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BOOK I, CHAPTER XXVI
231

(a) The Athenians, Plato says,[1] especially care for copiousness and elegance of language, the Lacedæmonians for brevity, and the Cretans for the fruitfulness of the ideas rather than for the language; these last are the best advised.[2] Zeno said that he had two kinds of disciples: one, whom he called φιλολόγους, who were eager to learn about things, and who were his favourites; the others, λογοφίλους, who cared for nothing but words.[3] This is not to say that it is not a fine and excellent thing to express oneself well; but it is not so excellent as it is made out to be; and it tries me that our life is wholly busied in that. I should want chiefly to know well my own language, and that of my neighbours with whom I have the most common intercourse. Greek and Latin are an admirable ornament, no doubt, but we buy it too dear. I will describe here a method of getting it more reasonably than is usually done, which was tried in my own case. Let him who will, make use of it.

My late father, having made all enquiry that a man can make, among scholars and men of intelligence, regarding the most excellent method of education, was apprised of the disadvantage of the method then in use;[4] and was told that the length of time we spend in learning languages, (c) which cost the ancient Greeks and Romans nothing, (a) is the only reason we can not attain their loftiness of character and of knowledge. I do not believe that this is the only reason. However that may be, the expedient that my father hit upon was this: while I was at nurse and before I could talk,[5] he gave me in charge to a German (who later died a famous doctor in France) wholly ignorant of our language and well versed in Latin. This man, whom he had summoned for this express purpose, and who was paid a very large stipend, had me constantly in his arms. He had also with him two others, less learned, to attend me and relieve him; they talked to me in no other language than the Latin. As for the rest of the household, it was an inviolable rule

  1. ↑ See Plato, Laws, book I.
  2. ↑ In the earlier editions: Ceux-cy sont les miens.
  3. ↑ See Stobæus, Sermon XXXVI.
  4. ↑ De cet inconvenient qui estoit en usage.
  5. ↑ En nourrice, et avant le premier desnouement de ma langue.
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