MEMOIR OF SAMUEL CROMPTON. 319 



His father died when he was very young ; his 

 mother was a prudent and virtuous woman ; and 

 this circumstance, together with the sequestered 

 situation in which they lived, induced a contem- 

 plative turn of mind. He had taken various 

 views of the Christian reUgion, but finally pre- 

 ferred the Swedenborgian faith, without adopting 

 the restrictions it imposes on certain kinds of 

 food. In all his dealings through life, he was 

 strictly honest, patient, and humane. In politics 

 he took little interest, but regretted the waste of 

 life and property which war occasions.* 



When about 16 years old, he learnt to spin 

 upon a jenny (of Hargreaves's make) and had 

 occasionally woven the yarn which he had spim. 

 This being but indifferent work, led him to re- 

 flect how it might be improved, and set him to 

 construct the machine which we are about to 

 describe. He was only 21 years of age when 

 he commenced this undertaking, which took him 

 five years to effect; at least before he could 

 bring his improvements to maturity. As he was 



* At the time of Bonaparte's marriage with the Archduchess 

 of Austria, a lady observed to Mr. Crompton, that she hoped 

 he would have a family, that it might humanize him ; when he 

 quietly replied, " Do you want a breed on 'em :" an instance 

 of his cool and deliberate way of thinking. 



