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Colonial Schools of the Eighteenth Century 67
Among the books concerned with the dead languages, Bailey's English and Latin Exercises for School-Boys was very popular. It was made up sandwich fashion from cover to cover of alternating paragraphs of English and Latin, one a translation of the other. Some of the material would hardly find place in a school-book of to-day, as, for instance : —
Joan is a nafty Girl.
Ugly Witches are faid to have been black Cats.
The Report of the great Portion of an unmarried Virgin is oftentimes the Sound of a great Lye.
Greedy Gluttons buy many dainty Bits for their ungodly Guts.
Children drink Brimftone and Milk for the Itch.
If we fhould compare the Number of good and virtuous Perfons to the Multitude of the Wicked, it would be but very fmall.
Toward the close of the book are several of those excessively polite conversations between Master and Scholar such as were frequently inserted in the early school-books. From Dialogue III in this Latin book I take enough to show the manner of them.
Scholar. Sir, I entreat, that you would be pleas'd to grant me my requeft.
Mafter. If my grant may profit thee, I will not deny ; if thou afk thofe things, that tend to thine own Hurt, I muft refufe.
Scholar. I only beg, Sir, that you would repeat to me thofe Inftructions that you gave to our Form Yefterday. |
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