9 
A habit of thinking for himself strengthened his 
understanding ; and his son has often expressed 
himself deeply indebted to his father’s, and it ought 
also to be added his mother’s, encouragement not 
to follow any received opinion blindly and impli- 
citly, but dare to think for himself and stand alone. 
For the free action this gave his mind, he to the 
last year of his existence expressed his obligation 
to both parents. 
The education which Sir James received was en- 
tirely domestic : he never was at a boarding-school, 
and had even as a child, a dread of being sent to 
one. The best masters, however, which the city of 
Norwich afforded, attended him at home, and he 
acquired the knowledge of grammar only through 
the Latin tongue: an English grammar, he has fre- 
quently observed, he never had; nor did his pro- 
ficiency in Latin extend beyond the rudiments of 
the language, till he had passed the usual period of 
a school-boy’s age. 
The French and Italian languages he acquired 
correctly, and made some progress in mathematics ; 
and in the society of well-informed, sensible parents, 
those hours which in a public school are frequently 
grievous, or unavoidably wasted, those domestic 
evenings which expand the heart with the under- 
standing, and “leave us leisure to be good,” were 
devoted to reading, or lessons rendered pleasing by 
the associations connected with them. 
His timidity has just been mentioned; but it was 
the timidity of a tender infant mind, fearful of doing 
wrong. As he grew older, mental courage was per- 
