Thomas had usually an hour or two of leisure in the evening: this time he employed in learning writing and arithmetic: his father was a tinner, that is to say, a miner, and like many others, he had acquired a good deal of knowledge. He gave his son all the instruction that he could; and Thomas, beside being able to read with propriety, and to write a fair hand, knew something of Geometry, Algebra, and Mechanics. Instead of being, like some boys, who think themselves unhappy because they are obliged to learn, and who would be content to spend all their time in play; Thomas employed every opportunity for improving his mind. While the man who had the charge of the drove of mules was transacting business in the town, Thomas would take his book to a niche in the rock that hung over the sea; where he would spend half an hour, or sometimes an hour, in study: and perhaps he might learn as much in this short time as some boys do in a whole day; though they have masters to teach them every thing.
Thomas was not often interrupted in the place he had chosen for his study, because it could only be approached by a very rugged, steep, and difficult path. One day, however, he heard some one scrambling up the path, and uttering many exclamations which he could not at all understand. Presently afterwards, a lad about his own size came up. Thomas was quite startled by his odd appearance; for he wore a red cap with a blue tassel; he had gold rings in his ears, and on his fingers; he wore several waist-coats of different colours,—a striped green jacket, and full petticoats reaching to the knees; with large high boots. Thomas stared at this strange figure, and shut his book. The boy said something, as though he meant to ask a question. “Nan!” said Thomas. After muttering a word or two more, the boy turned round, and descended the way he came. As soon as he was gone, Thomas recollected that he heard that, since the late peace with France, fishing boats from Normandy sometimes put into the harbour, when the weather was rough, or the wind contrary. He guessed, therefore, that the boy he had just seen must belong to one of these boats: and looking out to sea, he perceived two or three odd looking boats lying at anchor, about a league from the shore; and he learned from the sailors on the pier that they were French fishing boats.
As he rode home, Thomas began to consider the reason why he and the French boy could not understand each other. He did not know a word of any language except English; and he had never before thought on the subject. He remembered to have heard that the people in France speak French; and he had heard too, the son of the captain of the mine talk about learning Latin; but he had no clear notion of what was meant by another language. “I suppose,” said he to himself, “speaking French, or speaking Latin, means calling things by different names to what we do.” But this seemed strange, and difficult to be imagined; for he had always believed that Horse, was really the name for a horse; and House, the name for a house: “and why,” thought he, “should people call things by names that are not their real names.” While he was puzzling himself in this way, it came into his mind, that his Father and Mother, and he himself, sometimes, used what were called old Cornish words, quite different from the common names of things; and that it seemed almost as natural to him to use one sort of word as another; this seemed to clear up his difficulties; and he began to feel a strong desire to learn French, or some other language.
In the evening, when he went home, Thomas described to his Father the dress and appearance of the French boy whom he had seen; and he afterwards hinted at the subject of his meditations as he rode home. “Father,” said he, “do you think one could any how learn French, the same as one learns Geometry; could’nt I get a book that would tell me all about it.” “Ah, Thomas,” said his Father, “what you are thinking about they call grammars and dictionaries, and so forth: but in such things I can’t help you. You’ll make no hand of it, I can tell you; beside, I don’t see it would be any sort of use to a tinner. Geometry and Mechanics, you know, are in our line; but French and Latin would do you no good in the world.”
But Thomas was not entirely discouraged by what his father said. John Dawson, the son of the captain of the mine, was just then at home during the holidays: the next time Thomas met him, he accosted him, by saying, “Be so good, Master John, as just to tell me a little about Grammar, or French, or Latin, or something of that sort,—what you learn at school.” John was never very willing to be put in mind of his learning in holiday time; it was bad enough, he thought, to be obliged to attend to it at school. But as he was a good tempered boy, he would not refuse to give Thomas some sort of answer to his question.
“Well then, Thomas,” said he, “listen:—hic, hæc, hoc:—that is Grammar and Latin too: will that content you?”
“That does not make me understand any thing about it,” said Thomas.
“As in præsenti, perfectum format in avi,” said John.
“Please to tell me what all those words mean, Master John,” said Thomas.
“Very well: but you must pay attention, because I can’t tell you more than once. As, in, in, præsenti, the present tense, perfectum, the perfect, format, forms, in, in avi:—will that do?”