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erf reputation, born at Kirby-Wilke, near North-Allerton 
in Yorkfhire, in 1515. Having difcovered very promifing 
talents at an early age, he was taken under the patronage 
of fir Anthony Wingfield ; and, after making confiderable 
progrefs in claftical literature, was removed by his patron, 
in 1530, to St. John’s college at Cambridge. At the age 
of eighteen, in 1534, he took his degree of bachelor of 
arts, and loon after in tfie fame year was defied fellow of 
his college, though his attachment to the reformed reli¬ 
gion raifed fome obftacies in the way of this appointment. 
Thefe honours were conlidered by Afcham asinducements 
to his unwearied application ; and fuch was his progrefs, 
particularly in the Greek language, that his lectures, both 
in the univerfity and in his own college, were received with 
univerfal applaufe. In 1536, at the age of twenty-one 
years, he took the degree of mailer of arts. At this time fir 
johnCheke attempted to introduce a new mode of pronoun¬ 
cing Greek into the univerfity, which for fome time was 
oppofed by Afcham ; but upon more mature examination, 
he approved of it, and concurrred in adopting and pro¬ 
moting it; and it has' fmce generally prevailed in the 
fchools of England. The purity and elegance of his La¬ 
tin (lyle was held in fuch eftimation, that he was conftant- 
]y employed in writing the public lettersof the univerfity. 
As a relaxation amidft his feverer ftudies, he amufed him- 
felf with the exercife of archery; and, having thus given 
offence to fome perfons who were envious of his luperior 
merit, he wrote a fmall treatife on the fubjeft, i nt i t led 
“ Toxophilus,” which was publifiied in 1544. His delign 
in writing this treatife was partly to vindicate himfelf 
from the afperfions of his enemies, and partly to improve 
the Engl i-fh language, by introducing a more correct, na¬ 
tural, and eafy, diftion, than that which was tiled by the 
common writers of his age. The author’s views in both 
thefe refpedfs were fully accomplilhed. Afcham con- 
fedes that he wasa£hiated by another motive in the com- 
pofition and publication of this treatife : he wifhed to 
make a tour into Italy, which was then the republic of 
letters, and particularly the feat of Greek learning ; and 
he was defirous, by dedicating his book to king Henry 
VIII. to obtain his encouragement in the profecution of 
his plan. In this refpedt, his wifh was gratified ; for in 
1544, the king granted him a penfion, which was conti¬ 
nued by Edward VI. and by queen Mary. At length, 
in 154S, he had the honour of being called from his col¬ 
lege to diretl the ftudies of the princefs, afterwards queen, 
Elizabeth. This chafge he executed with equal diligence 
and fuccefs ; but after two years, a caufe of difTatisfaffion 
occurred, and he returned front the ferviceof the princefs 
to the univerfity. Notwithftanding this circumftance, the 
princefs’s regard for him continued; for in the fame year, 
J1550, he was recalled to court, and appointed fecretary 
to lir Richard Morvline, who was going out ambalfador to 
the emperor Charles V. During this fervice, which laft- 
ed three years, he had an opportunity of converftng with 
many learned men in various parts of Germany which he 
vifited; and alfo made an excurfion into Italy. One of 
the fruits of this tour was a work, i nti tied, “ A Report 
and Difcourfe of the Affairs and State of Germany,” &c. 
which contains valuable information, and many judicious 
refiedtions. 
On the death of Edward VI. in 1553, fir Richard Mo- 
ryfine was recalled, and Afcham returned to his college ; 
but with no other fupport than his fellowfhip, and falary 
as orator to the univerfity, to which refpedable office he 
had fome time before been appointed. He was, how¬ 
ever, foon recalled by the miniftry, and made Latin fecre¬ 
tary to queen Mary, with a falary of ten pounds a-year, 
and permiffion to retain his college preferment. Afchamby 
his prudence, without any fervile forfeiture of his inte¬ 
grity, enjoyed the favour of the queen ; and in the molt 
perilous times he maintained his intereft with Elizabeth. 
