Vlll BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 



open semi-circular belt of oaks was called), and the beautiful 

 Reydon Wood to the north, on the Earl of Stradbroke's 

 property, formed a grand environment for the development of 

 their several characteristics. 



Mr. Strickland educated his elder daughters himself, and 

 having a fine library, they were given an education far superior 

 to. that which generally fell to the lot of the daughters of that 

 date. He had purchased a house in Norwich, and always 

 spent some months of the year in that beautiful old cathedral 

 city, and as the attacks of gout increased in frequency, was 

 obliged to reside there during the winter. He was generally 

 accompanied by one or two of his daughters, his wife dividing 

 her time as much as possible between the two houses. During, 

 her absence from Reydon, the care and education of the younger 

 children devolved upon their eldest sister Elizabeth. 



That the literary bent showed itself early will be seen by 

 the following account, which I cannot refrain from giving as* 

 much inJVIrs. Traill's own words as possible : 



" We passed our days in the lonely old house in sewing, 1 

 walking in the lanes, sometimes going to see the sick and 

 carry food or little comforts to the cottagers; but reading was 

 our chief resburce. We ransacked the library for books, we' 

 dipped into old magazines of the last century, such as Chris- 

 topher North styles 'bottled dulness in an ancient bin,' and 

 dull enough much of their contents proved. We tried history, 

 the drama, voyages and travels, of which latter there was a 

 huge folio. We even tried ' Locke on the Human Under- 

 standing.' We wanted to be very learned just then, but as 

 you may imagine, we made small progress in that direction, 

 and less in the wonderfully embellished old tome, ' Descartes' 

 Philosophy.' We read Sir Francis Knolles' 'History of -the 

 Turks,' with its curious wood-cuts and quaint old-style English. 

 We dipped into old Anthony Horneck's book of 'Divine 

 Morality,' but it was really too dry. We read Ward's ' His- 

 tory of the Reformation in Rhyme,' a book that had been 



