Institutio Oratoria (Quintilian)

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	Institutio Oratoria Author: Quintilian	Translator: Harold Edgeworth Butler
39	Nec minus error eorum nocet moribus ; siquidem Leonides Alexandri paedagogus , ut a Babylonio Diogene traditur , quibusdam eum vitiis imbuit , quae robustum quoque et iam maximum regem ab illa institutione puerili sunt persecuta .	Their misconduct is no less prejudicial to morals. We are, for instance, told by Diogenes of Babylon, that Leonides, Alexander's paedagogus, infected his pupil with certain faults, which as a result of his education as a boy clung to him even in his maturer years when he had become the greatest of kings.
40	Si cui multa videor exigere , cogitet oratorem institui , rem arduam , etiam cum ei formando nihil defuerit ; praeterea plura ac difficiliora superesse . Nam et studio perpetuo et praestantissimis praeceptoribus et plurimis disciplinis opus est .	If any of my readers regards me as somewhat exacting in my demands, I would ask him to reflect that it is no easy task to create an orator, even though his education be carried out under the most favourable circumstances, and that further and greater difficulties are still before us. For continuous application, the very best of teachers and a variety of exercises are necessary.
41	Quapropter praecipienda sunt optima ; quae si quis gravabitur , non rationi defuerint sed homini . Si tamen non continget , quales maxime velim nutrices , pueros , paedagogos habere , at unus certe sit assiduus loquendi non imperitus , qui , si qua erunt ab his praesente alumno dicta vitiose , corrigat protinus nec insidere illi sinat ; dum tamen intelligatur , id , quod prius dixi , bonum esse , hoc remedium .	Therefore the rules which we lay down for the education of our pupil must be of the best. If anyone refuses to be guided by them, the fault will lie not with the method, but with the individual. Still if it should prove impossible to secure the ideal nurse, the ideal companions, or the ideal paedagogus, I would insist that there should be one person at any rate attached to the boy who has some knowledge of speaking and who will, if any incorrect expression should be used by nurse or paedagogus in the presence of the child under their charge, at once correct the error and prevent its becoming a habit. But it must be clearly understood that this is only a remedy, and that the ideal course is that indicated above.
42	A sermone Graeco puerum incipere malo , quia Latinum , qui pluribus in usu est , vel nobis nolentibus perbibet , simul quia disciplinis quoque Graecis prius instituendus est , unde et nostrae fluxerunt .	I prefer that a boy should begin with Greek, because Latin, being in general use, will be picked up by him whether we will or no; while the fact that Latin learning is derived from Greek is a further reason for his being first instructed in the latter.
43	Non tamen hoc adeo superstitiose fieri velim , ut diu tantum Graece loquatur aut discat , sicut plerisque moris est . Hoc enim accidunt et oris plurima vitia in peregrinum sonum corrupti et sermonis ; cui cum Graecae figurae assidua consuetudine haeserunt , in diversa quoque loquendi ratione pertinacissime durant .	I do not however desire that this principle should be so superstitiously observed that he should for long speak and learn only Greek, as is done in the majority of cases. Such a course gives rise to many faults of language and accent; the latter tends to acquire a foreign intonation, while the former through force of habit becomes impregnated with Greek idioms, which persist with extreme obstinacy even when we are speaking another tongue.
44	Non longe itaque Latina subsequi debent et cito pariter ire . Ita fiet , ut , cum aequali cura linguam utramque tueri coeperimus , neutra alteri officiat .	The study of Latin ought therefore to follow at no great distance and in a short time proceed side by side with Greek. The result will be that, as soon as we begin to give equal attention to both languages, neither will prove a hindrance to the other.
45	Quidam litteris instituendos , qui minores septem annis essent , non putaverunt , quod illa primum aetas et intellectum disciplinarum capere et laborem pati posset . In qua sententia Hesiodum esse plurimi tradunt qui ante grammaticum Aristophanen fuerunt ; nam is primus ὑποθήκας , in quo libro scriptum hoc invenitur , negavit esse huius poëtae .	Some hold that boys should not be taught to read till they are seven years old, that being the earliest age at which they can derive profit from instruction and endure the strain of learning. Most of them attribute this view to Hesiod, at least such as lived before the time of Aristophanes the grammarian, who was the first to deny that the Hypothecae, in which this opinion is expressed, was the work of that poet.
