224 THE EAELY HISTOEY OF [CHAP. IV. 



and philosophical instruments and the perusal of three 

 volumes of a dictionary of arts and science. He got 

 some practical knowledge of land-surveying. This led 

 him to botany ; and to examine his plants he made a 

 microscope. This required a knowledge of optics, and 

 thence he went to mathematics and Suctions. 



From 1787 to 1792 (14 to 19) his studies and his 

 position were equally extraordinary. He became classical 

 tutor to a boy a year and a half his junior. Mr. Bar- 

 clay, of Youngsbury, took him as companion to his 

 grandson, Hudson Ofurney, who had a tutor. Young 

 taught the tutor Greek, and taught his companion 

 Latin and Greek, whilst he taught himself Latin, 

 French, Italian, mathematics, natural philosophy, 

 botany, and entomology. 



When 16 (1789) he was threatened with consump- 

 tion. His uncle, Dr. Brocklesby, the friend of Burke, 

 attended him, and through him Burke and Porson and 

 others became interested in the great classical know- 

 ledge of the youth, and encouraged him in his transla- 

 tions of Shakespear into Greek iambics. 



It was at this period that his character was most 

 strongly formed : 



He was never known to relax in any object which he 

 had once undertaken. During the whole term of these 

 five years he was never seen by anyone on any occasion 

 to be ruffled in temper. Whatever he determined on he 

 did. He had little faith in any peculiar aptitude being 

 implanted by nature for any given pursuits. His favourite 

 maxim was, that whatever one man had done another 

 might do ; that the original difference between human 

 intellects was much less than it was generally supposed to 





