CHAPTER LVIII.
Walk in, Ladies and Gentlemen, and you shall see what you shall see. The next female whom you are to contemplate, sits under that large and spreading canopy, made, by the way, out of some old bed-furniture; she is the celebrated authoress of—all manner of things—Translations from the German, Novels, Sermons, Divinity Tracts, Original Novels, founded on domestic facts, and what not besides. But to render this lady the amplest justice, we insert the whole of her history, as recorded by the Sexagenarian.
Come then the colours and the ground prepare.
What is here related concerning this very distinguished Lady, must of course be authentic, for no other reference is necessary than to her own memorials of herself: these will generally be confirmed by that personal knowledge, which circumstances enabled the writer to possess. She has indeed exhibited the portraits of her family, her relatives, her friends, and herself, rather in uncouth lineaments, and in a somewhat high style of caricature. This is entirely her own concern, as it also is to settle the account with her filial piety, for representing parental infirmities in colours too vivid to be overlooked, and too characteristic to be misapplied.
But lest we should be mistaken, the reader is entreated, on the very threshold, to be assured that our friend’s general opinion of this Lady, is very favourable. She possesses considerable talents; she has cultivated and improved them by severe study and rigorous discipline. Her knowledge of languages is very considerable, or once was so, for we must be understood as speaking of days that are past. She is, or was, familiarly conversant with German, French, Italian, and other modern languages, and far from ignorant either of Greek or Latin. Indeed, when we knew her, she was able to read, and did read, the most popular of the Latin classics, with considerable facility. With respect to her other qualities of mind, we know her to be kind-hearted, benevolent, and hospitable; always ready to listen to, and relieve distress; very anxious and zealous, without any tinge of fanaticism, on the subjects of religion and morals.
Now, reader, with whatever reluctance it may be done, it is time to balance the account per contra.
The first and great deficiency, we have to notice, is want of judgment. In all her original compositions, she seems to write down every thing which presents itself to her mind, without thinking it necessary to use subsequent revision and consideration. Hence it is that her sentences are sometimes expanded to an inordinate length, and her ideas, forcible and good perhaps in their first conception, are dilated and spun out to cobweb insubstantiality. In her compositions also, there is the grossest affectation of learning, and a perpetual use of crabbed, uncouth, pedantic expressions; so that of two words, where one was simple, explicit, and perspicuous, and the other of similar import has a Greek termination, in defiance of all good taste, the latter would be assuredly preferred. There seems also, or did seem, an irresistible propensity to take every gossip anecdote and tea-table chatter of Lady Tittle-tattle, Mrs. Go-about, and Sir Timothy Newsmonger, as authentic fact, and make them the occasion of some fine moralizing theorems, and philosophical discussion. There is, or was, but this perhaps may be sexual, a marvellous pertinacity in adhering to the opinions and assertions once made and avowed, in defiance of counter authorities, and the best substantiated facts. It is far more pleasant to contemplate the other side of the picture.
It is therefore with no common satisfaction we relate, that this lady’s perseverance, determination, and consistent steadiness, in the earlier period of life, overcame the most formidable difficulties which were interposed between her and the cultivation of her mind; the fortitude with which she resisted the mean and cruel attempts which were made to keep her in a state of ignorance, and to withhold from her every opportunity of improvement, is in the highest degree honourable to her, and marks very superior intellectual endowments.
Her mother, a low-minded creature, was actually jealous of her, and could not endure the idea that her daughter should know any thing of which she herself was ignorant. She constantly insulted and depressed her. Her father, a proud consequential man, had some talents. But let us pause. The lady has herself told all these things of herself, of her mother and father also, though under the ingenious veil of fictitious names and characters. We shall therefore satisfy ourselves by the recapitulation of a few things, which she has not related of herself.
In the first place, her persevering industry and determination to obtain somewhat of scientific accomplishments, was, in her early youth, beyond all example. No obstacles intimidated her, no interruptions relaxed her ardour, no unkindness turned her from her purpose.
She would read by the scanty and pernicious light of dying embers; she would submit to the most serious privations; she would alike defy cold, and heat, and hunger, and thirst, in pursuit of her object; and she (as she deserved to do) obtained it. She qualified herself in case of accident or misfortune, though she had no reasonable grounds for expecting the necessity to operate, to obtain the means of livelihood, either as a teacher of others, or as a translator and author. She actually did, when in her father’s house, without the knowledge of her parents, undertake a work for a bookseller, and successfully performed it; by which she obtained a sum of money sufficiently large to procure some indulgence she had in view, either of learning German, or of purchasing books, or something of the kind, which might extend her knowledge, and improve her mind.
Since she became her own mistress, independent, end opulent, the same habits of diligence have remained; a certain portion of every day is now, as before, regularly allotted for a particular study and employment. These habits are perhaps (or were) characterised by a precision, convenient undoubtedly to herself, but in a certain degree offensive and troublesome to such of her inmates, as may not, like herself, happen to move with the regularity of a watch. The anticipation or delay of five minutes before or after the time precisely fixed for any particular object, was wont to occasion a feverish irritability, and discompose the whole mental machine for a long interval.
To finish this sketch, it behoves us to say, that in all the various works which have been produced by this Lady’s pen, every thing good, and wise, and virtuous, and pious, is inculcated with all the force of her talents. We believe that her writings, as they have had a very extensive, so have they had also a very salutary circulation. The few faults which we have deemed it necessary to point out, are exceedingly venial in themselves, and not of importance from their number; whilst her valuable qualities, her abilities, and her usefulness, entitle her to a very considerable place among those females, who in modern times have been distinguished by the attention of the public.
Vobis ergo sacra ferenda, Musæ
Sed quæ victima grata? quæ Camœnis
Dicata hostia? parcite O Camœnæ
Nova hæc victima, sed tamen suavis
Futura arbitror, admodumque grata.