the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第22章

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he　peculiarities　of　William's　constitution；　for　at　fifteen　he　ceased　to　be　molested　by　disease；　and；　though　never　a　strong　man；　continued；　during　many　years　of　labour　and　anxiety；　of　nights　passed　in　debate　and　of　summers　passed　in　London；　to　be　a　tolerably　healthy　one。　　It　was　probably　on　account　of　the　delicacy　of　his　frame　that　he　was　not　educated　like　other　boys　of　the　same　rank。　　Almost　all　the　eminent　English　statesmen　and　orators　to　whom　he　was　afterwards　opposed　or　allied；　North；　Fox；　Shelburne；　Windham；　Grey；　Wellesley；　Grenville；　Sheridan；　Canning；　went　through　the　training　of　great　public　schools。　　Lord　Chatham　had　himself　been　a　distinguished　Etonian：　　and　it　is　seldom　that　a　distinguished　Etonian　forgets　his　obligations　to　Eton。　　But　William's　infirmities　required　a　vigilance　and　tenderness　such　as　could　be　found　only　at　home。　　He　was　therefore　bred　under　the　paternal　roof。　　His　studies　were　superintended　by　a　clergyman　named　Wilson；　and　those　studies；　though　often　interrupted　by　illness；　were　prosecuted　with　extraordinary　success。　　Before　the　lad　had　completed　his　fifteenth　year；　his　knowledge　both　of　the　ancient　languages　and　of　mathematics　was　such　as　very　few　men　of　eighteen　then　carried　up　to　college。　　He　was　therefore　sent；　towards　the　close　of　the　year　1773；　to　Pembroke　Hall；　in　the　university　of　Cambridge。　　So　young　a　student　required　much　more　than　the　ordinary　care　which　a　college　tutor　bestows　on　undergraduates。　　The　governor；　to　whom　the　direction　of　William's　academical　life　was　confided；　was　a　bachelor　of　arts　named　Pretyman；　who　had　been　senior　wrangler　in　the　preceding　year；　and　who；　though　not　a　man　of　prepossessing　appearance　or　brilliant　parts；　was　eminently　acute　and　laborious；　a　sound　scholar；　and　an　excellent　geometrician。　　At　Cambridge；　Pretyman　was；　during　more　than　two　years；　the　inseparable　companion；　and　indeed　almost　the　only　companion　of　his　pupil。　　A　close　and　lasting　friendship　sprang　up　between　the　pair。　　The　disciple　was　able；　before　he　completed　his　twenty…eighth　year；　to　make　his　preceptor　Bishop　of　Lincoln　and　Dean　of　St　Paul's；　and　the　preceptor　showed　his　gratitude　by　writing　a　life　of　the　disciple；　which　enjoys　the　distinction　of　being　the　worst　biographical　work　of　its　size　in　the　world。　Pitt；　till　he　graduated；　had　scarcely　one　acquaintance；　attended　chapel　regularly　morning　and　evening；　dined　every　day　in　hall；　and　never　went　to　a　single　evening　party。　　At　seventeen；　he　was　admitted；　after　the　bad　fashion　of　those　times；　by　right　of　birth；　without　any　examination；　to　the　degree　of　the　Master　of　Arts。　　But　he　continued　during　some　years　to　reside　at　college；　and　to　apply　himself　vigorously；　under　Pretyman's　direction；　to　the　studies　of　the　place；　while　mixing　freely　in　the　best　academic　society。　The　stock　of　learning　which　Pitt　laid　in　during　this　part　of　his　life　was　certainly　very　extraordinary。　　In　fact；　it　was　all　that　he　ever　possessed；　for　he　very　early　became　too　busy　to　have　any　spare　time　for　books。　　The　work　in　which　he　took　the　greatest　delight　was　Newton's　Principia。　　His　liking　for　mathematics；　indeed；　amounted　to　a　passion；　which；　in　the　opinion　of　his　instructors；　themselves　distinguished　mathematicians；　required　to　be　checked　rather　than　encouraged。　　The　acuteness　and　readiness　with　which　he　solved　problems　was　pronounced　by　one　of　the　ablest　of　the　moderators；　who　in　those　days　presided　over　the　disputations　in　the　schools；　and　conducted　the　examinations　of　the　Senate　House；　to　be　unrivalled　in　the　university。　　Nor　was　the　youth's　proficiency　in　classical　learning　less　remarkable。　　In　one　respect；　indeed；　he　appeared　to　disadvantage　when　compared　with　even　second…rate　and　third…rate　men　from　public　schools。　　He　had　never；　while　under　Wilson's　care；　been　in　the　habit　of　composing　in　the　ancient　languages：　　and　he　therefore　never　acquired　that　knack　of　versification　which　is　sometimes　possessed　by　clever　boys　whose　knowledge　of　the　language　and　literature　of　Greece　and　Rome　is　very　superficial。　　It　would　have　been　utterly　out　of　his　power　to　produce　such　charming　elegiac　lines　as　those　in　which　Wellesley　bade　farewell　to　Eton；　or　such　Virgilian　hexameters　as　those　in　which　Canning　described　the　pilgrimage　to　Mecca。　　But　it　may　be　doubted　whether　any　scholar　has　ever；　at　twenty；　had　a　more　solid　and　profound　knowledge　of　the　two　great　tongues　of　the　old　civilised　world。　　The　facility　with　which　he　penetrated　the　meaning　of　the　most　intricate　sentences　in　the　Attic　writers　astonished　veteran　critics。　　