THAT Parents generally throughout this whole' Kingdom, are at constant, vast expences, for the ingenious edu­cation of their dear Children, is a Truth written with a Sun-beam.

That, to this day, our Crop answers not our Seed; That our Childrens Attainments come not up to our just, and Rational Expectations, is so stabbing an Experience, that it ought not to be mentioned without a Flood of Tears. What Omers of Seed, both as to Cost, and Time, and Pains, are daily sown, and yet what poor Ephahs of Real Advantage reaped? Of those many Thousands in our English Israel (a fourth part of whose age is commonly given up to the Fescue, and Ferula.) how few, how very few are there in comparison, that, after all, can exactly Read, Spell, and Write True English, or indeed (infan­dum dolorem) but distinctly Read a Chapter?

For such an Epidemical Disease as this, Is there no Balm in our English Gilead? No Physician there? Yes, without doubt, there have been [Page]and are, more than many; and those as eminent for the cure of a weak Ʋnderstanding, and stam­mering Tongue, as ever those great Secretaries of Nature, Galen, Hippocrates, Paracelsus, were for the curing of any the Diseases of the Body. What should hinder then, but that the health of the Sons and Daughters of our People should be obtained? I know nothing that can, except it be our wretched neglect, or careless use of Those many excellent Means already pre­scribed.

However, because Variety is pleasing, and New Dishes are taking, at least with squeamish stomacks, I have here presented thee with something that thou thy self wilt say is New. Probably thou hast heard of an Iliad in a Nut­shell, or seen the Ten Commandments cut on a small Penny. But didst ever yet behold the whole Bible, every word therein, distinctly set before thine eye in a few pages? If thou doubt the truth of this intimation, be pleased but to give thy self the trouble of taking any Verse whatsoever in the whole Bible, and see whether every particular word in that Verse be not rea­dily found in the Alphabetical Table. My judg­ment much fails me, if upon such an Experi­ment, thou wilt not incline to be very much of my Opinion.

But who should make use of this Book? and how? I answer,

First, Persons of riper Age; and those

Such, as, from the very breast, have been [Page] ever learning, and never yet come to the know­ledg of the true spelling of one Syllabl. Read, they hope, they can; but spell they cannot; and therefore to write either to Child, Friend, or Servant, they are ashamed.

To these I give this advice.

• 1. Let them read over the whole Alphabetical Table once a month. By this means, the whole Bi­ble will soon become, as to the word-part, more familiar to them, and they more ready to find any word they search for.
• 2. When any word occurrs, that gravels them so, that they cannot spell it; Let them observe carefully, with what Letter, or with what two Letters it begins, and then look for those two Letters in the head of the page, and under those two Letters they will speedily find the word, they desire, if it be in the Bible.
• 2. Younger Ones; and that, as soon as they have learnt distinctly to know, and read their Letters.

Let no man object the Difficulty of this Book, and that it is so massy a weight, as will not only press, but crush such tender shoulders. For do but consider, that every word in this Table is drawn out into little easy syllabls (which is not done in any Primers, Psalters, or other Books used by Children) and then judg which are most easy to be learned, This, or Those.

But in what order and method should Littl ones be taught this Book? Courteous Reader (specially if thou art an Instructor of Children) [Page]be pleased to lend me thine ear, and patience.

1. As soon as your Children can truly read their Letters, cast them all into distinct Forms­ar Companies: The grand reason, why you hear Children so much, and yet teach them so little, is because you hear them so confusedly. Put therefore as many of them into one form, as you judg to be of an equal capacity, or at least no great difference between them.

2. Let all of one Form have but one and the same Lesson; and let the ablest among them be exercised, and employed in teaching, and prepa­ring the weakest, before they come to say their Lesson.

3. When the whole Form comes to read their Lesson, Let it be your chief Care to make them all Attentive. To that end, charge them All to look intently on their Books; To hear­ken diligently to Him, that reads. To quicken their Attention, ask those, whom you observe most heedless, What is the last word?

4. Let every word in every Lesson be first distinctly spell'd, and then, and not till then, read; yea, let it be both spell'd, and read, again and again, and no new Lesson given, till they are very perfect in that.

5. When the Child reads false, let not the Master correct his error, but bid one of his fel­liws correct him; which he, that can, and doth, three or four times, let him be rewarded with the Plaee of the Offendor.

6. Let an hour every day be solemnly spent, in sounding, and spelling those words, which you find in the Two last Chapters, which (if I am not greatly mistaken) contain most, if not all the difficulties are usually met with in the whole English Tongue.

For Exampl.

1. To the lowest, and weakest, that are only to tell you, what those words sound, which you are to spell before them: thus;

• Qu. What sounds a╌n?
• Ans. —an.
• Qu. What sounds g╌e╌l?
• Ans. —gel.
• Qu. Put it together.
• Ans. — angel.

2. To the Ablest, and uppermost, that are to tell you, how those very words are speld, which have been before sounded: Thus.

• Qu. How do you spell Angel?
• Ans. — a╌n an.
• —g╌e╌l gel
• —angel.

And so through, both the 17, and 18 Chapters.

Reader, I have no more, but to commend Thee, our little ones, and this Book, to the bles­sing of the Most High, and to avow my self