A discourse of trade in tvvo parts : the first treats of the reason of the decay of the strength, wealth, and trade of England, the latter, of the growth and increase of the Dutch trade above the English / by Roger Coke.

Annotations.

In all rational designs men first consider the end. 2. From what principles they may attain the end: And thirdly, so to order these principles, that the end be attained by fewest means and shortest ways. The end designed by education of Youth is to live justly, to be assisting in Government, and to be helpful to other men. The first principle to do this by education is, that God hath given every Youth un∣derstanding, as well as sense, to govern all his Actions by reason, not love, hatred, fear, or desire. 2. That it is in the power of every learner to do something which is re∣quired of him, whereby he may improve his knowledge by practice. And 3. The means by which Youth is in∣structed is Speech and Method, both which must be be∣fore understood.

To live justly is not founded in the principles of Geo∣metry and Numbers, yet this I say, that by these men are better enabled to live justly than others who are more igno∣rant in them; for God and Nature hath made all things to consist in Number and Quantity: that man therefore who is ignorant herein, though he means justly, yet does not understand in his dealings, whether he does justly or not: And in so high an esteem were these most noble Sci∣ences among the Grecians, when Learning flourished so among them that they esteemed all the world Barbarous but themselves, that the greatest Philosophers of them,

would have all Justice and Government to consist in Arith∣metical and Geometrical proportion. Plato (who would have all Gods works to be done in Geometrical Proporti∣on, and excluded every one his School who was ignorant in Geometry) though bred in a Democratical State, would have Justice and Government to consist in Geometrical Proportion. Xenophon, though bred in an Aristocratical, would have Justice to be founded in Arithmetical pro∣portion.

Afterwards Aristotle, that he might not be less a Philo∣sopher than Plato, or Xenophon herein, divides Justice in∣to Corrective and Distributive Justice; corrective to be in Arithmetical Proportion; and Distributive in Geometrical: though for my part I believe he never understood one Prop. either in Geometry or Numbers.

1. The ends designed by Education in Geometry and Numbers, are such, that every man by knowledge in them, is better able to deal in any business relating to Humane Conversation, not in Trade only.

2. All fortification is founded in these studies, especially in Geometry: so is encamping and approaches, and defen∣ces against them. Archimedes so excelled herein, that when Marcellus besieged Syracuse, he alone twice beat back the Roman Army, nor (its believed) had the Romans taken it, if Archimedes had not been surprized.

3. Architecture, Surveying, and Measuring all Bodies and Superficies, is wholly founded in them.

4. Astronomy is founded in Geometry and Numbers, so is measuring the distance of places, whereby Navigation is better to be improved.

5. History (which so enobles the minds of men) is rude and imperfect without knowledge in these Studies, for no man without understanding Numbers can compare Era's, Epocha's, and periods of times, when Actions were done; nor how they were done in place without Geography, which is founded in Geometry.

6. Youth by education in these Studies, where a method of Reasoning is observed, does not only acquire by every

Proposition a new and certain knowledge, which at some time or other may be beneficial, but gets a habit of right reasoning, whereby he is enabled to judg of any Proposition in any other Science or faculty, and to judge of the reasons in them.

2dly. The Principles of Geometry and Numbers, as of all Sciences are three, viz. Definitions, Petitions, and Axi∣oms, which as I understand, are not rightly understood by Euelid, nor any Commentator upon him: but Aristotle is so far from understanding the Principles aright, that he does not understand the Number of them: For he says Anal. Post. that the Principles of Science are two, Proper, and Com∣mon; Proper, as a Line: Common, as if equals be taken from equals, what is left will be equal; and the Logick taught in our Schools establishes no Principles at all.

3dly. The Means by which Youth is instructed in Geo∣metry and Numbers, and in all other Learning, is Speech and Method. Speech is the instrument or mean by which men converse and instruct; our English Tongue therefore being copious enough to instruct Youth in Education, it is vain and superfluous to do it in any other, where men are not necessitated to speak different Languages: The Greek and Latin Tongues being the Language of no place, I know no necessity of them, unless men desire to multiply Gods Curse in the confusion of Tongues, by retaining these now there is no necessity of them. Yet the better sort of the Youth of England is condemned to the learning of these tongues, which they at last understand so imperfectly, that not one of a hundred can speak or know in either so well as his own: and whether this is the nearest way to Instruction, I leave to any man to judge. The Antient Egyptians, Syrians, Caldeans, Grecians, and Romans instructed their Youth in their Mother Tongue, whereby they became so eminent in Learn∣ing, that this present Age enjoyes much benefit from them.

The Affricans before the Reign of Mansor Emperour of Affrick and all the Spains, who reigned, as Pedro Mexico says, about the year 1105. were accounted barbarous.

This Emperour, being a great lover of Learning, caused all Books written in Greek, either concerning Philosophy, Physick, or History to be translated into the Arabian Tongue, and founded many Colledges in the Cities of Fez, Morocco, Affrica, Trevissin, Tunis, Argier, Hippona, &c. and endewed them with great Revenues for reading these Studies in the Arabian Tongue: whereby not men only, but women so profited in Learning, that as Leo Affricanus affirms, the wo∣men of Lybia in those days were very learned, and above all things else, sooner busied in good Books, than medling with Cloth and Garments. And it was in this Emperours Reign, or soon after, that those famous Philosophers, Averroes, Me∣sues, Rasis, Rabbi Moses, and many others flourished. Nor do I know any reason, but if Learning were taught Youth in the English Tongue, whereby the English might be as learned as the Romans, and Grecians, but the English Tongue would be in as much esteem as the Greek and Latin.

The Method of Learning in Geometry and Numbers, and in all other Learning, is by disposing the knowledge in the Petitions and Propositions before known; so the knowledge what was before understood to be eternal and necessary in the Axiom, that the question of every Proposition not known before, may necessarily be known in the conclusion of the Syllogism. But this is impossible to be done by any Autho∣rity of Aristotle, where are no Petitions or mean knowledge in the Subject; and those Principles which he establishes are so confounded, that as he makes a Line to be a Proposition Principle, so he makes a man Anal. Post. to be a Universal, yet a Line is as much a Universal as a man: From whence, as it is impossible any progress of Learning or Rational Know∣ledge can follow; so such knowledge as this will. Univer∣sals are every where and cannot be perceived by sense, Ana. Post. l. 1. c. 31. tit. 1.

A Man is a Universal.

Therefore a man is every where, and cannot be perceived by sense.

If it be impossible from Principles thus established to learn or know; then must it be more impossible to learn by the

vulgar Logick, where are no Principles at all, and all Rules of Learning inverted in the first Definition (as it is called) which sayes Logick proves (not the Consequences but) Prin∣ciples in its own and other Sciences.

Notes

• The ends of Education in Geometry and Numbers.
• The Principles
• lib. 1. 10. tit. 3. & 6. lib. 1. c. 3. de anima.
• The means.
• Hist. temp.
• lib. 2. c. 19. tit. 7.