IwasfiredwithalongingtoascendtheAmazon。Alsowithalongingtoopenupatradeincocawithalltheworld。DuringmonthsIdreamedthatdream,andtriedtocontrivewaystogettoParaandspringthatsplendidenterpriseuponanunsuspectingplanet。Butallinvain。ApersonmayPLANasmuchashewantsto,butnothingofconsequenceislikelytocomeofituntilthemagicianCIRCUMSTANCEstepsinandtakesthematteroffhishands。AtlastCircumstancecametomyhelp。Itwasinthisway。Circumstance,tohelporhurtanotherman,madehimloseafiftydollarbillinthestreet;andtohelporhurtme,mademefindit。Iadvertisedthefind,andleftfortheAmazonthesameday。Thiswasanotherturningpoint,anotherlink。
  CouldCircumstancehaveorderedanotherdwellerinthattowntogototheAmazonandopenupaworldtradeincocaonafifty
  dollarbasisandbeenobeyed?No,Iwastheonlyone。Therewereotherfoolsthereshoalsandshoalsofthembuttheywerenotofmykind。Iwastheonlyoneofmykind。
  Circumstanceispowerful,butitcannotworkalone;ithastohaveapartner。Itspartnerisman’sTEMPERAMENThisnaturaldisposition。Histemperamentisnothisinvention,itisBORNinhim,andhehasnoauthorityoverit,neitherisheresponsibleforitsacts。Hecannotchangeit,nothingcanchangeit,nothingcanmodifyitexcepttemporarily。Butitwon’tstaymodified。Itispermanent,likethecoloroftheman’seyesandtheshapeofhisears。Blueeyesaregrayincertainunusuallights;
  buttheyresumetheirnaturalcolorwhenthatstressisremoved。
  ACircumstancethatwillcoerceonemanwillhavenoeffectuponamanofadifferenttemperament。IfCircumstancehadthrownthebanknoteinCaesar’sway,histemperamentwouldnothavemadehimstartfortheAmazon。Histemperamentwouldhavecompelledhimtodosomethingwiththemoney,butnotthat。ItmighthavemadehimadvertisethenoteandWAIT。Wecan’ttell。
  Also,itmighthavemadehimgotoNewYorkandbuyintotheGovernment,withresultsthatwouldleaveTweednothingtolearnwhenitcamehisturn。
  Verywell,Circumstancefurnishedthecapital,andmytemperamenttoldmewhattodowithit。Sometimesatemperamentisanass。Whenthatisthecaseoftheownerofitisanass,too,andisgoingtoremainone。Training,experience,association,cantemporarilysopolishhim,improvehim,exalthimthatpeoplewillthinkheisamule,buttheywillbemistaken。ArtificiallyheISamule,forthetimebeing,butatbottomheisanassyet,andwillremainone。
  BytemperamentIwasthekindofpersonthatDOESthings。
  Doesthem,andreflectsafterward。SoIstartedfortheAmazonwithoutreflectingandwithoutaskinganyquestions。Thatwasmorethanfiftyyearsago。Inallthattimemytemperamenthasnotchanged,byevenashade。Ihavebeenpunishedmanyandmanyatime,andbitterly,fordoingthingsandreflectingafterward,butthesetortureshavebeenofnovaluetome;IstilldothethingcommandedbyCircumstanceandTemperament,andreflectafterward。Alwaysviolently。WhenIamreflecting,ontheseoccasions,evendeafpersonscanhearmethink。
  IwentbythewayofCincinnati,anddowntheOhioandMississippi。Myideawastotakeship,atNewOrleans,forPara。
  InNewOrleansIinquired,andfoundtherewasnoshipleavingforPara。Also,thatthereneverhadBEENoneleavingforPara。
  Ireflected。ApolicemancameandaskedmewhatIwasdoing,andItoldhim。Hemadememoveon,andsaidifhecaughtmereflectinginthepublicstreetagainhewouldrunmein。
  AfterafewdaysIwasoutofmoney。ThenCircumstancearrived,withanotherturningpointofmylifeanewlink。Onmywaydown,Ihadmadetheacquaintanceofapilot。Ibeggedhimtoteachmetheriver,andheconsented。Ibecameapilot。
  ByandbyCircumstancecameagainintroducingtheCivilWar,thistime,inordertopushmeaheadanotherstageortwotowardtheliteraryprofession。Theboatsstoppedrunning,mylivelihoodwasgone。