46	Sed alii quoque auctores , inter quos Eratosthenes , idem praeceperunt . Melius autem , qui nullum tempus vacare cura volunt , ut Chrysippus . Nam is , quamvis nutricibus triennium dederit , tamen ab illis quoque iam formandam quam optimis institutis mentem infantium iudicat .	But other authorities, among them Eratosthenes, give the same advice. Those however who hold that a child's mind should not be allowed to lie fallow for a moment are wiser. Chrysippus, for instance, though he gives the nurses a three years' reign, still holds the formation of the child's mind on the best principles to be a part of their duties.
47	Cur autem non pertineat ad litteras aetas , quae ad mores iam pertinet ? Neque ignoro , toto illo , de quo loquor , tempore vix tantum effici , quantum conferre unus postea possit annus ; sed tamen mihi , qui dissenserunt , videntur non tam discentibus in hac parte quam docentibus pepercisse .	Why, again, since children are capable of moral training, should they not be capable of literary education? I am well aware that during the whole period of which I am speaking we can expect scarcely the same amount of progress that one year will effect afterwards. Still those who disagree with me seem in taking this line to spare the teacher rather than the pupil.
48	Quid melius alioqui facient , ex quo loqui poterunt ? Faciant enim aliquid necesse est . Aut cur hoc , quantulumcunque est , usque ad septem annos lucrum fastidiamus ? Nam certe quamlibet parvum sit , quod contulerit aetas prior , maiora tamen aliqua discet puer ipso illo anno , quo minora didicisset .	What better occupation can a child have so soon as he is able to speak? And he must be kept occupied somehow or other. Or why should we despise the profit to be derived before the age of seven, small though it be? For though the knowledge absorbed in the previous years may be but little, yet the boy will be learning something more advanced during that year, in which he would otherwise have been occupied with something more elementary.
49	Hoc per singulos prorogatum in summam proficit , et quantum in infantia praesumptum est temporis , adolescentiae adquiritur . Idem etiam de sequentibus annis praeceptum sit , ne , quod cuique discendum est , sero discere incipiat . Non ergo perdamus primum statim tempus , atque eo minus , quod initia litterarum sola memoria constant , quae non modo iam est in parvis sed tum etiam tenacissima est .	Such progress each successive year increases the total, and the time gained during childhood is clear profit to the period of youth. Further as regards the years which follow I must emphasise the importance of learning what has to be learnt in good time. Let us not therefore waste the earliest years: there is all the less excuse for this, since the elements of literary training are solely a question of memory, which not only exists even in small children, but is specially retentive at that age.
50	Nec sum adeo aetatum imprudens , ut instandum protinus teneris acerbe putem exigendamque plane operam . Nam id in primis cavere oportebit , ne studia , qui amare nondum potest , oderit et amaritudinem semel perceptam etiam ultra rudes annos reformidet . Lusus hic sit ; et rogetur et laudetur et numquam non fecisse se gaudeat , aliquando ipso nolente doceatur alius , cui invideat ; contendat interim et saepius vincere se putet ; praemiis etiam , quae capit illa aetas , evocetur .	I am not however so blind to differences of age as to think that the very young should be forced on prematurely or given real work to do. Above all things we must take care that the child, who is not yet old enough to love his studies, does not come to hate them and dread the bitterness which he has once tasted, even when the years of infancy are left behind. His studies must be made an amusement: he must be questioned and praised and taught to rejoice when he has done well; sometimes too, when he refuses instruction, it should be given to some other to excite his envy, at times also he must be engaged in competition and should be allowed to believe himself successful more often than not, while he should be encouraged to do his best by such rewards as may appeal to his tender years.
51	Parva docemus oratorem instituendum professi , sed est sua etiam studiis infantia ; et ut corporum mox fortissimorum educatio a lacte cunisque initium ducit , ita futurus eloquentissimus edidit aliquando vagitum et loqui primum incerta voce temptavit et haesit circa formas litterarum . Nec si quid discere satis non est , ideo nec necesse est .	These instructions may seem but trivialities in view of the fact that I am professing to describe the education of an orator. But studies, like men, have their infancy, and as the training of the body which is destined to grow to the fulness of strength begins while the child is in his cradle and at his mother's breast, so even the man who is destined to rise to the heights of eloquence was once a squalling babe, tried to speak in stammering accents and was puzzled by the shapes of letters. Nor does the fact that capacity for learning is inadequate, prove that it is not necessary to learn anything.
