LIFE OF MYTTON. 33 



in his predecessors to drop into an early grave, 

 neither his grreat-frrandfather nor his grandfather 

 lived to see a son come of age. As I can only 

 just remember the father of Mr. Mytton, I am 

 unable to estimate, in this individual instance, the 

 loss of a father to a son in his infant state ; but in 

 most cases, with heirs to large estates, it is irre- 

 parable. It is written of the Gracchi that they were 

 educated " noii tarn in gremio quant in serinone 

 matris ;" * and, although it is not every mother that. 

 is a Sempronia, their history informs us they were-, 

 very little the better for it, if not a great deal the- 

 worse. We cannot marvel at this. When the plant: 

 is young and tender, a gentle force will incline 

 it to whichsoever way we may wish, but ere it has^ 

 even attained its full growth it very unwillingly bends- 

 to our hand ; and thus it is with human kind. The 

 excessive tenderness of a fond mother is no match 

 for the wayward temper of a darling boy, and how 

 often is his ruin to be traced to this source ! In 

 the weakness of her affection she is unable to say 

 "No;" and she only finds out when it is too late. 



* It is difficult to render this passage literally ; but it implies that 

 the Gracchi were not onl>' nursed, but in part educated, by theii 

 mother. 