  Circumstancecametotherescuewithanewturningpointandafreshlink。MybrotherwasappointedsecretarytothenewTerritoryofNevada,andheinvitedmetogowithhimandhelphiminhisoffice。Iaccepted。
  InNevada,CircumstancefurnishedmethesilverfeverandI
  wentintotheminestomakeafortune,asIsupposed;butthatwasnottheidea。Theideawastoadvancemeanothersteptowardliterature。ForamusementIscribbledthingsfortheVirginiaCityENTERPRISE。Oneisn’taprintertenyearswithoutsettingupacresofgoodandbadliterature,andlearningunconsciouslyatfirst,consciouslylatertodiscriminatebetweenthetwo,withinhismentallimitations;andmeantimeheisunconsciouslyacquiringwhatiscalleda"style。"Oneofmyeffortsattractedattention,andtheENTERPRISEsentformeandputmeonitsstaff。
  AndsoIbecameajournalistanotherlink。ByandbyCircumstanceandtheSacramentoUNIONsentmetotheSandwichIslandsforfiveorsixmonths,towriteupsugar。Ididit;andthrewinagooddealofextraneousmatterthathadn’tanythingtodowithsugar。
  Butitwasthisextraneousmatterthathelpedmetoanotherlink。
  Itmademenotorious,andSanFranciscoinvitedmetolecture。
  WhichIdid。Andprofitably。Ihadlonghadadesiretotravelandseetheworld,andnowCircumstancehadmostkindlyandunexpectedlyhurledmeupontheplatformandfurnishedmethemeans。
  SoIjoinedthe"QuakerCityExcursion。"
  WhenIreturnedtoAmerica,Circumstancewaswaitingonthepier
  withtheLASTlinktheconspicuous,theconsummating,thevictoriouslink:IwasaskedtoWRITEABOOK,andIdidit,andcalleditTHEINNOCENTSABROAD。ThusIbecameatlastamemberoftheliteraryguild。Thatwasfortytwoyearsago,andIhavebeenamembereversince。LeavingtheRubiconincidentawaybackwhereitbelongs,IcansaywithtruththatthereasonIamintheliteraryprofessionisbecauseIhadthemeasleswhenIwastwelveyearsold。
  III
  Nowwhatinterestsme,asregardsthesedetails,isnotthedetailsthemselves,butthefactthatnoneofthemwasforeseenbyme,noneofthemwasplannedbyme,Iwastheauthorofnoneofthem。Circumstance,workinginharnesswithmytemperament,createdthemallandcompelledthemall。Ioftenofferedhelp,andwiththebestintentions,butitwasrejectedasarule,uncourteously。IcouldneverplanathingandgetittocomeoutthewayIplannedit。ItcameoutsomeotherwaysomewayIhadnotcountedupon。
  AndsoIdonotadmirethehumanbeingasanintellectualmarvelasmuchasIdidwhenIwasyoung,andgothimoutofbooks,anddidnotknowhimpersonally。WhenIusedtoreadthatsuchandsuchageneraldidacertainbrilliantthing,Ibelievedit。Whereasitwasnotso。Circumstancediditbyhelpofhistemperament。Thecircumstanceswouldhavefailedofeffectwithageneralofanothertemperament:hemightseethechance,butlosetheadvantagebybeingbynaturetooslowortooquickortoodoubtful。OnceGeneralGrantwasaskedaquestionaboutamatterwhichhadbeenmuchdebatedbythepublicandthenewspapers;heansweredthequestionwithoutanyhesitancy。
  "General,whoplannedthethemarchthroughGeorgia?""Theenemy!"Headdedthattheenemyusuallymakesyourplansforyou。Hemeantthattheenemybyneglectorthroughforceofcircumstancesleavesanopeningforyou,andyouseeyourchanceandtakeadvantageofit。
  Circumstancesdotheplanningforusall,nodoubt,byhelpofourtemperaments。Iseenogreatdifferencebetweenamanandawatch,exceptthatthemanisconsciousandthewatchisn’t,andthemanTRIEStoplanthingsandthewatchdoesn’t。Thewatchdoesn’twinditselfanddoesn’tregulateitselfthesethingsaredoneexteriorly。Outsideinfluences,outsidecircumstances,windtheMANandregulatehim。Lefttohimself,hewouldn’tgetregulatedatall,andthesortoftimehewouldkeepwouldnotbevaluable。Someraremenarewonderfulwatches,withgoldcase,compensationbalance,andallthosethings,andsomemenareonlysimpleandsweetandhumbleWaterburys。IamaWaterbury。AWaterburyofthatkind,somesay。
