98 LieuL'Colonel Brigg^ Memoir of the early Life of Nana Farnev'is. 



" and involved in utter darkness. But, owing to certain advantages acquired 

 " in some former state, I was early disposed to worship the Deity. This 

 " tendency displayed itself when I was yet a child, at which time I was in 

 " the habit of forming lumps of clay into the shapes which are commonly 

 " put up in the temples, and with which I used to play and perform the 

 " sacrificial rites. Not content with these, I often stole the household 

 " images of the family, and carried them away to some secret place, where 

 " I might go through the forms of our religious ceremonies undisturbed. 

 " For these petty thefts I frequently suffered punishment at my mother's 

 " hands. Both my parents were extremely desirous that I sliould early 

 " acquire knowledge, and did not fail to urge me to study : but my own 

 " stubbornness provoked me to resist their advice, and to be sulky whenever 

 " spoken to on the subject ; so much so that I always wished some evil 

 " might happen to them. 



" I was not contracted in marriage till I was ten years of age {\'732) ; and 

 " at the age of eleven or twelve I began to feel the influence of the passions : 

 " which, together with the bad society into which I accidentally fell at this 

 " period, gave me vicious propensities. About this time I fell acciden- 

 " tally from my horse, and was insensible for two days : but by the interven- 

 " tion of Providence I recovered. 



" My father died when I had attained my fifteenth year (1757), and God 

 " permitted me to be present to perform his funeral obsequies. After which, 

 " perceiving his Highness the Peshwa disposed to be kind to me, from his 

 " treating me as his own child, I accompanied him to the field of battle, and 

 " wentasfarasSeringapatam. Aftermyreturn my marriage was consummated. 

 " I found, however, my propensity to the society of loose females extremely 

 " difficult to control ; and I always reflected with shame and remorse on 

 "my own conduct, when I remembered that my worthy grandfather was a 

 " man as celebrated for his morality and virtue, as for his charity and 

 " religion, and that all my father's relatives were highly pious men. With 

 " these reflections I made up my mind to believe that I derived my evil 

 " propensities from my mother's side, but this did not correct the bent of 

 " my inclination. 



" I however resolved to go to Toka on the Godaveri, and by a strict 

 " attention to devotion and to the service of the temple, obtain grace to 

 " overcome my evil dispositions. I remained there for some time, till at 

 " length Bhao Sahib (the Peshwa's brother) marched with an army into 



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