At the College of Rodez 



he would have played truant. But he was, 

 happily, from an early age, a worker; be- 

 cause industry was for him both a family in- 

 heritance and an imperious necessity. Had 

 he not been sent to college on condition of 

 winning prizes? Could he show himself an 

 idle scholar when he saw his parents wear- 

 ing themselves out in order to supply the 

 needs of their family? Moreover, as he 

 rose from class to class, the love of learn- 

 ing increased within him. Latin ceased to 

 be repulsive, and became even wholly sym- 

 pathetic, when he found, in the fifth class, 

 thanks to the genius of Virgil, that it dig- 

 nified the humble joys of rural life by the 

 emphasis of skilfully chosen words and bril- 

 liant colours of the poet: 



By easy stages I came to Virgil, and was much 

 smitten with Meliboeus, Corydon, Menalcas, 

 Damoetas, and the rest of them. The scandals 

 of the ancient shepherds fortunately passed unno- 

 ticed ; and within the frame in which the charac- 

 ters moved were exquisite details concerning the 

 Bee, the Cicada, the Turtle-dove, the Crow, the 

 Nanny-goat, and the golden broom. A veritable 

 delight were these stones of the fields, sung in 

 sonorous verse; and the Latin poet left a lasting 

 impression on my classical recollections. 1 



1 Souvenirs, VI., p. 61. The Life of the Fly, chap, vi., 

 "My Schooling." 



69 