  Anationisonlyanindividualmultiplied。ItmakesplansandCircumstancescomesandupsetsthemorenlargesthem。Somepatriotsthrowtheteaoverboard;someotherpatriotsdestroyaBastille。ThePLANSstopthere;thenCircumstancecomesin,quiteunexpectedly,andturnsthesemodestriotsintoarevolution。
  AndtherewaspoorColumbus。Heelaboratedadeepplantofindanewroutetoanoldcountry。Circumstancerevisedhisplanforhim,andhefoundanewWORLD。AndHEgetsthecreditofittothisday。Hehadn’tanythingtodowithit。
  Necessarilythesceneoftherealturningpointofmylife(andofyours)wastheGardenofEden。Itwastherethatthefirstlinkwasforgedofthechainthatwasultimatelytoleadtotheemptyingofmeintotheliteraryguild。Adam’sTEMPERAMENT
  wasthefirstcommandtheDeityeverissuedtoahumanbeingonthisplanet。AnditwastheonlycommandAdamwouldNEVERbeabletodisobey。Itsaid,"Beweak,bewater,becharacterless,becheaplypersuadable。"Thelattercommand,toletthefruitalone,wascertaintobedisobeyed。NotbyAdamhimself,butbyhisTEMPERAMENTwhichhedidnotcreateandhadnoauthorityover。FortheTEMPERAMENTistheman;thethingtrickedoutwithclothesandnamedManismerelyitsShadow,nothingmore。Thelawofthetiger’stemperamentis,Thoushaltkill;thelawofthesheep’stemperamentisThoushaltnotkill。Toissuelatercommandsrequiringthetigertoletthefatstrangeralone,andrequiringthesheeptoimbueitshandsinthebloodofthelionisnotworthwhile,forthosecommandsCAN’Tbeobeyed。TheywouldinvitetoviolationsofthelawofTEMPERAMENT,whichissupreme,andtakeprecedenceofallotherauthorities。IcannothelpfeelingdisappointedinAdamandEve。Thatis,intheirtemperaments。NotinTHEM,poorhelplessyoungcreatures
  afflictedwithtemperamentsmadeoutofbutter;whichbutterwascommandedtogetintocontactwithfireandBEMELTED。WhatI
  cannothelpwishingis,thatAdamhadbeenpostponed,andMartinLutherandJoanofArcputintheirplacethatsplendidpairequippedwithtemperamentsnotmadeofbutter,butofasbestos。
  ByneithersugarypersuasionsnorbyhellfirecouldSatanhavebeguiledTHEMtoeattheapple。Therewouldhavebeenresults!
  Indeed,yes。Theapplewouldbeintacttoday;therewouldbenohumanrace;therewouldbenoYOU;therewouldbenoME。Andtheold,oldcreationdawnschemeofultimatelylaunchingmeintotheliteraryguildwouldhavebeendefeated。
  HOWTOMAKEHISTORYDATESSTICK
  Thesechaptersareforchildren,andIshalltrytomakethewordslargeenoughtocommandrespect。Inthehopethatyouarelistening,andthatyouhaveconfidenceinme,Iwillproceed。
  Datesaredifficultthingstoacquire;andaftertheyareacquireditisdifficulttokeeptheminthehead。Buttheyareveryvaluable。Theyarelikethecattlepensofaranchtheyshutintheseveralbrandsofhistoricalcattle,eachwithinitsownfence,andkeepthemfromgettingmixedtogether。Datesarehardtorememberbecausetheyconsistoffigures;figuresaremonotonouslyunstrikinginappearance,andtheydon’ttakehold,theyformnopictures,andsotheygivetheeyenochancetohelp。Picturesarethething。Picturescanmakedatesstick。
  TheycanmakenearlyanythingstickparticularlyIFYOUMAKETHE
  PICTURESYOURSELF。Indeed,thatisthegreatpointmakethepicturesYOURSELF。Iknowaboutthisfromexperience。ThirtyyearsagoIwasdeliveringamemorizedlectureeverynight,andeverynightIhadtohelpmyselfwithapageofnotestokeepfromgettingmyselfmixed。Thenotesconsistedofbeginningsofsentences,andwereeleveninnumber,andtheyransomethinglikethis:
  "INTHATREGIONTHEWEATHER"
  "ATTHATTIMEITWASACUSTOM"
  "BUTINCALIFORNIAONENEVERHEARD"
