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Show ( 72 ) 2nJ efpccially on Sunday,, Ia) ing before his Pupils a regular and comprchenftve Syflem of moral and religious Knowledge, and, in all their claffical Exercifcs, ever introducing rome ufeful moraJ Jl.eflexion from the Matter they re2d. He never punifhed, but for fome Faul t, which !hewed a vifible Depravity of D ifpofi tion; and then with the utmoft Deliberation, Gentlenefs. and ·an apparent Rel•Cl.ance. Nor did he punifh with corporal CorreB:ion fo often as with Confincmt nt or Shame. He had fuch an Afcendant over the Y cuth, who lived with him, rhat, as my Fiiend has told me, he could at any time draw T ears frcrn any of them, whom he had Occafion to find Fault with, by fpeaking three or four Sentences. And they accordingly loved him as a Father, rather than feared him as a Ma!ler. But the Parents, were not, it feems, all capable of judging of his Merit and Fidelity; and therefoiC often, from a wrong-placed Indulgence, thwarted his prudent Meafures, and defeated his Schemes for the Ad-. vantage of the Youth. · Under the Care of this Gentleman, THEOPHI- 1. us acquired fuch a K nowledge of the Latin and Greek Languages, as was fufficient to enable him to read an antient Author with Under!landing. Making Verfes in a foreign Language his Father and Mafler conftdered, with H<>race, *as a Piece of egregious foolery. THEOPl'IJLus therefore applied the fpare Time, which a lefs critical Knowledge of dead Languages allowed, to othe·r ufeful and ornamental Branches of Improvement. He learned to write a fair Hand, an unufual Accomplifhment among People of Condition; and to keep his Accounts himfelf, or examine thofe of the • Horat. Lib! I. Sat. X. Perfom ( 7 3 ) Perfons he fhould truft, and thofe who fhould have O ccafion to make Demands upon him. A Part of Knowledge of fuch Importance, that it would not be eafy to determine whether it is more abfurd or wicked, for fomc, who pretend to undertake E ducation, to negleCl: it in the fhameful Manner they do. THEOPHILUS in this earlier Age likewife received a TmCl:ure of geometrical Knowledge.whtch gave him a T a!le for that moft noble and ufeful Branch of Science, the Mathematics and led him to that purfuit of it in mature Life ~hich gained him the CharaCl.er of a fine Reafo;er, and. able Mathematician. It was the W ifdom of his Fat~er andMa!ler to initiate him early in mathemattcal, Knowledge; as it is the Ignorance of fome Edu~ators of Youth, which 'occafions their putting o~ the . in;roducing of their Pupils into M athemattcs, ttll tt be too late to bring the M ind to apply its Fac ulties to a Science wholly new and. unknown. T he three !'aft Years of T HEOPHIL u s's ftay a~ the Academ ~ were. employed in perfeCl.ing htmfelf m W n tmg, Anthmetic, Book-keeping, French .and ltalia n, and claffical LearniNg. ln thiS Penod he likewtfe went throucrh the Principles ofGeometry, Trigonometry, Algebra, Natural Phdofophy or Phyftcs, and Aftronomy. He .alfo read fome Abridgments of general Hi!lory, heard a Courfe ofLeC:l:ures on rational Logic, and fimfhcd hiS ExefCifes of Dancing, Fencing, and Drawmg m PerfpeCtivc. A Foundation being thus laid for the moft eJ<tenfive Improvements, THEOPHILUS was removed f;om the Academy, to his Father's Haufe. Wtth htm he fpent three Years in Reading and H 2 Conver- |