_N.B._ Those Heads or Descriptions which concern things beyond the present apprehension of Children’s wits, as, those of Geography, Astronomy, or the like, I would have omitted, till the rest be learned, and a Child be _better able to understand them_. _The Judgment of Mr. _Hezekiah Woodward_, sometimes an _eminent Schoolmaster in LONDON_, touching a work of this Nature; in his _Gate to Science_, chap. 2._ Certainly _the use of Images or Representations is great_: If we could make our words as legible to Children as Pictures are, their information therefrom would be quickned and surer. But so we cannot do, though we must do what we can. And if we had Books, wherein are the Pictures of all Creatures, Herbs, Beasts, Fish, Fowls, they would stand us in great stead. For Pictures are the most intelligible Books that Children can look upon. They come closest to Nature, nay, saith Scaliger, Art exceeds her. AN ADVERTISEMENT CONCERNING THIS EDITION. As there are some considerable Alterations in the present Edition of this Book from the former, it may be expected an Account should be given of the Reasons for them. ’Tis certain from the Author’s Words, that when it was first published, which was in Latin and Hungary, or in Latin and High-Dutch; every where one word answer’d to another over-against it: This might have been observ’d in our English Translation, which wou’d have fully answer’d the design of COMENIUS, and have made the Book much more useful: But Mr. Hoole, (whether out of too much scrupulousness to disturb the Words in some places from the order they were in, or not sufficiently considering the Inconveniences of having the Latin and English so far asunder) has made them so much disagree, that a Boy has sometimes to seek 7 or 8 lines off for the corresponding Word; which is no small trouble to Young Learners who are at first equally unacquainted with all Words, in a Language they are strangers to, except it be such as have Figures of Reference, or are very like in sound; and thus may perhaps, innocently enough join an Adverb in one Tongue, to a Noun in the other; whence may appear the Necessity of the Translation’s being exactly literal, and the two Languages fairly answering one another, Line for Line.