  Elevenofthem。Theyinitialedthebriefdivisionsofthelectureandprotectedmeagainstskipping。Buttheyalllookedaboutalikeonthepage;theyformednopicture;Ihadthembyheart,butIcouldneverwithcertaintyremembertheorderoftheirsuccession;thereforeIalwayshadtokeepthosenotesbymeandlookatthemeverylittlewhile。OnceImislaidthem;youwillnotbeabletoimaginetheterrorsofthatevening。InowsawthatImustinventsomeotherprotection。SoIgottenoftheinitiallettersbyheartintheirproperorderI,A,B,andsoonandIwentontheplatformthenextnightwiththesemarkedininkonmytenfingernails。Butitdidn’tanswer。I
  kepttrackofthefiguresforawhile;thenIlostit,andafterthatIwasneverquitesurewhichfingerIhadusedlast。I
  couldn’tlickoffaletterafterusingit,forwhilethatwouldhavemadesuccesscertainitalsowouldhaveprovokedtoomuchcuriosity。Therewascuriosityenoughwithoutthat。TotheaudienceIseemedmoreinterestedinmyfingernailsthanIwasinmysubject;oneortwopersonsaskedmeafterwardwhatwasthematterwithmyhands。
  Itwasnowthattheideaofpicturesoccurredtome;thenmytroublespassedaway。IntwominutesImadesixpictureswithapen,andtheydidtheworkoftheelevencatchsentences,anddiditperfectly。Ithrewthepicturesawayassoonastheyweremade,forIwassureIcouldshutmyeyesandseethemanytime。
  Thatwasaquarterofacenturyago;thelecturevanishedoutofmyheadmorethantwentyyearsago,butIwouldrewriteitfromthepicturesfortheyremain。Herearethreeofthem:(Fig。1)。
  ThefirstoneisahaystackbelowitarattlesnakeandittoldmewheretobegintotalkranchlifeinCarsonValley。ThesecondonetoldmewheretobeginthetalkaboutastrangeandviolentwindthatusedtoburstuponCarsonCityfromtheSierraNevadaseveryafternoonattwoo’clockandtrytoblowthetownaway。Thethirdpicture,asyoueasilyperceive,islightning;
  itsdutywastoremindmewhenitwastimetobegintotalkaboutSanFranciscoweather,wherethereISnolightningnorthunder,eitheranditneverfailedme。
  Iwillgiveyouavaluablehint。Whenamanismakingaspeechandyouaretofollowhimdon’tjotdownnotestospeakfrom,jotdownPICTURES。Itisawkwardandembarrassingtohavetokeepreferringtonotes;andbesidesitbreaksupyourspeechandmakesitraggedandnoncoherent;butyoucantearupyourpicturesassoonasyouhavemadethemtheywillstayfreshandstronginyourmemoryintheorderandsequenceinwhichyouscratchedthemdown。Andmanywilladmiretoseewhatagoodmemoryyouarefurnishedwith,whenperhapsyourmemoryisnotanybetterthanmine。
  Sixteenyearsagowhenmychildrenwerelittlecreaturesthegovernesswastryingtohammersomeprimerhistoriesintotheirheads。PartofthisfunifyouliketocallitthatconsistedinthememorizingoftheaccessiondatesofthethirtysevenpersonageswhohadruledEnglandfromtheConquerordown。Theselittlepeoplefounditabitter,hardcontract。Itwasalldates,andalllookedalike,andtheywouldn’tstick。Dayafterdayofthesummervacationdribbledby,andstillthekingsheldthefort;thechildrencouldn’tconqueranysixofthem。
  WithmylectureexperienceinmindIwasawarethatIcouldinventsomewayoutofthetroublewithpictures,butIhopedawaycouldbefoundwhichwouldletthemrompintheopenairwhiletheylearnedthekings。Ifoundit,andtheymasteredallthemonarchsinadayortwo。
  TheideawastomakethemSEEthereignswiththeireyes;
  thatwouldbealargehelp。Wewereatthefarmthen。Fromthehouseporchthegroundsslopedgraduallydowntothelowerfenceandroseontherighttothehighgroundwheremysmallworkdenstood。Acarriageroadwoundthroughthegroundsandupthehill。IstakeditoutwiththeEnglishmonarchs,beginningwiththeConqueror,andyoucouldstandontheporchandclearlyseeeveryreignanditslength,fromtheConquestdowntoVictoria,theninthefortysixthyearofherreignEIGHTHUNDREDAND
  SEVENTEENYEARSOFEnglishhistoryunderyoureyeatonce!
