Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1865-01-25

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fatieued, and the ideas began to stagnate
in his brain, he would take his flute or his
guitar with him into the porch, and there
execute some musical fantasy (for he was
q skilfui musician,) when the ideas would
flow upon him again as fresh as flowers
after summers rain Music was his inva-
riable solaee at such times. Indeed Luz
Their did not hesitate to say. that after the
ology, music was the first of arts. i
Emusic" said he, is the art of prophets; |
it is the only other which, like theology,
can calm the. agitation Of the soul, and
put the devilto flight. Next to music, if
not before it, Luther loved children and
flowers. That great gnarled man had q
heat as tender as woman's
Calvin studied in his bed. Every morn
inga five or six o'clock, he had books,
manuscripts, and papers. carried to him
there, and he worked on, for hours togeth-
err. Ii he had occasion to go out, on. his |
return he undressed and went to bed again
to continue his studies. In his later years
he dictated his writings to secretaries. He
rarely corrected anything. The sentences
issued complete from his mouth. II he
felt his facility decomposition leaving him,
he forthwith quilted his bed, gave up writ
ing and composing, and went about his
outdoor duties for days. weeks and months
together: But so soon as he felt the in.
SEPARATION fall upon him again, he went
back to his bed, and his secretary set to
work forthwith. =. s-. a~-..-s
Cnias, another learned man, used to
study when laid all his length upon the
carpet, his face towards the floor, and
there he. revelled amidst piles of books
which accumulated about him. The learn
ed Amyot never studied without the harp.
sichord beside him ); and he only Quilted
the pen to play it. Bentham, also, was
extremely fond of the pianoforte, and had
one in nearly every room in his house.
!. How fastidious was the temperance OF
Milton! He drank water, lived on the
humbest fare. In his youth he studied
during the greatest part Of the night; but
in his more advanced years he went early
to bed-by nire o'clock-rising to his
studies at four in summer and five in
winter. He studied till midday then he
took an hours exercise, and after dinner
he sang and played the organ, or listened
to others music. He studied again till
six, and from six till eight he engaged in
conversation with friends who came to see
him. Then he supped, smoked pipe of
tobacco, drank glass of water, and went
to bed. Glorious visions came to him in
the night, for it was then, while lying on
his couch, that he composed in thought the
greater part of his sublime poem. Some
times when the fit of composition came
strong upon him, he would summon his
daughter to his side to commit to, paper
that which he had composed.
Milton. was Of opinion that the verses
composed by him between the autumnal
and spring equinoxes were always the best,
and he was never satisfied with verses he
had written at any other season. Alferi,
on the contrary, said that the equinoctial
winds produced state OF almost com
plete stupidity" in him. Like the night
ingale he could only sing in summer. It
was his favorite- season. .-..-:
- Pascal wrote most of his thoughts on lit
tie scraps of paper, at his by:moments Of
leisure. He produced them with immense
rapidity. He wrote in kind of contract
ed language-like short hand- impossible
to read, except by those who had studied
it. 1t resembled the impatient and fiery
scratches Of Napoleon; yet, though halt
formed, the characters have the frmncss
and precision Of the graver. Some one
observed to Faguere (Pascal's editor
This work (deciphering it) must be very
fatiguing to the eyes" aNo," said he
sit is not the eyes that are fatigued SC
much as the brain."~ 49,.
A great deal might be said about the
I first failures of authors and orators. De
mCsthenes stammered, and was almost in
audible, when he first tried to speak before
Philip. He seemed like man moribund
; Other orators have broken down like De
mosthenes, in their first effort. Currar
tried to- speak for the first time, at meet
ing Of the Irish Historical Society but the
words died on his lips, and he sat dowr
amid titters-au individual present char
acterizing him as crater. Amn,. Boilea1
broke down as an advocate, and SO die
Cowper, the poet. Montesqpieu and Ben
than were also failures in the same profes
sion, but mainly through disgust with it
Addison, when member Of the House O
Commons, once rose to speak, but he coul,
not overcome his difidence, and ever afte
remained silent.