The Talking Deaf Man

The Talking Deaf Man

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Title: The Talking Deaf Man A Method Proposed, Whereby He Who is
Born Deaf, May Learn to Speak, 1692
Author: John Conrade Amman
Release Date: July 24, 2004 [EBook #13014]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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THE TALKING DEAF MAN:
or,
A Method Proposed, Whereby He Who is Born Deaf, May Learn to
Speak.
By the Studious Invention and Industry of John Conrade Amman, an
Helvetian of Shashuis, Dr. of Physick.
Imprinted at Amsterdam, by Henry Westein, 1692. And now done out
of Latin into English, by _D.F.M.D._ 1693.
London, Printed for Tho. Hawkins, in _George-yard, Lumbard street_,

1694.
Price bound One Shilling.
_To his most Approved Good Friend Mr. PETER KOLARD, the
Author, with all Submission, Dedicateth this his Treatise of the Talking
Deaf Man._
My much honoured Friend,
This little endeavour, how small soever it be, is upon many Accounts
due to you; For besides that, the Truth of the matter here exposed, is to
no one, (except my Self) more apparent, you did heap on me so many
Favours, whilst I abode in your House, upon account of teaching your
Daughter, and rendred me to be so much Yours, as no less could be
sufficient, than to erect a publick, and as much as in me lay, an eternal
Monument of Gratitude to you. How great the Incredulity of this Age is,
no Man almost knows better than your self; there have been, and still
are, such as boldly deny, that it is possible to bring the Deaf to speak;
others, though they should be admitted to be Eye-Witnesses, yet would
not stick to doubt still of the matter: Wherefore, what-ever it was that I
performed to your Daughter, and to some others, and by what Artifice I
did it, I now ingenuously expose to the Eyes of all the World. I heartily
wish that they may so make use of this my labour, as that for the future,
no more Dumb Persons may be found.
In the number of these doubting Persons, you have confessed to me,
that you your self had formerly been, until you had heard a certain
Maiden, who before had been Dumb, talking with me at _Amsterdam_;
perhaps I should have been so my self, if, when I was ignorant in the
thing, I had received narratively only, that some such thing was
performed by another; wherefore I resolved rather to convince the
Incredulity of Men (which now is accounted Prudence amongst most
Men) of an Error, than to reprove them for their Rashness.
It is now three Years since I first thought to make this my Method
publick; but had I then done it, I should now have repented it, because
in this Interval I have much more polished it; and rendered it more

easie by far; and as to what belongs to the practise thereof, more certain,
yea, and all to that degree, as I dare confidently assert, that henceforth
there shall be no Deaf Person, (provided he be of a sound Mind, and be
not Tongue-tied, nor of an immature Age) who by my Instruction shall
not in the space of two Months speak readily enough. Perhaps also I
shall hereafter repent, that I have published this small Treatise, as yet
too immature; yet I had rather confess an Error, if I shall any where
commit one, or in any future Edition augment it, than wholly to pass it
over in Silence; for if I should be snatcht away by a hasty Death, (even
as a tender state of Health doth threaten me) I should not know how to
render to God an Account of the Talent committed to me, as he may
require it of me.
Nothing therefore remained, most Worthy Sir, than that I should beg
your Pardon, that I have made bold thus to interrupt you in the midst of
Affairs, which almost swallow you wholly up; but I believe you will
the more readily give it me, because this little Script may make my
Absence less troublesome to you, because, according to the precepts
here given, you yourself will be able to take care that your Daughter
shall not only not forget all what she already knows, but more and more
accomplish them. However, I