  EnglishhistorywasanunusuallylivetopicinAmericajustthen。TheworldhadsuddenlyrealizedthatwhileitwasnotnoticingtheQueenhadpassedHenryVIII。,passedHenryVI。andElizabeth,andgaininginlengtheveryday。Herreignhadenteredthelistofthelongones;everybodywasinterestednow
  itwaswatchingarace。WouldshepassthelongEdward?Therewasapossibilityofit。WouldshepassthelongHenry?
  Doubtful,mostpeoplesaid。ThelongGeorge?Impossible!
  Everybodysaidit。Butwehavelivedtoseeherleavehimtwoyearsbehind。
  Imeasuredoff817feetoftheroadway,afootrepresentingayear,andatthebeginningandendofeachreignIdroveathreefootwhitepinestakeintheturfbytheroadsideandwrotethenameanddatesonit。AbreastthemiddleoftheporchfrontstoodagreatgraniteflowervaseoverflowingwithacataractofbrightyellowflowersIcan’tthinkoftheirname。ThevaseofWilliamtheConqueror。Weputhisnameonitandhisaccessiondate,1066。Westartedfromthatandmeasuredofftwentyonefeetoftheroad,anddroveWilliamRufus’sstate;thenthirteenfeetanddrovethefirstHenry’sstake;thenthirtyfivefeetanddroveStephen’s;thennineteenfeet,whichbroughtusjustpastthesummerhouseontheleft;thenwestakedoutthirtyfive,ten,andseventeenforthesecondHenryandRichardandJohn;
  turnedthecurveandentereduponjustwhatwasneededforHenryIII。alevel,straightstretchoffiftysixfeetofroadwithoutacrinkleinit。Anditlayexactlyinfrontofthehouse,inthemiddleofthegrounds。Therecouldn’thavebeenabetterplaceforthatlongreign;youcouldstandontheporchandseethosetwowideapartstakesalmostwithyoureyesshut。(Fig。2。)
  Thatisn’ttheshapeoftheroadIhavebunchedituplikethattosaveroom。Theroadhadsomegreatcurvesinit,buttheirgradualsweepwassuchthattheywerenomartohistory。
  No,inourroadonecouldtellataglancewhowaswhobythesizeofthevacancybetweenstakeswithLOCALITYtohelp,ofcourse。
  AlthoughIamawayoffhereinaSwedishvillage[1]andthosestakesdidnotstandtillthesnowcame,Icanseethemtodayasplainlyasever;andwheneverIthinkofanEnglishmonarchhisstakesrisebeforemeoftheirownaccordandI
  noticethelargeorsmallspacewhichhetakesuponourroad。
  Areyourkingsspacedoffinyourmind?WhenyouthinkofRichardIII。andofJamesII。dothedurationsoftheirreignsseemaboutaliketoyou?Itisn’tsotome;Ialwaysnoticethatthere’safoot’sdifference。WhenyouthinkofHenryIII。doyouseeagreatlongstretchofstraightroad?Ido;andjustattheendwhereitjoinsontoEdwardI。Ialwaysseeasmallpearbushwithitsgreenfruithangingdown。WhenIthinkoftheCommonwealthIseeashadylittlegroupofthesesmallsaplingswhichwecalledtheoakparlor;whenIthinkofGeorgeIII。Iseehimstretchingupthehill,partofhimoccupiedbyaflightofstonesteps;andIcanlocateStephentoaninchwhenhecomesintomymind,forhejustfilledthestretchwhichwentbythesummerhouse。Victoria’sreignreachedalmosttomystudydooronthefirstlittlesummit;there’ssixteenfeettobeaddednow;
  Ibelievethatthatwouldcarryittoabigpinetreethatwasshatteredbysomelightningonesummerwhenitwastryingtohitme。
  Wegotagooddealoffunoutofthehistoryroad;andexercise,too。Wetrottedthecoursefromtheconquerortothestudy,thechildrencallingoutthenames,dates,andlengthofreignsaswepassedthestakes,goingagoodgaitalongthelongreigns,butslowingdownwhenwecameuponpeoplelikeMaryandEdwardVI。,andtheshortStuartandPlantagenet,togivetimetogetinthestatistics。Iofferedprizes,tooapples。IthrewoneasfarasIcouldsendit,andthechildthatfirstshoutedthereignitfellingottheapple。
