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Read Ebook: Cicero: Letters to Atticus Vol. 2 of 3 by Cicero Marcus Tullius BCE BCE Winstedt Eric Otto Translator
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Ebook has 458 lines and 29702 words, and 10 pages
AND THERE STOOD JERICHO 203
MR. SIMMONS'S ATTEMPT AT REFORM 215
THE BELLE OF THE MONTH--AUGUST--TAKING A "CONSTITUTIONAL" IN KENSINGTON GARDENS. TIME, 8 A.M. 221
THE BALCONY NUISANCE 223
THE BELLE OF THE MONTH--NOVEMBER--"IN DISTRESS OFF A LEE-SHORE--BRIGHTON PIER" 229
"NOW, JACK, MY BOY! THERE'S NO TIME TO LOSE! WE'VE TEN MILES TO GO TO COVER" 245
EFFECTS OF A FALL 253
BILLY TAYLOR 256
"WHERE GOT'S THOU THAT GOOSE? LOOK!" 257
QUEEN ELEANOR AND FAIR ROSAMOND 261
KING EDWARD INTRODUCING HIS SON AS PRINCE OF WALES TO HIS NEWLY-ACQUIRED SUBJECTS 262
UNSEEMLY CONDUCT OF HENRY, PRINCE OF WALES 263
THE DUKE OF GLOUCESTER GOES INTO MOURNING FOR HIS LITTLE NEPHEWS 264
MARY'S ELOPEMENT 266
JOHN LEECH:
EARLY DAYS.
On the 29th of August, 1817, a boy was born in London gifted with a genius which, in the short time allowed for its development, delighted and astonished the world. The child's name was Leech, and he was christened John. The Leech family was of Irish extraction. From information received, it appears that the father of Leech, also called John, was possessed of an uncle who had made a large fortune as the owner of the London Coffee-House, Ludgate Hill. With this fortune he retired, leaving his nephew to reign in his stead at the Coffee-House, not without a reasonable hope and expectation that the nephew would follow in the uncle's prosperous footsteps. But times had changed. Clubs were being formed, and the customers of the Ludgate Hill place of entertainment preferred to be enrolled as members of the novel institutions rather than subject themselves to the somewhat mixed company at the Coffee-House. Leech's establishment, however, struggled on into my early time, for I can well remember being advised, if I wished for a good and wonderfully cheap dinner, consisting--as per advertisement--of quite startling varieties of dishes, my desire might be gratified by payment of eighteen-pence to the authorities at the London Coffee-House, Ludgate Hill.
I do not know the precise time at which the doors of the Coffee-House were finally closed and the father Leech, with his large family, was thrown upon the world; but it must have been some years after the subject of this memoir had been enrolled amongst the Charterhouse scholars, an event that took place when he was seven years old. Previous to this by about four years, some feeble buds of the genius that blossomed so abundantly afterwards are said to have shown themselves, and to have been observed by Flaxman as the child sat with pencil and paper on his mother's knee. The great sculptor is reported to have said:
"This drawing is wonderful. Do not let him be cramped by drawing-lessons; let his genius follow its own bent. He will astonish the world."
I venture to think that for this story a grain of salt would be by no means sufficient. No drawing done by a child of three years old, however gifted, could be "wonderful" in the estimation of Flaxman; and that such an artist as he was should have said anything so foolish as what is tantamount to advising a parent against "learning to draw" I take the liberty of disbelieving. Flaxman was a friend of the Leeches, and in after years, while John Leech was still a youth, the sculptor again examined some of his sketches, and, after looking well at them, he very likely said, as is reported:
"That boy must be an artist; he will be nothing else."
A child of seven seems almost cruelly young to be subjected to the hardships of a public school.
"I thought," wrote John's father, "that I was not wrong in sending him thus early, as Dr. Russell, the head-master, had a son of the same age in the school, and John was in the same form with him."
No doubt the elder Leech felt much the parting from his little son, but to Mrs. Leech the boy's leaving home was a severe blow; the mother's heart would no doubt realize and exaggerate the perils to mind and body arising from contact with something like six hundred fellow-pupils, scarcely one so young, and none so loving and lovable as her little boy. John was boarded at a house close by the Charterhouse, and only allowed to go home at rare intervals. The fond mother, however, could not live without seeing him, and to enable her to gratify her longing, a room was hired in a house overlooking the boy's playground, from which, carefully hidden, she could see her little son as he walked and talked with the form-fellow, "the particular friend" to whom a sympathetic nature had attached him; or watch him as he joined heart and soul in some game--not too rough--for a fall from his pony, by which his arm had been broken and was still far from strong, made such rough sports as are common to schoolboys too dangerous to be indulged in.
