Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-02-23
Daily S'ir9inian.
Mr. Prcscott's Method of Literary Labor.

/ ~
tcrcst. We have, therefore. prepared n somewhat
minute sketch oi the method Of preparation and
! composition adopted by tllr deceascd by which he
wns enablad To overcome his impaired vision, and
10 place his name among historians of tho very
iirstinnk Mr.. Prescott, il is well known thou I'll
not blind. affected with disorder of tho nerve
oi the oyc. that he wholly incapncitated for
reading aud writing in the ordinary why's. lilo
was exceedingly systematic in his mode of lille,
and devoted five hours out of tho twenty four to
his historical abors. Af,cr breakfast he listened
for nm hour to some light reading. novel. pocn
OF other entertaining book. lie then walked for
anihour At hnli-past ten o'clock his secretary
came to his study aud remained till twelve clock
Another walk of mn hour was then taken, after
which he went to his study md remained another
hour and u hall with his secretary After dinner
light reading again resortcd to, and at six o.
clock the secretary returned and remained until
EIGHT. This routine oi work md leisure was very
rlsilly observed throughout tho season. during
the Years devoted To the preparation of his clabo
rate volumes.
Mr., Prcscots modo of writing history was
tins: we will take. for example his lnd word,
Philip the Second lie arranged in his study
al the books aud mnnuscripts relating to that
monarch, which he had been yeafs in collecting.
nj m expense Of many thousand dollars They
number three or four hundred pIIutcd volumes OF
nl sizes. There also slmc twenty thick
| iuies OF manuscripts, richly bounl, which proha-
ly cost than all the rest OF tho collection.
though some OF the printed works exceedingly
rare aud valuable the librar,c. and bookstores of
| al Western Europe, from Cadit IL Amsterdam.
| having lccn ransacke by agents in search Of
| rythiug that could throw light ON the history
of rallp tho Second. Except dictionnres mud
other work of reference. books not specially rolnt
ing 10 the subject in hand escludcl from tho
! shady. With his naterlals thus gathered about
! him, tho Historian commenced his work, The
! Secretary first read the only English history Of
! the King and hs Reign Notes and observations
were dictated M they were suggested by tho book
/ Having irrshcncd his rccollcc,ons ly hearing this
! volume rcnd, Mr.. Prescott proceeded to examine
! the treasures he had collected. Each book was
| taken from the shelf in turns by the Secretary,
who read naud its title. ts tnblo Of contents, aud
| few pngcs hv way of specimen Of its style and
! character. Notes we're taken while this cxanina-
ten WAS ring on, which were preserved lor iuturo
, reference, of tho three ar four hundred volumes.
! a grcal majority olcoursc proved worthless being
! either merely rcpettious, or compilations or
lran-lntious of preceding authors, or elsr, if or
! iginAl. without authority. The number of books
! Of real value would be thusreluccd down perhaps
! 10 II hundred,
The hurc toins of Mss were next attacked.
! These hal been examined by competent person,
! who prepared careful digest aud table of
| tents The Secretary read this, and notes were
dictated ~ he proceeded. Having thus ms it were
! taken an account of stock, and nsccrtnincd the
gcncrul character of his materials .hcy were next
inspected in detail in the following manner: Tho
first chapter of Philip the Second contains an nc
couut If tho nlica,ion and las, lnvs OF his father
nnl predecessor, Charles the Fifth. The Secrc-
tarv gathered round him every volume. printed
or Mss which contained anything about the last
named mnnnrGh The books in tho English
Frpn,h, Spanish, Italian and Latin language.
/ Onc hy one they were read aloud and copous
notes were dictntrl When everything that re-
| rl,, th had , lno nunI
and noted. the historian began to compose his
work, or, more property speaking, to write for
! thu process of composition had of course been
! going nu in his mind during those preparatory
! l,hor~.
Tho apparatus used by Mr. Prescott consisted
/ nf n frame ia" size nl ~ common sheet OF letter
! paper With bras, wires inserted To correspond
! with the number uf lines marked. Thin carbon.
! ntcA paper wn+ used, nnd instead of pen the
writer rmploycd II stylus with agate point.
/ The great difficulty III the way oi II person wri-
/ ting IL iur ordinary manner, whose vision IL I'M
| pdiIcl a4i,r- from not knowing when the ink is
| rshaus'o! and III m,reoyorthc lines will be run into
| on" au.,hcr. Both difficulties are obviated by the
simple arrangement Just described The pages
| thus written by Mr.. Prescott were copied by the
Secretary and rcnd, that such intcrineations, al-
tcrations and amendments might be made, as
| were needed. Tho materials for the second chap
ter, un the early life Of Philip, were next taken
up ard the same process repeated, until the vol
umc is ready for the printer. About six years
devoted to the first two volumes of Philip the
| Second, including the preparatory studies. These
volumes appeared in 1853, the third of the series
was ISSUED within few weeks, and it is under
| stood that the fourth is considerably advanced
| The Hon George Bancroft. in eloquent tri
! butte TO his frand, before the New York IIistori-
| cal Society thus referred to the studious and sys-
temntic habits Of Mr.. Prescott. Ills habits were
methodicaly exact; retiring earl Y and ever at the
same hour, he early alike i'll winter and IN
summer Mt the appointed moment, rousing HIM
self instantly though in the sonndes sleep, Mt tho
| FIRST note of his alarm bell; never giving lndul-
goncc to l,ssitude or delay. To the hours which
| he gave to his pursuits he adhered as scrupulously
as possible never lightly suffering them to be in
tcricrrcd with; listening to his reader; now
debating what was to be written; now using his
own eyes sparingy for reading: now writing by
| the aid of simple machinery, devised for those
who are i'll darkness; now passing time in thought.
fully revolving his great theme.
| The excellence of his productions is, in part
transparent to every reader. Compare what he
has written with the most of what others have left
! on the same subjects, and Prescotts superiority
| boams upon you from the contrast. Tho easy
| flow Of his language: and the faultless lucdity of
his style;may make the reader forget the unremit-
ting toll which tho narrative has cost but the
critical inquirer secs everywhere the fruits of in
vcstigation rigidly pursued, and an impartalty
and soundncss of judgment, which give authority
to every statement. and weight to every concu-
sion"
| Mr. Prescott's library was adorned with striking
portraits of Ferdinand and lsabella--of Column
| bus-of Don Sebastian, King Of Portugal-and
of most of the characters that figure in his histo-
rcs lie possessed original letters of Ferdinand,
| Isabella and Charles ", and piece OF lace from
the shroud of Cortes. Tho historian did not usu-
ally write in his library but in small room over