  Thechildrenwereencouragedtostoplocatingthingsasbeing"overbythearbor,"or"intheoakparlor,"or"upatthestonesteps,"andsayinsteadthatthethingswereinStephen,orintheCommonwealth,orinGeorgeIII。Theygotthehabitwithouttrouble。Tohavethelongroadmappedoutwithsuchexactnesswasagreatboonforme,forIhadthehabitofleavingbooksandotherarticleslyingaroundeverywhere,andhadnotpreviouslybeenabletodefinitelynametheplace,andsohadoftenbeenobligedtogotofetchthemmyself,tosavetimeandfailure;butnowIcouldnamethereignIleftthemin,andsendthechildren。
  NextIthoughtIwouldmeasureofftheFrenchreigns,andpegthemalongsidetheEnglishones,sothatwecouldalwayshavecontemporaneousFrenchhistoryunderoureyesaswewentourEnglishrounds。WepeggedthemdowntotheHundredYears’War,thenthrewtheideaaside,Idonotnowrememberwhy。AfterthatwemadetheEnglishpegsfenceinEuropeanandAmericanhistoryaswellasEnglish,andthatansweredverywell。Englishandalienpoets,statesmen,artists,heroes,battles,plagues,cataclysms,revolutionsweshoveledthemallintotheEnglishfencesaccordingtotheirdates。Doyouunderstand?WegaveWashington’sbirthtoGeorgeII。’spegsandhisdeathtoGeorgeIII。’s;GeorgeII。gottheLisbonearthquakeandGeorgeIII。theDeclarationofIndependence。Goethe,Shakespeare,Napoleon,Savonarola,JoanofArc,theFrenchRevolution,theEdictofNantes,Clive,Wellington,Waterloo,Plassey,Patay,Cowpens,Saratoga,theBattleoftheBoyne,theinventionofthelogarithms,themicroscope,thesteamengine,thetelegraph
  anythingandeverythingallovertheworldwedumpeditallinamongtheEnglishpegsaccordingtoitdateandregardlessofitsnationality。
  IftheroadpeggingschemehadnotsucceededIshouldhavelodgedthekingsinthechildren’sheadsbymeansofpictures
  thatis,Ishouldhavetried。Itmighthavefailed,forthepicturescouldonlybeeffectiveWHENMADEBYTHEPUPIL;notthemaster,foritistheworkputuponthedrawingthatmakesthedrawingstayinthememory,andmychildrenweretoolittletomakedrawingsatthattime。And,besides,theyhadnotalentforart,whichisstrange,forinotherwaystheyarelikeme。
  ButIwilldevelopthepictureplannow,hopingthatyouwillbeabletouseit。Itwillcomegoodforindoorswhentheweatherisbadandonecannotgooutsideandpegaroad。Letusimaginethatthekingsareaprocession,andthattheyhavecomeoutoftheArkanddownAraratforexerciseandarenowstartingbackagainupthezigzagroad。Thiswillbringseveralofthemintoviewatonce,andeachzigzagwillrepresentthelengthofaking’sreign。
  Andsoon。Youwillhaveplentyofspace,forbymyprojectyouwillusetheparlorwall。Youdonotmarkonthewall;thatwouldcausetrouble。Youonlyattachbitsofpapertoitwithpinsorthumbtacks。Thesewillleavenomark。
  Takeyourpennow,andtwentyonepiecesofwhitepaper,eachtwoinchessquare,andwewilldothetwentyoneyearsoftheConqueror’sreign。Oneachsquaredrawapictureofawhaleandwritethedatesandtermofservice。Wechoosethewhaleforseveralreasons:itsnameandWilliam’sbeginwiththesameletter;itisthebiggestfishthatswims,andWilliamisthemostconspicuousfigureinEnglishhistoryinthewayofalandmark;finally,awhaleisabouttheeasiestthingtodraw。
  Bythetimeyouhavedrawntwentyonewalesandwritten"WilliamI。10661087twentyoneyears"twentyonetimes,thosedetailswillbeyourproperty;youcannotdislodgethemfromyourmemorywithanythingbutdynamite。Iwillmakeasampleforyoutocopy:
  (Fig。3)。
  Ihavegothischinuptoohigh,butthatisnomatter;heislookingforHarold。Itmaybethatawhalehasn’tthatfinupthereonhisback,butIdonotremember;andso,sincethereisadoubt,itisbesttoerronthesafeside。Helooksbetter,anyway,thanhewouldwithoutit。
  BeverycarefulandATTENTIVEwhileyouaredrawingyourfirstwhalefrommysampleandwritingthewordandfiguresunderit,sothatyouwillnotneedtocopythesampleanymore。
