The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-02-26
The Assh.r or the history Of Peru.

Mr.. Prescott had lost one eye by accl-
dent in his early youth, and had, by study,
so strained the nerve of the other, that he
was all but completely blind. He at first
despaired, but he determined to try whether
he could make the ears do the work Of the
eyes. He taught his reader, snacquainted
with any language but his own, to pro-
nounce the Spanish, though not exactly in
the accent Of the court Of Madrid. He
read at slow and stumbling pace, while
the historian listened with painful attention.
Practice at length made the work easier
for both, though the reader never understood
a word Of his author. In this way they
ploughed along patiently through seven
Spanish quartos. He found at last that be
could 60 over about two-thirds as much in
an hour as he could when read to in En-
glish. The experiment was made, and he
became convinced of the practicability Of
substituting the ear for the eye. He was
overoyed, for his library was no longer to
consist Of sealed volumes. He now OBJ
tanned the services Of secretary acquainted
with the different ancient and modern Ian
guages. Still there were many impedi-
ments TO overcome. His eye, however,
gradually improved, and he could use il by
daylight (never again in the evening" few
hours; though it was not till after some
years and then with repeated intervals of
weeks and sometimes months of debility.
Many a chapter, and some of the severest
in Ferdinand and Isabella, were written al
most wholly with the aid Of the eyes of his
secretary. His modus operandi was neces-
sarily peculiar. He selected first, all the
authorities in the different languages that
could bear on the topic to be discussed. lie
then listened to the reading OF these, one at
ter the other, debating very copious notes
on each. When the survey was compile
ted, a large pile Of notes was amassed,
which was read to him over and over again.
until the whole was embraced by his mind,
when they were fused down into the conse-
cutive contents Of chapter. When the
subject was complex, and not pure nara
tive, requiring great variety of reference,
and slfting of contradictory authorities, the
work must have been very difficult; but it
strengthened memory, kept his faculties
wide awake, and taught him to generalize /;
for the little details slipped through the
holes in the memory. His labor did lot
end with this process; he found it was as
difficult to write as to read, and procured in
London large writing case for the blind.
This he could use in the dark as well as in
the light. The characters, indeed, might
pass for hierog lyphics; but they were deci-
phered by his secretary, and transferred by
him to legible form in fair copy. Yet
| have heard him say his hair sometimes
stood on end at the woful blunders and mis-
conceptions Of the original, which, every
now and then escaping detection, found
their way into the first proof OF the printer
Amid such difficulties was the composition
of the history OF Ferdinand and Isabella,
heroically completed at the end OF some.
thing less than ten years from its commence.
ment. He remembered that Johnson says
that Milton gave up his history Of England,
because it was scarcely possible to write his
tory with the eyes oil Others and was stimu.
lated in the midst of his embanassments to
overcome them. Well might he feel a
proud satisfaction in conquering the OBJ.
stacles Of nature. MIR. Prescott had -four
copies of the history first printed for him.
self, and had so little confidence in its i'm
mediate success, that he had thought Of post
poning the publication till after his death
but his father told him, 'ths man who
writes book he is afraid to publish, is q
coward This decided him. The work
was published in the beginning OF 1885
Its reception in his own country, and in all
parts Of Europe, was such as to repay him.
if anything could, for the long nights Of toll
by which it had been ENTHUSIASTICALLY:
Miscellany.