120 Mary Somerville. 



she very soon became perfectly familiar with the language, 

 and could keep up conversation in Italian without diffi- 

 culty. She never cared to write in any language but 

 English. Her style has been reckoned particularly clear 

 and good, and she was complimented on it by various 

 competent judges, although she herself was always diffi- 

 dent about her writings, saying she was only a self- 

 taught, uneducated Scotchwoman, and feared to use 

 Scotch idioms inadvertently. In speaking she had a 

 very decided but pleasant Scotch accent, and when 

 aroused and excited, would often unconsciously use not 

 only native idioms, but quaint old Scotch words. Her 

 voice was soft and low, and her manner earnest. 



On our way to Eome, where we spent the winter of 

 1817, it was startling to see the fine church of Santa 

 Maria degli Angeli, below Assisi, cut in two ; half 

 of the church and half of the dome above it were 

 still entire ; the rest had been thrown down by the 

 earthquake which had destroyed the neighbouring 

 town of Foligno, and committed such ravages in 

 this part of Umbria. 



At that time I might have been pardoned if I had 

 described St Peter's, the Vatican, and the innume- 

 rable treasures of art and antiquity at Eome ; but 

 now that they are so well known it would be 

 ridiculous and superfluous. Here I gained a little 

 more knowledge about pictures; but I preferred 

 sculpture, partly from the noble specimens of Greek 



