in a writer, named STEPHEN DUCK, who flourished in the early part of the last century. Duck was born about the year 1700, at the village of Charlton, in Wiltshire, England. He was at school, for a short time, in his boyhood, when he learned a little reading, writing, and arithmetic. When about fourteen, however, he was sent to work, as an agricultural laborer; and being employed for several years in the lowest rural occupations, without ever opening a book, he soon forgot what little learning he had ever possessed. Still, as he used afterwards to tell, even at this time, his thoughts were often engaged on subjects very foreign to his daily employments. At last, he began to read a little, and this gradually inspired him with a desire to recover his lost knowledge, scanty as it had been. At this time, he was about twenty-four years of age, with a wife and family to support; and being engaged in hard work, all day, he had but very little time for study. He was also without books, and had no money to buy any. Yet such was his ardor to obtain the means of instructing himself, that, for some time, whenever he had an hour's release from his regular employment, he devoted it to extra work; and in this way, he saved money enough to purchase, first, a treatise on vulgar fractions, then one on decimal fractions, and lastly, one on land surveying. All these works he made himself master of, by studying them during the night, when everybody about him was asleep.

Soon after this, he became intimately acquainted with a person, in the same condition of life as himself, but who had passed some years in service in London, whence he had brought down a few dozens of books with him, to the country. Of these, some were treatises on arithmetic; among the others, were, the Bible, Paradise Lost, the Spectator, Seneca's Morals, Telemachus, an English Dictionary and Grammar, Ovid, Josephus, seven plays by Shakspeare, and a few more by other writers; Dryden's Virgil, Hudibras, and the works of Waller and Prior. Duck had, it seems, been always fond of poetry and music; though hitherto, the best specimens of either, which he had had an opportunity of enjoying, had been

only a few rustic ballads. But his perusal of some of the above works, inspired him with new enthusiasm, and, in no long time, he began to attempt writing verses himself. The first poetical work, by which he was greatly struck, was Paradise Lost. Yet he read it through twice or thrice, with the aid of his dictionary, before he understood it. The new beauties he was continually discovering, however, made all this labor delightful. He studied the book, we are told, as a student of Greek or Latin would do one of the ancient classics, and making all the while as much use of his dictionary and grammar as if it had been written in a foreign language. These literary labors were still generally pursued during the night. Sometimes, however, he used to take a book with him, in his pocket, when he went out to his daily work, in the fields; and if, by working with more activity than customary, he could get through what he had to do, in less than the usual time, he would devote the few precious moments he had gained, to the perusal of his book.

Even while at work, he often employed himself in composing verses. It was some time, before he thought of committing any of his compositions to paper; but at last, he was induced to address a letter in verse, to a gentleman, who, having heard of his acquirements, had sought him out, and made his acquaintance; and this effusion having been shown to several other persons, was generally regarded as a very surprising performance, for one in his circumstances. Some clergymen, in particular, to whom it was submitted, were so much pleased with it, that they rewarded the author with a small gratuity. From this time, his talents began to be generally talked of; and, encouraged by the praise he received, he did not suffer his poetical faculty to lie dormant. The consequence was, that, in a short time, he had accumulated a respectable store of verse. It seems to have been not long before the year 1730, that Duck attracted the notice of the Rev. Mr. Spence, already mentioned as the patron of Robert Hill, the learned tailor, and the blind poet, Blacklock. Spence, who did himself great credit, by the interest he took in these cases of indigent merit, immediately

conceived the idea of bringing the claims of his protégé before the public, in the most effective manner, through the press; and, accordingly, as many of his poems were collected, as formed a quarto volume, which made its appearance in that year. Besides the general reputation which the author acquired, by this publication, it procured for him the particular favor and patronage of Queen Caroline, who immediately settled upon him a pension of thirty pounds a-year. In 1733, he was made one of the Yeomen of the Guard. He now applied himself to the study of the Latin language; in which having made some progress, he was admitted into holy orders. On this, the queen appointed him, in the first instance, keeper of her library at Richmond, and in a short time after, he was preferred to the living of Byfleet, in Surrey. Meanwhile, a second edition of his poems had appeared in 1736, to which we find the names of the queen and other members of the royal family prefixed as subscribers. Duck became much beloved and respected by the people of Byfleet, in his capacity of pastor, and lived there happily for many years. But the termination of his history is very melancholy. He at last fell into low spirits, and drowned himself, in the Thames, near Reading, in the year 1756. His poems have now long been forgotten. They had little merit, except considerable smoothness of versification, which, even in those days, the example of Pope had rendered a common quality.

