Читать книгу The Son of a Genius - Барбара Хофланд - Страница 6

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No jealousy their dawn of love o'ercast,

Nor blasted were their wedded days with strife,

Each season look'd delightful as it pass'd,

Found in the lowly vale of shepherd life.

Beattie.

"Depend upon it, Mrs. Lewis, your son is a boy of genius, uncommon genius," said a gentleman to the wife of an Artist, as he looked over some loose sketches which lay upon her work table, at one end of which sat a sickly looking boy of about twelve years old, at work with his pencil; and who now looking up, exhibited his pale face, so illuminated by the pleasure praise seldom fails to convey, however administered, that the gentleman thought he had seldom seen so intelligent a countenance, or been regarded with a look so prepossessing; but he was recalled from his observations on the boy, by the words which immediately fell from the mother, accompanied by a look of apprehensive tenderness, lest her son should be injured by the flattery he had incautiously conveyed.

"Indeed, sir, you are mistaken; my son has no Genius, but he has industry; and sufficient talent to make that industry profitable, I hope."

"You underrate his powers, ma'am—I am convinced he has really Genius, and will some day cut a very great figure in the world; you must not damp the ardours, or be too severe on the eccentricities of a mind like his—he who can do such things as these are now, will at a future period claim the highest honours fame can bestow."

The mother answered by a deep sigh, and as the tears rose into her eyes, involuntarily, though almost inarticulately, exclaimed, "God forbid that he should seek them!" The gentleman was sorry to see her so much affected, though he concluded that she was a weak woman, whose stupidity, vulgarity, or obstinacy of mind, were but too likely to injure the expanding talents of her son; and though the meekness of her manner, and the sweet dejection of her countenance, had somewhat interested him in her favour, when he first entered her apartment, he quitted it with a sense of sorrow for the wan-looking boy, and vexation at the perverse mother, whom he considered the cruel controller of Genius she could not comprehend, and therefore sought to repel, by reducing the high soarings of fancy to the drudgery of common labour, and the fatigue of incessant application.

The gentleman was extremely mistaken in this conclusion, for Mrs. Lewis was a woman of strong natural understanding, and had some portion of that finer perception of beauty and excellence, which, in whatever path it walks, may be designated genius: but she had an aversion to the word, amounting almost to horror, from having observed its application tend to injure either nearly, or remotely, every one to whom it had been her lot to see it applied; and as it was ever in her mind associated with imprudence, imbecility, folly, or vice; was made the excuse for one man's eccentricities, another man's errors, and not unfrequently connected with the crimes of a third; it was no wonder that she shrunk from its application to a son, who notwithstanding his pale looks, and her apparent suppression of his exultation, was to her, the very soul of all her earthly hopes, and had been nourished by her with a tenderness so exquisite, a love so unceasing in its care, and so judicious in its efforts, that in relating the history of this mother and her son, we flatter ourselves every young person who like him has been praised for this rare, indefinite, and often blameably extolled quality, so much the subject of attention in the present day, will see the folly of depending upon it either for happiness, or respectability, in this world, and the sin of daring to make it an excuse for neglecting that "which is to come;" and, that those young people whose more moderate talents, or less vivid imagination, have preserved their minds from being inflated by this silly method of extolling that which implies no merit, since it exacts no exertion, will learn that much may be gained by industry, even where nature has not been liberal, and that the attainments for which men in all stations, and all ages, were most esteemed, were the result of patient investigation, unwearied diligence, and incessant labour; without which, the most brilliant talents have ever failed to produce either individual comforts, or true celebrity. In proportion as the mind is endued with higher powers, and acuter sensibilities, it is annoyed with stronger passions, and more dangerous propensities, and calls in a more peculiar manner for the controul of reason, and the aids and restrictions of religion, without which the widest soarings of human intellect are as liable to error, as the weakest conclusions of the most bounded judgment,—in all that most interests us, as accountable and immortal beings, called to consider this world as but the passage to another, which is to last for ever and ever.

