ABSTRACT
A fundamental preoccupation was the search for the best method of instruction, itself a basic Aristotelian concept, designated in Latin by the terms ratio and ordino. Ratio, usually translated as reason, actually had a number of meanings including that of a theory, doctrine or systematically ordered body of knowledge. Grammars and florilegia proliferated, of which one of the earliest was written in England in 1483 by Joannes Anwykll under the title Compendium totius grammatice. Further innovations were also proceeding in extending the range of reading materials beyond the grammars and vulgariae to a third level, that of the conversations or dialogues, known as colloquies. Greek and Hebrew studies did not progress anywhere near as favourably as Latin, even though all scholars recognized their value. Hebrew, in fact, seems to have made little headway in schools and was generally restricted to theological faculties of universities and to the new seminaries that were appearing such as the Calvinist Academy at Geneva.
