The education or bringinge vp of children, translated oute of Plutarche by syr Thomas Eliot knyght

¶what schole maysters ar to be chosen and of the discom••oditees, whiche happen daylye by negly∣gent educacyon. Cap. iiii.

NOwe come I to the thynge most chieffe and pryncipall to be remem∣bred. ye muste dilygently prouyde for youre chylderne, schole may∣sters / whose lyues be not disposed to vice, ne of reprocheable maners or conditi∣ons, and whiche haue good experyence and fourme of teachynge. For certaynly the foun∣tayne and roote of worshyppe and honestye, is good doctrine. For lykewyse as good husban∣des do pyche busshes and bedges aboute yonge settes (as well to thentente they shulde growe streyght / as to kepe them from bytynge and bar∣kynge of catall) so good and perfecte maysters plant in children conuenable and good aduertise¦mentes and preceptes, wherby the yonge spryng of vertuous maners shall growe streyghte, and be out of daungerous and beastly vice. And tru∣lye many fathers there be, whiche are greatelye to be blamed, that commytte theyr childerne to vnthrifty, ignoraunte, and folysshe maysters, not hauynge of them before any tryall or experience / whiche al be it they so do in defaulte of lernyng, yet is it in them great foly and symplenesse: For some there be, that notwithstandynge by the re∣porte of men experte, they knowe the ignorance and lewdnes of some schole maysters, and do per¦ceyue hit manifestely: yet vnto them speciallye they commende their sonnes: and some do bit, beynge vanquysshed with fayre promyses, other at the instant desyre and in fauour of theyr fren∣des

and acqueyntance: where in they do moche lyke, us if a man beynge sycke or diseased, dothe refuse an experte phisition / whiche may recouer hym, & for to haue the more fauour of his frende or acquayntaunce, taketh a manne vnlerned, by whom perchance he shall be brought in danger of his lyfe: or beinge on the see, forsaketh a good pilate or lodisman, and at the desire of his frende or acquayntaunce, approueth a persone folysshe and ignoraunt. O lorde god, is he to be called a fader, that more estemeth the desire of his neigh¦bour, than the erudition and lerning of his chyl∣dren? Accordyng thervnto the olde philosopher Crates was wonte to saye, that whan he shulde happen to be in the hyghest parte of the citie, he wolde crie in this fourme (if he myght be herde) whither wyll ye mad men, whiche do set al your study in gettyng of riches / and to your children, to whome ye wyll leaue that ryches, ye haue no consideration or respect? And to that in myn opi∣nion may be added, that suche fathers do in lyke wise, as they which be very busy and nice in trim¦myng their showes, whan they take lytel regard what hapneth to their feete.

There be also many parentes, in whom in ordi∣nate loue of money hath ingendred hate of their naturall children: for to thentent that they wyll nat gyue great rewarde or salarye, they do pro∣uyde maysters for their children, ignoraunt per∣sones, whiche for a lyttell stypende professeth ler∣nynge of small estimation. And therfore the phi∣losopher

Aristippus sauerly and with a propre taunte checked one beinge a fader, whiche lacked witte. For one demaunded of Aristippus, what bewolde aske for a rewarde to teache his sonne: who demaunded .xx.li. O sayd he, that is a sore demaūde, for I maye bye a seruant at that pryce (seruauntes at that tyme were bonde men, and beinge taken in warres were solde, as slaues he nowe in diuers places) ye sayde Aristippus, thou shalte haue for thy money two seruauntes, that is to saye thy sonne, and hym whome thou doste bye. As who saythe, the money whiche shulde purchase his son lerninge, beinge enployed on a slaue, maketh his son for lacke of lerninge, to be of lyke estate or cōdicion. Finally is it not a great foly & madnes / that where we do accustome our chyldren to take meate with the ryght hande, & if they do put forthe the lefte hāde, anone we cor¦rect them: and for to make them to here good & commodious lernynges, we make no prouision nor be circumspecte therin?