52	Quodsi nemo reprehendit patrem , qui haec non negligenda in suo filio putet , cur improbetur , si quis ea , quae domi suae recte faceret , in publicum promit ? Atque eo magis , quod minora etiam facilius minores percipiunt , et ut corpora ad quosdam membrorum flexus formari nisi tenera non possunt , sic animos quoque ad pleraque duriores robur ipsum facit .	No one blames a father because he thinks that such details should on no account be neglected in the case of his own son. Why then should he be criticised who sets down for the benefit of the public what he would be right to put into practice in his own house? There is this further reason why he should not be blamed. Small children are better adapted for taking in small things, and just as the body can only be trained to certain flexions of the limbs while it is young and supple, so the acquisition of strength makes the mind offer greater resistance to the acquisition of most subjects of knowledge.
53	An Philippus Macedonum rex Alexandro filio suo prima litterarum elementa tradi ab Aristotele , summo eius aetatis philosopho , voluisset , aut ille suscepisset hoc officium , si non studiorum initia et a perfectissimo quoque optime tractari et pertinere ad summam credidisset ?	Would Philip of Macedon have wished that his son Alexander should be taught the rudiments of letters by Aristotle, the greatest philosopher of that age, or would the latter have undertaken the task, if he had not thought that even the earliest instruction is best given by the most perfect teacher and has real reference to the whole of education?
54	Fingamus igitur Alexandrum dari nobis impositum gremio , dignum tanta cura infantem ( quanquam suus cuique dignus est ) : pudeatne me in ipsis statim elementis etiam brevia docendi monstrare compendia ? Neque enim mihi illud saltem placet , quod fieri in plurimis video , ut litterarum nomina et contextum prius quam formas parvuli discant .	Let us assume therefore that Alexander has been confided to our charge and that the infant placed in our lap deserves no less attention than he—though for that matter every man's child deserves equal attention. Would you be ashamed even in teaching him the alphabet to point out some brief rules for his education? At any rate I am not satisfied with the course (which I note is usually adopted) of teaching small children the names and order of the letters before their shapes.
55	Obstat hoc agnitioni earum non intendentibus mox animum ad ipsos ductus , dum antecedentem memoriam sequuntur . Quae causa est praecipientibus , ut etiam , cum satis adfixisse eas pueris recto illo quo primum scribi solent contextu videntur , retro agant rursus et varia permutatione turbent , donec litteras qui instituuntur facie norint non ordine . Quapropter optime sicut hominum pariter et habitus et nomina edocebuntur .	Such a practice makes them slow to recognise the letters, since they do not pay attention to their actual shape, preferring to be guided by what they have already learned by rote. It is for this reason that teachers, when they think they have sufficiently familiarised their young pupils with the letters written in their usual order, reverse that order or rearrange it in every kind of combination, until they learn to know the letters from their appearance and not from the order in which they occur. It will be best therefore for children to begin by learning their appearance and names just as they do with men.
56	Sed quod in litteris obest , in syllabis non nocebit . Non excludo autem , id quod est inventum irritandae ad discendum infantiae gratia eburneas etiam litterarum formas in lusum offerre ; vel si quid aliud , quo magis illa aetas gaudeat , inveniri potest , quod tractare , intueri , nominare iucundum sit .	The method, however, to which we have objected in teaching the alphabet, is unobjectionable when applied to syllables. I quite approve on the other hand of a practice which has been devised to stimulate children to learn by giving them ivory letters to play with, as I do of anything else that may be discovered to delight the very young, the sight, handling and naming of which is a pleasure.
57	Cum vero iam ductus sequi coeperit , non inutile erit eas tabellae quam optime insculpi , ut per illos velut sulcos ducatur stilus . Nam neque errabit , quemadmodum in ceris ( continebitur enim utrinque marginibus neque extra praescriptum egredi poterit ) et celerius ac saepius sequendo certa vestigia firmabit articulos , neque egebit adiutorio manum suam manu superimposita regentis .	As soon as the child has begun to know the shapes of the various letters, it will be no bad thing to have them cut as accurately as possible upon a board, so that the pen may be guided along the grooves. Thus mistakes such as occur with wax tablets will be rendered impossible; for the pen will be confined between the edges of the letters and will be prevented from going astray. Further by increasing the frequency and speed with which they follow these fixed outlines we shall give steadiness to the fingers, and there will be no need to guide the child's hand with our own.