  Compareyourcopywiththesample;examineclosely;ifyoufindyouhavegoteverythingrightandcanshutyoureyesandseethepictureandcallthewordsandfigures,thenturnthesampleandcopyupsidedownandmakethenextcopyfrommemory;andalsothenextandnext,andsoon,alwaysdrawingandwritingfrommemoryuntilyouhavefinishedthewholetwentyone。Thiswilltakeyoutwentyminutes,orthirty,andbythattimeyouwillfindthatyoucanmakeawhaleinlesstimethananunpracticedpersoncanmakeasardine;also,uptothetimeyoudieyouwillalwaysbeabletofurnishWilliam’sdatestoanyignorantpersonthatinquiresafterthem。
  YouwillnowtakethirteenpiecesofBLUEpaper,eachtwoinchessquare,anddoWilliamII。(Fig。4。)
  Makehimspouthiswaterforwardinsteadofbackward;alsomakehimsmall,andstickaharpooninhimandgivehimthatsicklookintheeye。OtherwiseyoumightseemtobecontinuingtheotherWilliam,andthatwouldbeconfusingandadamage。Itisquiterighttomakehimsmall;hewasonlyaboutaNo。11whale,oralongtheresomewhere;therewasn’troominhimforhisfather’sgreatspirit。Thebarbofthatharpoonoughtnottoshowlikethat,becauseitisdowninsidethewhaleandoughttobeoutofsight,butitcannotbehelped;ifthebarbwereremovedpeoplewouldthinksomeonehadstuckawhipstockintothewhale。Itisbesttoleavethebarbthewayitis,theneveryonewillknowitisaharpoonandattendingtobusiness。
  Rememberdrawfromthecopyonlyonce;makeyourothertwelveandtheinscriptionfrommemory。
  Nowthetruthisthatwheneveryouhavecopiedapictureanditsinscriptiononcefrommysampleandtwoorthreetimesfrommemorythedetailswillstaywithyouandbehardtoforget。
  Afterthat,ifyoulike,youmaymakemerelythewhale’sHEADandWATERSPOUTfortheConquerortillyouendhisreign,eachtimeSAYINGtheinscriptioninplaceofwritingit;andinthecaseofWilliamII。maketheHARPOONalone,andsayovertheinscriptioneachtimeyoudoit。Yousee,itwilltakenearlytwiceaslongtodothefirstsetasitwilltodothesecond,andthatwillgiveyouamarkedsenseofthedifferenceinlengthofthetworeigns。
  NextdoHenryI。onthirtyfivesquaresofREDpaper。
  (Fig。5。)
  Thatisahen,andsuggestsHenrybyfurnishingthefirstsyllable。
  Whenyouhaverepeatedthehenandtheinscriptionuntilyouareperfectlysureofthem,drawmerelythehen’sheadtherestofthethirtyfivetimes,sayingovertheinscriptioneachtime。Thus:
  (Fig。6)。
  Youbegintounderstandhowhowthisprocessionisgoingtolookwhenitisonthewall。FirsttherewillbetheConqueror’stwentyonewhalesandwaterspouts,thetwentyonewhitesquaresjoinedtooneanotherandmakingawhitestripethreeandone
  halffeetlong;thethirteenbluesquaresofWilliamII。willbejoinedtothatabluestripetwofeet,twoincheslong,followedbyHenry’sredstripefivefeet,tenincheslong,andsoon。Thecoloreddivisionswillsmartlyshowtotheeyethedifferenceinthelengthofthereignsandimpresstheproportionsonthememoryandtheunderstanding。(Fig。7。)
  StephenofBloiscomesnext。HerequiresnineteentwoinchsquaresofYELLOWpaper。(Fig。8。)
  Thatisasteer。ThesoundsuggeststhebeginningofStephen’sname。Ichooseitforthatreason。IcanmakeabettersteerthanthatwhenIamnotexcited。Butthisonewilldo。Itisagoodenoughsteerforhistory。Thetailisdefective,butitonlywantsstraighteningout。
  NextcomesHenryII。GivehimthirtyfivesquaresofREDpaper。
  Thesehensmustfacewest,liketheformerones。(Fig。9。)
  Thishendiffersfromtheotherone。HeisonhiswaytoinquirewhathasbeenhappeninginCanterbury。
  HowwearriveatRichardI。,calledRichardoftheLion
  heartbecausehewasabravefighterandwasneversocontentedaswhenhewasleadingcrusadesinPalestineandneglectinghisaffairsathome。GivehimtensquaresofWHITEpaper。(Fig。10)。
