Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/70

Rh with the task, went upstairs. The little boy ran after his mother, and scarcely had she reached her room, when Johnson appeared before her and repeated the prayer-book, from the beginning to the end, without missing a single syllable. His mother was quite surprised and delighted at the marvellous memory of her little son. To tell the truth, he read the book only twice and learnt it all.

The famous poet, Pope, wrote his "Ode on Solitude" when he was only twelve years old. He used to compose verses at a still earlier age, but his father did not approve of this. He told Pope not to waste his time in writing poems, but the boy would not hear him, and when his father, one day, gave him a severe beating, he cried out in verse:—

Milton composed verses at a very early age, and the famous writers of the time were amazed at the beauty of his poems. Such instances are not rare.

Everyone admired the extraordinary powers of the little boy Isvar Chandra, and earnestly requested his father to place him in a good English school. Thakurdas was highly delighted at the praise bestowed on his son, and expressed his desire that he would send him to the Hindu College. Those present suggested that he could not