AUTIIOKS. 



him to cnrry onhis usual researches. 

 In 1636, however, this affection of 

 the eye became more serious ; and, 

 in 1637, his left eye was attacked 

 with the same disease. His medi- 

 cal friends at first supposed that 

 cataracts were formed in the crys- 

 talline lens, and anticipated a cure 

 from the operation of couching. 

 These hopes were fallacious. The 

 disease turned out to be in the 

 cornea, and every attempt to restore 

 its transparency was fruitless. In a 

 few months the white cloud covered 

 the whole aperture of the pupil, and 



Galileo became totally blind. This 

 sudden and severe calamity had 

 almost overwhelmed Galileo and 

 his friends. In writing to a corres- 

 pondent he exclaims, "Alas! your 

 dear friend and servant has become 

 totally and irreparably blind. These 

 heavens, thi% earth, /this universe, 

 which by wonderful observation I 

 had enlarged a thousand times be- 

 yond the belief of past ages, are 

 henceforth shrunk into the narrow 

 space which I occupy myself. So 

 it pleases God ; it shall, therefore* 

 please me also." 



AUTHORS, 



PRECOCITY. 



DEEMODY, CHATTERTON, ETC. 



Cowley received the applauses of 

 the gre.it at eleven, Pope at twelve, 

 and Milton at sixteen. The meed 

 of distinguished praise, therefore, 

 cannot be denied this wonderful 

 boy [Dermody], when it is related 

 that at ten years old he had written 

 as much genuine poetry as either of 

 these great men had produced at 

 nearly double that age. Beared 

 in the metropolis of a great nation, 

 where genius finds many excite- 

 ments, their early effusions were 

 blazoned forth with admiration. 

 Very, different at this time was the 

 fate of our extraordinary youth; 

 with no pattern of prudence before 

 liis eyes, no stimulus to exertion, 

 no protecting hand to cherish the 

 opening bud of genius ; but, like the 

 unhappy Chatterton, slumbering in 

 obscurity, neglected and unknown. 

 (Life by Raymond.) 



Dermody died at the age of 

 twenty-seven years and six months. 

 In the cast of his mind he resembled 

 the unfortunate Chatterton, and in 

 his propensities the eccentric Sa- 



vage, but in precocity of talent and 

 of classical information, excelled 

 both them and every other rival, 

 having in the first fourteen years of 

 his life acquired a competent know- 

 ledge of the Greek, the Latin, the 

 French, and Italian languages, and 

 a little of the Spanish. Like Savage, 

 he would participate in the plea- 

 sures of the lowest company, but had 

 not the same eagerness after money, 

 nor the same effrontery in demand- 

 ing it of his friends. And notwith- 

 standing Dermody's insatiate desire 

 for liquor kept him in perpetual po- 

 verty, yet his applications (though 

 full of lamentations) were never de- 

 graded by meanness or fulsome adu- 

 lation ; nor did ingratitude, in his 

 worst excesses, ever sully his charac- 

 ter through life. . . . Had he qualified 

 those errors which hurt only him- 

 self; had his ambition kept pace 

 with the encouragement which he 

 received ; had he studied and pur- 

 sued moral with the same ardour 

 as poetical ; had his regard for cha- 

 racter and decorum equalled his 

 poverty ami his love of dissipation; 

 he might have lived to be the ad- 



