchen, with a number of delicate dishes of their own devising." The classical attainments led to an elaborate display of acquaintance with heathen mythology and fabulous history. Every procession and public exhibition displayed this. The pastry cooks were trained to show their skill in classical devices; the tapestry on the walls, the pictures and the statues, all had reference to these subjects, of which it may be truly said, "It is hard to touch pitch, and not be defiled." Elizabeth patronised learning; her court exemplified this, and it was not altogether of the unprofitable sort just alluded to. Harrison describes every office as having a Bible or Foxe's Acts, or both, placed in it, besides some histories and chronicles, “to avoid idleness, and to prevent sundry transgressions." The nobility were thereby excited to patronise authors; Spenser and many others were supported and encouraged. The expenses for the education of the sons of sir William Cavendish, at Eton, in the latter part of the sixteenth century, contain many items illustrative of that day. A week's charge for food was 5s., two pairs of shoes cost 1s. 4d., Esop's Fables 4d. The whole yearly expense of two boys and their man servant, including clothes, books, and other charges, was 121. 12s. 7d. Parents who have two sons now at Eton, or any other great public school, find the charges increased far beyond the difference in the value of money; while it may be inquired, whether the improvement in the education imparted has kept pace with the advance of knowledge since that time. In 1514, the expense of a scholar at the university could be defrayed by five pounds annually: it increased by the end of the century with the general rise in prices. But the fare of what were called poor scholars was very different from the present day. Lever describes it at Cambridge, about the middle of the century, thus: 66 'There be divers ther whych rise dayly betwixe foure and fyve of the clock in the mornynge, and from fyve untyll syxe of the clocke use commen prayer, wyth an exortacion of God's worde, in a commen chapell; and from syxe unto ten of the clocke, use ever eyther pryvate study or commen lectures. At ten of the clocke they go to dinner, whereat they be content with a penye piece of beefe amongst four, havyng a few potage, made of the broth of the same beefe, wyth salte and oatmele, and nothynge elles. After this slender dinner, they be eyther teaching or learninge untyll five of the clocke in the eveninge, when as they have a supper not much better than theyr dinner. Immediatelye after the which, they goo, eyther to reasoninge in problems, or unto summe other studye, until it be nine or ten of the clocke; and then beyng without fyre are feyne to walke or runne up and downe haulfe an houre, to get a heate on their fete, when they go to bed. These be mennes, not werye of their paynes, but very sorye to leve theyr studye; and sure they be not able some of them to continue for lacke of necessary exhibicion and relief." At Oxford, some years before, the case, according to sir Thomas More, was even worse; he says, that "poore schollers of Oxforde goe a begginge with bags and wallets, and sing Salve Regina at rich men's doores, where for pitie some goode folkes will give their mercifull charitie." In the reign of queen Mary, 137. 6s. 8d. was considered a competent amount for a year's expenses of a young man engaged in the study of the law at the inns of court. But contrast with these accounts of the poor scholar, the expenses of the earl of Essex at Cambridge, in 1577. In one quarter, five pairs of shoes, 5s., and a pair of winter boots, 6s. For rushes and dressing the chambers, 4s. My lord's commons for the quarter, 548. His lordship's cizinge, 35s.; breakfast for the quarter, 23s.; meat on fasting nights and times extraordinary, 25s.; the laundress for washing, 6s. 8d. The total of the quarter's charge, 457. 10s. 2d. Expenses of a journey to court, 291. 17s. 3d. Apparel for the same time, 217. 3s. 6d. At the same period, his tutor writes of "his extreme necessitie of apparell," and that there was danger "he shall not only be thrid bare, but ragged." Ascham, when stating that he did not desire to confine young gentlemen to "the tongues of learning," or that they should be "always poring on a book," gave a list of what he considered gentlemanlike pastimes, which he would have made a part of education, "to ride comely, to run fair at the tilt or ring, to play at all weapons, to shoot fair in bow, and surely in gun, to vault lustily, to run, to leap, to wrestle, to swim, to dance comely, to sing and play on instruments cunningly; to hawk, to hunt, to play at tennis, and all pastimes generally which be joined with labour, used in open place, and on the daylight, be not only comely and decent, but very necessary for a courtly gentleman to use." Observe, here is no recommendation of idle games of chance, which always lead to gambling. Another extract from Ascham is as applicable to the present time as his own day: "God keep us in his fear, God graft in us the true knowledge of his word, with a forward will to follow it, and so to bring forth the sweet fruits of it; and then shall he preserve us by his grace, from all manner of terrible days. The remedy of this doth not stand only in making good common laws for the whole realm; but also, and perchance chiefly, in observing private discipline every man carefully in his own house: and namely, if special regard be had to youth, and that not so much in teaching them what is good, as in keeping them from that which is ill. Therefore, if wise fathers be not aware in weeding from their children ill things and ill company, as they were in grafting them in learning, and providing for them good schoolmasters, what fruit they shall reap of all their cost and care, common experience doth tell." THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. The introduction of printing tended much to fix the English language nearly in its present state. Many extracts from works of the sixteenth century have already been given: a few may be here added. The first is from Barclay, who wrote his "Ship of Fools" in 1508: "Who that will followe the graces manyfolde, The next specimen is from Roy, who wrote a severe satire against cardinal Wolsey, about 1526: "He standeth in the pope's roume, Sir Thomas More, a short time before his execution, wrote "Ey, flatering fortune, loke thou never so fayre, As though thou wouldst my ruine all repayre, Sir Thomas Smith, one of the secretaries of state in the reigns of Edward VI. and Elizabeth, did much to refine and correct the English language. Cheke, Haddon, and Smith, when at Cambridge, about 1542, were considered first-rate masters of the English tongue. Smith was anxious to conform the spelling of words to the sound; and for this purpose urged some alterations in the alphabet, which he would have increased to twenty-nine letters, but he did not succeed so far as to introduce these innovations. His style was plain and clear, as appears from his orations for and against the queen's marriage, printed by Strype. The following is a sentence from them: "My masters, say what you will, and call me as it please you, either enemy to strangers, the pattern, or idea, of an old Englishman, home friend, or what you list, I say, and see, that it is England alone that shall make her highness strong; England, and no other, her true patrimony, riches, power, and strength, whereto she must trust; England, her highness's native country alone, being well tilled and governed, shall be better to her majesty, in the end, than all those empires, kingdoms, dukedoms, and marshionates; and other rabblements of gay titles, which are but wind and shadows, and makers of cares and costs; which are no profit, but rather hindrance and loss, as at last will be proved, and as you may perceive by these discourses, her predecessors have proved.' It is unnecessary to multiply specimens. These already given show that the words then in use were |