Richard Lovell Edgeworth: A Selection From His Memoirs

engineering works by which the course of the Rhone was to be diverted and some land gained to enlarge the city, which lies hemmed in between the Rhone and the

the river. . . When I reached the Rhone, I beheld a tremendous sight! All the work of several weeks, carried on daily by nearly a hundred men, had been swept away. Piles, timber, barrows, tools, and large parts of expensive machinery were all carried down the torrent, and thrown in broken pieces upon the banks. The principal part of the machinery had been erected upon an island opposite the rampart; here there still remained some valuable timber and engines, which might, probably, be save

ly, and left me on the island; but in returning by himself, the poor fellow's little boat was caught by a wave, and it skimmed to the bottom like a slate or an oyster-shell that is thrown obliquely into t

ck bent, and all his limbs and features had the appearance of those of a man of sixty, yet his real age was but twenty-seven years. He t

th gardens laid out in the style which was common in England in the beginning of the last century. These were enclosed by high walls, intersected by canals, and cut into parterres by sandy walks. We were ushered into a good drawing-room, the walls of which were furnished with ancient tapestry. When dinner was served, we crossed a large and lofty hall, that was hung round with armour, and with the spoils of the chase; we passed into a moderate-sized eating-room, in which there was no vis

ed me, with a tone of integrity, that I had nothing to fear, for "that it had not been slept in for half a year." The French are not afraid of

ld induce him to go into such a pigeon-hole. I went to visit the accommodations of my companion, Mr. Rosenhagen. I found him in a spacious apartment hung all round with tapestry, so that there was no appearance of any windows. I was far from being indifferent to the comfort of a good dry bed; but poor Mr. Rosenhagen, besides being delicate, was hypochondriac. With one of the most rueful countenances I ever beheld, he informed me that he must certainly die of

ase and spoils of the field than any which I have ever seen, or ever heard described. There were nets of such dimensions, and of such strength, as were quite new to me; bows, cross-bows, of prodigious power; guns of a length and weight that could not be wielded by the strength of modern arms; so

of sixty years of age; he wore a leather jerkin, and instead of having his hair powdered, and tied in a long queue, according to the fashion of the day, he wore his own short grey locks; his address was plain, frank, and hea

savoury pie of different sorts of game, were the principal dishes; which, with some common vegetables, amply satisfied our hunger. The blunt hospitality of this rural baron w

news reached him in March 1773 that Mrs. Edgeworth, who had returned to England for her confinement, had died after giving birth to a daughter. He travelled home with his so

in France; that she had some disease in her eyes, and that it was feared she would lose her sight.' I

at you are both at liberty, I have used the utmost expedition to reach you on your arrival in England, that I might be the first to tell y

r to keep up the slightest intercourse with her by letter, message, or inquiry. I enjoyed also the proof my friend gave me of his ge

hfield, to Dr. Darwin's. The doctor was absent, but his sister, an

for you this evening, as I am engaged to the Miss Sneyds; but p

s and friends, who had, without concert among themselves, assembled as if to witness the mee

neyd. This I do not remember; but I am perfectly sure that, when I did see her, she appeared to me most

Miss Honora Sneyd and I were married (1773), by special licence, in the ladies' choir, in the Cath

erable change for the better as to comfort, convenience, and conversation among our English acquaintance. So much so, that we were induced to remain in England. . . . My mind was kept up to the current of speculation and discovery in the world of science, and continual hints for reflection and invention were suggested to me. . . . My attention wa

I dedicated my evenings to the best books upon various subjects. I strenuously endeavoured to improve my own understanding, and to communicate whatever I knew to my wife. Indeed, while we read and conversed together during the long winter evenings, th

hem exercised and arranged her thoughts upon whatever subject they were employed. Nor did we neglect the education of o

, and training him in 'all the virtues of a child bred in the hut of a savage, and all the knowledge of things which could well be acquired at an early age by a boy bred in civilised society,' yet he adds: 'He was not disposed to obey; his exertions generally

boy of abilities, and he thought from his answers that 'history can be advantageously learned by children, if it be taught reasonably and not

to a pair of shoe-buckles, everything that appeared to be good of its kind was always pronounced by him to be English. "his sort of party prejudice," said Rousseau, "if suffered to become a ruling motive in his mind, will lead to a thousand evils; for

sire. Whatever regarded the health, strength, and agility of my son had amply justified the system of my master; but I found myself entangled in difficulties with regard to my child's mind and temper. He was generous, brave, good-natured, and what is commonly called goodtempered; but he was scarcely to be controlled.

myself had been dazzled by the eloquence of Rousseau; but I must also reproach myself with not having, after my arrival in France, paid as much attenti

and to them Edgeworth resolved to intrust his son, having been first assured by the Superior that he would not attempt to convert the boy, and would forbid the under-masters to do so. A certain Pere Jerome, however, desired to make the boy a good Ca

Ye

ed over the vast deep, which was a great sea without shores

find the earth

f the sea," repli

ou told me just now that

secure that your son, when capable of making such a reply, is in no great dang

ich his hardihood and fearlessness of danger peculiarly fitted him for. Som

ent in education which made Edgeworth devote so