He　had　set　his　heart　on　being　intimately　acquainted　with　all　the　extant　poetry　of　Greece；　and　was　not　satisfied　till　he　had　mastered　Lycophron's　Cassandra；　the　most　obscure　work　in　the　whole　range　of　ancient　literature。　　This　strange　rhapsody；　the　difficulties　of　which　have　perplexed　and　repelled　many　excellent　scholars；　〃he　read；〃　says　his　preceptor；　〃with　an　ease　at　first　sight；　which；　if　I　had　not　witnessed　it；　I　should　have　thought　beyond　the　compass　of　human　intellect。〃　To　modern　literature　Pitt　paid　comparatively　little　attention。　　He　knew　no　living　language　except　French；　and　French　he　knew　very　imperfectly。　　With　a　few　of　the　best　English　writers　he　was　intimate；　particularly　with　Shakspeare　and　Milton。　　The　debate　in　Pandemonium　was；　as　it　well　deserved　to　be；　one　of　his　favourite　passages；　and　his　early　friends　used　to　talk；　long　after　his　death；　of　the　just　emphasis　and　the　melodious　cadence　with　which　they　had　heard　him　recite　the　incomparable　speech　of　Belial。　　He　had　indeed　been　carefully　trained　from　infancy　in　the　art　of　managing　his　voice；　a　voice　naturally　clear　and　deep…toned。　　His　father；　whose　oratory　owed　no　small　part　of　its　effect　to　that　art；　had　been　a　most　skilful　and　judicious　instructor。　　At　a　later　period；　the　wits　of　Brookes's；　irritated　by　observing；　night　after　night；　how　powerfully　Pitt's　sonorous　elocution　fascinated　the　rows　of　country　gentlemen；　reproached　him　with　having　been　〃taught　by　his　dad　on　a　stool。〃　His　education；　indeed；　was　well　adapted　to　form　a　great　parliamentary　speaker。　　One　argument　often　urged　against　those　classical　studies　which　occupy　so　large　apart　of　the　early　life　of　every　gentleman　bred　in　the　south　of　our　island　is；　that　they　prevent　him　from　acquiring　a　command　of　his　mother　tongue；　and　that　it　is　not　unusual　to　meet　with　a　youth　of　excellent　parts；　who　writes　Ciceronian　Latin　prose　and　Horatian　Latin　Alcaics；　but　who　would　find　it　impossible　to　express　his　thoughts　in　pure；　perspicuous；　and　forcible　English。　　There　may　perhaps　be　some　truth　in　this　observation。　　But　the　classical　studies　of　Pitt　were　carried　on　in　a　peculiar　manner；　and　had　the　effect　of　enriching　his　English　vocabulary；　and　of　making　him　wonderfully　expert　in　the　art　of　constructing　correct　English　sentences。　　His　practice　was　to　look　over　a　page　or　two　of　a　Greek　or　Latin　author；　to　make　himself　master　of　the　meaning；　and　then　to　read　the　passage　straightforward　into　his　own　language。　　This　practice；　begun　under　his　first　teacher　Wilson；　was　continued　under　Pretyman。　　It　is　not　strange　that　a　young　man　of　great　abilities；　who　had　been　exercised　daily　in　this　way　during　ten　years；　should　have　acquired　an　almost　unrivalled　power　of　putting　his　thoughts；　without　premeditation；　into　words　well　selected　and　well　arranged。　Of　all　the　remains　of　antiquity；　the　orations　were　those　on　which　he　bestowed　the　most　minute　examination。　　His　favourite　employment　was　to　compare　harangues　on　opposite　sides　of　the　same　question；　to　analyse　them；　and　to　observe　which　of　the　arguments　of　the　first　speaker　were　refuted　by　the　second；　which　were　evaded；　and　which　were　left　untouched。　　Nor　was　it　only　in　books　that　he　at　this　time　studied　the　art　of　parliamentary　fencing。　　When　he　was　at　home；　he　had　frequent　opportunities　of　hearing　important　debates　at　Westminster；　and　he　heard　them；　not　only　with　interest　and　enjoyment；　but　with　a　close　scientific　attention　resembling　that　with　which　a　diligent　pupil　at　Guy's　Hospital　watches　every　turn　of　the　hand　of　a　great　surgeon　through　a　difficult　operation。　　On　one　of　these　occasions；　Pitt；　a　youth　whose　abilities　were　as　yet　known　only　to　his　own　family　and　to　a　small　knot　of　college　friends；　was　introduced　on　the　steps　of　the　throne　in　the　House　of　Lords　to　Fox；　who　was　his　senior　by　eleven　years；　and　who　was　already　the　greatest　debater；　and　one　of　the　greatest　orators；　that　had　appeared　in　England。　　Fox　used　afterwards　to　relate　that；　as　the　discussion　proceeded；　Pitt　repeatedly　turned　to　him；　and　said；　〃But　surely；　Mr　Fox；　that　might　be　met　thus；〃　or；　〃Yes；　but　he　lays　himself　open　to　this　retort。〃　　What　the　particular　criticisms　were　Fox　had　forgotten；　but　he　said　that　he　was　much　struck　at　the　time　by　the　precocity　of　the　lad　who；　through　the　whole　sitting；　seemed　to　be　thinking　only　how　all　the　speeches　on　both　sides　could　be　answered。　One　of　the　young　man's　visits　to　the　House　of　Lords　was　a　sad　and　memorable　era　in　his　life。　　He　had　not　quite　completed　his　nineteenth　year；　when；　on　the　7th　of　April　1778；　he　attended　his　father　to　Westminster。　　A　great　debate　was　expected。　　It　was　known　that　France　had　recognised　the　independence　of　the　United　States。　　The　Duke　of　Richmond　was　about　to　declare　his　opinion　that　all