be improved, by Divine Providence and Grace, to your Temporal and Everlasting Welfare. So prays

Tour Affectionate Inftructor,

And Obliged

Humble Servant,

Theobalds in Hertfordshire, I. Watts.

July 31. 1720.

THE

(ix)

THE

PREFACE.

HE Reader is briefly informed in the Title-Page, what is the general Defign of this little Book, and who are the Perfons that may hope to profit by it. The Dedication fufficiently acquaints him with the Occafion of this Compofure And fince Custom bas taught the World to expect a word or two of Addrefs in the firft Leaves of a Book, it shall be the Business of the Preface to offer a few things which relate to the Methods of teaching to read and write English, and to declare a little more particularly, what. may be expected from this Attempt.

My

My learned Friends will eafily forgive me, that I did not write for them, who are fitter to be my Inftructors, in a Science which has never been my profest Business: I expect rather they will reprove me for defcending from nobler "Studies, to employ my Thoughts on So mean a Subject. Now, if I had a mind to flatter my Ambition, I would call in Several Great Names to answer for me. Shall thofe renowned Divines and Mathematicians, Bishop Wilkins, and Dr. Wallis; fhall Milton, that nobleft of Poets, and Ray, that pious Philofopher, bufy themselves in Grammars, and Dictionaries, and Nomenclatures, and employ their Meditations on Words and Syllables, and that without finking their Character? Then furely I may tread in their Steps, and imitate fuch Patterns, without Difgrace.

But I will content myself with a much plainer Apology, and confefs to the World that I think nothing of this nature too mean for me to lay out a few Weeks of my Life upon, for the Service of a Family, to whom, under God, I owe that. I live: For when I had furvey'd

Gram

Grammars and Spelling-Books, for this Service, I found none of them perfectly answer my Defign; that is, to lead English Readers into an eafy acquaintance with their Mother-Tongue, without conftraining them to acquire the Knowledge of other Languages. And tho I did not fet myself at first to write thefe Directions for the Pullick, yet, fince they are written, furely I may of fer them to the World without Offence.

'Tis not my Ambition, by this CompoSure, to fupplant the Primer, or the Spelling-Book. This Book was not written to stand in their ftead; yet fince it lies naturally in my way, I will venture to speak my Sentiments concerning the best way of compofing them.

"Tis the Cuftom of common SpellingBooks, in the first Part of them, after the Letters, to join Confonants and Vowels together in various Forms; then to make Tables of common Words, of one, two, three, and more Syllables: After thefe, they place Catalogues of Proper Names, dividing them all into their diftinct Syllables; and I think this Method is happily and judiciculy con

trived for the Eafe of the Teacher, and the Profit of the Learner.

In this Part, all the Words fhould be ranged in diftinct Tables, according to their Accents on the firft, fecond, or following Syllables; and the Confonants which are pronounced double, should have a double Accent upon them, as Mr. Dyche has contrived, and Mr. Munday has fince improved.

At the End of this firft Part of the Book, three or four Pages would be fufficient juft to tell the young Scholars briefly, which are Vowels, which are Confonants, which are Diphthongs and to teach them the common Stops of Comma, Colon. and Period, with the Marks of the Ten Figures, &c. till they grow up to be fit for a fuller Acquaintance with all these things.

But, I think, the fecond Part of a Spelling-Book would be much better com1ofed of Leffons for Children of various Kinds: Wherein there should be not only fuch Praxes on the Words of different Syllables, as Mr. Dyche has framed, but feveral eafy Portions of Scripture collected out of the Pfalms, and Pro