58	Non est aliena res , quae fere ab honestis negligi solet , cura bene ac velociter scribendi . Nam cum sit in studiis praecipuum , quoque solo verus ille profectus et altis radicibus nixus paretur , scribere ipsum , tardior stilus cogitationem moratur , rudis et confusus intellectu caret ; unde sequitur alter dictandi , quae transferenda sunt , labor .	The art of writing well and quickly is not unimportant for our purpose, though it is generally disregarded by persons of quality. Writing is of the utmost importance in the study which we have under consideration and by its means alone can true and deeply rooted proficiency be obtained. But a sluggish pen delays our thoughts, while an unformed and illiterate hand cannot be deciphered, a circumstance which necessitates another wearisome task, namely the dictation of what we have written to a copyist.
59	Quare cum semper et ubique tum praecipue in epistolis secretis et familiaribus delectabit ne hoc quidem neglectum reliquisse .	We shall therefore at all times and in all places, and above all when we are writing private letters to our friends, find a gratification in the thought that we have not neglected even this accomplishment.
60	Syllabis nullum compendium est ; perdiscendae omnes nec , ut fit plerumque , difficillima quaeque earum differenda , ut in nominibus scribendis deprehendantur .	As regards syllables, no short cut is possible: they must all be learnt, and there is no good in putting off learning the most difficult; this is the general practice, but the sole result is bad spelling.
61	Quin immo ne primae quidem memoriae temere credendum ; repetere et diu inculcare fuerit utilius , et in lectione quoque non properare ad continuandam eam vel accelerandam , nisi cum inoffensa atque indubitata litterarum inter se coniunctio suppeditare sine ulla cogitandi saltem mora poterit . Tunc ipsis syllabis verba complecti et his sermonem connectere incipiat .	Further we must beware of placing a blind confidence in a child's memory. It is better to repeat syllables and impress them on the memory and, when he is reading, not to press him to read continuously or with greater speed, unless indeed the clear and obvious sequence of letters can suggest itself without its being necessary for the child to stop to think. The syllables once learnt, let him begin to construct words with them and sentences with the words.
62	Incredibile est , quantum morae lectioni festinatione adiiciatur . Hinc enim accidit dubitatio , intermissio , repetitio plus quam possunt audentibus , deinde , cum errarunt , etiam iis quae iam sciunt diffidentibus .	You will hardly believe how much reading is delayed by undue haste. If the child attempts more than his powers allow, the inevitable result is hesitation, interruption and repetition, and the mistakes which he makes merely lead him to lose confidence in what he already knows.
63	Certa sit ergo in primis lectio , deinde coniuncta et diu lentior , donec exercitatione contingat emendata velocitas .	Reading must therefore first be sure, then connected, while it must be kept slow for a considerable time, until practice brings speed unaccompanied by error.
64	Nam prospicere in dextrum ( quod omnes praecipiunt ) et providere , non rationis modo sed usus quoque est ; quoniam sequentia intuenti priora dicenda sunt , et , quod difficillimum est , dividenda intentio animi , ut aliud voce aliud oculis agatur . Illud non paenitebit curasse , cum scribere nomina puer ( quemadmodum moris est ) coeperit , ne hanc operam in vocabulis vulgaribus et forte occurrentibus perdat .	For to look to the right, which is regularly taught, and to look ahead depends not so much on precept as on practice; since it is necessary to keep the eyes on what follows while reading out what precedes, with the resulting difficulty that the attention of the mind must be divided, the eyes and voice being differently engaged. It will be found worth while, when the boy begins to write out words in accordance with the usual practice, to see that he does not waste his labour in writing out common words of everyday occurrence.
65	Protinus enim potest interpretationem linguae secretioris , quas Graeci γλώσσας vocant , dum aliud agitur , ediscere et inter prima elementa consequi rem postea proprium tempus desideraturam . Et quoniam circa res adhuc tenues moramur , ii quoque versus , qui ad imitationem scribendi proponentur , non otiosas velim sententias habeant sed honestum aliquid monentes .	He can readily learn the explanations or glosses, as the Greeks call them, of the more obscure words by the way and, while he is still engaged on the first rudiments, acquire what would otherwise demand special time to be devoted to it. And as we are still discussing minor details, I would urge that the lines, which he is set to copy, should not express thoughts of no significance, but convey some sound moral lesson.
