250 THOMAS YOUNG. 



After leaving Compton, he devoted himself to the 

 study of Hebrew. Mr. Toulmin, of whom Young speaks 

 with affection, lent him grammars of the Hebrew, 

 Chaldee, Syriac, and Samaritan languages, all of which 

 he studied with diligence and delight. Mr. Toulmin 

 also lent him the Lord's Prayer in more than a hundred 

 languages, the examination of which gave him extra- 

 ordinary pleasure. Through one of those accidents 

 which enter so largely into the tissue of human life, 

 Young found himself at Youngsbury, near Ware, in 

 Hertfordshire. It was a strong testimony to his talent 

 and character, that Mr. Barclay at this time accepted 

 him as the preceptor of his grandson, Mr. Hudson Gur- 

 ney, although Young was then little more than fourteen, 

 and his pupil only a year and a half younger than him- 

 self. Thus began a lifelong friendship between him 

 and Hudson Gurney. Young spent five years at Youngs- 

 bury, which he deemed the most profitable years of his 

 life. He spent the winter months in London, visiting 

 booksellers' shops and hearing occasional lectures. He 

 kept a journal in Hertfordshire, the first entry of which 

 informs us that he had written out specimens of the 

 Bible in thirteen different languages. It is recorded of 

 Young that, when requested by an acquaintance, who 

 presumed somewhat upon his youthful appearance, to 

 exhibit a specimen of his handwriting, he very delicately 

 rebuked the inquiry by writing a sentence in his best 

 style in fourteen different languages. 



Although the catalogue of Young's books might give 

 the impression that he was a great reader, his reading 

 was limited ; but whatever he read, he completely 

 mastered. Fichte compared the reading of Keviews to 

 the smoking of tobacco, affirming that the two occupa- 

 tions were equally pleasant, and equally profitable. 

 Young, in this sense, was not a smoker. Whatever 



