Annals of industry and genius . my mind: these then, with the Imitation of Thomas a Kempis, which I used tolead to my mother on her deathbed, constituted thewhole of my literary acquisitions. As I hated my new profession with a perfecthatred, I made no progress in it, and was, conse-quently, little regarded in the family, of which Isunk by degrees into the common diudge : this didnot much disquiet me, for my spirits were nowhumbled. I secretly prosecuted my favourite studyat every interval of leisure : these were not veryfrequent, and when the use I made of them wasfound out, they were rendere
Annals of industry and genius . my mind: these then, with the Imitation of Thomas a Kempis, which I used tolead to my mother on her deathbed, constituted thewhole of my literary acquisitions. As I hated my new profession with a perfecthatred, I made no progress in it, and was, conse-quently, little regarded in the family, of which Isunk by degrees into the common diudge : this didnot much disquiet me, for my spirits were nowhumbled. I secretly prosecuted my favourite studyat every interval of leisure : these were not veryfrequent, and when the use I made of them wasfound out, they were rendered still less so. I possessed at this time but one book in theworld : it was a treatise on algebra, given to me bya young woman who had found it in a lodging considered it as a treasure, but it was a treasurelocked up, for it supposed the reader to be wellacquainted with simple equation, and I knew nothingof the matter. My masters son had purchasedFennings Introduction ; this was preciselv what LEARXI>G ALGEEFvA. 273. GIFFORD RECEIVING A TREATISE ON ALGEBRA. I wanted, but he caiefull} concealed it from me, andI was indebted to chance alone for stumbling uponhis hiding place. I sat up for the greatest part ofseveral niglits successively, and before he suspectedthat his treatise was discovered, had completelymastered it. I could now enter upon my own, andthat carried me pretty far into the science. 274 DOGGEREL ON A DOG. This was not done without difficulty. I had nota ffirthing on earth, nor a friend to give me one :pen, ink, and paper were therefore as completely outof my reach as a crown and sceptre. There wasindeed a resource ; but the utmost caution andsecresy were necessary in applying to it. I beat outpieces of leather as smooth as possible, and wroughtray problems on them with a blunted awl ; for therest, my memorj^ was tenacious, and I could multi-ply and divide by it to a great extent. Hitherto I had not so much as dreamed ofpoetrj; indeed I scarcely knew it b
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