320 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



much pressed, yet Robert always 

 quickened his steps to get into the 

 town on a Sunday evening soon 

 enough to attend this lecture. 



" The preacher lived somewhere 

 at the west end of the town, his name 

 was Fawcet. His language was 

 just such as the Rambler is written 

 in; his action like a person acting 

 a tragedy; his discourse rational, 

 andfree from the cant of Methodism. 



" Of him Robert learned to ac- 

 cent what he called hard words; 

 and otherwise improved himself; 

 and gained the most enlarged no- 

 tions of Providence. 



" He went sometimes with me 

 to a debating-society at Coach- 

 makers' Hall, but not often; and 

 a few times to Covent-garden the- 

 atre. These are all the opportu- 

 nities he everhad to learn from pub- 

 lic speakers. As to books, he had 

 to wade through two or three 

 folios : a History of England, Bri- 

 tish Traveller, and a Geography. 

 But he always read them as a task, 

 or to oblige us who bought them. 

 And as they came in sixpenny 

 numbers weekly, he had about as 

 many hours to read as other boys 

 spend in play. 



" I at that time," proceeds his 

 brother, " read the London Ma- 

 gazine; and in that work about 

 two sheets were set apart for a re- 

 view; Robert seemed always eager 

 to read this review. Here he 

 could see what the literary men 

 were doing, and learn how to judge 

 of the merits of the works that came 

 out. And I observed that he al- 

 ways looked at the poet's corner. 

 And one day he repeated a song 

 which he composed to an old tune. 

 I was much sui prised that a boy of 

 sixteen should make so smooth 

 verses: so I persuaded him to try 



whether the editor of our paper 

 would give them a place in the 

 poet's corner. And he succeeded, 

 and they were printed. 



" I remember," says Mr. G. 

 Bloomfield, continuing his narra- 

 tive, "a little piece which he called 

 the Sailor's Return: in which he 

 tried to describe the feelings of an 

 honest tar, who after a long absence, 

 saw his dear native village first 

 rising into view. This, too, ob- 

 tained a place in the poet's corner. 



" And as he was so young," his 

 brother proceeds, "it shews some 

 genius in him, and some industry, 

 to have acquired so much know- 

 ledge of the use of words in so little 

 time. Indeed at this time myself 

 and my fellow workmen in the 

 garret began to gather instruction 

 from him, though not more than 

 sixteen years old. 



" About this time there came 

 a man to lodge at our lodgings 

 that was troubled with fits. Ro- 

 bert was so much hurt to see this 

 poor creature drawn into such 

 frightful forms, and to hear his 

 horrid screams, that I was forced 

 to leave the lodging. We went to 

 Blue-Hart-court, Bell-aUey. In 

 our new garret we found a singular 

 character, James Kay, a native of 

 Dundee. He was a middle-aged 

 man, of a good understanding, and 

 yet a furious Calvinist. He had 

 many books, and some which he 

 did not value: such as the Seasons, 

 Paradise Lost, and some Novels. 

 These books he lent to Robert; 

 who spent all his leisure hours in 

 reading the Seasons, which he was 

 now capable of reading. I never 

 heard him give so much praise to 

 any book as to that. 



"I think it was in the year 1784 

 that the question came to be de- 



