[134] 
\A Second Effay cotmrning the U N 1 V E fl S A L 
PRIMER. 
■ A S the prefent Alphabets are imperfect, (as in the fore- 
going ElTay is declared,^ fo are alfb the Primers or firft 
Books, wherein Children afid othersare Taught to Spell and 
Read, firft in not having a perfed Alphabet. Secondly in not 
being digefted in iiich a Method as is fit and proper to teach 
them,as they ought to be taught, for the ufual way of teach- 
ing to fpell, is to difmember every fyllable ( of more then 
one Letter ) into many Syllables, by expremng every Let- 
ter apart, and Syllabically, and the Cohfbnants with fuch a 
Vowel as they are ordinarily named with, and then requi- 
ring them to joyn all thefe Syllables into one word, by t how 
prepoftorous this method is, one inftance for all will mani- 
left, fuppofe the moriofyllable Brand be to be Ipelfd, they 
will teach them thus to difmember it Bee^ er^ eny dee^ and 
then require them to Joyn thefe into one Syllable, which it is 
impofTible to do, and they muft be necefTitated as they have 
begun, to exprefs this one Syllable by five Syllables, which 
was not defigned,whereas they Ihould teach tlie^n to ^xprefs 
every Syllable entire at firft fight, without difniembring it. 
And to do this, they muft proceed gradually, firft beginning 
with the moft fimple Syllables,and ib by degrees proceeding 
to the more difficult and Compounded, till they can readi- 
ly pronounce a whole Syllable at firft fight , even the moft 
difficult that are. 
To that end, let all the Primers be thus contrived ) at the 
top of the leaf, let all the Vowels be placed fingly in order 
as they follow in one Rank, and under the fame place. Syl- 
lables, firft, of one Vowel and one Confbnant, following 
it throughout all the Variations; then of one Confbnant 
and one Vowel following , 2dly. of two Confbnants 
before, and one Vowel following throughout the Va- 
riations,^, idly , of one Vowel and three or four Con- 
ouT ^ Ibnants 