  Thatisalion。Hisofficeistoremindyouofthelion
  heartedRichard。Thereissomethingthematterwithhislegs,butIdonotquiteknowwhatitis,theydonotseemright。
  Ithinkthehindonesarethemostunsatisfactory;thefrontonesarewellenough,thoughitwouldbebetteriftheywererightsandlefts。
  NextcomesKingJohn,andhewasapoorcircumstance。
  HewascalledLackland。HegavehisrealmtothePope。
  LethimhaveseventeensquaresofYELLOWpaper。(Fig。11。)
  Thatcreatureisajamboree。Itlookslikeatrademark,butthatisonlyanaccidentandnotintentional。Itisprehistoricandextinct。ItusedtoroamtheearthintheOldSiluriantimes,andlayeggsandcatchfishandclimbtreesandliveonfossils;foritwasofamixedbreed,whichwasthefashionthen。
  Itwasveryfierce,andtheOldSilurianswereafraidofit,butthisisatameone。Physicallyithasnorepresentativenow,butitsmindhasbeentransmitted。FirstIdrewitsittingdown,buthaveturnedittheotherwaynowbecauseIthinkitlooksmoreattractiveandspiritedwhenoneendofitisgalloping。IlovetothinkthatinthisattitudeitgivesusapleasantideaofJohncomingallinahappyexcitementtoseewhatthebaronshavebeenarrangingforhimatRunnymede,whiletheotheronegivesusanideaofhimsittingdowntowringhishandsandgrieveoverit。
  WenowcometoHenryIII。;REDsquaresagain,ofcourse
  fiftysixofthem。WemustmakealltheHenrysthesamecolor;
  itwillmaketheirlongreignsshowuphandsomelyonthewall。
  AmongalltheeightHenrystherewerebuttwoshortones。A
  luckyname,asfaraslongevitygoes。ThereignsofsixoftheHenryscover227years。ItmighthavebeenwelltonamealltheroyalprincesHenry,butthiswasoverlookeduntilitwastoolate。
  (Fig。12。)
  Thisisthebestoneyet。Heisonhisway(1265)tohavealookatthefirstHouseofCommonsinEnglishhistory。Itwasamonumentalevent,thesituationintheHouse,andwasthesecondgreatlibertylandmarkwhichthecenturyhadsetup。IhavemadeHenrylookingglad,butthiswasnotintentional。
  EdwardI。comesnext;LIGHTBROWNpaper,thirtyfivesquares。
  (Fig。13。)
  Thatisaneditor。Heistryingtothinkofaword。Hepropshisfeetonachair,whichistheeditor’sway;thenhecanthinkbetter。Idonotcaremuchforthisone;hisearsarenotalike;still,editorsuggeststhesoundofEdward,andhewilldo。IcouldmakehimbetterifIhadamodel,butImadethisonefrommemory。Butisnoparticularmatter;theyalllookalike,anyway。Theyareconceitedandtroublesome,anddon’tpayenough。EdwardwasthefirstreallyEnglishkingthathadyetoccupiedthethrone。TheeditorinthepictureprobablylooksjustasEdwardlookedwhenitwasfirstborneinuponhimthatthiswasso。Hiswholeattitudeexpressedgratificationandpridemixedwithstupefactionandastonishment。
  EdwardII。now;twentyBLUEsquares。(Fig。14。)
  Anothereditor。Thatthingbehindhisearishispencil。
  Wheneverhefindsabrightthinginyourmanuscripthestrikesitoutwiththat。Thatdoeshimgood,andmakeshimsmileandshowhisteeth,thewayheisdoinginthepicture。Thisonehasjustbeenstrikingoutasmartthing,andnowheissittingtherewithhisthumbsinhisvestholes,gloating。Theyarefullofenvyandmalice,editorsare。ThispicturewillservetoremindyouthatEdwardII。wasthefirstEnglishkingwhowasDEPOSED。Upondemand,hesignedhisdepositionhimself。Hehadfoundkingshipamostaggravatinganddisagreeableoccupation,andyoucanseebythelookofhimthatheisgladheresigned。Hehasputhisbluepencilupforgoodnow。Hehadstruckoutmanyagoodthingwithitinhistime。
  EdwardIII。next;fiftyREDsquares。(Fig。15。)
  Thiseditorisacritic。Hehaspulledouthiscarving
  knifeandhistomahawkandisstartingafterabookwhichheisgoingtohaveforbreakfast。Thisone’sarmsareputonwrong。