The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-08-31
WILLIAM II. PRESCOTT.
His Life and Works.

one of those men who have the most contri-
buted to mark in the literature of the nine
teenth century the place of the American peo
ple. William II. Prescott, the eminent histo-
nan, died at Boston the 2Sth of January, 1859,
scarcely in the decline of lite in the fun vigor
of his talent, rudely interrupted in the course
OF his most important works. He lett oenlno
him a reputation which spread far beyond the
frontiers of his country, and WORKS Oh the nrst
rank become popular even aoroa1; out OF nun.
self, of his person, OF the enor's d. tne Prlue VI
which he had bought his reputation, little
was known so far, in France at least. One had
indeed heard of the obstacles which deplor
able state of health and an almost complete
blindness had thrown in his way. He himselfin
the preface to one of his principal works. had
delicately informed his readers of his difficult
ties and his sufferings; but to these few lines,
marked by resigned melancholy, was limited
the information which one possessed. 1t is
only to-day that we know more on the subject.
A well-known American Gt6rdteur, Mr.. George
Ticknor, has Just given us a scrupulously
faithful biography of him who has been
during forty years his most intimate friend.
Written by hand which seems still to tremble
with emotion, his narrative leads us from the
first months of Prescott's childhood to the day
of his sudden end with an interest which every
moment increases. This interest is due to the
abundance of details which have the charm of
truth, to the minute care with which the
friend makes us penetrate into the recesses
of his friends soul, and especially to
a certain inspiration of tenderness which
animates these pages consecrated to
the recital of a simple and often painful
existence. 1t is not indeed, in the quantity
and strangeness of events that the true attrac-
ton of the life of Prescott is to be sought.
This life has passed away completely in the
compass of his study, on the threshold Of
which, it seems the clamOr of without has
always expired. In this America which our
ignorant Imagination represents to itself in
voluntarily as so disordinate, so noisy, which
so soon after his death was to be delivered to
the horrors of civil war, fate procured for him
a destiny the calm of which would have caused
envy in monk of Monte Casino. He has
lived for work, he died working. We thought,
however, that in the spectacle of the indomita-
BILE energy with which he struggled against
his sad infrmity, i'll the analysis of his habi-
tual methods of composition in fine, and per-
haps especially in the study of his pure and
noble nature, there would be something in
structive and engaging. Thanks to the large
loans we shall make of Mr.. TiCknOr's work
and to the celebrity of the name of Prescott,
we hope that such will be the opinion Of our
readers.
William Hickling Prescott was born at
Salem, little town in New England the 4th
of May, 1896, of William, a distinguished law
yer, afterwards Judge at Boston, and of Cathe-
d
setts merchant. The Prescott family boasted
of its descent in direct line from one of those
glorious emigrants of the sixteenth century,
who, sacrificing their country to their faith,
came to ask religious liberty of the desert
shores of the New World. The first ancestors
of the historian were, we are told, energetic
and intelligent men, who exercised great in
fluence over the destines of the infant colony.
Such memories are not, as it seems, in demo-
a al ato nd
and many times the young William lent his
ear to the recital of exploits accomplished by
one of his ancestors, who, marching against
the Indians under the shelter of coat of
mail, threw by his appearance only, terror
into their inexperienced bands. Many times
also was celebrated before him the part that
his grandfather had played in the war of
American independence, and the sabre borne
by the latter on the glorious day of Bunker's
Hill was held up to the admiration of his in
fantine eyes. Perhaps by these first impress
sions must be explained the taste Prescott
always had for relating fine deeds of arms and
mighty sword thrusts. No course of reading
excited in him 80 much enthusiasm as that of
Tomances of chivalry. In thefirst rank of his pre-
1erences the future historian of fernando Cortes
placed Amadis de Gaul, to which he paid,
later on in his first work, tribute of homage
less enthusiastic perhaps, but more thought
ful. Far different, moreover, from what he
was to be one day, he liked pleasure much
better than work, and showed a singular
aversion for all that resembled an effort of any
description. His admission into the rank OF
SophomOres of the University of Harvard did
not modify at all his habits of idleness. 1t
does not seem even that he was then able to
resist all the temptations which pressed on
his path, since, when he had escaped from the
surveillance of his friends, nothing prevented
him any longer from giving himself up to the
impulses of an ardent nature and an
impassoned heart. At least his biog-
rapher tells us that this period was
the most dangerous of his youth, and
that often, later on, when looking back, he
thought of it with regret. Aterrible accident,
which was to have on his destiny sad aud
considerable influence, changed suddenly the
course of his life. In the midst of students
brawl, he received in his eye morsel Of
bread, thrown with force and by chance by
one of his friends. This fatal blow was fol-
lowed by an Inflammation which endangered
his existence during several days, and, when
he returned to health, his eye was irrevocably
lost. The long weeks which he had passed
in darkness and silence were propitious to
wise reflections, and he rose from his long re-
pose with the frm intention of redeeming
by an assiduOus labor the trivial idleuess of
his first years. Thanks to his remarka BILE
faculties, of which he had so far not made
much use, it was easy for him to succeed; and
he obtained the distinguished honor Of termi-
mating his university career by the public
reading of poem in Latin verse of his cOmpo
sition, dedicated to Hope-a poem which he
endeavored afterwards to find among his early
papers, and the loss of which he always re-
GREETED.
In laborious America every one must be ser
1