trade; the handicraftsman to improve his business by new inftruments, mixtures and materials; and frequently hints are given for new manufactures, or new methods of improving land, that may be fet on foot greatly to the advantage of a country.

THE FOURTH CLASS

To be taught compofition. Writing one's own language well, is the next neceffary accomplishment after good speaking. It is the writing-master's business to take care that the boys make fair characters, and place them ftraight and even in the lines but to form their style, and even to take care that the ftops and capi-· tals are properly difpofed, is the part of the English mafter. The boys should be put on writing letters to each other on any common occurrences, and on various fubjects, imaginary bufinefs, &c. containing little ftories, accounts of their

late

late reading, what parts of authors please them, and why; letters of congratulation, of compliment, of request, of thanks, of recommendation, of admonition, of confolation, of expoftulation, excufe, &c. In these they should be taught to exprefs themselves clearly, concisely and naturally, without affected words or high-flown phrafes. All their letters to pass through the mafter's hand, who is to point out the faults, advise the corrections, and commend what he finds right. Some of the beft letters published in our own language, as Sir William Temple's, thofe of Pope and his friends, and fome others, might be fet before the yourth as models, their beauties pointed out and explained by the master, the letters themselves tranfcribed by the scholar.

Dr. Johnfon's Ethices Elementa, or First Principles of Morality, may now be read by the scholars, and explained by

the

the mafter, to lay a folid foundation of virtue and piety in their minds. And as this clafs continues the reading of hiftory, let them now, at proper hours, receive fome farther inftruction in chronology, and in that part of geography (from the mathematical mafter) which is neceffary to understand the maps and globes. They should also be acquainted with the modern names of the places they find mentioned in ancient writers. The exercifes of good reading, and proper fpeaking, ftill continued at suitable times.

FIFTH CLASS.

To improve the youth in compofition, they may now, befides continuing to write letters, begin to write little effays in profe, and fometimes in verfe; not to make them poets, but for this reason, that nothing acquaints a lad fo fpeedily with variety of expreffion, as the neceffity of finding fuch words and phrafes as

will fuit the measure, found and rhime of verfe, and at the fame time well exprefs the fentiment. Thefe effays fhould all pafs under the mafter's eye, who will point out their faults, and put the writer on correcting them. Where the judgment is not ripe enough for forming new effays, let the fentiments of a Spectator be given, and required to be clothed in the fcholar's own words; or the circumftances of fome good ftory; the fcholar to find expreffion. Let them be put fometimes on abridging a paragraph of a diffufe author: fometimes on dilating or amplifying what is wrote more closely. And now let Dr. Johnson's Noetica, or First Principles of Human Knowledge, containing a logic, or art of reasoning, &c. be read by the youth, and the difficulties that may occur to them be explained by the mafter. The reading of history, and the exercises of good reading and just speaking, ftill continued.

SIXTH

4

SIXTH CLASS.

In this clafs, befides continuing the ftudies of the preceding in hiftory, rhetoric, logic, moral and natural philofophy, the best English authors may be read and explained; as Tillotson, Milton, Locke, Addifon, Pope, Swift, the higher papers in the Spectator and Guardian, the best tranflations of Homer, Virgil and Horace, of Telemachus, Travels of Cyrus, &c.

Once a year let there be public exercifes in the hall; the trustees and citizens prefent. Then let fine gilt books be given as prizes to fuch boys as diftinguish themselves, and excel the others branch of learning, making three degrees of comparifon : giving the best prize to him that performs beft; a less valuable one to him that comes up next to the beft; and another to the third. Commendations, encouragement, and

in any