The compendious schoolmaster teaching the English-tongue after a more easie & demonstrable method than hath been hitherto published or taught ... / by a lover of learning and a hearty well-wisher to his beloved country.

To all Lovers of Religion, Loyalty & Learning: Health, Peace, and Prosperity.

Ingenious and Ingenuous READER,

IT was not the vain Itch of Ambi∣tion to appear in Print, but a Zeal to serve my Generation accor∣ding to the Will of God, promp∣ted me to the Publication of the following Work. I know some will be ready to ac∣cost me with that well-known Sentence, Facile est, inventis addere; It is easie to build where another hath laid the Foundation, and prepared meet Materials for carrying on of the Work, but to Propound and Contrive the Model, and advantageously manage the design, Hic labor, hoc opus est. Here lies the difficulty, and herein he ap∣proves himself an expert and exquisite Ar∣tist. I foresee it will be objected, that Sundry Learned Worthies have already La∣boured in this Work. The Old Spelling Book and English Schoolmaster, were many

Years since Published, and of late Mr. Hunt, Mr. Coles, Mr. Young, Mr. Lane, Mr. Clark and others, have Ingeniously of∣fered their Pains this way: And what ne∣cessity (will some say) of your now at∣tempting that Work, which is effectually done already by other Hands.

To this I answer, that those Learned Men, before mentioned, designed and de∣served Well, in their Generous Offers for a General Good. But it should be consider'd, that a most Wise God hath so distributed his Talents, that no one hath all, but every one hath something which the other wants, and it is possible for another to come after them, that may be preferred before them; for adding many Cubits to their Stature, by a further Progress and Proficiency than they attained, or pretended unto. It is one thing, imperfectly to prepare ordinary Materials in the Rough for a Building, and another, Cautiously and Curiously to pick and chuse only such as are useful among them, and supply what is wanting with a better choice, and place them Sprucely and Briskly in the Building, the peculiar Work of a Master Builder.

Memorable is the Modest, Ingenuous Answer, Judicious and Generous Gideon return'd, by way of Question or Expostula∣tion, to the Angry and Envious Ephramites. Judges 8. 2. What have I done now in Com∣parison of you? Is not the Gleaning of the Grapes of Ephraim, better than the Vintage of Abiezer? As there was great Humility in Gideons Commendable and Exemplary Condescension, wherewith he judiciously and dexterously disarm'd the hasty hot∣headed Ephramites Indignation; so there was no less Verity and Ingenuity in that Meta∣phorical Expression, by comparing the Fight and the Success of it to a Vintage, the Victory which himself and his Abiezerites had gained, to the first gathering of the Grapes, and the Ephramites Slaughtering the Midianites in their Flight, to the Glean∣ing of the Vintage. The Work was happily begun, but not perfected, by Gideon, Ephraim like the Gleanings of the Vintage swept them away with the Besom of Destruction, and slew their Princes Oreb and Zeeb, which had passed Gideon's Victorious Arms. As many a fair Ear of Corn escapes the hasty Harvest-Mans Hand, that the Ingenious Gleaner gathers up: So those that esca∣ped the Sword of Gideon, are Slain by the

Sword of Ephraim, who effectually did that which the other had left undone. More∣over, it cannot be denied that the Gleanings (for quality) may be preferred before the Vintage, because the fairest Fruit grows high, out of the Gatherers ready reach, and therefore the Gleanings of the Vintage may be the choicest Grapes, as well as the Glean∣ings of the Harvest the purest Grain.

My unworthy self, tho' the Least of my Brethren, and the Meanest of my Mothers Sons, have, for some Years past, been very Studious and Curious in Gleaning Pearls of the English Eloquence, and by a diligent Search as for hid Treasure, have found and furbisht sundry choice ones that before lay hid, which are here courteously and can∣didly offered to court the Ingenuous Accep∣tance of the Judicious and Generous Reader, as an invincible demonstration of the Au∣thors unfeigned and fervent affection to the English Nation; whose Eye hath been long fixt on the Mark, and his Will upon the Work, and he hopes his Hand hath now answered both, in Hitting the White he aimed at, by bidding fairer for an advanta∣geous Conclusion, than those that left the Work very Imperfect.

