178 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF DOM PEDRO II. 



Dom Pedro to govern his empire, acquitted themselves in a manner 

 worthy the honor and gratitude of their countrymen. While endeavor- 

 ing to establish the empire of law in this nation distracted by anarchy, 

 tin- regents never for a moment forgot the physical and intellectual 

 education of the young monarch. The principal direction was intrusted 

 t.» the bishop of Chrysopolis, to the great satisfaction of all acquainted 

 with this venerable gentleman, eminent not only for his virtues, but 

 also for his great attainments. 



Under this wise and paternal instruction, Dom Pedro, with his two 

 young sisters for companions, passed his days in the midst of books and 

 toys, with all a child's unconscious freedom from care, when he received 

 the terrible news of the death of his illustrious father (1834). He had 

 not then completed his tenth year. The intelligence, which was as un- 

 expected as sad, produced in his youthful mind, after an interval of the 

 most violent grief, a complete change; he became grave almost to sad- 

 ness, while all his actions and words seemed to be carefully considered. 

 This transformation can be very naturally explained. The young prince, 

 deprived of his mother, had settled all his filial affection and hopes upon 

 his father. His confidence in the power of the parent, who had be- 

 queathed to him his rights as a monarch, to draw the sword if necessary 

 to maintain them intact, as he had done for his daughter in Portugal, was 

 in accordance with the ideas of his age. This prop suddenly withdrawn, 

 this powerful moral support lost to him,' he felt the necessity of self- 

 reliance and of preparation for the gulf which might any moment open 

 under his feet in a country where the ambition and the vanity of the 

 political men were unbounded, while moral as well as material law were 

 absolutely wanting. He then very naturally determined to make a man 

 of himself, to seriously prepare not only to guard against danger, but 

 also to meet it if necessary. A happy inspiration taught him that the 

 surest way to this end was the acquirement of superior knowledge, of 

 science in all its branches. The most learned professors, national and 

 foreign, to be found in the country or that could be obtained from abroad 

 had been provided for his classical studies, and later, others were in- 

 trusted with his instruction in philosophy and mathematics as well as 

 the natural, moral, and political sciences. Although pursuing all these 

 branches with equal facility and like ardor, he had for the natural sci- 

 ences a marked preference amounting to enthusiasm. His application 

 to study soon produced results which excited the admiration of those 

 who surrounded him, but also caused uneasiness to the bishop of Chrys- 

 opolis and the regent in the fear that he might injure his health by too 

 great application. It is related that one evening the venerable instructor 

 was obliged to remonstrate seriously with his young pupil because the 

 latter had fallen into the habit of relighting his lamp for study after it 

 had been extinguished by the bishop for the night. 



The fruits of his industry soon became evident in his conversation, 

 which was remarkably intelligent for one of his age, nor was it without 



