CHARACTERS. 



581 



not behold, without emotion, all 

 the different fragments in the 

 hand-writing of Fenelon and of 

 the duke of Burgundy, and which 

 formed the first endeavours to- 

 wards his literary instruction. 



At that time there were few 

 elementary books of education, if 

 we except some that had been 

 produced by the Messieurs dePort- 

 Royal, and Fenelon did not consi- 

 der it as derogatory to his genius 

 or to his situation, as preceptor, to 

 draw up, with his own hands, 

 such introductory works as were 

 necessary. He even compiled a 

 sort of dictionary of the Latin lan- 

 guage, whicli exhibited the defini- 

 tions of each word, and the de- 

 gree of affinity which they had to 

 the French word that was to be 

 translated. And this dictionary 

 he composed under the eyes of his 

 pupil, and during the time of the 

 lesson. This mutual labour served 

 to excite the attention. Some- 

 times Fenelon pretended to seek 

 for a word, which he knew was 

 not yet effaced from the memory 

 of the pupil, and the pupil tri- 

 umphed in the idea of being able 

 to suggest to his master a more 

 accurate or a more felicitous ex- 

 pression. 



Fenelon, however, never forgot 

 that this pupil was the heir to a 

 throne. Hence, he always con- 

 trived to take his themes and 

 versions from mythology, which 

 he considered as a pleasing em- 

 bellishment of the mind, or from 

 some events of modern or ancient 

 history, which he judiciously turn- 

 ed to his moral instruction. He 

 particularlyendeavoured to mingle 

 with them the most remarkable 

 facts of sacred history. He thus 

 fixed deeply in the heart of the 



young prince those important du- 

 ties of religion, which can alone 

 repress the pride of kings, and 

 interpose a check upon the abuse 

 of absolute power: and thus, 

 while he appeared to be instruct- 

 ing him in merely human science, 

 he familiarized him, in fact, with 

 that knowledge which is inti- 

 mately combined with religion 

 and public morals. 



After having given to his pupil 

 models of composition, he excited 

 him to elicit subjects of the same 

 kind from his own imagination, 

 and to discuss them with such ma- 

 terials only as could be within his 

 power, from the natural progress 

 of years and instruction. Many of 

 these attempts are yet extant, and 

 they display more connexion of 

 ideas than would be supposed to 

 belong to a child of his age. 

 Some of them are fables, and 

 others themes and versions. 



It must not be supposed, how- 

 ever, that the vanity of self-love 

 induced the preceptors of the duke 

 of Burgundy to exact from him 

 performances which were beyond 

 his age and power to produce ; 

 nor did they wish to make his 

 education remarkable for a prema- 

 ture degree of success which would 

 exalt their own skill and labour. 

 Fenelon himself relates (after the 

 death of the young prince), " that 

 he was always careful to make 

 him relinquish his studies when- 

 ever he showed any inclination for 

 discourse, or when he could ac- 

 quire useful knowledge, and this 

 often happened. There was still 

 time enough for study, for he was 

 naturally inclined to it ; but his 

 preceptor had also to give him a 

 taste for rational conversation, 

 that he might become sociable; 