Mr. Rumney, the father of Mrs. Lewis, was a clergyman, who resided on a very small living in Cumberland; he was married to a plain, sensible, good woman, the daughter of a neighbouring farmer, by whom he had five children; of whom Agnes was the eldest very considerably, as the two children who succeeded her were both taken by the diseases incident to infancy. This circumstance was an advantage to her; as by rendering her for some time the sole object of her father's attention, it secured for her all the instruction such a companion could bestow; so that before she was called to participate her mother's duties in her household department, she had gained as much knowledge of the rudiments of education as was necessary to give her a taste for improvement; which never fails to lead youth into such a disposition of their time, as to enable them to seize every precious moment circumstances will allow, for mental cultivation: and the little thus acquired is too dear, too valuable, to be wasted and misapplied. Thus, amidst incessant occupation and various petty cares, Agnes became mistress of much estimable knowledge; notwithstanding the obscurity in which she lived, and the necessity of attending to all the common cares of life inseparable from narrow circumstances; for she was well read in the Bible; she thoroughly understood the prayers and the doctrines of her own church, and had a sufficient knowledge of the various modes in which others professed the Christian faith,—to feel charity for all, and respect for many. She had likewise read the history of the Jews, that of her own country, and as much of the Greek and Roman as enabled her to converse with her father on the subjects to which he occasionally referred, relative to those extraordinary people. She was likewise conversant in Thomson's Seasons, Goldsmith's Deserted Village, and Gray's Poems; had read three volumes of the Spectator, one of the Rambler, and all Tillotson's Sermons. To this stock of erudition, which however humble it may appear to those more highly favoured, had left a mind of native strength and energy by no means poorly endowed, she added a knowledge of her needle above the common standard; she had an excellent ear, and sung and read with singular sweetness and fluency; she wrote a neat hand; understood her own language, and was not ignorant of Latin; to which it may be added, that she understood sufficient mineralogy, botany, and natural philosophy, to render her entertaining to her father, and useful to her mother; but as these were endowments received in the way of chit-chat, it never entered the mind of Agnes to class them amongst her attainments. In the circle of her own parish there were a few young women similarly instructed by her father, or other friends; so that her mind was neither left to the dangerous contemplation of its own superiority, which is often the case in secluded situations; nor, as she saw no one superior to her, was she led to repine at their advantages, or sink under the consciousness of humiliating inferiority. Hence arose a proper estimation of herself, a solidity of character, a temperance, propriety, and self-possession, which combined with deep and fervent piety, unaffected sensibility, and true modesty, rendered her not less estimable than engaging, and promised that the virtuous woman would succeed to the duteous and tender daughter.

At the period we now speak of, it was not so much the fashion as at present to explore the beauties of the mountain scenery of Cumberland; and the remote village where Mr. Rumney held the "noiseless tenor of his way," lay too far from the more striking objects sought in the tour of the lakes to have awaked curiosity, though it boasted many singular beauties; and the inhabitants of Newkirkdale knew nothing more of the lords and ladies, artists and virtuosi, who visited Keswick and Paterdale now and then, than what was transmitted to them from thence on market days and fairs, where the good pastor and his wife occasionally went for the necessary supply of such things as could not be procured elsewhere. At the distance of about five miles was a gentleman's seat; but it was seldom visited by the owners above once in three or four years, when they came for the purpose of grouse shooting; but which visits generally afforded a little treat to Mr. Rumney, as the 'squire ever treated him with respect, and generally brought him a present of some books, which was the most welcome one he could receive; and on these occasions Mrs. Rumney generally became possessor of a dozen or two of wine, which was carefully hoarded as a kind of parish-stock, to which every sick person might look in her vicinity, as long as there was any left: for as the good priest was the spiritual father of his flock, considering their joys, sorrows, unions, and differences, as his own immediate care,—so his pious and worthy partner, according to her utmost ability, left nothing undone that could contribute to their welfare. To her little stock of superfluities they all looked in the hour of want, and to her knowledge in that of suffering; her kindness was their comfort, and her skill their consolation; and, of course, her joys were their joys, and her sorrows were their afflictions. When the pastor's crop failed, the poorest parishioner he had found a sheaf for his minister's barn; when his lambs died, every shepherd around rejoiced when his ewes produced twins, because it furnished an excuse for offering one to his worship.

The inhabitants of this part of England enjoy a degree of equality unknown to any other; and which, though it prevents the accumulation of property in the degree it is generally diffused over the island, yet prevents also much poverty, and the evils arising from servility; the land is almost universally held by a kind of little gentry, who being owners, not farmers, enjoy all the independence of country 'squires, though they are often nearly as poor as their cottagers; these call themselves statesmen—the eldest son is sole heir—and it is by no means uncommon to find them residents on the very spot where their fathers have lived since before the Conquest; and it is their pride to persist, as far as they are able, in all the customs which prevailed in the days of their forefathers—a circumstance inimical to improvement, but beneficial to morals; for as the annals of a family transmit naturally the most favourable side of its character, so the present possessor is called upon to preserve, unimpaired, the good faith, integrity, or religious disposition of his forefathers; and becomes bound to certain restraints on his passions, which cannot fail to be beneficial to himself, and furnish an example to his children and neighbours of the greatest utility. And as the native good sense and vigorous intellect of men, soberly exercised, lead them to consider what is really good in that which increasing civilization offers to their attention, it may be fairly inferred, that the Cumberland and Westmoreland little landholders do not reject many essential advantages at this day, by adhering to the practice of their fathers, whilst they retain a considerable portion of their real good from their amiable partiality.

