The Latin essay "De re Scholastica Anglica cum Germanica Comparata" (English and German school education compared) published in 1795-1798 by the Freiberg/Saxony grammar school principal Friedrich August Hecht is the first treatise in comparative education. The rediscovery of the text, its earlier mentioning in the history of comparative education, its main content, e.g. comparison of English Public Schools to German urban grammar schools, detailed textbook comparison, and interpretation, e.g. idea of transnationality vs. concept of the national character, are described. The social-historical situation of the beginning of comparative education is analyzed.