Year: 1864

Facts About Celebrated Men.


ID.


Some literary men make good men of busi-
ness According to Pope the principle OBJ


ect of Shakespeare, in cultivating literature,
was to secure an honest independence. He
succeeded so well in the accomplishment of
his purpose that, at comparatively early
age, he had realized sufficient competency
to enable him to retire to his native town of
Stratford-upon-Avon. Chaucer was, in early
life, soldier, and afterward commissioner
of customs and inspector of woods and crown
lands. SpenseI was secretary to the Lord
Deputy of ireland, and is said to have been
shrewed and sagacious in the management of
affairs. Milton was secretary to the Council
of State during the Commonwealth, and gave
abundant evidence of his energy and useful
ness in that office. Sir Isaac Newton was
most efficient Master of the Mint Wads-
worth was distributor of stamps, and Sir
Walter Scott, clerk to the Court of Sessions
both united genius for poetry with pune
tual habits as men of business. IlI


Ricardo was no less distinguished as sa-
gacious banker than lucid expounder of the
principles of political economy. Grote, the
most profound historian of Greece, is also a
London banker John Stuart Mill, not sur
passed by any living thinker in profoundness
of speculation, lately retired from the exam
iner's Departmental the East India Company,
with the admiration of his colleagues for the
rare ability with which be had conducted
the business of the department. Alexander
Murray, the distinguished linguist, learned
to write by scribbling his letters on an old
wood card with the end of burnt heather
stem Professor Moore, when young man,
being too poor to purchase Newton's "Prin-
cpia," borrowed the book, apd copied the
whole Of it with his own hand. William Cob
bet made himself master of English grammar
when he was a private soldier on the pay of
sixpeuce day. The edge of his berth or
that of his guard bed, was bis seat to study
in bit of board lying on his lap was his
writing table; and the evening light Of the
fire his substitute for candles or oil. Even
advanced age, in many interesting cases, has
not proved fatal to literary success.


Sir Henry Spelman was between fifty and
sixty when he began the study of science
Franklin was fifty before he fully engaged
in the researches in natural philosophy which
have made his name immortal. Bocacio was
thirty five when he entered upon his literary
career; and Alfred was forty-six when he
commenced the study of Greek. DR.. Arnold
learned German at forty, for the sake of read
ing Niebuhr in the original, James Watt,
at about the same age, while at his trade
of an instrument-maker, in GLASGOW, made
himself acquainted with French, German
and Italian, in order to peruse the valuable
works in those languages on mechanical phi
losophy. Handel was forty eight before he
published any of his great works. Nor are
the examples of rare occurrence in which ap-
parently natural defects, in early life have
been overcome by subsequent devotion to
knowledge Sir Isaac Newton, when at
school, stood at the bottom of the lowermost
form but one. Barrow, the great English
divine and mathematician, when boy atthe
Charterhouse school, notorious for his idle
ness and Indifference to study. Adam Clark
in his boyhood, was proclaimed by his father
to be greivous Ounce. Even Dean Swift
made disastrous failure at the University.
Sheridan was presented by his mother to a
tutor as an incorrigable Ounce. Walter Scott
was dull boy at his lessons, and while
student at Edinburg University received his
sentence from Professor Daizell the celebra-
ted Greek scholar, that " Ounce he was, and
Ounce he would remain" Chatterton was
returned on his mothers hands, as "a fool Of
whom nothing could be made Wellington
gave no indication of talent until he was
brought into the field of practical effort, and
was described by his high-minded mother,
who thought him little better than an idiot, as
fit only to be food for powder"