I have observed Sundry Country School-Masters, that knew not how to give Letters nor Syllables, their true Sounds, being al∣together in the Dark, as to their different Derivation and Pronunciation, and unable to render a reason, why the same Letter is pronounc'd with one Sound in one Word, with a different Sound in another, and not at all Sounded in a Third. I have likewise observed, that in long Words of Three, Four, Five, or Six Syllables, though some Petty School-Masters have sometimes luck∣ily stumbled upon the right Sound of the Word, giving it its proper Name in the Lump, (more by Luck than Learning) but when for their Scholars better Instruction and Satisfaction, they were to take the long Word asunder, and particularly Pronounce each Syllable, apart by itself, they have been sadly puzled both in the proper Division, and true Pronounciation of them, to their Scholars manifest detriment and discou∣ragement, and their own expressless preju∣dice and disparagement. Which great Re∣mora in the way of English Learning, I have, in this Work, fairly and effectually removed for rowling a way that Reproach.

As it is most absurd, for any Man to offer to build a House without a Foundation, so

it is no less ridiculous to attempt the acqui∣ring a proficiency in any Art, without pro∣pounding such Rules, as have a direct ten∣dency to the end propounded, as a Key to the Work, or clue to direct him through that Labyrinth, wherein he is in danger to lose himself and his design, without the in∣genious conduct of such a Guide, the ef∣fectual finding out this, hath not been the least part of the Authors Pains, in this his no less laborious than laudable enterprize, for removing and explaining the difficulties of the English Tongue, in such a plain, fa∣miliar and demonstrative, Method, as may be most conducible to their advantage, for whom the Work was primarily and princi∣pally intended.

I make no flourish of a Supernumerary Table of a Thousand Words more than others have, in a confused manner drawn up in a full body to look big upon the Reader, nor have I committed a Rape upon the En∣glish Tongue, in forcing it beyond the due Limits of Modesty and Ingenuity, by pul∣ling in by Head and Shoulders such Words as are never to be reconciled to Sense, for ma∣king up that Number. I deliver my Words not by Tale, but by Weight, reducing them to Rules of Practice, ranking them in due

Place and Order into such regular Squa∣drons, and proper Divisions, as might most dexterously and effectually encounter and conquer the hitherto invincible difficulties of our native Dialect, which, I presume, is here done to the clear conviction and ample satisfaction of the Judicious Ingenuous Master, the ease, benefit and delight of the Studious Ingenious Scholar, and the dele∣ctation and approbation of the solid, serious, sharp-sighted Reader.

Moreover, that nothing may be wanting for accomplishing my English Scholar. I have also prescribed some short and right Rules for Reading Readily and Gracefully, and a Singular Method of Fair Writing Two Spruce Dexterous Hands, without taking Pen from Paper in drawing any Let∣ter, either Small or Capital, fairly Engra∣ven on a Copper Plate, and Copies Alpha∣betically composed to Write and Practice by, tending to Holyness and Happyness; with short and right Rules of Arithmetick, plainly demonstrated, and easily attained and retained by the meanest Capacity and weakest Memory.

Furthermore, I have here presented thee with Sundry Pertinent Comparisons, Pro∣verbial sayings, and Select Sentences both

Moral and Divine, Alphabetically digested, and English Elegancies pleasantly im∣proved, and Alphabetically disposed in fa∣miliar Discourses, for exercising the most Industrious and Ingenious: With some Raptures of Poetry on the Commandments, and on the Dolorous Ruins, and Glorious Resurrection of the most Renowned City of London, from the devouring Flames: With some serious and seasonable Poems on Time and Death, to whet the Readers Ingenuity with a delightful Variety, to bring on my hopeful Scholar, with the greater facility and dexterity, to affect and effect the noble Study of Good Letters, and the right Know∣ledge of himself, by understanding Books and Men. Thus craving thy Candid ac∣ceptance of this well-meant Work, which I earnestly Recommend to thy Christian Consideration, and thy self to the Divine Protection. Vale.

October 23. 1687.