The Charterhouse rejoiced in a drawing-master named Burgess. Upon what principles that master proceeded to train the youth of Charterhouse I am unable to speak; they were most likely those in vogue at the time of young Leech's sojourn. If they were of that description, it was fortunate that Leech paid--as is said--little or no attention to them, finding a difficulty, no doubt, in applying them to the sketches that constantly fell from him on to the pages of his school-books.
It may be urged that when Flaxman warned the boy's mother against teaching as being sure to cramp her son's genius, he alluded to the Burgess method. That may have been so. But a man like Flaxman, who had possessed himself by severest study as a young man of the means by which his powers were developed, would, I think, have been sure to warn Mrs. Leech of the difference between the teaching that would be mischievous, and that which is proved to be indispensable by the universal practice of the greatest painters. I am aware I shall be confronted with the case of John Leech, who was, so to speak, entirely self-taught; but Leech was not a painter, and certainly never could have become a good one without training; besides, he was altogether exceptional--unique, in fact. In my opinion, we are as likely to see another Shakespeare or Dickens as another Leech.
This is a digression, for which I apologize. I cannot find that my hero--I may call him such, for he was ever a hero to me--paid much attention to classical knowledge. Latin verses were impossible to him, but they had to be done; so, as he said, he "got somebody to do them for him." In spite of his weak arm, he fenced with Angelo, the school fencing-master; but, beyond the advantage of the exercise, the accomplishment was of no use to him.
Here I cannot resist an anecdote of which the fencing reminds me.
Some years before Leech's death the editor of a newspaper, who was remarkable for the severity of his criticisms and for his extreme personal ugliness, had made some caustic remarks on Leech's work in general, and on some special drawings in particular.
Several letters, delightfully boyish, written by Leech to his father from the Charterhouse, are in my possession. Some of them, I think, may appropriately appear in this place.
"Septr 19 1826
"DEAR PAPA
"I hope you are quite well. I beg you will let me come out to see you for I am so dull here, and I am always fretting about, because I wrote to you yesterday and you would not let me come out. I will fag hard if you will let me come out, and will you write to me, and the letter that you write put in when you are going to Esex and when you return for I want to very particularly
"How is Mamma, Brother and Sisters
"I hope Ester is quite well,
"Your affectionate "Son "J LEECH
"MY DEAR PAPA.
"You told me to write to you when the reports where made out, they are made out now, and mine is, does his Best. I hope you are quite well, and Mamma the same. I hope Tom Mary Caroline, and Ester are quite well. I have not spoken to Mr Chapman yet about the tuter, and drawing Master, because I had not an oppertunity, send me a cake as soon as it is convenient
"Your affectionate son "J LEECH."
"MY DEAR PAPA.
"I write this note to know how poor little Polly is I hope she is better to day pray write to me before the day is over and tell me how she is. I hope you and Mamma Tom and Fanny are all well since I left you last night.
"I am happy to say I am at the very top off the Form
"Tell Mamma not to forget to come and see me on Wenesday as she said she would. I would write to Polly now only I have not time pray give Polly a 1000 kiss for me and Fanny and Tom the same. As I said before I hope poor little Polly is better.
"Your affectionate "Son "J LEECH."
"MY DEAR PAPA,
"My report was made out yesterday but I forgot to write to you therefore I tell you to-day, it was If any afternoon or morning that you have time I should be very happy to see you. You can see me in the morning from 12 to half-past two and in the evening from 4 till 9.
"Send me another suit of clothes if you please and a cap. Mind the gloves. I hope Polly continues to get better and I hope you and Mamma Brother and sisters are quite well. Send me a penknife if you please. I remain
"Your affectionate "Son "J LEECH."
"DEAR PAPA
"Will you let me come out to see you once before my sisters go to school, for I feel quite unhappy here and miserable. I am afraid I shall not be able to get promoted yet, therefore I am afraid I shant be able to come out. But you promised me that if I did not get promoted you would let me come out. I try as much as I can to get promoted. Do let me come out once before my Sisters go to School.
"Your affectionate "Son "J LEECH
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