66	Prosequitur haec memoria in senectutem et impressa animo rudi usque ad mores proficiet . Etiam dicta clarorum virorum et electos ex poëtis maxime ( namque eorum cognitio parvis gratior est ) locos ediscere inter lusum licet . Nam et maxime necessaria est oratori ( sicut suo loco dicam ) memoria , et ea praecipue firmatur atque alitur exercitatione , et in his , de quibus nunc loquimur , aetatibus , quae nihildum ipsae generare ex se queunt , prope sola est , quae iuvari cura docentium possit .	He will remember such aphorisms even when he is an old man, and the impression made upon his unformed mind will contribute to the formation of his character. He may also be entertained by learning the sayings of famous men and above all selections from the poets, poetry being more attractive to children. For memory is most necessary to an orator, as I shall point out in its proper place, and there is nothing like practice for strengthening and developing it. And at the tender age of which we are now speaking, when originality is impossible, memory is almost the only faculty which can be developed by the teacher.
67	Non alienum fuerit exigere ab his aetatibus , quo sit absolutius os et expressior sermo , ut nomina quaedam versusque adfectatae difficultatis ex pluribus et asperrime coeuntibus inter se syllabis catenatos et velut confragosos quam citatissime volvant ; χαλινοί Graece vocantur . Res modica dictu , qua tamen omissa multa linguae vitia , nisi primis eximuntur annis , inemendabili in posterum pravitate durantur .	It will be worth while, by way of improving the child's pronunciation and distinctness of utterance, to make him rattle off a selection of names and lines of studied difficulty: they should be formed of a number of syllables which go ill together and should be harsh and rugged in sound: the Greeks call them "gags." This sounds a trifling matter, but its omission will result in numerous faults of pronunciation, which, unless removed in early years, will become a perverse and incurable habit and persist through life.
68	Sed nobis iam paulatim adcrescere puer et exire de gremio et discere serio incipiat . Hoc igitur potissimum loco tractanda quaestio est , utiliusne sit domi atque intra privatos parietes studentem continere an frequentiae scholarum et velut publicis praeceptoribus tradere .	But the time has come for the boy to grow up little by little, to leave the nursery and tackle his studies in good earnest. This therefore is the place to discuss the question as to whether it is better to have him educated privately at home or hand him over to some large school and those whom I may call public instructors.
69	Quod quidem cum iis , a quibus clarissimarum civitatium mores sunt instituti , tum eminentissimis auctoribus video placuisse . Non est tamen dissimulandum , esse nonnullos , qui ab hoc prope publico more privata quadam persuasione dissentiant . Hi duas praecipue rationes sequi videntur : unam , quod moribus magis consulant fugiendo turbam hominum eius aetatis , quae sit ad vitia maxime prona , unde causas turpium factorum saepe extitisse utinam falso iactaretur ; alteram , quod , quisquis futurus est ille praeceptor , liberalius tempora sua impensurus uni videtur , quam si eadem in plures partiatur .	The latter course has, I know, won the approval of most eminent authorities and of those who have formed the national character of the most famous states. It would, however, be folly to shut our eyes to the fact that there are some who disagree with this preference for public education owing to a certain prejudice in favour of private tuition. These persons seem to be guided in the main by two principles. In the interests of morality they would avoid the society of a number of human beings at an age that is specially liable to acquire serious faults: I only wish I could deny the truth of the view that such education has often been the cause of the most discreditable actions. Secondly they hold that whoever is to be the boy's teacher, he will devote his time more generously to one pupil than if he has to divide it among several.
70	Prior causa prorsus gravis . Nam si studiis quidem scholas prodesse , moribus autem nocere constaret , potior mihi ratio vivendi honeste quam vel optime dicendi videretur . Sed mea quidem sententia iuncta ista atque indiscreta sunt . Neque enim esse oratorem nisi bonum virum iudico , et fieri etiamsi potest nolo . De hac re igitur prius .	The first reason certainly deserves serious consideration. If it were proved that schools, while advantageous to study, are prejudicial to morality, I should give my vote for virtuous living in preference to even supreme excellence of speaking. But in my opinion the two are inseparable. I hold that no one can be a true orator unless he is also a good man and, even if he could be, I would not have it so. I will therefore deal with this point first. It is held that schools corrupt the morals.
