20 THE EDDYSTONE ROCK PART VI. 



kind." He may indeed be said to have paved the way 

 for the more successful enterprise of Smeaton himself; 

 arid his failure was not without its influence in inducing 

 that great builder to exercise the care which he did in 

 devising a structure that should withstand the most 

 violent force of the sea on that coast. Shortly after 

 Winstanley's lighthouse had been swept away, the Win- 

 chelsea, a richly-laden homeward-bound Yirginiaman, 

 was wrecked on the Eddystone rocks, and almost every 

 soul on board perished ; so that the erection of a light- 

 house upon the dangerous reef remained as much a 

 necessity as ever. 



A new architect was not long in making his appear- 

 ance. He did not, however, come from the class of 

 architects, or builders, or even of mechanics : as for the 

 class of engineers, it had not yet sprung into existence. 

 Again the bold projector of a lighthouse for the Eddy- 

 stone was a London mercer, who kept a silk-shop on 

 Ludgate Hill. John Rudyerd for such was his name 

 was, however, a man of unquestionable genius, and pos- 

 sessed of much force of character. He was originally 

 the son of a Cornish labourer, whom nobody would 

 employ, his character was so bad ; and the rest of the 

 family were no better, being looked upon in their neigh- 

 bourhood as " a worthless set of ragged beggars." John 

 seems to have been the one sound chick in the whole 

 brood. He had a naturally clear head and honest 

 heart, and succeeded in withstanding the bad example of 

 his family. When his brothers went out a-pilfering, he 

 refused to accompany them, and hence they regarded 

 him as sullen and obstinate. They ill-used him, and he 

 ran away. Fortunately he succeeded in getting into the 

 service of a gentleman at Plymouth, who saw something 

 promising in his appearance. The boy conducted himself 

 so well in the capacity of a servant, that he was permitted 

 the opportunity of learning reading, writing, and ac- 

 counts ; and he proved so quick and intelligent, that his 