Indeed his learning, and the facility with which he wrote 
Latin, made him neceflary at court. Upon the accellion 
of Elizabeth, he was continued in his former employment 
4 
A S C 
with the fame ftipend. He had frequent accefs to the 
queen, and read with her certain portions of works in the 
learned languages for feveral hours almoft every day ; and 
of her proficiency tinder fuch a mafter many proofs re¬ 
main. Yet notwithftanding the benefit which the queen 
derived from his Cervices, and the intimacy with which 
fine honoured him by permitting him to play with her at 
draughts and chefs, he obtained from her no other recom- 
pence than a penfion of twenty pounds a-year, and the 
prebend of Weftwang in the diocefe of York. This poor 
pittance has been alcribed by fome to the parfimony of 
the queen, and by others to her knowledge of the extra¬ 
vagance of Afcham. He has been charged with a propen- 
fity difgraceful to a man of letters and humanity, to 
cock-fighting. In his “ Schoolmafter,” lie intimates a 
defign of writing a book “ Of the Cockpit .” which he 
reckons among the paftimes fit for a gentleman. It is a 
fubjeft, however, of regret, that w'hilft the queen did not 
think him unworthy of her patronage, (lie did not think 
proper to remunerate him for his fervices with a liberality 
more fuitable to the crown of England. 
In 1563, a converfation occurred at fir William Cecil’s 
on the importance of fcholaftic education. Whilft the 
fubjeft was agitated, and different opinions entertained, 
fir Richard Sackville was fo much p repo deled in favour 
of Afcham, by the arguments which he ufed for the mild 
treatment of boys, that he folicited his counfel and allift- 
ance with regard to the education of his fon, and at the 
lame time requefted that he would write a treatife on the 
general fubjeft of education. Thus was produced Af- 
cham’s excellent performance, intitled, “ The School¬ 
mafter j” a work replete with erudition, and fuggefting 
ilfeful advice on the bell method of teaching the dallies. 
Afcham particularly recommends the method of “double 
tranfiation, ’ which meritsadoption infchools. This treatife 
was publiftiedafter the author’s death by his widow, in 1571; 
and re-printed with notes, in 8vo. at London, by Upton, in 
, 7 11 * Afcham s luft illnefs is faid to have been occafioned by 
too fedulous an application to the compofition of a poem, 
which he intended to prefent to the queen, on the New 
Year’s day of 1569. He did not live to celebrate that au- 
fpicious day, but died, at fifty-three years of age, on the 
twenty-third of December, 1568. His death was gene¬ 
rally lamented, and the queen expreffed her concern by ex¬ 
claiming, “ fhe would rather have loft io,oool. than her 
tutor Afcham.” His Epiftles, which have been much 
commended for the elegance of their ftyle, and alfo for 
the abundance of hifloiical matter which they contain, 
veie publifiied in 1577, by Grant, and dedicated to queen 
Elizabeth: and his mifcellaneous pieces have been fince 
coliedled by Bennett into one volume, with a Life by Dr. 
John fon prefixed, and publifiied in 1761, in 4 to. One 
of his biographers, fpeaking of his works, fays, “ His 
Toxophilus was a g»od book for young men, his School¬ 
mafter for old men, and his Epiftles for all men.” .Mr 
Wood aferibes another work to him, intitled, “ Apologia 
contra Miffkm,” printed in 1577, 8vo. ° 
ASC'HAUSEN, a town of Germany, in the circle of 
Swabia, eight miles north of Ravenfpurg. 
ASCHBARA T , a town of Turqueftan, in (he country 
of the Getac, on the other fide of the river Sihon 
ASCHBOURKAN', or Asch-fourkan, a town of 
Perfia, in the province ot Chorafan. 
ASCHEPON, in ancient geography, a town of the Pe- 
loponnefns, in Achaia. 
ASCHENGIN'SKOT, a fortrefs of Siberia, on the con- 
fines of China : 130 miles foutli-fouth-weft of Selin^infk. 
AS CHER, a diftnfl of the fief of Aggers-Herred m the 
diocele of Chriftiama or Aggerhuus, in Norway. 
ASCHERSLE'BEN, a town of Germany, in the circle 
of Lower Saxony, and principality of Halberftadt on the 
Eine : fixteen miles foutii-eaft of Halberftadt. 
AS'CHRAFF, in ancient geography, a city of Perfia 
in the province of Mazendran, near the Cafpian fea, once 
the favourite relidenceof Abbas the Great, but now fallen 
into 
