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。