CHAPTER IX.

H. K. White; Hawkesworth; Goldsmith; Mendelsohn.

IN selecting our examples from the class at present under review, of those, who, in the midst of unfavorable circumstances, have distinguished themselves by their ardor in the pursuit of knowledge, there is one name, not

to be omitted, that of the late gifted and amiable HENRY KIRKE WHITE. As it is probable, however, that most of our readers are acquainted with the narrative of his life, which has been so delightfully written by Mr. Southey, we shall confine ourselves to a short notice of its leading incidents. He was born, in 1785, at Nottingham, England, where his father followed the business of a butcher. He was sent to school, at three years of age, and soỏn became so fond of reading, that, when he had got his book in his hand, it was difficult to get him even to leave it for a few minutes, that he might take his meals. When no more than seven, he began to attempt to express his ideas on paper; his first composition being a tale, which, ashamed to show it to any one else, he communicated to the servant, to whom he had for some time been secretly giving instructions in writing. His school acquisitions, before the age of eleven, in addition to reading and writing, were arithmetic and French; in both of which studies, he had already distinguished himself above all his schoolfellows. Soon after this, he also began to write verse. His father, however, who was anxious to bring him up to his own business, although very much against both his own wish and that of his mother, now insisted that he should be employed one whole day in the week, and during his leisure hours, on others, in carrying the butcher's basket. But he expressed so much dislike to this occupation, that it was at last arranged, that he should be sent to learn the hosiery trade; and at the age of fourteen, accordingly, he began to work as a stocking-weaver. To a heart like his, full of the love of literature, and all whose young visions were already those of a student, this destination was a very cheerless one. Yet he hardly dared to complain, for he knew that his family could scarcely afford to educate him to any higher employment. His mother, however, moved by his evident wretchedness, contrived, after he had been about a year at the loom, to prevail upon his father to allow him to be placed in the office of Messrs. Coldham and Enfield, attorneys in Nottingham, who agreed to take him without a premium, on condition of his serving two years, before being articled.

He now felt himself in something like his proper sphere, and his whole mind assumed new alacrity. Although nearly the whole day was necessarily given to the study of his profession, for he attended in the office, as he informs us, himself, in one of his letters, from eight in the morning till eight at night, he still found time to apply himself to the Greek and Latin languages; in the latter of which, with very little assistance, he enabled himself, in ten months, to read Horace with tolerable ease. This progress, however, was obtained at the cost of almost incessant application. He read, during his walks, and at his meals; and not a moment, indeed, of his leisure was given to anything except the improvement of his mind. In this manner, it was surprising how much he accomplished. The papers he left behind him, showed, Mr. Southey tells us, that he had applied himself to his legal studies, with extraordinary industry. Besides the knowledge which he acquired of Greek and Latin, he also made considerable progress, at this time, in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. Chemistry, electricity, astronomy, all shared largely in his attention. While pursuing these severer studies, he contrived to accomplish himself, to a considerable extent, in drawing and music; and he found an occasional amusement in practical mechanics, in which he showed much ingenuity and neatness of hand. Another accomplishment, which he wished to acquire, was the art of extemporary speaking; and with this view, he got himself elected a member of a debating society, which then existed at Nottingham. Here he very soon distanced all his competitors.

6

But this was not the only mode, in which he had already begun to seek distinction. So early as the first year after his emancipation from the stocking-loom, he had sent a translation from Horace, to a periodical work then existing, called the Monthly Preceptor,' the proprietors of which were in the habit of offering prizes, for the best contributions, on subjects which they proposed; and a silver medal had been awarded to him, for his performance. This honor, seems to have kindled his literary ambition to greater fervor than ever. He began to sigh for the advantages of a University education. After