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for searching only. 4I2 SMALL LATINE AND LESSE GREEKE
examination. There were at least four forms in the school, for Willis speaks of the members of "the two highest formes" or prompters, who came and sat "in our seates of the lower formes." Willis evidently took these two highest forms under Downhall.
So much for general routines. The fullest picture of the compositional routine for the century is to be found in another cathedral school, that at Durham in 1593, though, according to the summary of Leach, apparently it has not been fitted directly to forms.
The master was to teach 'grammar, being the principles of the Lating tonge, as the schollers shall and may understand everie point thereof . . . by often and daielie appositions in the said schoole, teaching the schollers to varie diverse and sundrie grammar rules, by making of their owne mind some short dictamen of everie grammer rule.' They were to `have perfectly by heart every rule contayned in the king's grammer.' As soon as any boy had 'any perceyving' in Latin he was to 'make one epistle weekly and everie weeke of his own mind both in matter and words . . . according to the principles of Erasmus or Ludovicus Vives in their books De scribendis, which shall be showed . . . upon Saterday.' Next he was to learn to make 'a theame according to the precepts of Apthonius.' Thirdly, . . . 'he shall have redd unto him the bookes of Cicero ad Heremium [sic], wherein the schoolemaister shall teach the schoIIers to frame and make an oration ac-cording to the precepts of Rhetorick . . . thus: the schoolemaister shall propound a theame or argument which shall have two parties, and two schollers shall be appointed, the one shall take the first part, the other the second ... and upon Saturday ... shall shew their orations . . . Against Saterday in the weeke following the foresaid schollers shall pronounce .. . by heart their said orations ... publiquely in the face of the whole schoole and this ... to contynue weekly throughout the whole yeare among the best schollers."Fourthlie, for the practise and exercise of versifying .. . the schoolemaister shall read to them the versifying rules sett downe in the latter end of our common grammer . . . with due teaching . . . the true .. . skaning of a verse, for practise whereof the schollers shall every second daie make certaine verses upon" certaine argument which shalbe given them.'
Sixthly came Greek. The boys when they had read the grammar 'with a pearte of some author' were 'to frame a Greke epistle, and utter a Greke verse."And further because Socrates saieth the love and commendacion of praise is a great spurr unto a scholler to stirr him to vertue,' therefore once a quarter the master was to propound an 'argument or theam' wherein 'everie scholler which is able shall make epistles, theames, orations, verses Latin and Greke,' and 'the schoolemaister shall place that scholler which bath the best epistle, theame, oration, verse Latin or Greke in the cheifest or best state of that forme in the which he remaineth.'
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