71	Corrumpi mores in scholis putant ; nam et corrumpuntur interim , sed domi quoque , et sunt multa eius rei exempla tam hercule quam conservatae sanctissime utrobique opinionis . Natura cuiusque totum curaque distat . Da mentem ad peiora facilem , da negligentiam formandi custodiendique in aetate prima pudoris : non minorem flagitiis occasionem secreta praebuerint . Nam et potest turpis esse domesticus ille praeceptor , nec tutior inter servos malos quam ingenuos parum modestos conversatio est .	It is true that this is sometimes the case. But morals may be corrupted at home as well. There are numerous instances of both, as there are also of the preservation of a good reputation under either circumstance. The nature of the individual boy and the care devoted to his education make all the difference. Given a natural bent toward evil or negligence in developing and watching over modest behaviour in early years, privacy will provide equal opportunity for sin. The teacher employed at home may be of bad character, and there is just as much danger in associating with bad slaves as there is with immodest companions of good birth.
72	At si bona ipsius indoles , si non caeca ac sopita parentum socordia est , et praeceptorem eligere sanctissimum quemque ( cuius rei praecipua prudentibus cura est ) et disciplinam , quae maxime severa fuerit , licet , et nihilominus amicum gravem virum aut fidelem libertum lateri filii sui adiungere , cuius assiduus comitatus etiam illos meliores faciat , qui timebantur .	On the other hand if the natural bent be towards virtue, and parents are not afflicted with a blind and torpid indifference, it is possible to choose a teacher of the highest character (and those who are wise will make this their first object), to adopt a method of education of the strictest kind and at the same time to attach some respectable man or faithful freedman to their son as his friend and guardian, that his unfailing companionship may improve the character even of those who gave rise to apprehension.
73	Facile erat huius metus remedium . Utinam liberorum nostrorum mores non ipsi perderemus . Infantiam statim deliciis solvimus . Mollis illa educatio , quam indulgentiam vocamus , nervos omnes mentis et corporis frangit . Quid non adultus concupiscet , qui in purpuris repit ? Nondum prima verba exprimit , iam coccum intelligit , iam conchylium poscit . Ante palatum eorum quam os instituimus .	Yet how easy were the remedy for such fears. Would that we did not too often ruin our children's character ourselves! We spoil them from the cradle. That soft upbringing, which we call kindness, saps all the sinews both of mind and body. If the child crawls on purple, what will he not desire when he comes to manhood? Before he can talk he can distinguish scarlet and cries for the very best brand of purple. We train their palates before we teach their lips to speak.
74	In lecticis crescunt ; si terram attigerint , e manibus utrinque sustinentium pendent . Gaudemus , si quid licentius dixerint : verba ne Alexandrinis quidem permittenda deliciis risu et osculo excipimus . Nec mirum : nos docuimus , ex nobis audiunt .	They grow up in litters: if they set foot to earth, they are supported by the hands of attendants on either side. We rejoice if they say something over-free, and words which we should not tolerate from the lips even of an Alexandrian page are greeted with laughter and a kiss. We have no right to be surprised. It was we that taught them:
75	Nostras amicas , nostros concubinos vident , omne convivium obscenis canticis strepit , pudenda dictu spectantur . Fit ex his consuetudo , inde natura . Discunt haec miseri , antequam sciant vitia esse ; inde soluti ac fluentes non accipiunt ex scholis mala ista sed in scholas adferunt .	they hear us use such words, they see our mistresses and minions; every dinner party is loud with foul songs, and things are presented to their eyes of which we should blush to speak. Hence springs habit, and habit in time becomes second nature. The poor children learn these things before they know them to be wrong. They become luxurious and effeminate, and far from acquiring such vices at schools, introduce them themselves.
76	Verum in studiis magis vacabit unus uni . Ante omnia nihil prohibet esse illum nescio quem unum etiam cum eo , qui in scholis eruditur . Sed etiamsi iungi utrumque non posset , lumen tamen illud conventus honestissimi tenebris ac solitudini praetulissem . Nam optimus quisque praeceptor frequentia gaudet ac maiore se theatro dignum putat .	I now turn to the objection that one master can live more attention to one pupil. In the first place there is nothing to prevent the principle of " one teacher, one boy " being combined with school education. And even if such a combination should prove impossible, I should still prefer the broad daylight of a respectable school to the solitude and obscurity of a private education. For all the best teachers pride themselves on having a large number of pupils and think themselves worthy of a bigger audience.