if they have established the Authority childisbthey should, will be enough either to nefs. remove, or quiet them for that Time. But this Gamesome Humour, which is wisely adapted by Nature to their Age and Temper, should rather be encouraged to keep up their Spirits, and improve their Strength and Health, than curbed, or restrained, and the chief Art is, to make all that they have to do, Sport and Play too.

§.62. And here give me leave to Rules. take notice of one thing I think a Fault in the ordinary Method of Education; and that is, The Charging of Children's Memories, upon all Occasions, with Rules and Precepts which they often do not understand, and constantly as soon forget as given. If it be some Action you would have done, or done otherwise; whenever they forget, or do it awkardly, make them do it over and over again, till they are perfect: Whereby you will get these two Advantages; First, To see whether it be an Action they can do, or is fit to be expected of them: For sometimes Children are bid to do Things, which, upon Trial, they are found not able

to

Rules.

to do; and had need be taught and exercised in, before they are required to do them. But it is much easier for a Tutor to command, than to teach. Secondly, Another Thing got by it will be this; That by repeating the same Action till it be grown habitual in them, the Performance will not depend on Memory, or Reflection the Concomitant of Prudence and Age,and not of Childhood, but will be natural in them. Thus bowing to a Gentleman when he salutes him, and looking in his Face when he speaks to him, is by constant use as natural to a well-bred Man as breathing; it requires no Thought, no Reflection. Having this way cured in your Child any Fault, it is cured for ever: And thus one by one you may weed them out all, and plant what Habits you please.

§. 63. I have seen Parents so heap Rules on their Children, that it was impossible for the poor little ones to remember a Tenth Part of them, much less to observe them. However they were either by Words or Blows corrected for the Breach of those multi

plied and often very impertinent Precepts. Whence it naturally followed, that the Children minded not, what was said to them; when it was evident to them, that no Attention, they were capable of, was sufficient to preferve them from Transgression and the Rebukes which followed it.

Let therefore your Rules, to your Son, be as few as is possible, and rather fewer than more than seem abfolutely necessary. For if you burden him with many Rules, one of these two things must necessarily follow; that either he must be very often punished, which will be of ill consequence, by making Punishment too frequent and familiar; or else you must let the Transgressions of some of your Rules go unpunished: Whereby they will of course grow contemptible, and your Authority become cheap to him. Make but few Laws, but see they be well observed, when once made. Few Years require but few Laws, and as his Age increases, when one Rule is, by practice, well established, you may add another.

Rules:

§. 64. But pray remember, Children are not to be taught by Rules, which will be always slipping out of their Memories. What you think necessary for them to do, settle in them by an indispensible practice, as often as the occasion returns; and if it be possible, make occasions. This will beget Habits in them, which being once established, operate of themselves easily and naturally without the assistance of the Memory. But here let me give two Cautions, 1. The one is, that you keep them to the practice of what you would have grow into a Habit in them, by kind Words, and gentle Admonitions, rather as minding them of what they forget, than by harsh Rebukes and Chiding, as if they were wilfully guilty. 2dly, Another thing you are to take care of, is, not to endeavour to settle too many Habits at t once, least by variety you confound them, and so perfect none. When constant custom has made any one thing easy and natural to them, and they practise it with Reflection, you may then go on to another.

§. 65. Manners, as they call it, a Manners. bout which Children are so often perplexed, and have so many goodly Exhortations made them, by their wise Maids and Governesses, I think, are rather to be learnt by Example than Rules; and then Children, if kept out of ill Company, will take a pride,to behave themselves prettily, after the fashion of others, perceiving themselves esteemed and commended for it. But if by a little negligence in this part, the Boy should not put of his Hat, nor make Leggs very =gracefully, a Dancing-master would cure that Defect, and wipe of all that plainness of Nature, which the Alamode People call Clownishness. And since nothing appears to me to give : Children so much becoming Confidence and Behaviour, and so to raise them to the conversation of those above their Age, as Dancing, I think, Dancing, they should be taught to dance as soon as they are capable of Learning it. For though this consist only in outward gracefulness of Motion, yet, I know not how, it gives Children manly Thoughts, and Carriage more than any F 2 thing.