Begone, thou bastard-tongue! so base—­so broken—­
    By human jackals and hyenas spoken;
    Formed of a race of infidels, and fit
    To laugh at truth—­and scepticise in wit;
    What stammering, snivelling sounds, which scarcely dare,
    Bravely through nasal channel meet the ear—­
    Yet helped by apes’ grimaces—­and the devil,
    Have ruled the world, and ruled the world for evil!

But French is now the second language that is taught in Dutch schools.  German comes first and English third.

The Dutch language often resembles English very closely; sometimes so closely as to be ridiculous.  For example, to an English traveller who has been manoeuvring in vain for some time in the effort to get at the value of an article, it comes as a shock comparable only to being run over by a donkey cart to discover that the Dutch for “What is the price?” is “Wat is de prijs?”

The best old Dutch phrase-book is The English Schole-Master, the copy of which that lies before me was printed at Amsterdam by John Houman in the year 1658.  I have already quoted a short passage from it, in Chapter II.  This is the full title:—­

The English Schole-Master;
or
Certaine rules and helpes, whereby
the natives of the Netherlandes, may
bee, in a short time, taught to
read, understand, and speake
the English tongue. 
By the helpe whereof the English also
may be better instructed in the knowledge
of the Dutch tongue, than by any vocabulars,
or other Dutch and English
books, which hitherto they have
had, for that purpose.

There is internal evidence that the book was the work of a Dutchman rather than an Englishman; for the Dutch is better than the English.  I quote (omitting the Dutch) part of one of the long dialogues between a master and scholar of which the manual is largely composed.  Much of its interest lies in the continual imminence of the rod and the skill of the child in saving the situation:—­

M. In the meane time let me aske you one thing more.  Have you not in to-day at the holy sermon?

S. I was there.

M. Who are your witnesses?

S. Many of the schoole-fellowes who saw me can witnes it.

M. But some must be produced.

S. I shall produce them when you commaund it.

M. Who did preach?

S. Master N.

M. At what time began he?

S. At seven a clock.

M. Whence did he take his text?

S. Out of the epistle of Paul to the Romanes.

M. In what chapter?

S. In the eighth.

M. Hitherto you have answered well:  let us now see what follows.  Have you remembred anything?

S. Nothing that I can repeat.

M. Nothing at al?  Bethink (your self) a little, and take heed that you bee not disturbed, but bee of good courage.

S. Truly master I can remember nothing.