CHARACTERS. 



787 



liands, in her lord's park, and po- 

 lished at Edinburgh. Enquiry 

 taught the latter that lady Northesk 

 had perished by the dreadfully-fre- 

 quent accident of having set fire to 

 her clothes. — 



He married Mrs. Pole in 1781, 

 and (in consequence of her dislike to 

 Lichfield) removed directly to Der- 

 by. He constantly, from time to 

 time, withstood solicitations from 

 countless families of rank and opu- 

 lence, to remove to London. The 

 most brilliant prospects of success 

 in the capita! were opened to liim, 

 from various quarters, early on his 

 residence at Lichfield, and his atten- 

 tion to them was perpetually re- 

 quested by eminent people. Con- 

 scious of his full habit of body, he 

 probably thought that the establish- 

 ed custom of imbibing changed and 

 pure air by almost daily journies 

 into the country, essential to his 

 health, perhaps to the duration of 

 his life. 



From the time of Dr. Darwin's 

 marriage and removal to Derl)v, his 

 limited biographer can only trace 

 the outlines of his remaining ex- 

 istence. Dr. Darwin was extremely 

 alive (o the beauties of poetic lite- 

 rature, as it rose and expanded 

 around him. No person could be 

 more ready to discern and to praise 

 its graces; but, from thecommenco- 

 mcnt of the " Botanic Garden," the 

 jealous spirit of authorism darkened 

 his candour. Jle had ever main- 

 tained a preference of Akenside's 

 blank verse to Milton's ; declared 

 that it was of higher polish, of 

 more classic purily, and more dig- 

 nified construction. Dr. Darwin's 

 reputation as a [)oet first emanated 

 from Derby, though his Delphic iii- 

 spira/ion.s commenced at F^ichfield ; 

 that as a physician his renown still 

 increased as time rolled od; and iiis 



mortal life declined from its noon. 

 Patients resorted to him, more and 

 more, from every part of the king- 

 dom, and often from the conti- 

 iient. 



About thirteen or fourteen years 

 after Dr. Darwin's second marriage, 

 the Miss Parkers, his relations, 

 opened a female boarding-school at 

 Ashbourne, in Derbyshire. To the 

 education of those ingenious and. 

 good young Avomen he paid some ' 

 general attention, and had sedulous- 

 ly and warmly, by recommendation 

 and by other means, everted himself 

 to serve them. 



The system of his whole life on 

 that theme had been at war with all 

 sort of restraint on the time, the 

 amusement, and the diet of children. 

 Irony was the only corrective wea- 

 pon he had ever used to his own. 

 The docility of them all, and the ta- 

 lents and good qualities of his three 

 eldest sons, one, alas! cut oflfin the 

 dawn of manhood and of fame, and 

 the happy prospects of the other 

 two, had confirmed his disdain of in- 

 cessant attention to young people. 

 He always said, " If you would not 

 have your children arrogant, con- 

 ceited, and hypoci'itical, do not let 

 them perceive that you are continu- 

 ally watching and attending to them ; 

 nor caji you keep that perpetual 

 ■watch icithoiit their perceiving it. 

 Insjjire them with a disdain of mean- 

 ness, falsehood, and promise-break- 

 ing; but do not try to effect this 

 purpose by preceptive declamation, 

 but, as occasion arises, by expres- 

 sed contempt of such as commit 

 tlxose faults, whether it be them- 

 selves or others. Teach them be- 

 nevolence and industry by your own 

 exanijili', for children are emulous 

 to acquire the habits of advanced 

 life, and attach to theui an idea of 

 dignity and importance.'' 



3E2 The 



