I'jg^' halits of attention and olservatton. 165 

 education, or the drawing forth of the human powers, 

 ought not to be in any wise obstructed or precoce- 

 ously directed to artificial considerations. 



This exercise of natural curiosity produceth in 

 children what may be called foreign travel, and 

 knowledge of the world, on which the whole of the 

 future excellence of the man is to be formed and es- 

 tabliflied ; and during this exercise, if it is not pre- 

 posterously and foolijhly disturbed by parents, guardi- 

 ans, or pedagogues, the habitudes of attention and 

 observation are acquired an(^ confirmed. 



This is the first grand principle of a novum arga- 

 num educationis, which after ages, loosed from the 

 trammels of prejudice, will evince and establifti. 



It hath been a complaint universal among all who 

 charge themselves with education, that the difficul- 

 ty of obtaining and fixing the continued attention of 

 children to learning, baffieth all their endeavours, and 

 that while the book is in their hand, their thoughts 

 are engaged in plays that are past, or plays that are 

 looked for, when the irksome tajk of the hour or of the 

 day is accompltfjed. 



Now the que^stion herein plainly occureth which 

 may be quickly answered : 



Whether is the creator of the child, the great God 

 of the universe, or the silly parent and pedagogue, 

 the proper judge of what inclination the child ought 

 to have in common with all other children for the 

 fitting of the whole future man for fulfilling the 

 intcation of his creation. 



Certainly what we foolifhly call a disposition in 

 the child to trifle, and disregard our discourses and 