Amongst the principal blessings thus derived, may be considered the universality of learning; at least such a portion of it as we have assigned to Agnes. In every family the Bible is read, and commented upon by the master or mistress of the house; and as much of profane history understood as is connected with it, and tends to cast light upon it; and to this is usually added a knowledge of local history, connected with that of the country. A taste for poetry is prevalent also, by a natural analogy with the minds of a people, who inhabiting a sublime and picturesque country, often the seat of the border warfare, and still subject to feudal tenures, circumstances which all have a tendency to inspire the mind with images of beauty, terror, and interest, which constitute the very best essence of poetry, and give it the power of delighting the imagination without corrupting the heart.

To return from a digression which, we trust, was not useless, since it serves to help many a wanderer from these sequestered glades, to recal to their minds, and, I trust, their affections, the simple people they have left behind; and those who have not been acquainted with them, to contemplate a new order in society, which, however remote from their own circle, can never be contemptible or unworthy their notice; we proceed to say, that during the autumn, when Agnes Rumney had completed her nineteenth year, the gentleman in question visited his seat, after an absence of four years, accompanied by several friends from the south, and having, amongst other inmates, a young artist of great abilities, who came into this country for the purpose of taking sketches of the romantic scenery it so profusely exhibits.

Mr. Rumney, on his visit to the great house, returned under the pleasing impression refined society never fails to give the mind calculated for enjoying it, when but rarely admitted to the intellectual feast; but he dwelt more on the pleasure the young artist's society had given him than on all the rest; his wit, his eloquence, the variety of his information, the versatility of his manners, the brilliancy of his imagination, the sublimity of his conceptions,—all were by turns the theme of the good man's praise; and Agnes and her mother listened till they partook his enthusiasm, and ardently desired to become acquainted with this extraordinary stranger.

Their wishes were gratified much sooner than they expected, for Mr. Lewis, the artist, having been much pleased with the simplicity, sanctity, and good sense of the Cumberland divine—and being subject to pursue, with enthusiasm, whatever had the power to attract him—and to admire or despise, love or hate, whatever lay in his path—paid Mr. Rumney an early visit, desiring to be led by him into some of those scenes where he could pursue his delightful avocation; after spending some hours of which, he would return to partake his dinner.

The master of the house heard this with pleasure; the mistress, on "hospitable thoughts intent," ran to apprise Agnes of the expected guest, and they united in straining every nerve to add to the comforts of their plain but hospitable table. Mr. Lewis was charmed with all he saw, but especially with Agnes,—the delight he felt he communicated; for the brilliance of his conversation exceeded even what it had done in a higher circle; and Mr. Rumney, perhaps flattered by that circumstance, exclaimed, the moment after he had shook hands at parting with him, "Well, what do you say to this wonderful young man? Have you ever seen any thing like him?"

"Never," returned his wife; "but still I liked him best when he took the children on his knee, and told them about his pranks and misfortunes when he was a little one."

"That was natural enough for you, my love; but he has pleased me more than any thing, by explaining those peculiarities in perspective, which have so often puzzled me when ascending the mountains."

"I liked him the best," said Agnes, timidly, "when, at the very moment he was quoting that fine passage of poetry, at the name of mother, his own seemed to cross his mind, his eyes filled with tears, and he was unable to proceed; for then I felt that, surprising and clever as he is, his heart felt just as my own would have done at such a sad remembrance."

"Bless thee, my bonny bairn," said the mother, tenderly kissing her; "his mother, with all the joy she must once have had in such a son, could not be happier than I am in my Aggy."

Mr. Lewis's visit was soon renewed, and in a short time he became almost a constant inmate in the family; and as the timidity of Agnes gave way, and he discovered the abilities that she possessed, it was evident that he became more pleased with her conversation than even her person, which was uncommonly attractive, though less striking to an inhabitant than a stranger; as in her neighbourhood almost every woman is delicately fair, and elegantly formed; but there was something in the unpretending good sense, the artless propriety, and dignified submission, which marked the conduct of Agnes in every action of her life, added to the compassionate tenderness and lively devotion, which was occasionally exhibited in her conduct, that struck the feelings and attached the heart of Mr. Lewis. He had spent much time amongst the great, the gay, and the accomplished,—where his various talents, elegant manners, and fine person, had attracted their attention, and induced them to call forth all their powers of pleasing, since every person is anxious to be appreciated by those they consider proficients or judges; but he had never yet met with a young woman at once so simple and so wise as Agnes; and he yielded with his accustomed submission to the prevailing impulse, to the passion which she had inspired, and which it was not difficult to awaken in her, being already prepossessed in his favour.

