THE CAUSATION OF DISEASE. 27 1 



" Eastern Life, Past and Present " aged 46 



"The Thirty Years' Peace" aged 46-48 



Though she stopped writing in 1866, her intellectual powers con- 

 tinued all but unabated till her death, at the age of 74. She had 

 very bad health all her life, and for the last twenty-one years 

 suffered intensely from the disease which ultimately killed her. 



Mes. Fenwick Miller, Eminent Women Series. 



Charlotte Bronte, b. 1816; d. 1855. — Wrote tales, poems, &c, 

 of considerable merit from the early age of 13. Her first novel, 

 however, did not appear till she was 30 ; in the same year she 

 wrote what is generally accepted as her masterpiece (" Jane Eyre," 

 1846). Her other two novels (" Shirley," 1849 ; " Villette," 1882— 

 the latter by some people accounted her best) appeared at intervals 

 of three years, her work being interrupted by very bad health, from 

 which she suffered all her life. She was only 39 when she died, 

 and would in all probability have done much more good work if she 

 had lived longer. She belonged to a clever, precocious, unhealthy 

 family. 



Mrs. Gaskell. 



George Eliot, b. 181 9; d. 1880. — Her literary career extends 

 over a period of thirty-six years. She began with translations at the 

 age of 24, and wrote her last work (" Theophrastus Such ") the year 

 before her death, which took place at the age of 61. The following 

 is a list of her works, with dates : 



1848. "Translations" .... begun at the age of 24 



1852-8. Contributions to Westminster Review begun at age of 33 



1856-7. " Scenes of Clerical Life " aged 37-38 



1859. "AdamBecle" aged 40 



i860. " Mill on the Floss " and " Lifted Veil" . . aged 41 



1861. " Silas Marner " aged 42 



1862-3. "Komola" aged 43-44 



1864-8. " Spanish Gipsy " aged 45-49 



1866. "Felix Holt" aged 47 



1 87 1. " Middlemarch " aged 52 



1876. " Daniel Deronda " aged 57 



1879. "Impressions of Theophrastus Such". . . aged 60 



Mathilde Blind, Eminent Women Series. 



George Sand, b. 1804; d. 1876. — Began to write at the age of 27, 

 and continued to do so with unabated vigour till ivithin a few days 

 of her death, at the age 0/72. She cannot be said, for any length 



