MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEAVICK. 21 



than if it had been myself; for I mostly considered 

 that I richly deserved the stripes inflicted upon me, 

 and that he did not. 



There was a misdemeanor for which, above all 

 the rest, I was more severely punished, both at 

 school and at home, than for any other fault ; and 

 that was for fighting with other boys. To put a 

 stop to this practice, was the particular request of 

 my mother. To her it was odious in the extreme. 

 Her reasons I do not forget. She quoted Scripture 

 in support of them. Therein, she said, we were 

 directed, "if we were struck on one cheek, to turn 

 the other also" (I forget the exact words) : but it is 

 a portion of Scripture I did not obey. She also 

 maintained that the business of fighting was 

 degrading to human nature, and put a man that 

 practised it on a level with dogs. I am conscious 

 that I never sought a quarrel with any one ; but 

 I found an insult very bad to bear, and generally 

 in the most secret manner contrived " to fight it 

 out." 



When the floggings inflicted upon me had in a 

 great measure begun to lose their effect, another 

 mode of punishment was fallen upon ; and that 

 was, after the school hours were over, to lock me 

 into the church, where I was kept till the dusk of 

 the evening. This solitary confinement was very 

 irksome to me ; as I had not at that time got 

 over a belief in ghosts and boggles, for the sight 

 of which I was constantly upon the look out. 

 Oppressed with fear, I peeped here and there 

 into every corner, in dread of seeing some terri- 

 ble spirit. In time, however, this abated, and I 

 amused myself, as well as I could, in surveying 

 the surrounding objects, and in climbing up the 



