THE

NEW

PRECEPTOR,

OR, YOUNG

LADY's & GENTLEMAN's

TRUE

INSTRUCTOR in the RUDIMENTS

OF THE

English Tongue.

CONTAINING

RULES for Pronunciation, with LESSONS from One to Two
and more Syllables to elucidate them; methodically digefted,
and adorned with Emblematical Cuts, to gain the
attention of the Young of both Sexes.

By R. KAY,

WRITING-MASTER, AND TEACHER OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR,

PRINTED BY AND FOR M. ANGUS & SON, SIDE;
AND FOR W. CHARNLEY, GROAT-MARKET.

1801.

MEMBERS

OF THAT MOST LAUDABLE INSTITUTION

THE

Schoolmasters' Affociation,

ESTABLISHED IN

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE,

For the Relief of their aged

BRETHREN, WIDOWS, AND ORPHANS,

THIS

INTRODUCTION TO READING,

(as a Teftimony of great elteem,)
I S,

WITH THE UTMOST DEFERENCE AND RESPECT,

INSCRIBED,

By their much obliged,

and most obedient,

humble Servant,

R. KAY.

WWE whofe Names are underwritten

(Members of the Schoolmafters Affociation, in Newcastle upon Tyne,) having perufed Mr Kay's new Preceptor, or Inftructor in the Rudiments of the English Tongue, do moft willingly join in teftifying our Approbation of the general Plan and Execution of the Work, and in heartily recommending it to the Ufe of Parents and Teachers, as a valuable Help to the Initiation of their Pupils in the effential Principles of their native Language.

Rev. William Turner.
Rev. E. Prowit.

William Tinwell.
George Richardson.
William Murray.
Peter Wilkinson.
Adam Crawford.
Hugh Johnson.
Ralph Dees.

William Clarke.

Joseph Mordue.

John Kerr:

John Bruce.
Edward Bruce.

ON

PREFACE.

the first appearance of any work, it is generally expected that the author fhould fay fomething on the merits of the publication, to raise its value above others, or to point out the demerits of those who have written before him.

It is not my intention here, either to point out the fuperiority of this work, or to follow that ungenerous, though too common maxim of depreciating the works of any of my BRETHREN, who have laboured before me in the vineyard of erudition.No doubt many have ufed their best endeavours to promote the INSTRUCTION OF YOUTH, and have enjoyed the pleasure of feeing improvement made in the art of teaching by their labours. But, as the public have a right to every improvement which can be made in the important work of EDUCATION; and as I have not feen any first book in the courfe of my practice fo fufficiently adapted to the puerile age, as I thought it might have been; I have ventured to fubmit this little work to my brethren, with fuch improvements as I have found of great advantage to my pupils, in the course of my being engaged in that

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I have fpent much time in ftudying the beft methods and reducing them to practice in my own fchool, and the fuccefs in general has been anfwerable to my expectations; but how far I have fucceeded in the following pages, must be left to experience, and the determination of a candid public, to whofe decifion I chearfully fubmit, 20

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