JOHN STUART MILL. 699 



little for him. He can make short sentences neatly enough ; he gives 

 the heads of the history, in the shape of the succession of kings and 

 consuls ; and, in imitation of his author, he supplies erudite and criti- 

 cal notes.* 



It was about the age when he wrote this history that he was invited 

 to an interview with Lady Spencer (wife of Lord Spencer, then at the 

 head of the Admiralty), her curiosity being roused by the accounts of 

 him. His conversation on the occasion turned chiefly on the person- 

 ages of Roman history, whose characters he fluently hit off". 



My next document is a letter, in his own hand, dated September 

 13, 1814. He was now eight years and four months. He was in the 

 second stage of his studies, when he had begun Latin, and had extended 

 his reading in Greek to the poets, commencing with the Iliad. He was 

 also teaching his sister, two years younger than himself. The event 

 that gave rise to the letter was the migration of the whole family to 

 Bentham's newly acquired residence. Ford Abbey, in Somersetshire. 

 I will give a part and abridge the rest. His correspondent was some 

 intimate friend of the family unknown. 



I have arrived at Ford Abbey without any accident, and am now safely 

 settled there. We are all in good health, except that I have been ill of slight 

 fever for several days, but am now perfectly recovered. 



It is thne to give you a desciuption of the abbey. There is a little hall and 

 a long cloister, which are reckoned very fine architecture, from the door, and 

 likewise two beautiful rooms, a dining-parlor and a breakfast-parlor adorned 

 with fine drawings within one door; on another side is a large hall, adorned 

 with a gilt ceiling ; and beyond it two other rooms, a dining and drawing room, 

 of which the former contains various kinds of musical instruments, and the 

 other is hung with beautiful tapestry. 



To this house there are many staircases. The first of them has little re- 

 markable up it, but that three rooms are hung with tapestry, of which one con- 

 tains a velvet bed, and is therefore called the velvet room. The looking-glass 

 belonging to this room is decorated with nun's lace. 



Up another staircase is a large saloon, hung with admirable tapestry, as 

 also a small library. From this saloon issues a long range of rooms, of which 

 one is fitted up in the Chinese style, and another is hung with silk. There is a 

 little further on a room, which, it is said, was once a nursery ; though the old 

 farmer Glyde, who lives hard by, called out his sons to hear the novelty of a 



' The beginning runs thus (heading " First Alban Government : Roman Conquest in 

 Italy) : " We know not any part," says Dionysius of Halicarnassus, " of the history of Rome 

 till the Sicilian invasions. Before that time the country had not been entered by any 

 foreign invader. After the expulsion of Sicilians, Iberian (?) kings reigned for several 

 years ; but in the time of Latinus, Jilneas, son of Venus and Anchises, came to Italy, and 

 established a kingdom there called Albania. He then succeeded Latinus in the govern- 

 ment, and engaged in the wars of Italy. The Rutuii, a people living near the sea, and 

 extending along the Numicius up to Lavluium, opposed him. However, Turnus their 

 king was defeated and killed by JEneas. ^neas was killed soon after this. The war 

 continued to be carried on chiefly against the Rutuii, to the time of Romulus, the first 

 king of Rome. By him it was that Rome was built." 



