A Healer’s Geste

Roger Ascham, Schoolmaster

Roger Ascham, Elizabeth I’s schoolmaster, was asked later in his life how best to instruct children. The pamphlet he wrote was directed primarily to parents “as have forgot the Latin tongue, and would, by themselves, without a schoolmaster, in short time, and with small pain, recover a sufficient ability, to understand, write, and speak Latin” to show them the “plain and perfect way of teaching children, to understand, write, and speak, the Latin tongue.”

Here is an amusing excerpt on one way to encourage a child to love learning:

And one example whether love or fear does work more in a child for virtue and learning, I will gladly report: which may be hard with some pleasure, and followed with more profit. Before I went into Germany, I came to Brodegate in Lecetershire, to take my leave of that noble Lady Jane Grey, to whom I was exceeding much beholding. Her parents, the Duke and Duchess, with all the household Gentlemen and Gentlewomen were hunting in the Park: I found her in her Chamber, reading Phædon Platonis in Greek, and that with as much delight as some gentleman would read a merry tale in Bocase. After salutation, and duty done, with some other talk, I asked her why she would carry out such pastime in the Park? Smiling, she answered me: “I know all their sport in the Park is but a shadow to that pleasure that I find in Plato: Alas good folk, they never felt what true pleasure meant.” “And how came you Madame,” said I, “to this deep knowledge of pleasure, and what did chiefly allure you unto it: seeing, not many women, but very few men have attained there unto?” “I will tell you,” said she, “and tell you a truth, which perchance you will marvel at. One of the greatest benefits that ever God gave me, is that he sent me so sharp and severe Parents, and so gentle a schoolmaster. For when I am in presence either of father or mother, whether I speak, keep silence, sit, stand, or go, eat, drink, be merry, or sad, be sowing, playing, dancing, or doing anything else, I must do it, as it were, in such weight, measure, and number even so perfectly, as God made the world, or else I am so sharply taunted, so cruelly threatened, yea presently some times, with pinches, nips, and bobs, and other ways which I will not name, for the honor I bear them, so without measure misordered that I think myself in hell, till time comes that I must go to Mr. Elmer, who teaches me so gently, so pleasantly, with such fair allurements to learning, that I think all the time nothing,while I am with him. And when I am called from him, I fall on weeping, because whatsoever I do else but learning, is full of grief, trouble, fear, and whole disliking unto me: And thus my book has been so much my pleasure, and brings daily to me more pleasure and more, that in respect of it, all other pleasures in very deed, be but trifles and troubles to me.” I remember this talk gladly, both because it is so worthy of memory, and because also it was the last talk that ever I had and the last time that ever I saw that noble and worthy Lady.