With an open countenance and ingenuous heart, Lewis honourably confessed to his reverend friend, that his paternal fortune was small, and nearly consumed by the unavoidable expences contracted in pursuing his art,—that he believed he had not, since the loss of his parents, conducted his affairs with all the prudence in the world,—and that he was subject to impetuosity of temper, which sometimes hurried him into extravagances he afterwards repented of, and follies he despised; "but," he added, "I have a heart capable of unbounded tenderness, of sublime devotion, and deep contrition. Thank God, my nature is undebased by vicious propensity; my name unstained by reproach; my errors have been the errors of genius; and have a claim on the mercy of all who know how to estimate the peculiarities attached to it."

The frankness and humility of confession never fail to interest the heart; and there was little doubt but the rector gave full credit to his young friend for all that was most amiable in his conduct, in this;—and the consciousness that he had not a shilling in the world to give his daughter, induced him to believe that it would ill become him to make any remarks on pecuniary matters;—lightly as Mr. Lewis thought of his own property, it appeared wealth in the eyes of the good man, who had never possessed half so much in his life; and as he had heard him spoken of at the hall as a man of prodigious genius, who would be an honour to his country, and had actually beheld him receive a sum of money for one picture, equal to his whole income, he could not form any idea of want being attached to his daughter's future situation, and concluded this indirect method of reassuring his mind on a subject for which he felt no fears, was amongst the eccentricities which, in despite of his affection, he had sometimes painfully contemplated in his amiable young friend.

But on other subjects the good man felt it a duty to be more explicit; he had many conversations with Mr. Lewis on morals and religion; on all of which the young man spoke with an air of lively animation and deep interest—as one that felt all the beauty of virtue, and the excellence of Christianity:—"'Tis true," said the pastor, as relating these conversations to his anxious wife, "he does not enter into particular disquisitions on lesser points quite so much as I could wish; but I impute this to the difficulty of restraining that soaring fancy and ardent spirit, which naturally mingles its sublime rhapsodies with the contemplation of divine things in the mind of a man of genius, and prevents him from stooping in all things to the letter of the law; by inspiring him with more noble conceptions, more exalted views of the excellence of our holy religion, and the beauty of truth, than minds of a common cast are favoured with."

Mrs. Rumney's mind, though sensible, acute, and vigorous, had been so long under the complete guidance of her husband, through whose more cultivated intellect, as a faithful medium, she looked on every object; that it was no wonder she saw as he did, in an instance where her affections, like his own, were drawn forcibly towards one, who appeared not only calculated to make her daughter happy, but to raise her to that station of life they naturally concluded their beloved child was calculated to adorn; and where it was probable her good example might be efficacious to others, and not unlikely that her acquaintance with that world to which they were nearly strangers, might enable her, in various ways, to benefit the younger branches of their still increasing family: under these united considerations, therefore, they bestowed Agnes on the young man, in the fullest confidence of her happiness; perceiving that she was most tenderly attached to him, and that she looked up to him with that veneration for his wisdom, and admiration of his talents, which they thought the proper characteristics of a wife's affection; whilst on his part there was a sentiment of love so nearly approaching to idolatry for her, that the worthy pastor would have thought it a subject for his severe reprehension; since in his opinion, which was ever regulated by the word of God, "inordinate affection," even for the most amiable human being, was in a degree sinful; but he concluded that this sensation was a part of that enthusiasm which was inseparable from true genius; he was therefore induced to smile at that in his son-in-law which he would have condemned in another.

For a short time after the marriage of Agnes, the young couple continued to reside in the parsonage, in order to enable Mr. Lewis to finish a set of sketches he was taking from the surrounding scenery. This period was the holiday of Agnes's life; she accompanied her beloved husband on his various little expeditions for distant views; she explored with him the wild dale, and traced the meandering rivulet, climbed the towering mountain, and gazed on the beauteous vale below, while with a painter's eye, and poet's tongue, he led her from one object of interest to another; expatiating on their beauties, explaining their use in the great scale of creation, and finally, glorifying the Almighty hand so eminently visible in scenes like these. From the humble rill that trickled down the pendant rock, to the proud lake that stretched its ample mirror through the broadest valley; from the grassy hillock to the lofty mountain, his comprehensive glance pervaded whatever was beautiful and grand; and felt in all,

These are thy glorious works, Parent of good,

Almighty! thine this universal frame,

Thus wond'rous fair.—— ——

The native refinement, and energy of his young and pliant wife, soon enabled her to partake with no common fervour the elegant and sublime enthusiasm which affected his mind; but yet she was neither so delighted by the raptures thus awakened, nor so dazzled by the brilliance of powers thus displayed, as not to be conscious that the different hours, and more expensive habits of her husband, rendered their residence at her father's inconvenient and improper; and painful as it was to leave a home so dear, she by no means sought to protract her stay beyond the appointed time; though she left it with a degree of solicitude for future life, which until this time had never clouded her humble views, or troubled her contented bosom.