Appendix

Appendix Vestibuli continens I Sacra exercitia tironum, II Puerilem ethicam, III Praegustum variae eruditionis

An Appendix to the Vestibule, containing I Sacred Exercises for Beginners, II Children’s Ethics, III A Foretaste of Diverse Education

Origin of the work:
  1658 Amsterdam

Editions:
  1658 Amsterdam, (in Dutch and Latin) as an addendum to the Vestibule

1890 Prague, in: Pedagogické rozhledy 3, p7, (part II under the title ‘Pacholecí etika J. A. Komenského’ [the small child’s ethics], Czech translation by J. Šmaha)

1949 Prague, in: Kostnické jiskry 32-33, p5, (part II under the title ‘J. A. Komenského Mravouka pro děti’ [Comenius’ moral teaching for children], Czech translation by V. T. Miškovská)

1974 Prague, J. A. Comenii Opera omnia, vol. 13

Content:

A complement to the textbook of Latin for beginners, the Vestibulum (Vestibule).

The work is divided into three parts.

The first part, entitled Sacra exercitia tironum (Sacred Exercises for Beginners) provides an outline of sacred exercises for the sixth year of “infant school”, contained in the Pampaedia (see the entry for the Consultatio). It teaches children the basics of the catechism, as recognised by the Christian faith, the Ten Commandments, the Our Father and short prayers (for the morning, before eating, after eating, the evening, and selected parts of the psalms).

The second part, entitled Puerilis ethica (Children’s Ethics) is intended for the same year, and contains moral teachings in short sentences, inculcating the children with the essential moral fundamentals.

The third part, entitled Praegustus variae eruditionis (A Foretaste of Diverse Education) sets out the basics of arithmetic and of religious and cultural history. This short textbook is a primer for both the Gate of Tongues (the Janua linguarum), and the Visible World in Pictures (the Orbis), as required by the Pampaedia IX-X for the conclusion of kindergarten at the beginning of general schooling.

For further study, see also:

J. A. Comenii Opera omnia, vol. 13. Prague 1974, pp306-308