MEMOIR OF PLINY. 27 



which that emperor committed to his charge, he re- 

 turned home again to his books. After a short and 

 light repast at noon (agreeably to the good old cus- 

 tom of our ancestors), he would frequently in the 

 summer, if he was disengaged from business, repose 

 himself in the sun, during which time some author 

 was read to him, from whom he made extracts and 

 observations ; as indeed this was his constant method, 

 whatever book he read, for it was a maxim of his, 

 * that no book was so bad, but something might be 

 learned from it/ When this was over, he generally 

 went into the cold bath, and as soon as he came out 

 of it, just took a slight refreshment, and then repos- 

 ed himself for a little while. Then, as if it had 

 been a new day, he immediately resumed his studies 

 till supper- time, when a book was again read to him, 

 on which he would make some hasty remarks. I re- 

 member once his reader having pronounced a word 

 wrong, somebody at the table made him repeat it 

 again, upon which my uncle asked his friend if he 

 understood it ; who acknowledged that he did, 

 ' Why then (said he), would you make him go back 

 again? We have lost by this interruption above 

 ten lines/ so covetous was this great man of time ! 

 In summer he always rose from supper with day- 

 light, and in winter as soon as it was dark ; and this 

 rule he observed as strictly as if it had been a law 

 of state. Such was his manner of life amidst the 

 noise and hurry of the town, but in the country his 

 whole time was devoted to study without intermis- 



